This weekend in Schenectady, NY

This leading martial arts competition and showcase in the Capital Region combines spirited matches with featured demonstrations, celebrating skill, discipline, and the energy of the sport.

Add rustic flair to your day by crafting farmhouse inspired sunflowers from upcycled canning jar rings and fabric scraps. This relaxed, hands-on class shows how to transform simple, everyday items into bright, textured flowers perfect for home decor or gifting. Step by step guidance is provided, so beginners are welcome and no prior experience is necessary. All supplies are included, with an emphasis on reclaimed materials. Settle in, enjoy the creative process, and head home with a sunflower that is uniquely yours.

An adoption clinic at Benson's Pet Center features opportunities to meet rescue dogs who are ready for loving homes. Visitors can spend time with adoptable pups and show support for their journey to adoption. Special guests will be announced soon, and families are welcome.

Towne Bowling Academy hosts a high-limit 9-ball doubles cash tournament with a maximum SL of 13. Teams pay $60 to enter, with $10 of that counted as greens. Advance registration is not required. The event is presented by Capital Region APA, which can be reached at (518) 618-8384 or capitalregion@apaleagues.com.

Recapture the childhood book fair excitement in a grown-up version at Broken Loop Brewing Co. Meander through budget-friendly books and literary-themed merchandise while enjoying a beer. Take your time, sip something you like, and relax in a warm, easygoing setting that leans into nostalgia. Look forward to plenty of reads, playful goodies for book lovers, and all the throwback feelings... without a permission slip.

A Brooks barbecue fundraiser supports the Rotterdam Community Center, helping sustain services such as food pantries, community hub classes, and arts and culture programming. Proceeds also contribute to launching a Nutritional Security Program with the aim of starting a mobile food pantry for Mohonasen families. Chicken dinners cost $16 with cash or $17 with a card and include chicken, a baked potato with butter, a dinner roll, coleslaw, and dessert. A limited supply of chicken only is available for $11 with cash or $12 with a card.

This curated marketplace is the Capital Region's first alternative market and brings together creators from across the Northeast. Explore a wide range of curiosities, including taxidermy pieces, dark art, unusual oddities, carefully chosen antiques, gothic jewelry with a macabre flair, witchcraft and apothecary goods, gothic apparel, spooky home decor, and readings from tarot practitioners. Vegan food is available, making it easy to linger while you discover distinctive goods and services.

The Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Glen Cortese, salutes Broadway with an outdoor concert at Music Haven. Soprano Lisa Layman and tenor Brent Weber share favorite songs from the Great White Way alongside the full orchestra. Attendees are welcome to bring a picnic and are encouraged to arrive early to find a comfortable spot on the lawn. If weather intervenes, the performance will move to Proctors. Presented with support from Fenimore Asset Management, New Schenectady, the Schenectady County Arts & Culture Grant, and WMHT Classical.

Super Dark Collective presents THE BRIEFS, the legendary Seattle punk band, with The Sleeveens. It’s an in-person show running for about 4 hours at No Fun.

Lark Street Tavern sets an upbeat scene with high energy dance tracks in the front bar and karaoke in the back. Late at night, $5 Dirty Shirley specials and $3 pizza slices are available. Spend the evening dancing, taking the mic, or relaxing with friends in a lively atmosphere.

Putnam Place hosts a summer series of Sunday Latin Nights built around high-energy live music and plenty of room to dance. Rafy Cabrera Band, featuring BoyBoy, brings a vibrant, rhythmic set that keeps the floor moving all evening.

Visitors to the outdoor Community Table at Schenectady Greenmarket can meet feathered education ambassadors and learn about them while exploring goods from local producers. This appearance takes place on selected Sundays and is set up outside Schenectady City Hall.

A mobile nail-trim bus sets up in the front parking area at Benson’s Pet Center in Rotterdam to provide quick trims that help prevent discomfort from overgrown nails. On arrival, pick up a beeper to hold your place and keep it visible rather than tucked away. If you are bringing more than one dog, try to bring them onto the bus together. If you will be returning to your car to swap pets, take two beepers so timing can be accounted for. Twenty beepers are in circulation and then the numbers restart at one. Service continues until every dog has been seen, and this location can get busy, so please be mindful of the line and who is ahead of you. The handler has 25 years of experience and welcomes all dogs. Pricing is $25 per dog, plus $10 for dogs that are difficult to handle, and an additional $15 for large dogs when extra handling techniques are needed, which is rare.

A community basket raffle takes place at Lisha Kill Church in Schenectady, NY, with proceeds directed toward addressing poverty in the D.R. Donations of baskets are welcome and appreciated.

Music Haven brings back its Blues BBQ with Chicago guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks at the helm, the Blues Music Awards 2025 Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year. Settle in for an extended evening of live blues and barbecue, with Misty Blues and Mulebone completing the lineup. It is billed as one of the season’s biggest nights. If weather becomes a factor, the rain site is Proctors. Support is provided by Frog Alley Brewing Co., Homestead Funding, and WEXT 97.7/106.1FM.