Well ... our weekend is spoken for. We'll be traveling to the Bay State to gather with friends and family to celebrate some significant and bittersweet events; the most somber of which is a memorial service for Jed's grandmother, "Peggy," who passed away on May 12.

She was a wonderful woman; the matriarch of the family even into her 90th decade.

She will be greatly missed.

****

But I haven't forgotten about you ... There's some really hairy stuff for you all to do this weekend if you're so inclined to get out of the house. This week's theme seems to be ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL ... (feel free to groan if you like.)

****

NEAR

Oh, the drama
Why not treat the princess of the house to a real-life performance of Disney's Beauty and the Beast? The RPI Young Actors Guild presents the classic Disney tale Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at RPI Playhouse, 1851 15th Street, Troy. General Admission tickets $8 children 2-12; $10 adult. Call 276-6505 for information.

Leepers, Peepers and Creepers
Join state wildlife biologist Alvin Breisch Saturday on a 2-mile trek through the Albany Pine Bush Preserve over easy to moderate terrain to listen to, observe and identify amphibian residents of this rare ecosystem. Meet at the Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center. $2 per person; $5 per family; free, children under 5. Registration is required, to register, click here or call 785-1800 for more information.

Coelophysis: A New York Dinosaur
I wonder if he ever said, "YO! I got yer velocirapter right here!" But you won't have to wonder if you head to the State Museum in Albany this weekend between 1 and 4 p.m. The museum offers educational fun for the whole family with games, crafts and other theme-based activities. Free. Call 474-5877 for more information.

AWWWW. so cuuuuuute.
Indian Ladder Farm, 342 Altamont Road, Altamont, is hosting "Baby Animal Days" from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through May 25th. For $5 per kid (human kind), tykes can oogle the chicks, ducklings, turkey poults, bunnies, piglets, lambs, goat kids and calves. ... I wonder if they have cygnets? Call 765-2956 for more information.

****

FAR:

Who let the dogs out?
Second annual WalkingthedogWALK down Warren St in Hudson will shake a leg (hopefully over the hydrant) at 2 p.m. on Saturday on Warren Street in Hudson. The event is followed by the Bestminster Dog Show at Basilica Industria, 110 South Front Street. Dogs of all shapes, sizes and canine ethnicity join together to parade down Warren Street. The dog show will feature food, music, doggie goodies and lots of fun for the whole family. $20 for first dog and $10 each addition dog. For more information, call 755-1716 or visit www.wtdtheater.org