A blue-ribbon draft horse at the Schoharie County Sunshine Fair.
Wondering what to do this weekend in the Catskills? Here our are picks:
Schoharie County Sunshine Fair
Schoharie County's annual fair doesn't fool around. It starts today with harness racing and motorcross, and rounds out the weekend with tractor pull after tractor pull. And that's just at the grandstand. Tonight, several-hit-wonders Fred Parris and the Five Satins will play the party tent, which will fill with Irish dancing and classic rock tomorrow and with square dancing and polka on Sunday. Every day there are sea lion shows, raptors on display, talking robots, chainsaw sculptors, and herds upon herds of animal and agricultural exhibits. Oh, and a midway full of carnival rides. Best part? The fair lasts until next Saturday.
All day, Friday July 30 to Saturday August 7, Cobleskill fairgrounds, Cobleskill, Schoharie County.
Shakespeare in the Valley: Romeo and Juliet
We must admit having a bias towards this particular event, because our very own Area Teen columnist will be playing a part in the West Kortright Centre production, which starts tonight. But even if you don't have a nepotistic interest in the proceedings, you should check out this interpretation of the bard's greatest romance. Mercutio, Tybalt and the rest of the Capulets and Montagues are cast as southerners against a backdrop of 1930s Louisiana under the reign of Governor Huey Long. The accents alone should be worth the price of admission.
6pm, Friday and Saturday, East Meredith, Delaware County.
The Ice Cream Run for Kids Sake
For 15 years, motorcycle lovers in Delaware County have dedicated a summer day to raising money for kids with life-threatening diseases. This year, they'll join the a cavalcade of bikers who'll ride from Hamden to Deposit, where they'll conclude the day with bands and food.
11am, Saturday, Hamden Town Hall, Hamden, Delaware County.
Ida and The Naysayer play Music for Front Porches at Homer & Langley's Mystery Spot Antiques
Each August, this eclectic Phoenicia vintage store puts on a free front porch music series, and this Sunday is this year's kickoff act. The folk band Ida will headline, followed by the self-deprecating strummings of the one-woman band The Naysayer. Ida will be represented by its founders, Daniel Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell, who have played and recorded with Levon Helm and are putting out an album of children's folk songs this fall. The Naysayer's Anna Padgett will be accompanied by Miggy Littleton. The whole performance is just bait, of course, to lure you into the vintagey maw of the Mystery Spot itself, where the largest concentration of knicknacks and de-mothballed treasures in Phoenicia lies in wait.
1pm, Sunday, Phoenicia, Ulster County.
