Things To Do This Weekend In New York City & Roosevelt Island- Irish/Yiddish Songs, Art Fair, Space Stories, Hot Dog Hoot, Cherry Tree Walk & RI Tour

You Tube Video of Clancy Brothers Singing Moses Ri-Tooral-I Ay

Looking for fun or interesting things to do on Roosevelt Island or in some other part of New York City this weekend? Here are some suggestions.

The NY Times Spare Times suggests a Friday evening of Irish and Yiddish Songs at NYU's Glucksman Ireland House.

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY GLUCKSMAN IRELAND HOUSE Friday at 7 p.m., “Yiddish and Irish Song,” with Susan McKeown and Lorin Sklamberg.

Also, The International Art Fair arrives Friday at the Park Avenue Armory and stays thru Tuesday.

The International Fine Art Fair has been an annual event in New York City since 1994, with many of the world’s leading picture dealers coming together to exhibit the finest paintings, drawings and sculpture from Renaissance gold ground panel paintings to 20th century modern art. This diverse selection includes examples from among the most important European and American works to be found on the market today.

On Saturday, Space Stories 2009 is a series of day long public lectures at the New York City Explorers Club.

Space Stories is a full day of presentations spanning from traditional space and aeronautical disciplines to emerging fields in space exploration. This will be a great opportunity for those who are interested in these disciplines to interact. Tickets will NOT be sold at door.

If you would rather be outdoors on Saturday, join the Roosevelt Island Historical Society for a Cherry Blossom Walk.

On Sunday, the Astor Center is hosting a Hot Dog Hootenanny. According to Serious Eats:

...We'll have hot dog vendors from around the city serving samples of their classic regional franks: condiment-heavy Chicago-style, deep-fried New Jersey Rippers, and New York City grilled, as well as an off-beat fusion dog and a high-end "fancy" dog. Guests can taste a dog from each of the participating hot dog shops and wash them down with beer or prosecco before heading into a hot dog seminar and guided tasting, should you want to take your hot dog appreciation to the next level....

Or, if you are in the mood for a free folk music concert from a group of moms who rock, the Motherlode Trio returns to Roosevelt Island with a Sunday afternoon concert at the Good Shepherd Chapel.

On Roosevelt Island, in addition to the Cherry Blossom Walk and Motherlode Trio Concert, this weekend the Farmers Market will be open as usual on Saturday as is Gallery RIVAA, the Roosevelt Island Visual Arts Association which is exhibiting a new show titled Art From The Heart featuring the works of Coler-Goldwater Hospital patients. Also, RIOC has produced a great self guided tour map (PDF File) of Roosevelt Island for any visitor or resident looking to stroll the Island and learn something more about it.

The MTA is reporting normal Roosevelt Island F Train subway service in both directions and RIOC is not reporting any Tram Advisories for this weekend

Check out some other ideas on what to do in New York City this weekend from the NY Times Urban Eye and Spare Times, Free NYC, NY Post Weekend Calendar and Newyorkology.