This weekend will be a great time to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower shoot across the sky, so remember to dig out your binoculars from the garage. Bring them along to see Kenny Chesney at the Amp (you’ll want them, since the only tickets left are on Allegiant Lawn) on Thursday. Other concerts include Courtney Barnett at Beak & Skiff, Ronnie Leigh and Nancy Kelly at the Fulton Jazz Festival, a Led Zeppelin cover band and a ’90s R&B cover band. Also, a live band will serenade Salsa dancers on the deck of Hamilton Inn on Friday. There are outdoor pursuits too: a couple of bike rides and the 79th Scottish Games.
Know of an event you would like to see on this list? Email us at features@syracuse.com.
Kenny Chesney
Country star Kenny Chesney expanded his “Here and Now” tour to play at St. Joseph’s Amphitheater at Lakeview on Thursday. Chesney previously performed there in 2018 and was scheduled to play the Amp in 2020, but the show was axed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Carly Pearce, the Country Music Awards Female Vocalist of the Year, will open Thursday’s show. Tickets are $64 after fees on the Allegiant Lawn; amphitheater seating is sold out. Head to asmsyracuse.com for more information.
Where: St. Joseph’s Amphitheater at Lakeview, 490 Restoration Way, Syracuse
When: Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
How much: $64
RENT
Geneva’s non-profit Theatre444 will perform Pultizer Prize-winning contemporary rock musical RENT this weekend on the Geneva Community Center stage. RENT is set in the East Village of New York City, and follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished artists living under the shadow of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Head to theatre444.com for more information.
Where: Geneva Community Center, 160 Carter Rd., Geneva
When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
How much: $20 in advance or $25 at the door
Syracuse Bacon Festival
Clinton Square is going to smell amazing this weekend. It’s Bacon Festival, and that means the square will be filled with more than 20 food vendors with delicious bacon goodies to snack on, like bacon burgers, bacon mac n’ cheese, bacon-wrapped scallops and bacon sundaes. There will also be wine and beer tents, an “activity zone,” live music and more. Head to Syracuse.com for the details and the music and vendor lineups.
Where: Clinton Square, 161 Genesee St., Syracuse
When: Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m.
How much: Free to enter
Scottish Games
This Saturday, after a two-year absence, the Central New York Scottish Games and Celtic Festival will again turn Long Branch Park in Liverpool into the Scottish Highlands. This year is the 79th event and will include pipe, drum and harp concerts; traditional Highland athletic events; dance; food; games; a raffle to fund humanitarian relief in Ukraine and more. Tickets will be sold at the gate and are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for kids. Head to cnyscottishgames.org for more information.
Where: Long Branch Park, 3813 Long Branch Rd., Liverpool
When: Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
How much: $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for kids
Tow Path Day
On Saturday, historical actors will set up a series of narrated vignettes along a mile of the historic Erie Canal in Camillus Erie Canal Park. Stroll along to view the vignettes, view demonstrations of old-fashioned crafts like blacksmithing, enter a raffle or take a boat ride. Head to eriecanalcamillus.org for more information.
Where: Camillus Erie Canal Park, 5750 Devoe Rd., Camillus
When: Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
How much: Free
Here and There Festival
Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett will perform at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette on Sunday, alongside American guitarist Snail Mail, Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Faye Webster and Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Hana Vu. The concert is one stop on Barnett’s “Here and There” tour with a rotating line-up of featured artists. Tickets are $50 after fees in advance $5 more day-of. Go to beakandskiff.com for more details and to buy tickets.
Where: 2708 Lords Hill Rd., Lafayette
When: Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
How much: $50 in advance or $55 day-of
Light-up bike ride
Vie Cycle presents their latest glow-in-the-dark bike ride event: Sturgeon Moon Bike Ride. It’s the August full moon and bikers are converging on the Ithaca Farmer’s Market at 7 p.m. on Thursday for this family-friendly bike ride. Bring your bike, lights, water, costumes, friends, kids, snacks and head on over for a flat, slow 5-miler around Ithaca. There will be $20 multi-color wheel lights for sale from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and an after party from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. at a local bar (TBA).
Where: Ithaca Farmer’s Market, Steamboat Landing, 545 3rd St., Ithaca
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.
How much: Free
Get the Led Out
Led Zeppelin cover band “Get the Led Out” will perform at Paper Mill Island Amphitheater in Baldwinsville on Thursday at 6 p.m. The band is known for painstakingly recreating Led Zeppelin’s songs as they were recorded, and will run through as many greatest hits like “Kashmir” and “Stairway to Heaven” as they can in a two-hour show. Tickets are $33 after fees and can be purchased through creativeconcerts.com.
Where: Paper Mill Island Amphitheater, 136 Spensieri Ave., Baldwinsville
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.
How much: $33
REUNION
Hip-hop tribute band The Frank White Experience will perform a “REUNION for the Culture” show in Perseverance Park on South Salina Street on Friday evening. The band will play everything from Afro Beats to Neo Soul to 90s R&B classics. The Friday show starts at 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Head to frankwhiteexp.com to check out the band.
Where: Perseverance Park, 205 S. Salina St., Syracuse
When: Friday at 5 p.m.
How much: Free
Perseid meteor shower stargazing
Sign up with the Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville to see the best show of the summer — the Perseid meteor shower. Nature center staff will help identify summer constellations while meteors shoot by overhead. It’s free but requires reservation. Head to onondagacountyparks.com to sign up.
Where: 8477 East Mud Lake Rd., Baldwinsville
When: Friday at 8 p.m.
How much: Free
Fulton Jazz Festival
Fulton’s annual jazz festival kicks off on Wednesday night with a concert at Tavern On the Lock by Jazz Mafia Trio — drummer Joe Cortini, pianist Dave Solazzo and bassist Matt Vacanti. On Thursday, the Oswego County Musician’s Union Swinging Big Band will play at Bullhead Point at 7 p.m. Friday will see Morris Tarbell & The Hepcats, Ronnie Leigh and Atlas play at Lock 3 Canal View Park starting at 5 p.m. Saturday’s lineup, also at the park, includes The Instigators, Nancy Kelly and Brownskin Band, starting at 4 p.m. Head to fultonjazzfest.com for more information.
Where: Fulton
When: Wednesday through Saturday
How much: Free
Folksmarch
This month’s Folksmarch will head to Sherburne for a one-day-only walk through the Rogers Environmental Center. The trail is 2.5 miles of flat and shaded woods, but there are longer options available. Register at the designated picnic table near the visitor center anytime from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. It’s $4 for adults and $1 for kids ages 5 to 18 with a $9 family maximum. First-time walkers are free. No pets allowed at this location.
Where: 2721 Rt. 80, Sherburne
When: Register from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday
How much: $4 for adults, $1 for kids 5 and over, free for first-time walkers
Young Eagle Flights
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 486 will host a pancake breakfast and airplane rides on Sunday at Oswego County Airport in Fulton. A breakfast of pancakes, eggs, French toast, potatoes, sausage and beverages is $10 for adults and kids over 13, $9 for veterans and $5 for kids 6 to 12. Young Eagle airplane rides for kids 8 to 17 are free, weather permitting. Contact the chapter through chapters.eaa.org/eaa486.
Where: Oswego County Airport, EAA Building, 2326 Rt. 176, Fulton
When: Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
How much: $10 for adults, $9 for veterans and $5 for kids 6 to 12
Dancing Under the Stars
Hamilton’s Arts at the Palace will host Salsa and Merengue dance lessons on the patio of the Hamilton Inn. Dance instructors Henry Rosado and Madeleine Matos will lead the group to the music of a live band. There will be complimentary charcuterie and beverages for ticketholders. Tickets are $45 for two people or $25 for one person. Head to hamiltoncreates.com for more information or to buy tickets.
Where: Hamilton Inn, 4480 East Lake Rd., Hamilton
When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.
How much: $25 for one person, $45 for two people
Ad Choices