Turkey, Turkey Trot & the Hottest Party Night of the Year:

   The Thanksgiving holiday has always been one of my favorites. The three major components of this feeling has to do with the letter F --Family, food, & football. But beside the obvious attractions of the holiday, there is also a TT & an M involved in the mix.  The annual Troy Turkey Trot begins on the holiday morning, downtown. Runners from all over the country take part in one of the USA's oldest road races, held right here in the Home of Uncle Sam. There is also a strong musical component added to the mix. For some reason, Thanksgiving Eve has become the biggest party night of the year.

   Here in Troy, there will be plenty to do that night. The Ruck, located on 3rd St. will feature one of the best local bands around, Super 400. Members,  Kenny Hohman, Lori Friday, & Joe Daley have traveled worldwide, waving the Troy banner proudly.   They are throwback band of great musicians, who always put on a rockin show.  Another HUGE show that night will take place at Revolution Hall. Emerald City, maybe one of the greatest rock bands to ever grace the local stages, come to the fabled music mecca, for their final show of 2011. The groups original members, Gary Brooks, Gary Tash, Rick Rourke, Ed Powers, Dave Costa, Gary Sagendorf, & Joe Mele, reunited after 30 years apart, and have not looked back. They have played every major Troy event this season (Troy Pig Out, Uncle Sam Jam, & Rockin on the River), and have gained a legion of new fans along the way. Their 4 part harmonies are unmatched by any local group, and their song list is like a classic rock jukebox. With three master guitarist leading the way, this will prove to be the best show of 2011. Sly Fox & the Hustlers will open, featuring the regional hit, SUNY Girl, from their latest CD --The Low-Life. Tickets are available at the door, which opens at 7 pm.
   There will be music all over the city for you to choose from. It doesn't matter where you go, just come &, ENJOY TROY -- as I'll be doing!

Break out the band and STOP the PRESSES --  Bill Fisher is coming back to the 'Burgh. Only this time --with none of that yum yum pizza of his, now he's going hot dog!
Ladies & gentleman, please join Mr. Fisher on Thursday, November 17th, at 12 p.m. for the ribbon cutting, red carpet event, grand opening of, Willie's Dog House. Featuring Hembold's Hot Dogs, with Fishers, secret recipe sauce.
If you've never enjoyed a meal at any of Fishers establishments, do yourself a favor and stop in at his new/old location at the corner of 122nd St. & 5th Ave.
And as an extra added bonus, ask Bill to see you a Sinatra tune while waiting for your dogs. He used to advertise as Fishers -- Pizza With Attitude, now he's become
Willie's Dog House --Dog's with Attitude, that don't bite your wallet.
Welcome back Fisher --Ye was missed!

Chow-dah Time in Troy:

It's time once again for the Troy Chowder Festival. This annual event was started five years ago as a joint venture between the city, and the Downtown Business Collaborative. Elizabeth Young, Chairperson of the BID, has done an amazing job in the coordination of this city signature event over the years. The combination of brisk Fall weather, chowder & music brings thousands of well behaved lovers of the clam to our city. Chowder Fest has become a, 'Destination Event', for the multitude of people who have come to know Troy as the event capital of the Great Northeast. I've added a photo from a couple of years ago to show the huge crowd that Chowder Fest attracts on a year to year basis. The video I shot last year, and shows the music, & gives a visual of what this event is all about -- food & fun!

This year's musical lineup is diverse, to say the least. We'll be kicking off the entertainment at 11 a.m. with the Blue Grass magic of the Mike McMann Bluegrass Explosion, with the Nelly's. The amazing, Tichy Boys take the stage at  12:45. Father & son combo, John Tichy (formally of Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen) & one of the area's finest guitarist, son, Graham Tichy. The Rich North Tribute to the Stars of Country will come on board at 2:30 p.m. Rich North, in my opinion is probably one of the finest singers I've ever heard in this area. He was a  finalist on the old, 'Star Search', television show. He will perform tunes by some of the greatest stars in country music history with his band, comprised of some of the finest musicians in the Northeast. So join us this Saturday, October 15, beginning at 10 a.m., to sample all the varieties of chowder, enjoy the great music, and most of all, to ENJOY TROY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey-We're Having a Parade In The Burgh-And You're All Invited:'

   Break out the cheap, overpriced plastic blow up toy's -- it's time for the 36th annual Uncle Sam Day Parade. John Rustin is putting in his wooden parade teeth for the big day, and  Shirley Kelly & Gus Demars are waiting for their yearly convertible ride down 5th Ave like 2 kids on Christmas morning. The point I'm trying to make is that the entire committee works very hard to plan this yearly celebration, and all feel a weight lifted off their shoulders, once the parade is underway. Committee members include, Bill & Alta Reynolds - who also nurture the Ms. Uncle Sam Pageant like doting parents, four term former Lansingburgh Councilman Mark Wojcik, Nurse Darlene Simpson, octogenarians Shirley Kelly & Gus Demars (the last remaining Spanish American War Veteran),  Jim Gordon, Mike Golden, Nora & Susan Dwyer, Carol Coonrad, Kelly Hardy, Randy Demars, Jeff Zovistoski, and John Rustin Sr - who recently celebrated his 96th birthday and had a facelift.
  As you may have heard, the Uncle Sam Festival at Knickerbacker Park WILL NOT BE TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR. Last year's terrible weather caused the committee to take a HUGE financial bath, and a decision to take a year off, to financially recoup and fundraise was made. There will be however, an Old Daley Chicken BBQ at Germania Hall from 2-5 p.m. So take a ride there to grab a dinner, and come on over to Powers Park for some entertainment, provided by the dynamic horn band, Vehicle. They have reunited for a one time performance to benefit the Lansingburgh Boy's & Girl's Club in this first time fundraising effort. We are asking that those attending bring at least one non perishable food item, which will be turned over to the food pantry at the B& G Club. A pretty cheap price for the quality of music you'll get to enjoy free, on what's being forecast as being a beautiful Fall day in the high 60's .If you'd like to see some video of them, visit my YouTube page at either, Troy NY Events, or vc894. - there's some killer video of them at both Powers Park  & Downtown Troy events. We'll have ice cream, festival foods, along with fried dough available at the park. Sorry folks -- no beer truck at this event. A  50/50 raffle will be held to benefit the club throughout the day.       
   So join us for the celebration of Uncle Sam Wilson's birthday -- come on down and Enjoy Troy -- and check out John Rustin's wooden parade teeth!

Hey-We're Having a Parade In The Burgh-And You're All Invited:'

   Break out the cheap, overpriced plastic blow up toy's -- it's time for the 36th annual Uncle Sam Day Parade. John Rustin is putting in his wooden parade teeth for the big day, and  Shirley Kelly & Gus Demars are waiting for their yearly convertible ride down 5th Ave like 2 kids on Christmas morning. The point I'm trying to make is that the entire committee works very hard to plan this yearly celebration, and all feel a weight lifted off their shoulders, once the parade is underway. Committee members include, Bill & Alta Reynolds - who also nurture the Ms. Uncle Sam Pageant like doting parents, four term former Lansingburgh Councilman Mark Wojcik, Nurse Darlene Simpson, octogenarians Shirley Kelly & Gus Demars (the last remaining Spanish American War Veteran),  Jim Gordon, Mike Golden, Nora & Susan Dwyer, Carol Coonrad, Kelly Hardy, Randy Demars, Jeff Zovistoski, and John Rustin Sr - who recently celebrated his 96th birthday and had a facelift.
  As you may have heard, thE Uncle Sam Festival at Knickerbacker Park WILL NOT BE TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR. Last year's terrible weather caused the committee to take a HUGE financial bath, and a decision to take a year off, to financially recoup and fundraise was made. There will be however, an Old Daley Chicken BBQ at Germania Hall from 2-5 p.m. So take a ride there to grab a dinner, and come on over to Powers Park for some entertainment, provided by the dynamic horn band, Vehicle. They have reunited for a one time performance to benefit the Lansingburgh Boy's & Girl's Club in this first time fundraising effort. We are asking that those attending bring at least one non perishable food item, which will be turned over to the food pantry at the B& G Club. A pretty cheap price for the quality of music you'll get to enjoy free, on what's being forecast as being a beautiful Fall day in the high 60's .If you'd like to see some video of them, visit my YouTube page at either, Troy NY Events, or vc894. - there's some killer video of them at both Powers Park  & Downtown Troy events. We'll have ice cream, festival foods, along with fried dough available at the park. Sorry folks -- no beer truck at this event. A  50/50 raffle will be held to benefit the club throughout the day.       
   So join us for the celebration of Uncle Sam Wilson's birthday -- come on down and Enjoy Troy -- and check out John Rustin's wooden parade teeth!

Another Great Weekend Coming Up in Troy:

   Get your party on this weekend in Troy, cause as usual, there's going to be more to do here than in any other Capital District community. Everything kicks off at the Italian Community Center, in Troy's 'Little Italy', on Friday night with their annual Italian Festival. The event runs thru Sunday afternoon complete with music, games, and music. Headlining the entertainment schedule will be Mr. Entertainment, Al Bruno, along with the fantastic, Good Times Band. The food has always been the highlight of this festival in my opinion, going back to the days when the feast was held in Washington Park. Headlining the food menu will be my favorite, Mr. Meatball!
   It's also 'Uncle Sam Weekend' up here in the 'Burgh. The weekend celebration kicks off on Saturday morning with a graveside ceremony at Uncle Sam Wilson's resting spot in Oakwood Ave Cemetery at 10 a.m.  -- hosted by the Veteran's of Lansingburgh. Immediately following will be the annual, Uncle Sam Brunch, held at the Veteran's of Lansingburgh on 1st Ave. Tickets are available at the door. The 36th annual parade kicks off at 125th & 5th Ave. on Sunday, September 18, at 12:45 p.m. Marching bands, politicians, clowns (no comparisons with the politicians please) along with midget cars, and always the highlight of my parade day, watching Shirley Kelly & John Rustin do the 'parade wave' from their convertible. I'll be the parade announcer once again, trying hard not to get people upset with me at what comes out of my mouth sometimes. Right after the parade, the party moves to two spots. First, at Powers Park we will be doing a fundraising effort with the Lansingburgh Boys & Girls Club, featuring a performance by one of the most dynamic horn bands ever to grace the local stages, Vehicle. The group is comprised of all school teachers, and feature the vocals of the electric, Alejandro Williams. There is also an Old Daley Chicken BBQ being held at Germania Hall from 2-5 p.m. to fulfill the chicken dinner tradition of the Uncle Sam weekend.
   The annual festival that we usually have was stopped this year, due to dwindling attendance, and the fact that the committee took a real financial bath last year, due to the terrible weather conditions. Plus, the committee felt that the families were no loinger attending, leaving the, give me cheap beer crowd.
So please join us for all the fun and excitement here in the Home of Uncle Sam, all weekend long.
And most of all folks, ENJOY TROY!

6th Annual Uncle Sam Jam/Power in the Park Classic Car Show:

The 6th annual Uncle Sam Jam will be taking place this Saturday at Powers Park. I've posted some pics of the first event, which we staged down behind Brown's. That day, we had 7 bands perform, along with belly dancers, rides for the kids, as well as wine tasting. I worked on the first event with Traci Christopher, then of Revolution Hall. We had a great crowd, until the rain hit that day. It's tough doing outdoor events in early October because of the weather, so the following year I moved the event to early September, at Riverfront Park. But attendance was not where we felt it should be,plus it was tough having 6 or 7 bands in a 6 hour time frame. In 2009 I moved the event again to Powers Park, and cut it down to three bands. Attendance spiked more than 50% the first year in it's new home. Last year, we added the classic car show and saw attendance spike even higher, with more than 2,000 attending over the course of the day. This years musical lineup includes, Stuck on Stupid at 2 p.m. --Emerald City, the Reunion Tour at 4 - and the Blue Machine, with Tommy Love at 6. The car show begins at 12 p.m., and is presented by the South Troy Timing Association. You can register your vehicle right at the park also. Food and drinks will be available, so grab a lawn chair, bring the kids, and come join us to ENJOY TROY! Read the Saturday edition of the Record for more info. See you all there. Guitars and Cars --a wonderful concept