Ice Cream Social - 2/24

The University Club Foundation Presents
Ice Cream Social: The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry’s
With Author Brad Edmondson

Ben & Jerry’s has always been committed to an insanely ambitious three-part mission: making the world’s best ice cream, supporting progressive causes, and sharing the company’s success with all stakeholders: employees, suppliers, distributors, customers, cows, everybody. But it hasn’t been easy.

Brad Edmondson will discuss his book, Ice Cream Social: The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry’s (Berrett-Koehler, 1/1/14), at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street, on Monday, February 24. The evening will begin with a meet-the-author reception at 6:00 p.m., followed by a discussion of the book at 7:00 p.m. After the presentation, the author will sell and sign books, and local Scoop Shop owners will provide samples of Ben & Jerry’s famous ice cream.

A portion of the proceeds from books sold at the event will benefit The Albany Promise, a regional, cross-sector partnership where community, business, and civic leaders in Albany are coming together to support a shared cradle to career educational vision and engaging in collective impact.

According to Madeleine M. Kunin, former governor of Vermont, “Ice Cream Social is a factory tour of the ups and downs and arounds of Ben & Jerry’s. We get an insider’s description of the good times and bad to achieve their mission to make the world’s best ice cream, pursue social change, and treat both employees and shareholders fairly.  Much of the time, they succeeded.”

Journalist Brad Edmondson tells the story of Ben & Jerry’s with an eye for details, dramatic moments, and memorable characters. He interviewed dozens of key figures, particularly Jeff Furman, who helped Ben and Jerry write their first business plan in 1978 and became chairman of the board in 2010. It’s a funny, sad, surprising, and ultimately hopeful story.

Edmondson will be joined in the discussion by Patrick Pipino, who has owned a number of Ben & Jerry’s franchises over some 18 years. He is currently the Owner/President of Ben & Jerry’s Saratoga.

Ice Cream Social is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and reservations are required. Please call the Club at 518-463-1151 to reserve your seat or RSVP via email. This event is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc., formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901. Support for educational programming presented by the University Club Foundation is provided by AT&T.

3rd Annual Robert Burns Supper - Friday, 1/24

Love plaid? Looking for a reason to dust off your kilt? Make plans to attend the University Club Foundation’s Third Annual Robert Burns Supper on Friday, January 24, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street.

Join old friends and new for tartans and bagpipes, songs and stories, neeps & tatties and haggis, poetry, whisky, the Cup of Kindness, and lots and lots of laughter. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails in the living room followed by a bagpipe procession at 7 p.m. into the candlelit main dining room for a traditional Scottish buffet. American options will be available as well.

Born on January 25, 1759 in Alloway, Robert Burns is Scotland’s most famous poet. He died from complications of rheumatic heart disease at just 37 years of age. In that short lifetime, however, he became Scotland’s most famous poet and lyricist, penning such works as Tam O’ Shanter, Auld Lang Syne, and To a Mouse to name just a few. His works have had a profound effect on successive generations and, because his legacy is so well-loved, his birthday is celebrated each year around the world.

According to RobertBurns.org, Burns Suppers range from the formal gatherings to “uproariously informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts.”Most adhere, more or less, to some sort of time-honored tradition including a “Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky and the recitation of works by, about, and in the spirit of the Bard.”

The University Club’s annual black tie optional affair falls somewhere in between! Dress tends to be semi-formal, with most ladies in evening attire and gentlemen in suits, tuxedos or traditional kilts; but the atmosphere is anything but formal. This year’s event will once again be hosted by Club board member Meredith Helgerson who has presented several Burns Suppers inspired by her honeymoon travels in Scotland.

Tickets are $50 each or $95/pair, seating is limited and reservations are required by Monday, January 20. This event is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc. and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend.  Call the University Club at 518-463-1151 to reserve your seat.

The University Club of Albany Foundation was formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901. Support for educational programming presented by the University Club Foundation is provided by AT&T.

"Hey Jude" in concert - Friday, February 7

Marking the 50th Anniversary of Arrival of The Beatles in NYC

On February 7, 1964, Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 bound from London’s Heathrow Airport arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. The flight was met by thousands of screaming fans, many of them in tears - Beatlemania had begun.

To mark the 50th anniversary of one of the most iconic events in rock and roll history, the University Club of Albany Foundation will present a concert by “Hey Jude,” an authentic Beatles tribute band. The event will take place on Friday, February 7, from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m., at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street. Tickets for the concert are $20, seating is limited and reservations are required. Call the University Club at 518-463-1151 or reserve online with a credit card or PayPal. Ticket-holders are also invited to reserve seats for a la carte pre-show dinner in the Grille Room.

The band members are: Tom Raider (John Lennon), Brad Jarvis (Paul McCartney), Rick Bedrosian (George Harrison), Don Ackerman (Ringo Starr) and Rich Coogan (keyboards and percussion). Tom Raider has portrayed Lennon all over the world since 2001, and Rick Bedrosian is also the leader of the Celtic Music powerhouse, Hair Of The Dog.

A Hey Jude concert is first and foremost, a bona fide performance of classic Beatles songs, but it’s also an engaging theatrical experience.  The band members dress in a variety of Beatles costumes and bring a wealth of Scouse humor, history and hubris to their stage show. Hey Jude is detail oriented too; from their hair, to their Rickenbacker, Gretsch, Hofner and Epiphone guitars, Vox amps and Ludwig drums, their tailored suits (stitched by renowned Beatles costumer Russ Lease) and imported (from Liverpool) boots.

The band concentrates on the early songs from 1963 and 1964 (tunes like “She Loves You,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “A Hard Day's Night”) but Hey Jude’s repertoire also includes hits from later albums such as “Help!,” “Rubber Soul,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “White Album” and “Abbey Road.”

This concert is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc., formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901. One need not be a member of the University Club to attend. Support for educational programming presented by the University Club Foundation is provided by AT&T.

1st Friday with MotherJudge - 1/3/14

Kick off 2014 with Americana alt-folk diva Caroline MotherJudge and friends as we welcome them back to the U. Club! Here's what Mother Judge had to say about a previous appearance ...

Join us in one of our favorite rooms for "Songs to Make you Want to Sing & Dance." Great food & fellowship at historic University Club, the jewel in the midtown Albany crown. Support First Friday! Get out, get some culture, see old friends and enjoy the holiday season with something a bit more relaxing. See you there!

On the first Friday of each month, the University Club celebrates the arts and culture in Albany by serving as a 1st Friday venue, with free live music from 8 - 10 p.m. One need not be a member to enjoy music, dinner and dancing in the Grille Room, dress is casual, and cash and major credit cards are accepted. Call 518-463-1151 to reserve a table for dinner, served until 9 p.m.