As this weekend rolls in, we officially have two more weekends of picture-perfect swimming at Lake Sophia before they close up for the season. Is it just me or did the end of August hit you at some point this week, all at once, like a ton of bricks?

Once September takes the stage next week, it’s safe to say we’ve officially made it through the last of this year’s heatwaves. The weather this weekend will be partly sunny and ideal for a dip in the lake or at anybody’s coveted swimming spot they prefer to gatekeep (and I truly don’t blame you). I’ve recently been crawling through the woods up in Catskill to go swimming in a see-your-feet clear spot, and each time it doesn’t disappoint.

I know it’s my job to recommend the best of what our city has to offer this weekend, but if you don’t intend to find time to get outside and soak in some of this sun while we have it, I can’t make any better recommendation than that. Go to a local farm, buy some produce and make an irresistible treat for you and/or a special someone, visit any one of Kingston’s many parks, haul along a blanket, good book, cold beverage and that homemade snack (as well as some provisions from Kingston Bread & Bar or Rosie General) and have yourself a relaxing, restorative afternoon. At least that’s what I would do.

If you’re craving something more high-impact, then this weekend’s highly-anticipated Friday event is for you. Assembly is bringing Y2K nostalgia for the inaugural reception of Kingston Calling: Battle of the Bands.

As a kid who grew up watching movies like School of Rock and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the concept of small-town bands and musicians battling it out onstage in front of a live audience of their neighbors and friends is something I can totally get behind. It’s good old-fashioned rivalry where competitors give it their all to win the title of best band (and hopefully get physically crowned) and nobody gets participation trophies. It’s competition at its purest and finest: one winner and six losers.

There’s something in our culture that’s become averse to competition, going against a concept that seemed so ingrained in the days of yore. We can easily say that we don’t want to “hurt anybody’s feelings,” but what better motivation is there than to know there’s somebody else out there doing it better than you are? As a relatively new writer in the genre of reporting, I look up to writers who have perfected this craft so I can hone my skills. We all do it. So what’s wrong with bringing it close to home, having our Tubby’s and Night Swim headliners rocking it out on the stage at Assembly to be hailed champion in the end?

The competition features seven local bands – five from Kingston, one from New Paltz and one from Woodstock – all performing in a variety of rock-adjacent genres. Listed under the band’s names are sub-genres like Emo, Punk, Shoegaze, Art Rock, Post-Rock, Alt Rock, and even Indie Alt Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll. Because why would you want just one?

Participating bands include Couch Surfer, a Kingston-based Emo/Power-Pop/Punk band, Emerson Laura Palmer, a Shoegaze band from New Paltz, Gary, an Art Rock band from Woodstock, Here Jenny, a Post-Rock/Indie-Gaze band from Kingston, Jack Manley, (with a very cool website) an Indie/Alt-Rock performer from Kingston, Lolux, our Indie Alt Punk Rock n Roll dream team from Kingston, and the Orangutwins, a Rock band from Kingston. You can listen to a curated playlist of music from all of these bands here.

The winning band gets to wear effusively gaudy regalia as they stoically saunter down Wall Street with a hoard of mesmerized fans trailing close behind, waiting for any chance to catch a glimmer of their glory as they relish in a greatly deserved moment of stardom.

Unfortunately, that’s only what I imagine would be the ending to any of the beforementioned teenybop movies, but as a trusting reader I can allow you to sometimes take a look into the incongruous psyche that produces this column.

What the winning band will actually be bestowed includes free studio time at Utopia Studios in Bearsville, a radio feature on Radio Woodstock, professional styling, hair, makeup and a photoshoot courtesy of Le Shag, a gift card for Lovefield Vintage, and much more.

Judging the bands are an esteemed panel of musicians from all sides of the stage, such as bassist luminary Gail Ann Dorsey, Mercury Rev’s guitarist Grasshopper, Rusted Root’s lead singer and guitarist Michael Glabicki, and sound engineer, drummer, record producer, etc., Pete Caigan. Hosting the event is Kingston-based comedian Jess Edelman. Learn more about the bands and guests here.

Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased here. Kingston Calling: Battle of the Bands takes place this Friday, Aug. 28, at 8 p.m. at Assembly.

Shiver Me Timbers!

If you’d rather take it back a few centuries on Friday night, the Hudson River Maritime Museum is holding the latest in their Follow The River Lecture Series with Crime on the Hudson: Gilded Age Pirates and River Thieves.

This edition of the series brings not only lectures but an immersive performance courtesy of Siren Theatre Company, who will bring this era and its many notorious characters to life. One such highlight will include a “mysterious young woman” who was rumored to have led a Lower Manhattan gang. She will be put on trial for her crimes but questions of her innocence and legacy remain.

The performance by Siren Theatre Company, which includes actors Caitlin Connelly, Tricia Anderson and Maclain Maier, will precede an informative lecture by an HRMM educator on criminal activity happening in and around the Hudson River during the 1860s and ’70s.

Admission to the event is $28 or $14 for HRMM members, tickets can be purchased here. A sliding scale ticket option is available, and you reach out to Sara at srussell@hrmm.org to inquire. The event takes place this Friday, Aug. 28 from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Hudson River Maritime Museum down on West Strand.