What's happing in local arts this spring?

Winter is too often a time to hibernate. But, now that we're officially into spring, it's time to get out to see what is going on in the Capital Region's arts scene.

Here is a rundown of selected events, supplied by Joseph "Jody" Dalton, a local arts writer:

April 6

PolyChoral Festival

Downtown Troy and EMPAC at RPI

Live music on the streets as 200 college choristers sing and proceed to the EMPAC concert hall. It begins at 6 p.m. at the Hudson River Park, and the concert at RPI is at 7. Free.

April 7-17

"Cabaret"

Cohoes Music Hall
58 Remsen Street, Cohoes

This iconic musical portrays life in Berlin as one decadent party before the Third Reich went into full swing. Ticket information here.

April 12-17

Blue Man Group

Proctors Theatre
State Street
Schenectady

The blue-faced music group is always a hit with their inventive instruments and antics. Ticket information here.

April 16

Paul Taylor Dance Company

The Egg
Empire State Plaza
Albany

It's called modern dance, but Taylor's work is accessible, eloquent and enduring. Ticket information here.

April 29

Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring," with the Albany Symphony Orchestra

Troy Music Hall
30 2nd Street
Troy

Copland's masterpiece, plus settings of eight spirituals. Ticket information here.

May 5

Glen Miller Orchestra

Troy Music Hall
30 2nd Street
Troy

"In the Mood" for big band music? This one is always in style. Ticket information here.

June 9-12

Saratoga Arts Festival

Various venues

Dozens of events with music, theater. dance and visual art. Ticket information here.

Spring cleanup at the Terrace

PHOTO BY BILL DOWD

If you were out for the day on Saturday and found your property looking a lot nicer when you got home, this picture will tell you why.

The groundsworkers from Vintage Landscaping were swarming over the Terrace today to rake, pick up and otherwise do battle with winter's debris. The annual mulching can't be far behind.

Are you all paid up?

The second installment of your 2011 dues was due by today, April 1.

Dues are $355 per household. Please send your checks, made payable to the Terrace at Highpointe Community Association, to:

Terrace at Highpointe
35 Hyland Drive
Troy, New York 12182

Thank you.

Spaghetti fundraiser set in the 'Burgh

The Lansingburgh Rotary Club's 46th annual spaghetti dinner to benefit the Lansingburgh Boys & Girls Club will be held Monday, April 11, at the LBGC facility, 501 Fourth Avenue.

The event is open to anyone else who wants to dine-in or take-out a good pasta dinner for a good cause.

A dinner -- consisting of spaghetti and meatballs, salad, beverage and dessert -- goes for just $7 for adults and $3.50 for children. Takeouts will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 7 p.m. the day of the event. Dine-in dinners will be available from 5 to 7 p.m.

In addition to programs and services for young people, the LBGC also assists senior citizens activities.

People we love to hate (in the winter)

Jerry "Gloater" Gordon sent along these photos as 

a winter greeting from the Orlando, FL, area.

If there's snow on the roof ...

                                                                                                       Photo by Nadeen Thompson

... it's no surprise.

If you think you've seen a pair of workers wielding long-handled snow rakes around the neighborhood, you're not seeing things.

The accumulation of snow this winter has worried some of us more than others -- those who already are experiencing roof leaks, for example. So, Jerry Gordon was good enough to set up contacts with Mark Vincent to supply workers, at a fee, of course, to allay their concerns by easing the burden on the roofs.

Even if you haven't had problems so far, keep an eye on your garage ceilings. That's where leaks have shown up most commonly in some Terrace residences.

About that snow on the roof ...

Neighbors:

Some of you had Mark remove the snow from your roof, some of you did it yourself, and some didn’t do it at all. Now you get a second chance.

Mark will be back some day this week, depending on the weather. If you’d like to talk to him about it, send me an email or sign up at the mailbox.

-- Jerry Gordon

Where is your main gas shutoff valve?

One style of shutoff valve

That's what Ed and Elaine Reilly had to find out when they needed to shut off the gas for a fireplace repair.

When the serviceman could not find a shutoff valve inside or outside, Ed called National Grid. Their serviceman conducted a search to find out where the exterior valve was located.

Turns out it was under a few feet of snow AND four inches or so of garden mulch. In a gas emergency, that could have presented a very real danger.

It appears as mulch is added to our landscaping each year, in at least some cases the shutoff valves are being buried. As soon as is practical, we suggest checking to find out where your valve is located, and keeping access to it clear.

Serious snowfalls causing us problem$

PHOTO BY BILL DOWD

This is the sort of scene we're all experiencing in this old-fashioned winter of frequent snowstorms and unmelted snow mounds.

Pretty, yes, but it is creating a problem for the Terrace snowplowing crew. With at least one more major storm predicted in the next few days, we've run out of places to put the snow. That means Mark Vincent and his crew have to move the existing mounds to the dead-end portion of Hyland Drive or they will have nowhere to put the next plowing.

And, because nothing in life is free, that will mean an extra expense on our treasury. That is on top of the anticipated costs of replacing two trees knocked down by an early-December windstorm. Luckily, removal of the trees cost us nothing since our Grounds Committee cut up and hauled them off. We'll be detailing all the winter-related expenses at our spring meeting.

Meanwhile, we ask that everyone pitch in to be sure cars are parked only where they do not interfere with plowing, especially if you're having guests who add to the parking load.

Thanks, and enjoy the view.

Need a hand, or a snow rake?

Ice and snow piling up on roofs -- particularly in crevices and joints between different slopes -- can cause serious structural damage.

Several homes in the Terrace already have sustained damage, so experience is telling us it is advisable to keep gutters and eaves as free of ice and snow as practicality and safety allow.

However, that is easier said than done without the proper tools. Luckily, Bob Hayward has asked us to let neighbors know he will be glad to loan his snow rake to anyone in need of such an implement.

Thanks to Bob for his good neighbor policy, and a note of caution to all who undertake such a project -- be sure you're not alone when you do the work, and be sure of your footing. Black ice can be particularly treacherous.

Merry Christmas to one and all

Assessment payment due by New Year's Day

The first installment of your 2011 Homeowners Association assessment is due by Saturday, January 1.  Dues are $355 per household per quarter.

Remember, you also may pay the $1,420 full-year assessment in one installment, or pay semi-annually in $710 installments.

Please send your checks, made payable to the Terrace H.O.A., to:

Terrace at Highpointe
Box 35
Troy, New York 12182

Thank you.

Holiday lights gone wild

We have some nice outdoor lights displays on the Terrace, but we can't quite count ourselves in the same league as these folks!

High winds wreak havoc with spruces

PHOTOS BY BILL DOWD

From left: Ed Reilly, Tom Chichester and Harvey Bailey in action.

The two mature blue spruces in the Terrace's common area between Hyland Court and Hyland Circle were felled by the high winds that swept the area Wednesday.

Grounds Committee Chairman Harvey Bailey, along with Tom Chichester and Ed Reilly, quickly pitched in to make short work of the damage. They cut up the trees, extracted the stumps and smoothed out the lawn area.

In the spring, the Terrace Association will be footing the bill to replace the trees and seed the damaged grassy areas.

As always, our thanks to the tireless efforts behind such a quick and thorough cleanup.

One of the two blue spruces uprooted by high winds awaits disposal.

Safety rods put in place

The annual "Hammering of the Plow Markers" has taken place.

Harvey Bailey and Tom Chichester did their annual voluntary job of installing the upright metal markers around the Terrace that help snowplow crews keep track of the lawns, driveways and parking areas.

If anything happens to the markers on your property, please make sure to let Harvey know IMMEDIATELY. Markers that have been knocked down or removed for any reason need to be replaced for safety's sake.

Keeping a sharp eye out

A rash of residential burglaries in the Capital Region in recent months prompts a suggestion from Ed Reilly to keep an eye out for unfamiliar vehicles driving through the Terrace -- cars that may be occupied by persons checking out the neighborhood for nefarious purposes.

"I've noticed a couple of cars I've never seen driving slowly around the neighborhood," says Ed, "so I mentioned it to Bill Wade. He said the key thing is to get the license plate numbers. Just having a description of the car isn't enough."

Bill Wade, for those newer Terrace residents who don't know him, is a former City of Troy police officer.

The non-emergency phone number for the Troy Police Department is 270-4411. The emergency number is, of course, 911.

A time-ly reminder ... or two ... or three

We return to Eastern Standard Time at 2 a.m. Sunday, November 7. That means set your clocks back one hour tonight when you go to bed.

It also means darkness will be upon us earlier than usual, so do a quick check of your property to be sure all exterior lights are fully functioning. This is for safety reasons for all since we have no municipal street lighting.

P.S. I hate to mention it, but the occasional reference to snow in the local weather forecasts means we need to be aware of keeping our driveways clear for the snow-plowers to do their job. So, please be sure to get back in the habit of keeping your car(s) in the garage or in our community-owned parking areas.

New Terrace membership list

Treasurer Jerry Gordon has updated the Terrace at Highpoint Community Association membership list. Here's the rundown:

• 1 Hyland Circle Jack & Joan Coyne
• 2 Hyland Circle Nadeen Thompson
• 3 Hyland Circle Claire & Fil Steiner
• 4 Hyland Circle Betty Looney
• 5 Hyland Circle Lewis Hall
• 6 Hyland Circle Bernie Mackey
• 7 Hyland Circle Bill & April Dowd
• 8 Hyland Circle Anne Hunter
• 9 Hyland Circle Russ & Rose Golino
• 10 Hyland Circle Donna Williams
• 11 Hyland Circle Bob & Polly Hayward
• 12 Hyland Circle Paula Fox-Murphy & Bob Malphrus
• 13 Hyland Circle Rose Hastings-Weaver (non-resident)
• 14 Hyland Circle Terry Page
• 15 Hyland Circle Jerry & Maryanne Gordon
• 16 Hyland Circle Tom & Peggy Savchik
• 17 Hyland Drive Joe & Geraldine Claeys
• 18 Hyland Drive Steve & Tammy Sanders
• 19 Hyland Drive Ed & Elaine Reilly
• 20 Hyland Drive Mariana Figueiro
• 21 Hyland Court John & Susan Milliren
• 22 Hyland Court Harvey & Lorraine Bailey
• 23 Hyland Court Bill Wade
• 24 Hyland Court Vivian Price
• 25 Hyland Court Trent Cox
• 26 Hyland Court Catherine "Kay" Duclos
• 27 Hyland Circle Pat Whitman
• 28 Hyland Circle Shirley Fischer
• 29 Hyland Circle Dick & Betsy Harte
• 30 Hyland Circle Joe & Carolee Jasiewicz
• 31 Hyland Drive John "Ned" Alaskey
• 32 Hyland Drive Amy & Walter Willard
• 33 Hyland Drive Joan Richardson
• 34 Hyland Drive Tom & Ginny Chichester

Girls' Night Out

A group of 15-year-old girlfriends discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Dairy Queen next to the Ocean View restaurant because they only had $6 between them and Jim, that cute boy in Social Studies, lives on that street and they might see him as they ride their bikes there.

10 years later, the group of 25 year-old girlfriends discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the beer was cheap, they had free snacks, the band was good, there was no cover and there were lots of cute guys.

10 years later, at 35 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the cosmos were good, it was right near the gym and if they go late enough, there wouldn't be too many whiny little kids.

10 years later, at 45 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the martinis were big, and the waiters there had tight pants and nice buns.

10 years later, at 55 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the food there was reasonable, the wine list was good, they had windows that open in case of a hot flash, and fish is good for your cholesterol.

10 years later, at 65 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because lighting was good and they have an early bird special.

10 years later, at 75 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because food was not too spicy, the restaurant was handicapped accessible and they even had an elevator!

10 years later, at 85 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because they had never been there before.