Tri-Cities of Upstate NY's Capital District Quiz

Answer: baseball

The Tri-City Valley Cats (called Cats by the fans), were a Class A short-season minor league team from 2002-2020 affiliated with the Houston Astros. However, Major League Baseball changed how minor leagues were done in 2020, and the Valley Cats were no longer recognized. They became part of Frontier League, a professional league under MLB, but independent.

Answer: Uncle Sam

Samuel Wilson was a meatpacker in Troy, NY during the War of 1812. Per law, Wilson stamped E.A-U.S. on the shipments. It stood for Elbert Anderson (the name of the contractor) and United States (location) as those were the two things the law required to be on it. However, when asked what E.A. - U.S. stood for, one of his co-workers making a joke replied, "Elbert Anderson, and Uncle Sam."

Even though, Uncle Sam (the symbol of America) was out before that, this became the legend, and the man became the prototype of what Uncle Sam looked like.

Answer: Stockade

The Stockade Historic District (also called the Stockade) is in the northwestern part of Schenectady, NY. People have been living there for over three hundred years. Some of the homes in it are centuries old, and in 1962, it became the first local historic district in New York State when the city council first recognized it officially.

Answer: Rivers Casino and Resort

Rivers Casino and Resort was opened on February 8, 2017. There was much discussion and concern about having the casino in the city. On one hand, there was concern about gambling, what sort of people it would bring into Schenectady, and whether there would be problems. On the other hand, there was the fact that having a casino and resort in the city would generate major revenue for the city.

Answer: False

In 1925, Frederick Freeman Proctor, known as "The Dean of Vaudeville" bought the space at 432 State Street in Schenectady, NY. In 1926, Proctor's Theatre was built and opened. They showed silent films and vaudeville acts.

Today, you can see movies, plays, musicals, operas, concerts, ballets, and so much more at Proctor's Theatre. Proctor himself was a Vaudeville impresario back in the day. The Merriam-Webster dictionary's second definition of vaudeville is "stage entertainment consisting of various acts." While they say Vaudeville is dead, based on that definition, Proctor's Theatre, is still a vaudeville stage, just not the old traditional way we think of Vaudeville with the capital "V."

Answer: glass sculpture

Eric Hilton designed the glass sculpture which was dedicated May 24, 2000. He entitled it, "Seeds of Enlightenment." It is in the North Concourse of the Empire State Plaza. The sculpture comprises four abstract glass pieces connected by a long triangular prism. Glass "seeds" appear throughout the piece and on the base.

Answer: Billy Harrell

Oakwood Cemetery is located at 50 101st Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA. It was established in 1848. and has been used since 1850.

Billy "Flash" Harrell (1928-2014) played in the Negro Leagues in 1951 with the Birmingham Barons. The Negro Leagues were formed by Black baseball players in 1920 due to the fact they were not allowed to play with white players in the minors or major leagues of professional baseball. It wasn't until April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier that things started to change, but still, that took time; it did not happen overnight.

1952 Harrell signed with the Cleveland Indians but did not debut until 1955. He later played with the Red Sox as well. He was an infielder.

Answer: Catskill Mountains and Adirondack Mountains

The Albany Pinebush Preserve is between the Catskills and Adirondacks between Schenectady and Albany, NY, USA. The Catskills are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, which are mountains in northeastern North America. The Adirondacks are all in New York State.

The Pinebush is home to the Karner blue butterfly and many other wonderful plants and animals. People often go there for hiking and to enjoy nature in its natural habitat.

Answer: Mother's Day

The Tulip Festival is held in Washington Park in Albany, NY, USA on Mother's Day weekend every May.

On July 1, 1948, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, sent Albany, NY 2000 tulip bulbs in gratitude for their help rebuilding Nijmegen, which was destroyed during the war. Albany and Nijmegen became sister cities and the tulip became the official flower of Albany on July 11, 1948.
The following year, the first Tulip Festival was celebrated and continues today. Each year a Tulip Queen is crowned.

Answer: 1880s

The New York State Capital Building is located on the corner of Washington Ave and State Street in Albany, NY, USA. It took 32 years to build and has been used since the 1880s. It is open during the week for tours, and there are always various events going on that people can attend.