The Beat

Scheduled for Saturday February 15, 2020 at 1:00 PM

Utica, N.Y. – President Abraham Lincoln’s last days saw the end of America’s most devastating war, and the loss of its most inspiring and visionary leader. Educator Gary Ford will intertwine the historical events and key individuals during the last week of the president’s life in this presentation. Ford will follow Lincoln’s public and private actions that week, beginning with General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to General U.S. Grant on Sunday, April 9th through Lincoln’s assassination on Friday, April 14^th, and death the following morning. This program takes place in the Utica History Center's main gallery on Saturday, February 15, 2020 starting at 1:00 PM.

Canandaigua, N.Y. (January 30, 2020) – The snowmaking crew from Bristol Mountain, N.Y., emerged as the winner in this year’s HKD Snowmakers and Ski Area Management Magazine “I AM a Snowmaker” nationwide contest. The seven finalists in the 2020 I AM a Snowmaker contest were: Aspen Snowmass, Colo.; Bristol Mountain, N.Y.; Eaglecrest Ski Area, Alaska; Gunstock, N.H.; Hunter Mountain, N.Y.; Killington Resort, Vt.; and Pats Peak, N.H. Each snowmaking crew created a compelling storytelling video for the contest, and the public voted for their favorite.

1. The National Comedy Center Needs You to Vote Every Day Now Through Feb. 17, 2020

The National Comedy Center has been nominated for USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Award for “Best New Museum” by a panel of nationally recognized travel experts for the 10Best Award series, which celebrates outstanding destinations, attractions, and experiences.

They need visitors, fans, and supporters to cast their vote for the museum as part of the public voting process to select a winner. Everyone is invited to vote daily, now through Monday, February 17, 2020, at noon ET. The winner will be announced on Friday, February 28, 2020…

Winter Fundraiser Supports SPAC’s Educational Programming in the Region

Featuring Live Music by Grand Central Station, Interactive Entertainment, Cuisine by Mazzone Hospitality, Open Bar, Raffles, New VIP Experiences, and more  

 Saratoga Springs, NY (January 27, 2020) – The Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s Junior Committee announces the 10^th Annual Winter Ball “The Future is Now,” which will teleport guests into a futuristic utopia filled with celestial and cyberistic décor, cocktails and activities. Held at the Hall of Springs, the event is slated for Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m., and is a fundraiser to support SPAC’s educational programming, which last year reached more than 49,000 individuals.

Yonkers, N.Y. (Jan. 2019) – The Yonkers Riverfront Library will kick off Black History Month with the Music of MOTOWN Concert, featuring Cody Childs & The Ladies of Soul on Saturday, February 8, at 2:00 pm in the Riverfront Auditorium.

Museum Association of New York recognizes Accelerate project’s exhibitions, programs, magazine, and expanded website

Saratoga Springs, NY (January 27, 2020) — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College has been honored with the 2020 Innovation in Collection Access Award by the Museum Association of New York for the project Accelerate: Access and Inclusion at The Tang Teaching Museum.

The award recognizes exemplary projects that broaden access and preserve and catalog museum collections. The Museum Association of New York’s award announcement noted in particular the range of media the Tang created for the three-year Accelerate project, which concluded in 2019 and included exhibitions, public programs, new research, a glossy magazine, videos, photography, and an enhanced searchable collections website.

February 8–9, 2020

Astoria, N.Y. (January 22, 2020) — Throughout Latin America, women struggle to crack the glass ceiling. Yet despite historical prejudice and ultra-conservative backlash, a new generation of Brazilian women have broken through, producing bold, politically engaged, formally adventurous works of cinema. Organized by film critic Ela Bittencourt and co-presented with Cinema Tropical, the Museum of the Moving Image’s screening series Visions of Resistance: Recent Films by Brazilian Women Directors spotlights recent documentary and hybrid films, and those with a particular focus on the lives of black Brazilians. Brought together for the first time, this diverse selection celebrates women as agents of change and artists.

Tickets on-sale to General Public Friday, February 7^th

Bethel, N.Y. – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts has announced that legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor will perform at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival on Friday, June 19th with special guest Jackson Browne.

Tickets will go on-sale to the public on Friday, February 7th at 10:00 AM at www.BethelWoodsCenter.org, www.Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 1-800-653-8000.

Hudson, N.Y. – Fresh from the success of its Young at HeART painting and memoir-writing courses, The Olana Partnership at Olana State Historic Site is partnering with the Ancram Opera House this spring to offer the third course in the series, an in-depth playwriting course for adults 55-plus.

The playwriting course will offer students the skills and techniques to create a dramatic monologue from start to finish. The series culminates in a performance, for which a professional actor will read student works.

Freihofer’s Jazz Fest Friday, Presented by Times Union to Kick-Off Weekend with Local Musicians and Jazz-Themed Events in Saratoga Springs, Fri, June 26

Saratoga Springs, NY (January 27, 2020) – The 2020 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival features a remarkable roster of twenty-four musical groups, highlighted by multiple Grammy® Award winners and current 2020 Grammy-nominated artists, hosting a rich array of talent encompassing generations of musical heritage, stellar newcomer status and star-studded notoriety.  With sixteen exciting Festival debut performances including Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Kool & The Gang, Ranky Tanky and Tiempo Libre - Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is poised to be a must-stop destination on the 2020 festival trail, touting two days of top notch concerts ranging from jazz to roots, funk, blues and beyond.