Schenectady Today — In and Around the Capital Region
Photographs by Malcolm Kogut
Albany Improv Festival! – Segment on Schenectady Today In & Around the Capital Region

Adam O’Connor and Laci Lee, Co-Founders of Albany Improv.
Albany Improv Festival! – Segment on Schenectady Today In & Around the Capital Region with Guests: Adam O’Connor and Laci Lee, Co-Founders of Albany Improv.
The 1st Albany Improv Festival will be held on Saturday, April 23rd, 2016.
The Festival will showcase the area’s finest Improv comedy troupes as well as troupes from across the country.
All the Festival proceeds are being donated to the Albany Damien Center.
Performances will run for 8 hours from 2pm to 10pm with a special workshop at noon being taught by Christopher J. Simpson of the Contemporary Theater Company in Wakefield, RI.
Albany Improv was created by Adam O’Connor, Laci Lee & Tom Brennan to promote Improv in the Capital Region.
Organization: Albany Improv
Event: 1st Annual Albany Improv Festival
Location of event: The Madison Theater at 1036 Madison Ave, Albany 12208
Date/Time: Saturday, Apr 23 from Noon to 10 pm
Cost: $11/hour pass; $17/2-hour pass; $20/Full Festival Pass; $20/ Christopher Simpson’s Workshop
Contact Information: see website
Facebook: Yes “Albany Improv”
Non-Profit Gathering – Lunn Resource Center – Segment on Schenectady Today In & Around the Capital Region

Guest: Lynne Gilgore, Director Fred Daniels of Daniels Marketing
Lynne Gilgore, Director Fred Daniels of Daniels Marketing will lead a 90-minute class, Marketing 101: Understanding Who You Are. This is Part One of a Two-Part series on Marketing. No Charge.
Lunn Resource Center now has 49 participating organizations!
Organization: Lunn Resource Center
Event: Informational gathering
Location of event: First Reformed Church in Sch’dy at 8 North Church St.
Date/Time: April 14 from 1:30 to 3 pm
Cost: Free event
Contact Information: [email protected]
Website: www.LunnCenter.org
Photographer Ronda Anderson – Segment on Schenectady Today In & Around the Capital Region

Guests: Ronda Anderson and Janice Walz, Photographers.
Photographers Ronda Anderson and Janice Walz, Proctors Historical Committee Thirty Years of Change at the Classic Schenectady Vaudeville Hall!
An empty dressing room, eerie sunlight peeking in, suggesting stories of days gone by; a brightly painted dressing table, signed by the cast, a glimmer of now.
These kind of juxtapositions—the ship-like rigging of the original Proctors stage contrasted with the high-tech system of today—are at the heart of photographer Ronda Anderson’s beautiful exhibit A Personal Journey of Our Theatre, which opened on March 31 at the Fenimore Gallery at Proctors, 432 State Street, Schenectady (admission is free).
Anderson, a longtime volunteer at the theatre, began capturing images of the building’s interior in the mid-1980s. Then house manager Bob Warlock approved of Anderson’s efforts, setting her off on a path she still travels, three cameras and as many decades later.
Her goal was to distill what she calls, “the wow factor of Proctors.” “As a photographer, I can bring people into the secret spaces of the theatre—the narrow catwalks above the chandelier, the projector room with its decades of graffiti, the breathtaking height of the fly loft, the quiet grace of the dressing rooms and the most curious corners of the basement.”
Mission or Purpose of the Historical Committee: To preserve and promote items related to the history of Proctors Theater and to support and promote current activity.
Organization: Proctors Historical Committee
Event: Photo Exhibition at Proctors
Location of event: Proctors Fenimore Gallery
Date/Time: Mar 31-Apr 29
Cost: Free and Open to the Public Contact
Information: Audrey Hughes at [email protected] Website: www.Proctors.org
Tour de Cure – Saratoga – Segment on Schenectady Today In & Around the Capital Region

Guests: Nicole DeCelle, Market Director of Albany & Central NY American Diabetes Association and Angelo Mazzone, Pres. Mazzone Hospitality (Chair Tour de Cure)
The Tour de Cure is a series of fundraising cycling events held in 44 states nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association.
The Tour is a ride, not a race, with routes designed for everyone from the occasional rider to the experienced cyclist.Locally, the American Diabetes Association’s Saratoga Tour de Cure is the most prestigious cycling event in the Capital Region.
Ranked first in the state and second out of 90 tours in the U.S., this event is part of a nationwide movement to Stop Diabetes® and change the future of the nearly 26 million Americans living with the disease.
Last year’s Saratoga Tour de Cure drew more than 2,400 participants and raised $1.3 million, making it the Capital Region’s #2 fundraising event in 2015 in terms of net revenue raised, according to the Albany Business Journal. This year’s goal is $1.5 million. There is a $200 fundraising minimum for all riders and teams are currently forming.
Organization: American Diabetes Association
Event: 2016 Saratoga Tour de Cure
Location of event: Saratoga High School
Date/Time: Sunday, June 5 (various start times)
Cost: Varies
Contact Information: see website
Facebook: Yes “TDCSaratoga”
Website: www.main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TourAdmin?pg=entry&fr_id=11095
Final Update – Getting those taxes DONE! – Segment on Schenectady Today In & Around the Capital Region

Guests: Tracy Randle, CA$H Program Director, United Way of the Greater Capital Region and Melinda Burns, Co-Chair CA$H Coalition Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope (CA$H) Coalition of the Greater Capital Region.
Coalition, Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope (CA$H) is dedicated to assisting individuals and families to increase their financial self-reliance. CA$H partners and stakeholders provide support and access to:
- Community resources
- Free tax preparation
- Financial education
- Asset building activities and strategies
Organization: CA$H Coalition
Topic: Taxes – Final Update for 2015 taxes
Date/Time: Various times, locations
Cost: Free
Contact Information: Check the website page for locations and times of tax preparation.
Facebook: Yes “CashGreaterCapRegion”
Website: www.CashGreaterCapitalRegion.org
Tails by Twilight Gala – Spring Fling! – Segment on Schenectady Today In & Around the Capital Region

Guests: Deb Balliet, Director and Sondra Stephens, Event Chair The Animal Protective Foundation’s signature event, “Tails by Twilight – Spring Fling”.
The Animal Protective Foundation’s signature event, “Tails by Twilight – Spring Fling” will be held on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia.
Tails by Twilight is our most distinguished event of the year and is attended by more than 300 influential business professionals, community leaders, and philanthropic donors. Our attendees are highly active consumers who believe that every animal deserves a home. The event will be emceed by Liz Bishop of CBS 6 and includes an extraordinary silent auction and highly dynamic live auction event led by celebrity auctioneer LeGrande Serras.
We are proud to announce the APF’s 2016 Animal Advocacy Award Winner is Steve Caporizzo – NEWS 10 Meteorologist and host of “Pet Connection”. This event is dedicated to providing funding for our companion animal shelter and community spay and neuter clinic so that we may give medical attention, housing, food, and behavioral training to the thousands of cats and dogs who come through our doors. Your support will contribute directly to their daily care and provide hope that each may find their loving forever home.
Come dance the evening away with the electrifying music of Grand Central Station and support the APF in our mission to help our furry four-legged friends!
Organization: Animal Protective Foundation
Event: Tails by Twilight Gala: Spring Fling
Location of event: Glen Sanders Mansion – 1 Glen Ave in Scotia
Date/Time: Thursday, Apr 21 from 5:30 to 10 pm
Cost: $100 per ticket Facility Location for adoptions: 53 Maple Ave Glenville
Contact Information: Gala tickets are going fast! Purchase your tickets today by calling Colleen at 374-3944 Ext 122
Facebook: Yes
Website: www.AnimalProtective.org