3rd Annual Pinkster Celebration - Friday, June 7

University Club of Albany Foundation Hosts Third Annual Pinkster Celebration

In the spring of 1811, the Albany Common Council banned Pinkster Day celebrations because of “rioting and drunkenness.” Two centuries later, in an effort to revive a tradition from Albany’s past, members of the University Club petitioned the Common Council to repeal the prohibition. The Pinkster ban was lifted on May 16, 2011.

The Club’s first Pinkster Celebration featured readings from four centuries of scholarly and popular publications documenting the people and places of New York’s capital city. In 2012, the University Club Foundation was delighted to welcome Albany’s own Pulitzer Prize-winning author, William Kennedy.

On Friday, June 7 the Club will honor Tom Clingan, Albany County Clerk at the 3rd annual Pinkster Celebration at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany.

Clingan has served as County Clerk for nearly a quarter century, and recently announced that he will not seek a seventh term. During his tenure, he led efforts to modernize records storage and access with state-of-the-art technology, and to protect and conserve historic documents dating back four centuries.

The featured speaker for the Pinkster Celebration will be community historian Stephan Bielinski. Bielinski is the director of the Colonial Albany Social History Project. The Colonial Albany Social History Project is a model community history program of the New York State Museum, an agency of the State Education Department through its Office of Cultural Education. It was launched in 1981 to understand pre-industrial community life by studying the contributions of the individuals who lived in the city of Albany during its formative years.

The Pinkster Celebration will feature a cocktail reception with light fare and open bar from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., followed by a presentation by Bielinski titled An Evening with the People of Colonial Albany. When the reception wraps up at 8:00 p.m., Pinkster revelers are invited to head downstairs for an after-party in the Grille Room with vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Geo Doody, who serves up a versatile mix of classic rock, R&B, and Irish Pub standards. On the first Friday of each month, the University Club serves as a venue for 1st Friday, the downtown arts walk that showcases Albany’s thriving and lively art scene.

Honorary Committee Tickets are available for $100 per person, and corporate sponsorships are also available. Supporter tickets for the Pinkster Celebration are $50 per person. Reservations are required and may be made by calling the University Club at 518-463-1151 or online at www.uclubevents.blogspot.com .

Proceeds from the event benefit the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc., a 501c3 corporation, and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend. The Foundation was formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the National Register-listed University Club building, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901.

Support for educational programming presented by the University Club Foundation is provided by AT&T.

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Poetry Luncheon - Wednesday, April 17

Celebrate Spring with Readings from Trees

ALBANY, NY – April 12, 2013 – The University Club of Albany Foundation continues its efforts to promote the work of University Club members by hosting a luncheon and poetry reading on Wednesday, April 17 from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.

Following a hot and cold buffet lunch, Albany poet and University Club member Sylvia Barnard will read from her book of poems, Trees, published in 2012 by Troy Book Makers. Sylvia taught the classics and Latin literature in Latin and in translation at the University at Albany for 40 years and has been active in the peace community since coming to Albany. She has been the featured poet at Poets in the Park, Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center, and at the Readings Against the End of the World hosted by Tom Nattell. She is also a regular face at many of the Albany area open mics and the Albany Word Fest.

The cost for the luncheon and reading is $20. The event is open to the public and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend. Reservations are required and may be made by calling the Club at 518-463-1151.

Earlier this year, historian, electrical engineer and University Club board member David Hochfelder discussed and signed his book The Telegraph in America, 1832–1920 (2012, The Johns Hopkins University Press) at a reception. In the autumn of 2012, University Club board member Tim Varney of Troy Web Consulting demonstrated the “Albany: Then & Now” smartphone app which he developed for Historic Albany Foundation.

This event is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc., formed to recognize and maintain the historic and architectural significance of the University Club building, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901. Support for educational programming presented by the University Club Foundation is provided by AT&T.

April in Paris - Friday, 4/19

Spring Buffet, Wine Tasting, Wine Pull and Raffle

Celebrate spring and support the University Club Foundation with a scrumptious spring buffet, a wine pull, or both!

The University Club Foundation will host April in Paris on Friday, April 19 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Mark Brogna of Capital Wine & Spirits on Lark Street in Albany is lining up a tasting featuring fine French wines – reds, whites and rosés. The tasting is included in the price of the spring buffet.

At the Wine Pull station, everyone’s a winner – for a $20 ticket, guests will pull a bottle valued between $20 and $120. Raffle tickets will also be available during the evening for $5 each, and guests may enter drawings for collectible wines and other seasonal prizes.

April in Paris is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, and one need not be a member of the Club to attend. The cost for the spring buffet and tasting is $30 and includes tax and gratuity, beverages are additional. The tasting will be held from 5:30 – 6:30, the buffet from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., and the wine pull and raffle will take place at 8:30 p.m.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling the University Club at 518-463-1151. Tickets may also be purchased online. A portion of the proceeds from the evening will benefit the University Club of Albany Foundation, a 501c3 corporation. The Foundation was formed in 2009 to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the National Register-listed University Club building and property, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901.

Irish & Oldies with Jeff Strange!

On Friday, March 1, Jeff Strange returns to the University Club as part of our 1st Friday Concert Series!

A founding member of internationally known Irish folk band Donnybrook Fair and longtime member of The Newports, Jeff is known for his on-stage patter and energetic performances incorporating a broad selection of Irish, rock and original music.

Jeff will play in the Grille Room from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. The performance is free and dinner will be served until 9:00 p.m., please call 518-463-1151 for reservations.

On the first Friday of each month, as part of the University Club’s celebration of 1st Friday, one need not be a member to enjoy live music, dinner and dancing in the Grille Room, dress is casual, and cash and major credit cards are accepted. Come be a part of the downtown arts walk that showcases Albany's thriving and lively art scene!

The Telegraph in America - Book Signing 2/26

Long before we carried smart phones in our pockets, the telegraph offered a revolutionary advancement in our ability to communicate over vast distances.

Historian, electrical engineer and University Club board member David Hochfelder will discuss and sign his book The Telegraph in America, 1832–1920 (2012, The Johns Hopkins University Press) at a reception at the University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street, on Tuesday, February 26 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Dr. Hochfelder offers readers a comprehensive history of this groundbreaking technology, which employs breaks in an electrical current to send code along miles of wire. He examines the correlation between technological innovation and social change and shows how this transformative relationship helps us to understand and perhaps define modernity.

The telegraph revolutionized the spread of information — speeding personal messages, news of public events, and details of stock fluctuations. During the Civil War, telegraphed intelligence and high-level directives gave the Union war effort a critical advantage. Afterward, the telegraph helped build and break fortunes and, along with the railroad, altered the way Americans thought about time and space. Hochfelder thus supplies readers with an introduction to the early stirrings of the information age.

The reception is free and open to the public, but reservations are required and may be made by calling the University Club at 518-463-1151 or online at www.uclubevents.blogspot.com.

An assistant professor at the University at Albany, Hochfelder specializes in the history of U.S. business and technology. He also helps administer UAlbany’s public history program. Before joining UAlbany, Hochfelder served as a research historian at the Thomas Edison Papers. He is currently working on a social history of savings and investment. He has appeared in two episodes of the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” series.

This event is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc., formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901. Support for educational programming presented by the University Club Foundation is provided by AT&T.

1st Friday with Alien Folklife - 2/1/13

Help us welcome a new duo to 1st Friday at the U. Club!

ALIEN FOLKLIFE presents a quirky blend of offbeat humorous pieces and heart-rending story songs, or "wrist-slitters and side-splitters." A shared passion for contemporary and traditional folk music brought Canadian Paul Mercer and New Yorker Joan Kosby together.

Joan's warm contralto and Paul's clear tenor combine to produce a vocal blend reminiscent of sibling duos. Their fingerstyle guitar work is crafted to support the lyrics without overshadowing them. Joan adds textural variety to Alien Folklife's sound with English concertina and percussion.

ALIEN FOLKLIFE will play in the Grille Room from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. The performance is free and dinner will be served until 9:00 p.m., please call 518-463-1151 for reservations. On the first Friday of each month, as part of the University Club’s celebration of 1st Friday, one need not be a member to enjoy live music, dinner and dancing in the Grille Room, dress is casual, and cash and major credit cards are accepted.

Come be a part of the downtown arts walk that showcases Albany's thriving and lively art scene!

1st Friday with Russ Kennedy

Help the University Club kick off its 4^th year as a venue for “After 1^st Friday” with singer-songwriter Russ Kennedy.

This is his U. Club debut, but Russ has been entertaining for over 30 years, playing to audiences in many pubs, restaurants and country clubs in the Capital District and beyond. Russ's rich vocals and strong guitar playing make up his trademark sound.

Russ has performed alongside “The Wanderer” Dion Dimucci, Don McLean, Aztec Two Step and Mick Avory of the Kinks. He brings his own style and sound to many of your favorite songs.

Since March, 2009, on the first Friday of the month, the University Club has been pleased to celebrate the arts and culture in Albany by serving as a 1st Friday venue, with free live music from 8 - 10 p.m. One need not be a member to enjoy music, dinner and dancing in the Grille Room, dress is casual, and cash and major credit cards are accepted. Call 518-463-1151 to reserve a table for dinner, served until 9 p.m.