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Travel Feature
The Great New York State Fair Will Again Feature The Steve Miller Band in August
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Tuesday, 27 May 2025 14:05
- Written by Brad Balfour
The Great New York State Fair is happening again this coming summer. So be ready as there will be great talent with music for everybody’s taste. The Fair starts Wednesday, August 20, 2025, and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 1.
All concerts are included in the price of admission, which will go on sale later this summer. The Great New York State Fair is the most affordable state fair in the country.
Founded in 1841, The Fair showcases the best of New York agriculture, provides top-quality entertainment, and is a key piece of the state’s CNY Rising, a strategy of growing the Central New York economy through tourism. It is the oldest fair in the United States and is consistently recognized as being among the top five state fairs in the nation.
This year, the Great NYS Fair promises the best in entertainment so bring all the family as there will be something for everyone I promise you that. Said Fair Director Julie LaFave. “Circle your calendars – this is one you won’t want to miss. Coming to the fair is The Steve Miller Band, one of the most iconic bands in music history with too many megahits to count. Every year, we survey fairgoers to help inform our entertainment decisions and results always point to the popularity of our rock shows.
“Fairgoers asked and we listened! Miller drew one of the largest crowds in the Fair’s history and I can’t wait to see how many people pack into Suburban Park on August 21 at 8 pm for what I’m sure will be a show for the ages.”
After packing in nearly 37,000 screaming fans in 2015, The Fair announces the return of music icons Steve Miller Band. Miller has been a monumental presence on the American music scene for more than half a century. His releases have sold tens of millions of records and have been streamed billions of times.
Miller’s Greatest Hits 1974-78 received the RIAA Diamond Award with sales of more than fifteen million copies, making it among the 25 best-selling albums of all time. Beginning in the 1970s, Miller crafted a brand of pure pop that was smart, polished, exciting and irresistible – and that dominated radio in a way that few artists have ever managed. Hit followed hit in what seemed like an endless flow: “The Joker,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Jet Airliner,” “Jungle Love,” “Swingtown,” and “Abracadabra,” among them.
To this day, those songs are instantly recognizable the moment you hear them – and impossible not to sing along with. Their hooks are the very definition of indelible. As an influential presence in music, Steve Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 and was later enshrined in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022.
Today, the Steve Miller Band continues to entertain fans across the world. In 2024, the group played to nearly one million fans and toured alongside Def Leppard and Journey. Their platinum-selling single “Abracadabra” returned to the top of the charts thanks to its prominent feature in Eminem’s smash single “Houdini.
The Fair will also host two special shows at 9 p.m. on Friday, August 22 and 29 at Chevy Court.
All concerts announced thus far are provided in the charts below. Fair staff will continue to update schedules on The Fair’s website at pages dedicated to Chevy Court and Suburban Park.
The Great New York State Fair is going to have the best of the best of talent coming your way.
Here are some that are already booked so here goes with the Chevy Court:
Thursday, August 21
6:00 p.m.
Cheap Trick
Saturday, August 23
1:00 p.m.
KIDZ BOP
Saturday, August 23
6:00 p.m.
Kameron Marlowe
Tuesday, August 26
1:00 p.m.
Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
Tuesday, August 26
6:00 p.m.
Sister Hazel
Thursday, August 28
6:00 p.m.
Maddie & Tae
Friday, August 29
6:00 p.m.
Yacht Rock Revue
Sunday, August 31
1:00 p.m.
Blippi: Join the Band Tour
Suburban Park:
Thursday, August 21
8:00 p.m
Steve Miller Band
Saturday, August 23
8:00 p.m.
O.A.R.
Sunday, August 24
8:00 p.m.
Busta Rhymes
Sunday, August 31
8:00 p.m.
Shaggy
Tickets are $8 for adults while admission is free for children under 12 and senior citizens aged 65 and older.
In total, The Fair’s 2025 Chevrolet Music Series will feature 41 national recording acts. There will be a daily 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. concert at Chevy Court (located near Gate 1), and an 8 p.m. concert each evening at Suburban Park (located on the western end of the Fairgrounds, beyond the Midway).
For more info: https://nysfair.ny.gov/
TRANSlations: Trans Cinema in Seattle
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Wednesday, 05 June 2024 15:57
- Written by Brad Balfour
TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival showcases films by, for and about our Trans+ community (Trans, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming, Intersex and Two-Spirit). Running June 7 - 8 in Seattle, Washington, TRANSlations was launched in 2006 and is one of only nine Trans+ focused film festivals in the world. The festival features virtual and in-person screenings, parties, panels, workshops, and community meet-ups.
TRANSlations has over 70 films and opens with the WE ARE HER program of shorts highlighting notable trans women from the past and present who have acted in the struggle for liberation and cut paths for us to follow today. The closing night special feature is the West Coast Premieres of Sam's World and Vapor Trails. Sam (Lily Lady) is a nonbinary twentysomething sex worker trying to navigate their life over the course of one weekend in New York City. Directed by Willow Skye-Biggs, Vapor Trails is a beautifully shot short film focusing on two displaced women seeking transcendence through connection.
For people who can’t get to Seattle the festival will also be streamed and have on demand features from June 6th to the 9th.
To learn more, go to: https://threedollarbillcinema.org/translations
TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival
June 6 - 9, 2024 Online
June 7 - 8, 2024 In Person
The Beacon Cinema
4405 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118
Ark Lodge Cinemas
4816 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118
Mountainfilm 2024 Showcases Documentaries in Colorado
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Monday, 20 May 2024 14:38
- Written by Brad Balfour
Since 1979, Colorado’s Mountainfilm film festival has brought assembled a lineup of documentaries from activists and filmmakers and change makers with a message. Running May 23 to the 27th in Telluride, Colorado, Mountainfilm features over 90 films from around the world.
399: Queen of the Tetons follows Grizzly #399, a renowned grizzly bear that inhabits the Grand Teton National Park. see as #399 struggles to raise an unusually large four-cub litter in the face of human encroachment and a rapidly changing climate. While the narrative follows #399’s decisions and the escalating human conflict, 399: Queen of the Tetons raises bigger thematic questions about humans’ relationship with nature, and how we connect, control, consume and conserve it.
Ghost Resorts: Japan is a short film looking at the abandoned ski resorts dotting Japan’s landscapes. Symbols of Japan’s rapid economic growth in the 80s and the bubble bursting in the 90s, hundreds of these abandoned resorts remain, attracting curious visitors.
In Sugarcane an investigation into unmarked graves at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning in the lives of survivors and their descendants, including the film’s co-director whose father was born, and nearly buried, at the school. Sugarcane spotlights the lasting traumas inflicted upon Indigenous North Americans from the residential school system, including physical and sexual abuse, the separation of families and the destruction of Native culture and language.
The festival also includes a speaker series focusing on contemporary issues, art and photography exhibits, early morning coffee talks, outdoor programs, a book-signing party, an ice cream social, student programs and a closing picnic/awards ceremony. Presentations and panels are scheduled throughout the Memorial Day weekend event with a wide diversity of special guests, ranging from artists to adventurers and academics to activists.
To learn more, go to: https://www.mountainfilm.org/
Mountainfilm
May 23 - 27, 2024
Various venues in Telluride, Colorado.
Iconic New York City Restaurant Serendipity3 Celebrates The City and “The Notebook”on Broadway, Opening in March
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 17:41
- Written by Brad Balfour
Serendipity3
225 E 60th Street
Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. EST
For more information or to book a reservation, visi twww.serendipity3.com
Though I’ve lived in New York for many years, a stop at Serendipity3, the decades-old restaurant on East 60th Street, eluded me. Until now. Thanks to a recent connection with the romantic musical "The Notebook" — in previews on Broadway -- a new dessert specially designed to celebrate Valentine's Day and the show was unveiled. And I got to sample it in all its super sweet glory.
The Notebook Hot Chocolate Affogato Sundae features a marshmallow rimmed Serendipity goblet filled with two towering scoops of vanilla ice cream, a giant pillow of creamy whipped cream, romantic Valentine's sprinkles. Once the server pours a carafe of super-rich and thick hot chocolate (made with semisweet and bitter-sweet chocolates, rich cocoas, heavy cream, Maldon sea salt and Madagascar vanilla paste) over the ice cream, it’s ready for consumption. The dessert is also topped off with a dusting of iridescent edible glitter, an edible frosting-sheet with "The Notebook" logo, as well as a field of edible butterflies and flowers. Available at the restaurant from Wednesday, February 14th until Thursday, March 14th for $24.95, it became my introduction to this glittery and iridescent palace of pop culture.
Like “The Notebook” — first experienced as Nicholas Sparks debut novel and then as feature film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams — Serendipity3 is a quintessential piece of 21st century pop culture. Not only does it offer classic restaurant fare such as sumptuous hamburgers and salads but many, many desserts especially sundaes.
When Serendipity3 added "The Notebook" to their list of Broadway collaborations, it was hardly the first. The restaurant is known for bringing extravagant desserts and world-record-breaking menu items to the table. These menu items have captivated a worldwide audience and a celebrity following for decades.
Founded in 1954, it is one of the city's unique dining experiences. The home of decadent desserts such as the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, Serendipity has been captivating millions of patrons since its inception. It's a quirky place where artists got their inspiration and actors fulfilled their cravings. Beginning with Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in the ‘50s, continuing with a celebrity following that includes Cher, Candice Bergen, Melanie Griffith and Ron Howard, the restaurant continues to attract celebrities such as Beyoncé, Ryan Reynolds, Selena Gomez and Kim Kardashian. In addition, the restaurant has been the setting of three major Hollywood productions, "One Fine Day" (1996) with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, "Serendipity" (2001) with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, and "Trust The Man" (2005) with Julianne Moore and David Duchovny.
Produced by Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch, "The Notebook" features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter (writer and producer on NBC's “This Is Us,” The Cake"). The production is directed by Michael Greif ("Dear Evan Hansen," "Next to Normal") and Schele Williams ("Aida," "The Wiz"), with choreography by Katie Spelman (Associate Choreographer on "Moulin Rouge! The Musical").
The show tells of Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, sharing a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart, in a deeply moving portrait of love's enduring power. The cast features Tony Award®-winner Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie, Dorian Harewood as Older Noah, Joy Woods as Middle Allie, Ryan Vasquez as Middle Noah, Jordan Tyson as Younger Allie, John Cardoza as Younger Noah, Andréa Burns as Mother/Nurse Lori. Playing various roles are Yassmin Alers, Alex Benoit, Chase Del Rey, Hillary Fisher, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman, Dorcas Leung, Happy McPartlin, Juliette Ojeda, Kim Onah, Carson Stewart, Charles E. Wallace and Charlie Webb.
With a book that has sold millions of copies worldwide and a film that’s one of the highest-grossing romantic dramas of all-time, the musical adaptation of The Notebook comes to Broadway following a critically acclaimed world premiere engagement at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the fall of 2022.
As for Broadway’s "The Notebook," it’s now in previews at the Schoenfeld Theatre (236 W. 45th Street, NYC) and opens Thursday, March 14th.
For tickets and more info, go to: https://notebookmusical.com/
