5th Annual Pinkster Celebration with Beth Wood - 5/29

In the spring of 1811, the Albany Common Council banned Pinkster Day celebrations because of “rioting and drunkenness.” The resolution read, in part, “No person shall … collect in numbers … with or without any music under a penalty of ten dollars or confinement in jail.” Two centuries later, in an effort to revive a tradition from Albany’s past, members of the University Club petitioned the Common Council to repeal the prohibition. The Pinkster ban was lifted on May 16, 2011.

On Friday, May 29, the U Club is bringing music back as we welcome singer-songwriter Beth Wood for a concert as part of the 5th Annual Pinkster Celebration at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany.

Beth Wood, based in Eugene, Oregon, is a modern-day troubadour and believer in the power of song. Her exceptional musicianship, crafty songwriting, and commanding stage presence have been winning over American audiences for sixteen years. Beth’s music is soulful, organic, intelligent, barefoot, high-energy communication of joy.

The Club’s first Pinkster Celebration featured readings from four centuries of scholarly and popular publications documenting the people and places of New York’s capital city. In 2012, the University Club Foundation was delighted to welcome Albany’s own Pulitzer Prize-winning author, William Kennedy. The featured speaker for 2013 was Stefan Bielinski, the director of the Colonial Albany History Project. Last year, award-winning journalist and author Paul Grondahl discussed his latest book, These Exalted Acres: Unlocking the Secrets of Albany Rural Cemetery.

The 2015 Pinkster Celebration will feature a cocktail reception with light fare and cash bar from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., followed by the concert by Beth Wood.

Two levels of tickets are available for the Pinkster Celebration with Beth Wood: $25 per person for General Admission or $50 per person for Preferred Seating. Reservations are required and may be made by calling the University Club at 518-463-1151 or tickets may be purchased online.

Proceeds from the event benefit the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc., a 501c3 corporation, and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend. The Foundation was formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the National Register-listed University Club building, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901.