p re s e n t s
L A U ANN L A U N A M 20 20
A guide to living, working, and playing in Rochester, NY
2 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
A guide for all seasons [ INTRODUCTION ] BY DAVID ANDREATTA
You might think you know all there is to know about your hometown, but you can live in a place your entire life and learn something new about it every day. That’s what CITY’s Annual Manual is all about. It is as much a guide for longtime residents of the Rochester region as it is an introduction for visitors and newcomers to the area’s charms, hidden treasures, and delights. We live in an age in which so much information, including some of what you’ll find in this magazine, is in the palm of our hands. But mining it can mean wading through a lot of noise. The Annual Manual cuts through the din for you in a relaxed, easy-to-read format. New to the area or looking for a new home? We spotlight the city’s hottest neighborhoods and the suburbs that are hopping. Ever wonder who’s running the show? Check out our profiles on political leaders who make headlines. Speaking of shows, are you looking for live entertainment? We covered that, too. The Annual Manual is a guide for all seasons that’ll point you in the right direction. What’s in these pages is just the tip of the iceberg, though. Take a walk, hop in the car, catch a bus, and explore our community on your own. There’s no telling what you’ll find.
Table of Contents WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD(S).. ...................... 5 TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER.......... 11
THE SITES FOR SOUNDS.............. 40 FOR THE KIDS. . ........................... 44 NIGHTLIFE.................................. 48
Publishers: Rochester Area Media Partners LLC, Norm Silverstein, chairman. William and Mary Anna Towler, founders. Editorial department themail@rochester-citynews.com Editor: David Andreatta Contributing writers: Daniel J. Kushner, David Andreatta, Jeremy Moule, Rebecca Rafferty, Leah Stacy, Frank De Blase, Gino Fanelli Art department artdept@rochester-citynews.com Creative director/Operations Manager: Ryan Williamson Designers: Renée Heininger, Jacob Walsh Advertising department ads@rochester-citynews.com Sales manager: Alison Zero Jones Sales representatives: Tracey Mykins, David White, Betsy Matthews Operations/Circulation kstathis@rochester-citynews.com Circulation manager: Katherine Stathis Distribution: Northstar Delivery
presen ts
MARK YOUR CALENDAR............... 15
SUSAN B.................................... 52
RENTERS' RIGHTS........................ 18
EXHIBIT A+................................. 53
WEED IN THE FLOWER CITY. . ........ 22
SHELF-AWARE............................. 56
MOVING THE NEEDLE.................. 26
OFF-OFF-BROADWAY.................... 58
ROCHESTER BREWS IT. . ............... 30
SERVICE DIRECTORY. . .................. 59
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ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
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A guide to living, working, and playing in Rochester, NY
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4 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD (s) BY CITY STAFF
When we talk about “Rochester,” we’re not just talking about the city. Rochester, for all intents and purposes, is really Monroe County. Indeed, when traveling outside the region, most people who live in the city’s suburbs tell anyone who asks they live in Rochester. Monroe County is about as diverse a community as you’ll find anywhere. Within a 20-minute drive in any direction, there is a mid-sized American city of 200,000 people, farmland, quaint villages, and shopping malls. Bisected by the Genesee River flowing north and the Erie Canal running east and west, the county is a community of dozens of communities: 19 towns, nine villages, and, of course, the city of Rochester, whose neighborhoods have found ways to carve out their own personalities. From the South Wedge to North Winton Village, the Flower City, as Rochester is known, is home to an assortment of neighborhoods, each one vehemently defended by their residents as the best place to call home. The suburbs might look similar at first glance, but each has its own distinct identity that draws on their heritage, their location, and their infrastructure. Each has its perks, from vibrant nightlife culture and shopping to easy access to parks and hiking trails. Here we offer a sampling of five city neighborhoods and five suburbs to give you a taste of what sets them apart.
Corn Hill Marked at its northern border by the crossing of the Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge and the Genesee River to the east, Corn Hill is a quiet, family neighborhood right on the edge of the city’s downtown. The annual Corn Hill Arts Festival, which has been held annually for over 50 years, draws large crowds to the neighborhood. The festival features over 100 artists, from woodworkers to photographers and everything in between. This year, it is scheduled to be held July 11-12. Corn Hill is a pivotal hub of historic Rochester. On Clarissa Street, the Flying Squirrel Community Space, 285 Clarissa Street, serves as a hub for the city’s community activism. The street is also home to the annual Clarissa Street Revival, a jazz festival slated for August 15. Clarissa is recognized as a Rochester jazz hub and cornerstone of the black community through the mid-1900s. Mississippi Delta Blues legend Son House lived for a time off Clarissa Street at 61 Greig Street, now a historical landmark. The Genesee Riverway Trail in Corn Hill also offers one of the best views of the city skyline, with the bridge archways set pristinely across downtown’s towers.
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19th Ward The 19th Ward on the city’s southwest side is one of the largest neighborhoods in Rochester. Now a rich blend of working class and college housing, the 19th Ward is a proud community boasting one of the longest running neighborhood groups in the nation, the 19th Ward Community Association, which formed in 1965 as a retaliation to “red-lining” housing policies. Today, the 19th Ward is a veritable goldmine of some of Rochester’s best, and best-hidden, culinary hot spots. People’s Choice Kitchen, 575 Brooks
Avenue, offers up a unique blend of soul and Jamaican cuisine, El Latino Restaurant, 1020 Chili Avenue, serves some of the best Latin American food in the city, and Unkl Moe’s BBQ, 493 West Avenue, is a can’t-miss barbecue stop. Of course, no list of Rochester food is complete without Nick Tahou’s Hots, 320 West Main Street, which sits at the northeastern tip of the 19th Ward and boasts the claim to the throne as the home of the original Garbage Plate. On the neighborhood’s southeastern tip is Genesee Valley Park, home to plenty of walking trails, baseball fields, and easy spots to drop a kayak into the Genesee River.
Culver-Winton At the northeastern edge of Rochester sits the Culver-Winton neighborhood, a robust community packed to the brim with food, entertainment, and drink. Perhaps the cornerstone of today’s Culver-Winton Neighborhood is Radio Social, 20 Carlson Road, a 42,000 square foot compound featuring two restaurants—the upscale Middle-Eastern Ophira and the pizza-and-wings joint Shortwave — a bar, bowling, arcade games, and much more. But Radio Social is far from the end-all, be-all of Culver-Winton. Tryon City Tavern, 2300 East Main Street keeps a short, but highly-curated taplist, and is in competition with the nearby Captain Jim’s Fish Market, 2329 East Main Street, for best fish fry in the city. On the strip of North Winton Road stretching from Merchants Road to University Avenue, you’ll find a diverse collection of eateries and pubs, including upscale Mexican joint The Silver Iguana, 663 North Winton, new-American Lucky’s, 628 North Winton, and Khong Thai Cuisine, 260 North Winton. 6 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
Charlotte We western New Yorkers love to pronounce things differently than anyone else in the English-speaking world. To wit, this northern beachside neighborhood is pronounced “sharLOT,” not “shar-LIT.” Charlotte is a park-heavy neighborhood built along the Lake Avenue strip leading to Lake Ontario. At Turning Point Park, find a 3.8 mile paved trail through the woods featuring a 3,572-foot boardwalk weaving through the Genesee River Turning Basin marsh. At the northern edge find the Ontario Beach Park, 39 acres featuring plenty of sandy beaches. But Charlotte is far more than just beaches and bogs. At the Pelican’s Nest, 566 North River Street, catch plenty of lakefront views with fairly regular live bands. Windjammers, 4695 Lake Avenue, serves up some of the best chicken wings you’ll find in Rochester. The Port of Rochester, 1000 North River Street, once home to the infamous Fast Ferry, now is home to sushi-fusion joint California Rollin II, bistro Jetty at the Port, and Rochester classic burger joint Bill Gray’s. The nearby marina at the port is also among the most scenic spots to park a boat during the warmer months.
NOTA The Neighborhood of the Arts, or NOTA, holds the lofty distinction of being one of Rochester’s hippest neighborhoods. Centered around the University of Rochester’s sprawling Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Avenue, NOTA is the epicenter of Rochester’s arts community, and a perfect place to hop bars or catch a live band. Three Heads Brewing, 186 Atlantic Avenue, is a must-stop for live music. Co-owner Geoff Dale lovingly calls the venue space, which covers almost all of the brewery’s customer space, “The Living Room.” Almost any night of the week, eager drinkers can catch live bluegrass, jam bands, reggae, rock, and funk from locals and traveling bands, usually on the cheap. It’s difficult to fit everything in NOTA into one succinct segment. For drinks, check out Sager Beer Works, 46 Sager Drive, Nine Maidens Brewing Co., 1344 University Avenue suite 140, Mullers Cider House, 1344 University Avenue, suite 180, or Living Roots Winery, 1255 University Avenue. For food and shopping, Village Gate, 275 North Goodman Street, is a must-stop. This mixed use compound houses everything from high-end eatery Lento to literary-themed cocktail bar Nox, and The Gate House, home to wood-fired pizzas and one of Rochester’s best burgers. Until October, when the city of Rochester is set to cut the ribbon on the Roc City Skatepark, NOTA is also home to the only skatepark in Rochester, Breaking Free Skatepark, 1044 University Avenue, open to any and all wheeled sports.
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EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT, REGISTER TO VOTE! Many federal, state and local offices are up for election this year
Our community works better when you care enough to vote. But in order to vote you must register. Get a registration form at a bank, library, post office, town hall or visit our website at www.monroecounty.gov/elections. Or call 753-1550 and we’ll send you one. Be sure and mail it back at least 25 days before the election.
MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS Telephone 753-1550 TTY 753-1544 www.monroecounty.gov/elections
Village of Brockport Nestled on the western edge of Monroe County about 20 miles west of Rochester, Brockport calls itself “The Victorian Village on the Erie Canal.” But more than anything, Brockport is a college town. Home to the State University of New York at Brockport, the village is brimming with youthful energy and shops ranging from restaurants and bars to an independent book store in Lift Bridge Book Shop, 45 Main St., and vintage movie theater in Brockport Strand Theater, 93 Main St. The village’s pedestrianfriendly downtown includes several buildings that are on the state and federal registries of historic places. Brockport prides itself on its public art, its nine public parks, and its welcome center, which in the summertime is staffed by volunteers who greet Erie Canal boaters and canal path cyclists. The village’s website, brockportny.org, offers maps for walking tours. The village borders the towns of Sweden and Clarkson and has about 8,300 inhabitants, roughly the same number of people that attend SUNY Brockport, making for the ultimate “town-and-gown” atmosphere.
Village of Fairport
This quaint village on the Erie Canal — about a 15-minute drive east of Rochester — is said to have taken its name in the 19th century from a canal traveler who was overheard in a local tavern saying of the place, “This is a fair port.” The next day, local legend has it, the same man stormed out of his hotel claiming it was infested with bed bugs and vowing never to return. But the name stuck. Fairport sits smack in the middle of the town of Perinton, a suburb of roughly 47,000 inhabitants known for its indoor and outdoor recreation. Three separate interconnected foot paths and hiking trails wind through the town, earning Perinton the distinction of being named a top “Trail Town” in the country by the American Hiking Society and the National Park Service. But the village, with its bustling shops and restaurants that draw on its heritage as an Erie Canal boomtown, is the beating heart of the town. Lift Bridge Lane alone boasts the popular dueling Irish pubs, Mulconry’s and Donnelly’s, and the best place in the village to see live bands, The B-Side. The village’s population of about 5,300 swells in the summer, when boaters traveling the canal moor their vessels for a nominal fee in the commercial district of Packett’s Landing. Thousands of people visit every year for the village’s “Canal Days” festival, which features live music and a panoply of food and retail vendors on streets shut down to traffic. This year, the festival is slated for Friday, June 5 through Sunday, June 7. The celebration will have a different feel this year. The village’s iconic lift bridge, which connects the vital north-south arterial of Main Street (Route 250) in and out of town is shut down for repairs until the fall of 2020. 8 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
Village of Pittsford Founded in 1827, Pittsford is the oldest of Monroe County’s villages. It originally served as the government center of Northfield, the sprawling town that was eventually divided into most of the county’s east side towns. It developed as a center of commerce, thanks to its position on two major roads that ran between the mills in what was then Rochesterville and the outlying farms. But the Erie Canal really drove the village’s growth and prosperity. Nearby farmers gained access to new markets and downtown merchants thrived amidst the commercial traffic. Pittsford is a preservation-minded community with a population of more than 1,300. Rigorous local laws have helped ensure that the houses along its quiet residential streets maintain their historical characteristics. Likewise, the village’s compact, walkable downtown is lined with well-preserved buildings dating to the mid to late 1800s. Many canal-era mills and warehouses remain along Schoen Place, though they’ve been converted into shops, restaurants, and offices. Even an old grain silo was repurposed for modern commercial use. The Schoen Place district has become a popular attraction, where residents and visitors shop, eat, and stroll along the canal. The adjacent Pittsford Farms Dairy also attracts people to the village. It processes raw milk from local farmers into several products, including ice cream, which plenty of people rave about. The dairy has a retail store and a bakery.
Village of Spencerport Like the other “port” villages in Monroe County — Brockport and Fairport — Spencerport resides on the Erie Canal and draws much of its culture from the recreational waterway. Towpath Park, for instance, offers a scenic canalside walkway. Historic homes dot the village, with several featuring Victorian or Federal-style architecture on West Avenue, a main arterial on the south side of the village. Union Street, its primary thoroughfare, is lined with boutiques and small shops. Attractions outside the village include Springdale Farm, a 200-acre working farm and agricultural education facility owned by Monroe County and operated by Heritage Christian Services off Colby Street in the town of Ogden that is open to the public. The farm says it entertains 40,000 visitors a year. Spencerport sits entirely within the borders of Ogden, a farming community about a 15-minute drive west of downtown Rochester. The village has roughly 3,600 residents in the wider town of about 20,000 people.
Henrietta Henrietta is one of Monroe County’s major commercial centers. The prevailing view is that it’s a town full of big box retail, shopping plazas, and a mall. But that says more about why people go to Henrietta than it does the town itself. There’s more to Henrietta than the Jefferson Road - Hylan Drive - West Henrietta Road strip. The town shifted from an agricultural community to a residential community after World War II, as did many suburbs across the U.S. In 2017, residential properties made up roughly 31 percent of the town’s 20,720 acres, according to a county land use report from that year. Approximately 43,600 people live in the town. Agricultural land makes up around 13 percent of the town’s acreage and vacant land accounts for another 18 percent. The town is also home to the Rochester Institute of Technology and several high tech companies, including Rochester Precision Optics and Idex Health & Science, both of which are photonics firms; Eagleview, which is an aerial imaging and geographic information services company; and Innovative Solutions, an information technology and applications services company located in the new Riverwood Tech Campus. Amazon recently built a distribution center in Henrietta and the University of Rochester is currently building a new orthopaedics campus at Marketplace Mall. The medical facility’s footprint will include the former Sears store. Henrietta has the second lowest town tax rate in the county. The town with the lowest rate, Riga, doesn’t have town taxes because of payments it receives for being the county landfill’s host community. ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 9
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Representing teachers • school instructors • substitute teachers • home/hospital teachers • retired teachers
10 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER BY DAVID ANDREATTA
Greater Rochester saw a lot of changes in its political scene in the last year.
For decades, the area mirrored the electoral pattern of the country, with urban centers strongly favoring Democrats, and rural and many suburban communities leaning Republican. The city of Rochester could have been described as a blue blotch in a sea of red that was Monroe County. But the area could today best be described as purple, or at least purplish. Democrats have for many years held an enrollment advantage over Republicans in Monroe County, but that was solely due to a heavy concentration of Democrats in the city of Rochester. In recent years, though, Republicans have lost a lot of ground in the suburbs, spurred by a dramatic uptick in voter registration there among Democrats. As of January 2020, there were 3.5 percent fewer enrolled Republican voters in the county than there were in 2016, according to the county Board of Elections. Meanwhile, Democratic enrollment grew over the same period by 5 percent. The bulk of that shift was in towns that had long been Republican strongholds. Some of them, such as Penfield, Perinton, and Webster on the east side of the city, and Chili and Greece in the west, now stand at relative party parity. The result has been that Monroe County this year swore in a Democratic county executive for the first time in 32 years and saw the Republican majority in the 29-seat County Legislature dwindle to a single seat. Several Republican state senators from the area have said they won’t run again this year. If you pay attention to the local news, you’ll notice a handful of elected officials make headlines. Here is a primer on the politicos you’ll be hearing more about this year.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello (Democrat)
Bello is a darling of local Democratic circles who got his first job in politics as a 12-year-old boy signing in attendees at a fundraiser for the man who would become his mentor, Representative Joe Morelle. Bello, a married father of three, turns 40 this year. Before becoming the first Democratic county executive to be elected since 1987, he was the county clerk, the supervisor of Irondequoit, and the executive director of the county Democratic Party. Bello has signaled that he intends to brush partisanship aside to focus on priorities like early-intervention child care services, combating the opioid crisis, and, of course, the usual trifecta of jobs, economic development, and public safety. How effective his administration will be at pushing his agenda through a Republicancontrolled Legislature that seems hell-bent on hobbling him remains to be seen. Before he took office this year, Republican legislators attempted to ram through a bill that would have curtailed his authority in several areas. The legislation was withdrawn amid a public outcry. CONTACT: 585-753-1000 (OFFICE) AND COUNTYEXECUTIVE@MONROECOUNTY.GOV
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TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER Monroe County Legislature President Dr. Joseph Carbone (Republican)
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ART
A foot doctor by profession, Carbone entered politics in 2012 when he was elected to represent the northeast portion of Irondequoit in the County Legislature. He has since been re-elected twice and steadily rose through the ranks to be appointed president of the Legislature by his Republican colleagues. Carbone has mostly flown under the radar during his tenure, but that was a result of his presiding over a Legislature that was a rubber stamp for Republican administrations. That is expected to change this year with the county having a divided government for the first time in 30 years. Late last year, Carbone became the public face of a controversial bill that, among other things, sought to limit the authority of the incoming Democratic county executive in a variety of areas. He hastily withdrew the legislation after a fierce public backlash, but in doing so pledged to raise some of the provisions in the measure in 2020. CONTACT: 585-753-1922 (OFFICE) AND LEGISLATORCARBONE@GMAIL.COM
Monroe County Minority Leader Legislator Vince Felder (Democrat) The Monroe County Legislature’s Democratic minority has been an afterthought for a generation. But with Democrats coming within a seat of controlling the house in last year’s election and taking the executive’s office, the minority is expected to play a much larger role in shaping policy going forward — and Felder will be the face of that shift. Early this year, for instance, he brokered a bipartisan deal to undo a much-criticized law making it a crime to harass first responders. Felder represents the 22nd Legislative District, which covers most of the Upper Falls and Marketview Heights neighborhoods, along with the eastern half of downtown.
CONTACT: 585-753-1940 (OFFICE) AND VINCEFELDER22@GMAIL.COM
12 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
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TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER
Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart (Democrat)
A first-year Monroe County legislator wouldn’t typically make a short list of local politicians you’ll be hearing more about this year. But, then, Barnhart isn’t a typical first-year legislator. A former television journalist who ran unsuccessfully for state Assembly, Rochester mayor, and Congress before winning a seat in the Legislature last year, Barnhart has a knack for unearthing newsworthy issues and using her extensive social media following to get out the word. Much of her focus has been on establishing good government practices and rooting out corruption. She represents the 21st Legislative District, which includes the Rochester neighborhoods of Beechwood, North Winton Village, and the Neighborhood of the Arts. CONTACT: 585-753-1940 (OFFICE) AND RACHEL@RACHELBARNHART.COM
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren (Democrat)
Warren broke barriers with her election to the mayoralty in 2013. Not only was she the first woman to hold the job, but she smashed what had been regarded as the local Democratic Party establishment when she handily beat the party’s chosen candidate — the incumbent mayor — in a primary. Her victory caused a schism within the party that has yet to heal, although there has been some closure as she has consolidated her power. On one side are the old-guard Democrats who nurtured the rise of the likes of Rep. Joe Morelle and County Executive Adam Bello. On the other side are up-andcoming progressives, mostly people of color, who had been underrepresented in the local party and local government. A married mother of one who has since been re-elected to a second term, Warren has focused on creating jobs, police services aimed at making neighborhoods safer, and improving, to what extent she can, the city’s public education system, which is widely regarded as the worst in the state. CONTACT: 585-428-7045 (OFFICE) AND INFO@CITYOFROCHESTER.GOV
Rochester City Council Member Mary Lupien (Democrat)
Lupien translated her active support for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in 2016 to a successful campaign for City Council in 2019. She represents the east side of the city. She brought a welcome focus to transportation to the campaign, demanding the city develop a more aggressive and comprehensive plan for adding bicycle infrastructure, like lanes and racks. Lupien has also called for ending subsidies to high-end residential developments, saying that money could be better spent helping small businesses invest in their neighborhoods. CONTACT: 585-428-7530 (OFFICE) AND MARY.LUPIEN@CITYOFROCHESTER.GOV
Rochester School Board President Van White (Democrat)
A lawyer who made his name suing the Rochester City School District on behalf of the family of a 13-year-old girl who was stabbed to death by a student outside her public school in 1995, White was first elected to the Board of Education in 2006 and became its president in 2014. His tenure has been marked by a high turnover of superintendents, student achievement that falls well below the state average but has increased incrementally, and a scathing report by a state-appointed watchdog who accused the board of micromanaging and concluded the district needed a “total reset” in the way it operates. White, whose salary of nearly $35,000 is the highest by far in a state where most school board members are unpaid, is likely to be in the news this year, as Governor Andrew Cuomo looks to implement a state-appointed monitor to oversee the school district. CONTACT: 585-262-8525 (OFFICE) AND VAN.WHITE@THELEGALBRIEF.COM
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mark your calendar …but use a pencil BY KATE STATHIS & DANIEL J. KUSHNER As of the printing of this publication, 2020 hasn’t unfolded as expected. We hope the health crisis is short-lived and that, when it’s all over, Rochester will get back to its routines and showcasing its treasures. Here are some highlights of the area’s scheduled attractions. Fingers crossed we get a chance to partake! Visit the venue’s website for the most current information on events.
APRIL
Bird of Prey Days April 24-26 Braddock Bay Park, 199 East Manitou Rd. This is the32nd annual celebration of Braddock Bay’s specialty, with a kettle of fascinating events, including owl prowls, hawk watches, banding demos, live raptor story times, a wildscaping workshop, and lots of live raptors. [KS] bbrr.org/bird-of-prey-days Mayday! Underground Crafts & Arts Spring Market April 25 Village Gate Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. OK, I bet one ogre portrait, a sweater creature, and two felted chestnuts that you will think, say, or hear one or more of the following: “Ooh, how clever!” or “Wow, that’s unusual!” or “I have got to have this.” [KS] maydaycraft.com
MAY
I Love My Park Day May 2, 9am-12pm Here’s a big hug for our state’s parks, where volunteers can help with trail maintenance, litter pick-up, tree planting, painting, mulching, and more. Participating local parks include Ganondagan, Sonnenberg, Letchworth, and Chimney Bluffs. Bring gloves, water, snacks, and tools if you have them. [KS] ptny.org/events/i-love-my-park-day Keuka in Bloom May 2 & 3, May 30 & 31 Keuka Lake wineries. Wine pairs with garden daydreams in a tour that’s just in time for planting season. Ticket-holders will be treated to herbflecked foods and receive a unique 4” potted herb and flower from each of the featured wineries. [KS] keukawinetrail.com
Stompology: Authentic Solo Jazz Dance Weekend May 8-19 Historic German House, 315 Gregory St. Groove Juice Swing’s big dance weekend turns tapping toes to stomping feet, maybe even leaping into spontaneous acrobatics. The 6-piece and 13-piece Eyal Vilner Big Band leads the action. [KS] stompology.com Rochester Lilac Festival May 8-17 Highland Park, 180 Reservoir Ave. Just how far will you follow your nose? To the hundreds of varieties Highland Park’s fragrant lilacs, or to that everhypnotic kettle corn? Perhaps the patchouli-beer infusion at the live stage is more your style. Why choose? Through its 10 days, you can do it all. [KS] rochesterevents.com Finger Lakes Celtic Games & Festival May 16, 9:30am-6pm Finger Lakes Celtic Society, 4925 Collett Rd., Shortsville Chase the distant sound of bagpipes to an immersive celebration of Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and Cornish heritage full of live music and dance, food, artisan vendors, and the Highland Heavy Games. [KS] flceltic.org HERstory/Our Story May 16 & 17 Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan, 7000 County Rd 41, Victor This weekend of art and music celebrates Haudenosaunee women and the women’s suffrage movement, featuring an intriguing event called “Table Talk & Tea: Women Voted Here Before Columbus.” [KS] ganondagan.org/Events-Programs/herstory-our-story-weekend ZooBrew May 22, June 26, July 24, August 14, September 11 Seneca Park Zoo, 2222 St. Paul St. The zoo’s popular happy hour let adults (ages 21 & older) explore the zoo without stepping on any kids. A portion of ticket proceeds will go toward elephant conservation. [KS] senecaparkzoo.org Geneva Music Festival May 22-June 14 Various venues, Geneva & Skaneateles GMF’s 10th season line-up celebrates Beethoven’s 250th birthday and more; discover “forgotten masterpieces” and explorations of German Classism, Argentinian tango, jazz, and bluegrass. [KS] genevamusicfestival.com
Tree Peony Festival of Flowers May 23 & 24, 29 & 30, June 6 & 7 A stunning collection of Japanese & American tree peonies bursts with spring in Linwood Gardens’ annual opening of their private estate. [KS] linwoodgardens.org Flower City Comic Con May 30 & 31 Total Sports Experience, 880 Elmgrove Rd At last, an event where you don’t have to check your prosthetic tentacles at the door. And no one gives you the side-eye if they’re not prosthetic. Freaks, geeks, and pop culture galore. [KS] fc3roc.com
JUNE
Rochester Cocktail Revival June 1-7 Various bars & venues in Rochester Bartender, could you please pour a potent mix of Rochester’s lively cocktail scene with art, science, lectures, food, and music – and top it off with a Bar Room Battle Royale? It’s for Gilda’s Club. [KS] rochestercocktailrevival.com Midtown Eats June-August, 1st & 3rd Wednesdays & Thursdays Midtown Commons, Elm St. Sample our city’s fabulous restaurant scene in a lively downtown pop-up plaza, a perfect place to nosh and sip after work. [KS] rochesterevents.com/midtown-eats The Nitrate Picture Show June 4-7 George Eastman Museum, 900 East Ave. The dazzle of nitrate’s glowing shimmer on the silver screen, the danger of its combustible composition, and the work to preserve it draw an international audience to a weekend of films, tours, and workshops. [KS] eastman.org Fairport Canal Days June 5-7 Village of Fairport Fairport celebrates its canal town heritage with a juried art show, food festival, and live music showcase. But it’s the duck race that really gets ya. [KS] fairportcanaldays.com Continues on pg. 38
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16 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
The longest-serving elected official in Rochester, Gantt is informally known as the “dean” of the area’s delegation in Albany. Gantt started his 37th year in the state Assembly in 2020, but has since announced his intention to retire. At 78, Gantt is confronting a variety of health issues and, records show, he was in attendance in the Assembly on just two days last year. He represents the 137th Assembly District, which covers a wide swath of Rochester and all of Gates. Gantt isn’t some rank-and-file lawmaker. He is a longtime political power broker who once headed the Assembly Transportation Committee. At times controversial, Gantt has been known in his decidedly Democratic district as a champion for poor and vulnerable people. Regardless of his departure from politics, his presence and influence will be felt as Democrats position themselves to succeed him. CONTACT: 585-454-3670 (OFFICE) AND GANTTD@NYASSEMBLY.GOV
Assemblyman Harry Bronson (Democrat)
Bronson was first elected to the Assembly in 2010 after five years in the Monroe County Legislature. His 138th Assembly district includes portions of Rochester, and the towns of Chili and Henrietta. A longtime LGBTQ activist, Bronson has been focused on ensuring access to affordable health care, reforming campaign finance regulations, and closing the workforce skills gap. He is expected to face a tough challenge for his seat this year from Alex Yudelson, the 27-year-old chief of staff to Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren. Bronson has been at odds with Warren over how to best intervene in the troubled city school district, and that fight is likely to carry over into the Assembly race. CONTACT: 585-244-5255 (OFFICE) AND BRONSONH@NYASSEMBLY.GOV
State Senator Joe Robach (Republican)
Robach is a legacy Democrat-turned-Republican politician, with his father, Roger Robach, having served in the Assembly from 1975 until his untimely death in 1991. He took over his father’s seat in a special election the year his father died and served the district as a Democrat until 2002. That year, he switched parties to become a Republican and run for the state Senate. His 56th Senate District mostly encompasses the west side of Rochester, but stretches, as gerrymandered districts tend to do, into parts of the city and the eastern suburb of Brighton. Like several other Republican state senators, who recently lost their majority in the Senate, Robach announced that he would not run again in 2020. Because he has been a fixture on the political scene for so long, though, it is hard to imagine Robach, 62, disappearing altogether. CONTACT: 585-225-3650 (OFFICE) AND ROBACH@NYSENATE.GOV
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER
Assemblyman David Gantt (Democrat)
House Representative Joe Morelle (Democrat)
Rochester tends to breed long political lives. Once a politician is in office, they’re in politics for life, it seems. Morelle is one of those politicians. He was first elected to the Monroe County Legislature in 1983, became a state Assemblyman eight years later, and won a pair of special elections in 2018 to assume the congressional seat that had been held for more than 30 years by Louise Slaughter, who died earlier that year. The 25th Congressional District seat encompasses the vast majority of Monroe County. Although he is a freshman in Congress, Morelle has proven himself adept at raising his status. He ended his time in the Assembly as the majority leader. CONTACT: 585-232-4850 (OFFICE) AND WWW.MORELLE.HOUSE.GOV ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 17
a renters rights rundown BY JEREMY MOULE
Rochester is a city of tenants where roughly two-thirds of all residences are rented, not owner-occupied.
1
Those figures mirror the renter-homeowner breakdown in cities across the country, meaning Rochester is hardly an anomaly. But some recent, high-profile cases of negligent landlords, along with an explosion of new high-end apartment complexes with equally high-end rents, have brought issues of housing and renters rights to the fore. Activists have been particularly focused on tenants’ rights, and they’ve been working with like-minded advocates from across the state to press lawmakers on passing stronger renter protections. They’ve had some victories — notably, lawmakers approved an extension of rent control laws to upstate cities, as long as they meet certain criteria and opt in. Rochester is in the early stages of that process. But there are some important laws on the books — old and new — with which tenants should be familiar. Here is a review of them and an offering of steps tenants can take to protect themselves.
Renting an apartment? Check for a certificate of occupancy
The city of Rochester requires landlords to get certificates of occupancy for any rental property, with the exception of two-family residences where the owner lives in one of the units. Before the city provides a landlord with a C of O, it conducts an inspection of the building and its units to make sure they comply with housing codes. Basically, it’s an assurance that the property meets the basic health and safety standards. Landlords shouldn’t be renting out apartments without certificates of occupancy, yet some do. In January, a new law went into effect prohibiting landlords from collecting rent or evicting tenants if their buildings don’t have certificates of occupancy. In the city, prospective tenants can also check with the appropriate Neighborhood Service Center to check whether a property has a C of O and to find out whether it has any open code violations. 18 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
2 Photograph everything when you move in Move-in inspections are a standard part of renting. They help landlords keep track of the apartment’s condition before a tenant moves in, but they also provide an opportunity for tenants to document any problems they could be dinged for later. Fill out any forms or paperwork thoroughly, make sure that the landlord receives a copy, and keep a copy for yourself. Also, take detailed photos or videos of the apartment, paying particular attention to anything that’s already damaged, such as a scratched wall or cracked moulding. The images could prove valuable when it comes time to get your security deposit back, or if the landlord accuses you of causing damage that existed at the time of move-in.
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3 Your landlord is responsible for repairs Landlords are obligated under law, and often under leases, to keep their properties in good repair. In particular, they are required to address all health and safety issues, such as broken fire escapes, leaking pipes, and infestations. If you’ve reported a problem to your landlord and it remains unaddressed, report it to the city’s Code Enforcement Office. The office will try to get the landlord to fix the problem, but if that doesn’t happen, the report opens the door for court action. City Court now has a small claims proceeding for tenants to recoup some rent in these cases. Under another City Court proceeding, a judge could issue a court order directing the landlord to fix outstanding problems. The city also recently created a new fund to make repairs to rental properties and bill the landlords, if the landlords fail to make the fix. It’s also illegal for landlords to evict tenants as retaliation for requesting repairs or reporting unaddressed problems to authorities.
20 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
4
Evictions aren’t automatic
Landlords can evict tenants for failure to pay rent or for serious violations of their leases. But landlords must follow a process; they can’t just put tenants’ belongings at the curb and lock them out when they’re a week late with the rent. If a tenant owes rent, a landlord has to provide them notice giving them 14 days to pay. After that, the landlord can initiate eviction proceedings. A new law that took effect in January essentially allows tenants to end eviction proceedings at any time by paying all owed rent. If the landlord wins the eviction case, the court will set a date by which the tenant must move out. If a law enforcement officer, on behalf of the landlord, serves a tenant with an eviction warrant, the tenant has 14 days to move out. While eviction proceedings are pending, landlords can’t lock tenants out, cut off their utilities, or remove their belongings from the property. If they do, they can face a misdemeanor charge. Likewise, landlords have to give tenants advance notice if they aren’t going to renew leases; the law requires 60 days’ notice when there’s a one-year lease. State law also requires landlords to give month-to-month tenants 30 days notice that they have to move out.
/ FOOD
Additional resources The Legal Aid Society of Rochester
provides legal assistance on several housing issues, including evictions. (585) 232-4090, https://www.lasroc.org/housing-and-consumer-law
Legal Assistance of Western New York
also provides legal assistance on housing issues, including eviction prevention and housing discrimination. (585) 325-2520, https://www.lawny.org/topics/3
The Housing Council at PathStone
offers tenants guidance on their rights and responsibilities, and also operates a housing hotline at (585) 546-3700 and has an FAQ on its website, https://www.thehousingcouncil.org/faqs
The New York State Attorney General’s Office
has articles on various housing topics: https://ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/housing-issues
The city of Rochester’s BuildingBlocks website
provides information on specific properties: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/buildingblocks/
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 21
weed in the flower city BY GINO FANELLI
Let’s make one thing clear off the bat: Recreational cannabis was not yet legal in New York as of this guide’s publishing. If The Man catches you in possession of even a small amount, you could face a ticket and a fine. If you’re carrying larger amounts, the stakes are higher. That said, the statewide legalization of weed seems inevitable. Lawmakers have floated bills to end the prohibition on recreational pot for years, but when Governor Andrew Cuomo submitted a budget proposal last year that would have legalized cannabis he opened the door wide. Cuomo and legislators ultimately couldn’t come to agreement on legalization, but the governor has taken another shot at it this year. The budget is due in April, and if legalization is approved, it is likely it won’t take effect for some time. The coronavirus pandemic, however, may prove an obstacle to legalization. As this guide was published, the state was ramping up its response to the public health crisis and lawmakers had turned their attention to other issues, particularly paid sick leave. Right now, Rochesterians who want pot will have to look to the black market or take a trip 22 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
out of state — or even across the border. Recreational cannabis is legal in Canada and it takes about an hour and a half to get there. For the average cannabis consumer, Rochester is a fairly safe space right now, though. Legislation that took effect last year decriminalizing possession of small amounts of cannabis has resulted in the weed becoming less hush-hush. Catching someone pulling out a bowl at a bar’s backyard fire pit is a familiar sight at many places throughout the city. If you are, however, caught with less than an ounce of bud on you, police can give you a ticket and you’ll face a maximum fine of $50. But police often look the other way for small-time personal use. “I know that I’ve personally smoked near RPD officers at places like Party in the Park and nobody bothered us,” said Mary Kruger, president of the Rochester chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). “Police in Rochester generally have more important things to deal with.”
Despite the legal status of cannabis, Rochester has a steady flow of bud, dabs, and edibles from legal havens like California and Colorado. Kruger said local bud is also just fine, and not too expensive. Expect to pay between $180 and $220 an ounce for bud. Comparably, at Massachusetts’ legal Theory Wellness Dispensary, an ounce of bud runs at $340. “We really have a lot of great growers here, so much that people from around the region come to Rochester to get their cannabis,” Kruger said. Even if the psychoactive parts of cannabis are outlawed in New York, Rochester’s CBD and hemp scene are booming. On April 18th and 19th, NORML will host the FLWR City Cup competition at Three Heads Brewing, pitting the best in CBD buds, tinctures, and edibles against each other. The competition will also feature live glass blowing and music from bluegrass pickers Dirty Blanket and reggae-roots ensemble The Medicinals. “This is the Flower City, it’s about time we add a new meaning to that,” Kruger said.
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Yes, you cannabis . . . in Canada Although weed is readily available in any form and strain imaginable in Rochester, acquiring it can be a hassle. No one likes waiting two hours for their bud to be delivered in a 2003 Toyota Corolla or to be ghosted after a dragged out text exchange. A trip over the border can be a simpler alternative. Recreational possession and use of cannabis is legal in Canada, though each province set the rules on who can sell it and who can buy it. In Ontario, anyone over the age of 19 who has a valid ID can buy cannabis and can possess up to 30 grams — approximately an ounce — of dried cannabis. More details are available at ontario.ca/page/cannabis. Niagara Falls is about a 90-minute drive from Rochester and is home to a bounty of recreational dispensaries, each licensed by the province of Ontario. The nugs are pretty cheap — an ounce of the hybrid strain Blueberry goes for $100 Canadian at the KushNation dispensary, or about $75 (USD).
But do not attempt to bring cannabis over the border. Just don’t. Pot is legal in Canada, but federal U.S. law considers it a controlled substance. Bringing weed over the border can get you a federal trafficking charge. Customs and Border Patrol officials are very serious about these laws. Trying to bring back a pungent green souvenir from our neighbor to the north is not worth the risk.
24 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 25
MOVING THE NEEDLE BY DAVID ANDREATTA
As the third-largest city in New York, Rochester has a rich local media scene, with a daily newspaper, a feisty alternative news weekly, three network television news affiliates, and dozens of radio stations. But the region isn’t immune to the problems afflicting traditional media outlets around the globe. Advertising, the conventional means by which media outlets generated revenue, remains in a digitally-enhanced freefall, and the outlets have made up the shortfall by laying off staff. Consequently, television news coverage is thinner. Radio stations are replacing DJs and talk show hosts with automated content. Some days, the daily newspaper is as thin as a take-out menu. But they’re still ours. Here’s a look at those outlets, programs, and personalities that move the needle in Rochester.
The Democrat and Chronicle DEMOCRATANDCHRONICLE.COM / @DANDC
From its downtown perch on Main Street near Clinton Avenue, the 187-year-old Democrat and Chronicle remains the news source of record in Rochester. But severe staffing cuts have rendered the publication a shadow of its former self, when it was the flagship of Gannett Co., which was at one time the largest newspaper chain in the world and headquartered on Exchange Boulevard in downtown Rochester. The D&C, as it is known, churns out solid, in-depth journalism from time to time, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, public education, and development, but its days as a daily influencer are in the rearview mirror. 26 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
CITY News ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM @ROCCITYNEWS
CITY Newspaper was founded in 1971 amid a boom in alternative weekly newspapers from which sprung the likes of The Village Voice in New York City, the Boston Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and Philadelphia City Paper. While The Voice silenced its print edition in 2017, and the others went out of business altogether, Rochester’s CITY Newspaper continues to publish in print and online. That’s thanks in no small part to its recent partnership with WXXI Public Media, Rochester’s public broadcasting station, which acquired CITY in 2019. CITY publishes on Wednesdays and can be found at more than 300 locations around Monroe County. But it also routinely turns around daily news stories online and is known for its quirky scoops, environmental and social justice coverage, and deep arts and culture reporting.
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WXXI Public Media WXXI.ORG / @WXXIROCHESTER @WXXINEWS
WXXI is the National Public Radio affiliate in Rochester, but it is really more of a cultural institution in town. The station, whose call sign represents the Roman numerals for 21, the analog channel number for WXXI-TV, produces local newscasts seven days a week, a local talk show every weekday, periodic documentaries, and a steady diet of classical music. WXXI is also known for airing NPR news and talk shows and a wide array of children’s programming. Prior to acquiring CITY News last year, WXXI entered into a long-term affiliation with The Little Theatre, an historic multiscreen movie house on East Avenue that specializes in screening art and independent films, in which WXXI took over operations of the venue.
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 27
Evan Dawson @EVANDAWSON
Connections with Evan Dawson, the midday talk show on WXXI, is by far the most enlightening and entertaining two hours of daily radio in Rochester. The show, which runs from 12 to 2 p.m. on 1370 AM on weekdays, typically involves in-depth conversations with local and national experts on two specific topics, one devoted to each hour of airtime. Dawson, a former television journalist who joined Connections in 2014, is an excellent interviewer who is well-versed in local politics and comes off as prepared as his guests, no matter the topic, whether it be heavy, light, or irreverent.
WDKX 103.9 FM @1039WDKX
One of the first radio stations in New York to be owned by an African-American, WDKX has been pumping out the best in soul, hip hop, and R&B around the clock since its founding in 1974. The station’s call letters honor African-American civil rights activists Frederick Douglass (“D”), Martin Luther King Jr. (“K”), and Malcolm X (“X”). The station is very popular in the greater Rochester area, particularly among listeners under 35 and African-Americans, who comprise about 42 percent of the city’s population. Its founder, Andrew Langston, who died in 2010 at the age of 81, was honored posthumously a few years later when a new downtown street off Main Street near East Avenue was named Andrew Langston Way.
Bob Lonsberry @BOBLONSBERRY
Radio talk show host Bob Lonsberry is the Rush Limbaugh of Rochester. A former D&C columnist whose folksy voice had widespread appeal in the 1990s, Lonsberry has a decidedly conservative bent and sometimes finds himself in hot water for saying outlandish things. For instance, he was widely ridiculed in 2019 online and by late-night television comedians, including Stephen Colbert, for comparing the word “boomer,” as in a person born during the “Baby Boom” era between 1946 and 1965, to the n-word. Often referring to himself as “the most fired man in Rochester media,” Lonsberry hosts a morning show on WHAM 1180 AM from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on weekdays that features a mix of news, commentary, anecdotes, and callers. His sources within the law enforcement community allow him to often get in front of breaking news on the crime beat.
The Break Room @WCMFBREAKROOM
This morning drive-time radio program is the one Rochester turns to when it wants a belly laugh. But the show, which runs from 6 to 10 a.m. on the classic rock station WCMF 96.5 FM, isn’t for everyone. Hosted by comedians Pat Duffy and longtime local radio presence Tommy Mule (that’s Mew-Lay) and Kimmy Coffey, the show offers hysterical, sometimes childish but always colorful commentary on current events that frequently slips into the bawdy. Consider its recurring sketch “Bitch Voice Theatre,” in which the hosts highlight the week’s best wimpiest voices, and its baritone tagline: “Two guys and a girl . . . who tells them why they’re wrong.” 28 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
The Wease Show @BROTHERWEASE / @CYNICALMOTHER
Brother Wease, the on-air persona of Alan Levin, has been a morning radio fixture in Rochester for over 30 years. His program, The Wease Show, on Radio 95.1 FM airs weekday morning from 5 to 11 a.m. Wease, whose gravelly voice is instantly recognizable, is accompanied by an ensemble cast, including Deanna King and Pauly Guglielmo. The gang has a friendly rapport dishing on news stories of local and national interest and has a loyal following. The team’s most endearing quality is its willingness to share much of their personal lives with listeners. King, for instance, has been known to tweet photos of her morning bed-head, while Wease talking frequently about the love his life, his longtime wife, Doreen.
Kimberly & Beck Kimberly Ray and Barry Beck have kicked around the Rochester radio dial over the years and are now airing weekdays on Radio 95.1 FM from 2 to 7 p.m. Crass, brash, and generally conservative, the duo has a loyal following of listeners and a knack for advancing local news stories by inviting callers to spout off anonymously. These “Fourth Man” calls, as they are known, are commonly rife with rumor and innuendo, but sometimes yield a lead that draws follow-up from traditional local news sources. The pair were fired from their previous gig on WBEE 98.9 The Buzz in 2014 after making hurtful comments about transgendered people.
The TV News
Rochester television news is dominated by WHAM-TV (ABC Channel 13), WHEC-TV (NBC Channel 10), and WROC-TV (CBS/FOX Channel 8) in that order. Channel 13 (@13WHAM) has been the dominant local news affiliate for at least 20 years, thanks to the longevity of its team whose members Rochesterians know by name. Anchors Don Alhart, Ginny Ryan, and Doug Emblidge, and reporter Jane Flasch (yes, that’s her real name), are pros who have been in the game for almost as long as anyone can remember. Channel 10 (@News10NBC) has carved out a niche for itself with its investigative reporting led by Berkley Brean and periodic spots such as “Good Question” and “New York State Exposed,” which answer viewer questions and expose waste and abuse in state spending, respectively. Channel 8 (@News_8) is perhaps the most honest broker of television news. There isn’t much flash to the broadcast, but what it offers you can take to the bank. Anchors Adam Chodak and Maureen McGuire lead a news team whose members are relatively green.
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 29
From Ale to Weisse, Rochester brews it BY GINO FANELLI
Cream ale is a polarizing beverage, but it’s a local staple. This light, strawcolored ale with a sweet, malty backbone has been brewed at the Genesee Brewery since 1960. It’s easy-drinking, smooth, and clean, placing it at the pinnacle of “lawnmower beers.” Some Rochesterians lovingly refer to the classic as Genny Screamers, apparently for the rather unfortunate gastrointestinal effects brought on by overindulgence. Even with Rochester on the cutting edge of craft beer, the city still maintains a steady love affair with the humble cream ale. For the past two years, Roc Brewing Co., 56 South Union Street, has hosted a Celebration of Cream Ales. The events, held in May, have brought together a slew of Rochester breweries, each of which puts its own personal twist on the style. Last year’s interpretations ranged from the subtle English-influened Devon Cream Ale from Sager Beer Works, 46 Sager Drive, Rochester, to Mortalis’s Poseidon’s Revenge, an 8.5 percent variant reminiscent of bananas foster.
The Flower City loves beer and there’s no shortage of fresh, local brews. From the trendiest haze bomb IPAs to the tried and true German-style lagers and Belgian-style farmhouse saisons, you can find it in Greater Rochester. In fact, Rochester is one of the biggest beer towns in the Northeast. The 26 breweries in Monroe County outnumber those in any other county in New York state, save Suffolk County on Long Island. In 2018, breweries had a $679.5 million economic impact in Monroe County, the highest figure of any county in the state, according to the New York Brewers Association. By comparison, Vermont, while number one in the nation for breweries per capita, saw $362 million in economic impact from breweries in 2018. Like any good beer town, Rochester is stylistically diverse and does many things very well. But there are five styles that define the region’s beer culture, and some breweries making standouts of each.
Where to drink: Genesee is still the way
PHOTO PROVIDED
Cream ale The words “cream ale” are enough to make
pretentious beer geeks across Rochester roll their eyes. 30 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
to go for a classic cream ale. It’s widely available in grocery stores and gas stations, and at $14 per 30-pack, it’s by far the most economical beverage you’ll find on this list. For further cream ale exploration, hit Roc Brewing for Roc Candy, a cream ale laced with watermelon; Knucklehead, 426 Ridge Road, Webster, for the slightly hoppier Kathy’s Kreme Ale; and K2 Brothers, 1221 Empire Boulevard, Penfield, for its Jalapeno Cream Ale or its aggressively fiery XXX Cream Ale, the latter featuring Trinidadian scorpion chilis.
Milkshake IPAs
Fruited Sours
Where to drink: K2 Brothers keeps up a
Where to drink: The Hydra series of sours from Mortalis, 5660 Tec Drive, Avon, Livingston
Rochester did not start the milkshake IPA trend, but the region’s breweries do have some of the best you’ll find anywhere. The style was even highlighted in a 2019 Matador Network article on Rochester being the northeast’s best beer town. While hazy, unfiltered New England IPAs tend to have juicy, sweet notes, milkshake IPAs kick it up to another level with the addition of lactose, which adds more sweetness and a creamy characteristic. Typically, these beers feature liberal additions of fruit, spices, or other adjuncts.
FILE PHOTO
Scotch Ale
Scotch Ale is the yin to cream ale’s yang. It’s a style that has defined the local beer scene since the oldest craft brewery in Rochester, Rohrbach Brewing Company, first rolled out its version in 1994. Rohrbach has two locations, one on Railroad Street near the Public Market, and one at 3859 Buffalo Road, Ogden. A Scotch ale, also known as a wee-heavy, is typically a dark ale with a higher alcohol content. The style features a prominent, sweet malt backbone with notes of toffee, caramel, and lightly roasted coffee or chocolate. It’s a robust beer well-suited for warming up on a cold winter night or pairing with hearty stews. Where to drink: Rohrbach’s version is not only a classic, but a pitch-perfect introduction to the style. Rochestafarian by Three Heads Brewing, 186 Atlantic Avenue, Rochester, offers a slightly more robust, roastier version while Canandaigua’s Naked Dove, 4048 State Route 5 and 20, Canandaigua, makes a classic interpretation with an 8.2 percent alcohol level. For a truly special, rare treat, keep an eye out for Truce by Knucklehead and Wayne County’s Apple Country Spirits, which pops up every so often and doesn’t sit long on Knucklehead’s shelves. Blended with applejack, a brandy-like spirit made from apples, the 2018 version was aged for 26 months and hit a hefty 23 percent alcohol.
consistent line of milkshake IPAs, with constantly changing fruit and adjunct additions, from the relatively tame raspberry to chocolate peanut butter cup. Three Heads Brewing serves up Guava Sutra, brewed with guava puree, and Roc Brewing Co. makes different versions of Swillshake — from horchata to Fruity Pebbles — exclusively for Swillburg’s Playhouse barcade.
Whether it’s a Berliner weisse, gose, kettle sour, or wild ale, sour ales conditioned with fruit are some of the hottest beers on the market, and there is no shortage of local options. These beers feature tart notes accented by additions of virtually any fruit you can think of, and some you’ve never heard of before. Intense and often unrecognizable from what most folks consider beer, these beverages are designed to be palatable from the most discerning drinker to anyone who cringes at the thought of a plain old lager.
County, is a must try. With its ample fruit pulp, expect to be picking seeds from your teeth after drinking one of these beers. Other essentials include the aptly named “Is This Beer?” cranberry lime Berliner from Swiftwater Brewing Company, 378 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester; the regularly rotating line of sours from Iron Tug, 360 West Ridge Road, Rochester; and the Crunchee series, a pastry-esque, granola take on a Berliner Weisse, from Other Half, 6621 State Route 5 And 20, Bloomfield, Ontario County.
Golden Stouts The style name seems like an oxymoron, but golden stouts are a style gaining momentum in the local market. These beers feature a pale, straw color yet with all of the roasty and deep, complex flavors you’d expect from a traditional stout. They are often complemented, like a regular stout, with additions of coffee, chocolate, and pastries. Where to drink: Careful Man, There’s a Beverage Here — Swiftwater’s homage to
The Dude’s beloved White Russian — is a decadent and exquisite representation of the style. Mortalis’s Icarus and the occasional take on the style by Three Heads are also well worth seeking out.
FILE PHOTO
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 31
32 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 33
THANKS FOR BEING IN OUR CORNER For nearly 50 years, CITY has kept the powers that be in our community on their toes while highlighting the very best of our arts and cultural scenes. In the meantime, nearly half of all newsroom jobs nationwide were lost. Tech titans plundered newsrooms’ traditional revenue streams and did little to replace the local news coverage knocked out in the process. We’re still fighting the good fight. But every fighter needs a team. Many of you who value what we do have asked how you can help CITY stay vibrant, locally-owned, and free. Aside from reading and supporting our advertisers, you can become a CITY Champion. Find out how to make a one-time or recurring donation at rochestercitynewspaper.com Thank you for your support.
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IN THE HEART OF NOTA Specials 7 days a week! Karaoke Thursdays! Themed parties Friday and Saturday!
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670 University Avenue • 271-6930 • bachelor4m.com facebook.com/bachelor4m • @bachelor4m
Rochester Twilight Criterium June 6 Downtown Rochester World-class cyclists race through a downtown course with head-spinning speed and agility, while spectators can enjoy the food truck rodeo, beer garden, and lots of kids’ events. [KS] rochestercrit.com 6x6 June 6-July 12 Rochester Contemporary Art Center, 137 East Ave. True its name, this “international small art phenomenon” seems to grow exponentially. I have a feeling this year will be really, really big. 6x6 artworks are being accepted through mail, postmarked by April 10. [KS] roco6x6.org Dances at MuCCC 2020 June 9-20 Multi-use Community Cultural Center, 142 Atlantic Ave. Now in its 7th season, this celebration of movement features performances, workshops, and master classes that highlight the many facets of contemporary dance. [KS] muccc.org
/ EMPLOYMENT
Rochester International Film Festival June 11-13 Dryden Theatre, 900 East Ave. Once known as Movies on a Shoestring, this annual short film festival is one of the longest-running in the world, featuring dozens of shorts of varying genres – all for free. [KS] rochesterfilmfest.org Rochester Real Beer Expo June 13 Gregory St. The South Wedge puts on a street party that showcases more than 120 craft beers, great local dishes to pair them with, and lots of live music. [KS] rochesterrealbeer.com
CONNECTING LOCAL TALENT TO LOCAL EMPLOYERS Call David at (585) 730-2666 or email david@rochester-citynews.com to take the first step toward finding the newest member of your team. 38 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
23rd Annual Outdoor Expo June 13 Mendon Ponds Park, 95 Douglas Rd The Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club hosts a day of outdoor experiences both on land and water – with skills workshops, a petting zoo, and music by the Golden Link Folk Singing Society. [KS] adk-gvc.org/expo Party in the Park Thursdays, June 18-August 13 MLK Jr. Park, 1 Manhattan Square. Now in its 23rd year, this downtown mainstay brings national acts and local openers, supported by lots of food trucks, a craft beer garden, the recently added Bazaar in the Park. [KS] rochesterevents.com Rochester International Jazz Festival June 19-27 Various East End venues. This year marks the 19th installment of this nine-day music extravaganza, featuring everything from straight-ahead jazz and avant-garde European acts to Americana, jam-friendly bands, and popular Rochester musicians. [KS] rochesterjazz.com
Record Store Day June 20 (Originally April 18) Various local record stores. Some of us don’t need any nudges to spend a day hanging out at local record shops, but it doesn’t hurt to have a national organized effort behind it. Participating stores will offer limited RSD-only releases, live music, food trucks, and like-minded music nerds. [KS] recordstoreday.com
JULY
Independence Day July 4. Genesee Country & Village Museum, 1410 Flint Hill Rd., Mumford. This special celebration welcomes new citizens with an oath-taking ceremony, an old-timey Grand Parade and lots of bunting. [KS] gcv.org Hill Cumorah Pageant July 9-11, 14-18 Hill Cumorah, 603 State Rt. 21, Palmyra This is the last year to experience the grand production of the Church of Latter Day Saints’ origin story, featuring hundreds of actors, period costumes, and complicated choreography. Equally impressive is the skilled conducting of traffic in and out of the event. Epic and efficient. [KS] hillcumorah.org Corn Hill Arts Festival July 11 & 12 Corn Hill neighborhood, S. Plymouth Ave. & S. Fitzhugh St. The historic Corn Hill neighborhood lines its streets with artists, artisans, live music, and food vendors in this 52nd edition of one of Rochester’s favorite arts festivals. [KS] cornhillartsfestival.com
John Betlem • Maiseline Electronics • ABVI/Goodwill • Wedge 23 LLC • Pat’s Coffee Mug Highland Contractors • Glickfit • The Angry Goat Pub • Tipsee Light Co. LLC • Slater Equipment Co. Spring Sheet Metal • Medical Motor Service • Pinnacle Apartments/Pathstone Management Napa Wood Fired Pizzeria and Bistro • Cinema • Buckingham Properties – Edge of the Wedge Schrader’s Garage • Stuart’s Spices • MGOS & Ashford Ballet • McCann’s Meats • The Cub Room Boulder Coffee • Highland Planning LLC • The Playhouse Swillburger • South East Area Coalition Rochester Beer Park • Highland Park Neighborhood Association • La Casa
SOUTHCLINTONAVE
@SOUTHCLINTONAVE
ROC Pride 20/20 July 11-19 Various locations A week of LGBTQ+ shows, art, and workshops kicks off with Rochester’s most colorful and spirited parade. That same night, Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus presents its a Gala performance at Hochstein. [KS] outalliance.org Erie Canal Bike Tour July 12-19 Buffalo to Albany. Just get a bike, and call it Sal; 40-60 miles on the Erie Canal … or you can be a neighbor, and you can be a pal: wave to riders navigating on the Erie Canal. [KS] ptny.org Jewish Film Festival July 12-19 Dryden Theatre (900 East Ave), Little Theatre (240 East Ave) & Jewish Community Center (1200 Edgewood Ave) JCC’s annual film festival explores themes in Jewish identity that never cease to fascinate, provoke thought and empathy, and sneak in a few laughs. [KS] rjff.org Continues on pg. 42
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 39
THE SITES FOR SOUNDS A curated guide to essential local concert venues BY DANIEL J. KUSHNER
Location is everything when it comes to seeing music performed live. Of course, the quality of the music is important, too. But the venue can make or break the concert experience. Here are the Rochester concert spots worth visiting. From superior acoustics to comfortable atmospheres to diverse stylistic options, these venues hit the mark.
A show at Anthology, in full swing PHOTO BY AARON WINTERS
Abilene Bar & Lounge
Anthology
Bop Shop Records
153 LIBERTY POLE WAY 585-232-3230 | ABILENEBARANDLOUNGE. COM
336 EAST AVENUE 585-484-1964 | ANTHOLOGYLIVE.COM
1460 MONROE AVENUE 585-271-3354 | BOPSHOP.COM
Anthology is the Rochester rock venue where you can hear high-profile touring artists and local favorites on the rise. A polished midsize venue with an open layout, concerts here feel like must-see events. While general admission ticketing can make for a crowded main floor, there is ample room for people to enjoy bleacher-type seating or to hang back closer to the bar. In addition to hosting popular alternative, rock, and jam bands, musicians from the worlds of country, metal, and jazz can feel equally welcome playing to the enthusiastic audiences. Plus, there’s an extended bar area, a coat check, and anticipation in the air.
Bop Shop Records is the quintessential listening room. Boasting laid-back vibes and an impressive inventory of vinyl records, this record store hosts a full slate of concerts year-round. Owner Tom Kohn has turned the shop into the place for elite-level live jazz in Rochester. Touring musicians from New York City and elsewhere frequently stop through, and the store also serves as home to Dan Gross’s Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight series. If your idea of a great concert experience is listening intently in a quiet setting surrounded by other live music devotees, Bop Shop will likely be your jam.
Abilene Bar & Lounge should be the first stop for anyone looking to enjoy live Americana, folk, and roots rock artists. There’s just something about this small venue, nestled downtown near Eastman School of Music: the subtle country-western decor; the way the line between stage and audience seems to blur. Most importantly, there’s the high caliber of musicians that owner Danny Deutsch brings to the club. Whether the artist in question is an unsung hero among fans in-the-know, a road warrior passing through, or a promising young local musician or band, Abilene shows rarely disappoint.
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Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music 26 GIBBS STREET 585-274-3000 | EASTMANTHEATRE.ORG
Classical aficionados who love chamber music concerts need look no further than Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music. The 444-seat room features warm but precise acoustics, as well as elegant design features that recall the Venetian Renaissance. Kilbourn Hall regularly bears witness to top-of-the-line performances by internationally renowned instrumentalists and vocalists. In addition to string quartet programs, solo piano recitals, and art song presentations, jazz and world music performances are a fixture at the hall, as are performances by student ensembles such as Eastman Opera Theatre and Musica Nova.
Photo City Improv 543 ATLANTIC AVENUE 585-451-0047 | PHOTOCITYIMPROV.COM
Photo City Improv is a bit of an anomaly. At first glance, the venue — with its extensive floor space and built-in dance floor — appears more suited to hosting comedy shows, lounge acts, and even private social gatherings. But the eclectic concert space has become an enclave for some of Rochester’s most interesting niche music scenes. Punk and metal music, and even touring EDM and dubstep artists have all found a home here. Photo City also hosts rock and Americana concerts, as well as artists whose music often falls between the stylistic cracks. Open daily, the Improv has endearing Goth-punk vibes and a cozy bar that’s practically within arm’s length as soon as you walk through the door.
the Lounge also features a bar with an extensive beer selection. Record Archive concerts are frequently free, and of course, are conveniently located to an extensive collection of vinyl, CDs, and cassette tapes for sale.
Skylark Lounge 40 SOUTH UNION STREET 585-270-8106 | THESKYLARKOUNGE.COM
If any Rochester bar flies under the radar as a quality place to hear live rock music, it’s Skylark Lounge on South Union Street. Though Skylark has an unassuming, neighborhood feel to it, there’s plenty of space to accommodate a capacity crowd of bargoers and music lovers in one uncluttered, yet intimate room (plus a back patio ideal for breath of fresh air). There’s an elevated stage and plenty of room in front to dance like crazy, as well as some table seating for those who want to observe from afar or sample some of Skylark’s signature meatballs (vegetarian option available). Although there is no dedicated sound person and performers must take a DIY approach to the sound system, Skylark shows percolate with energy and musical integrity.
Record Archive 33 1/3 ROCKWOOD STREET 585-244-1210 | RECORDARCHIVE.COM
Record Archive has been a fixture for Rochesterians looking to bliss out to some new music since 1975. But it wasn’t until the store opened its Backroom Lounge in 2017 that it became a go-to spot for live music events. A great place to showcase Rochester bands celebrating album releases or other milestones,
(Top and middle) Kilbourn Hall PHOTOS BY MICHELLE MARTONELL, EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC (Above) The Mighty High & Dry at Skylark Lounge PHOTO BY AARON WINTERS ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 41
ChamberFest July 17-26 Various venues, Canandaigua A 6-date tour of big names in classical music, with preconcert chats, a free children’s concert, and ChamberFest’s signature event, Classical Blue Jeans at Casa Larga. [KS] lakemusicfestival.org Waterfront Art Festival July 25 & 26 North Ponds Park, 750 Hold Rd., Webster You might remember this fine arts festival from the 41 years it spent on Canandaigua Lake. It has since nestled into North Ponds as a nice park stroll filled with artist tents, demonstrations, live music, and food court. [KS] waterfrontartfestival.com Indigenous Music & Arts Festival July 27 & 28 Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan, 7000 County Rd 41, Victor This summertime festival celebrates the best of regional Native American culture, with offerings like a Hodinöhsö:ni’ art show, dance performances, and storytelling, as well as special musical guest performances. Free with Ganondagan membership; one- and two-day passes available. [DJK] ganondagan.org Monroe County Fair July 31-August 2. Monroe County Fairgrounds, 6565 E River Rd., Rush. Spend a day out in the county, where you’ll find animal shows, a tractor pull, arts & crafts, food, and family activities, and perhaps yourself -- as the next winner in the annual talent show. [KS] mcfair.com
AUGUST
Park Avenue Summer Art Fest Aug 1 & 2 Park Avenue, Culver Rd. to Alexander St. A mile of Park Ave transforms into a lively pedestrian mall lined with artists, food stands, and multiple stages of live music and performances. [KS] rochesterevents.com
Small World Books 425 NORTH STREET 585-232-6970 | FACEBOOK.COM/SMALLWORLDBOOKS
Small World Books has become much more than just a quaint and welcoming used book store. It also serves as a regular venue for suggested-donation concerts, socio-political discussions, and community events. The atmosphere resembles that of a bustling house show, complete with suggested-donation admission to support the performers. Shows typically feature sets that oscillate between the book-filled main room and the basement; performance styles range between indie rock, hip-hop, singer-songwriter, jazz, experimental, and even comedy. When hearing talented touring musicians you’re encountering for the first time or local artists with a dedicated following, Small World Books feels like home.
Three Heads Brewing 186 ATLANTIC AVENUE 585-244-1224 | THREEHEADSBREWING.COM
Three Heads Brewing and its music curator Geoff Dale have carved out a niche all its own as a venue committed to presenting local musicians. With concerts three days a week, this popular local brewery boasts a fun-loving atmosphere and no shortage of flavorful beers on tap to enjoy while you take in the sounds. Fans of singer-songwriters, Americana, rock, funk, and soul can stop in any week of the
year to hear music created right here in Rochester. Three Heads is also known for its monthly Rochester Residency series, in which one local musician presents a distinctly curated concert each Thursday. This series includes numerous opportunities to hear artists you know paying tribute to iconic musicians and influential albums.
Other notable venues Bug Jar 219 MONROE AVENUE 585-454-2966 | BUGJAR.COM
The Little Theatre Café 240 EAST AVENUE 585-258-0400 | THELITTLE.ORG/MUSIC
Lovin’ Cup 300 PARK POINT DRIVE, SUITE 101 585-292-9940 | LOVINCUP.COM
Montage Music Hall 55 CHESTNUT STREET MONTAGEMUSICHALL.COM
Water Street 2020 204 NORTH WATER STREET 471-8916 | WATERSTREET2020.COM
Brockport Arts Festival Aug 8 & 9 This free, two-day event features art and food vendors, live music and other performances, a tented Wine Garden, and even a Vintage Car Cruise-in. [DJK] brockportartsfestival.com Puerto Rican Festival August 13-15 Frontier Field, 1 Morrie Silver Way. The Puerto Rican Festival is the longest-running ethnic festival in Rochester, a lively celebration with food, family events, dance performances, and live music. [KS] prfestival.com Continues on pg. 47
Copper Hill at Small World Books PHOTO BY AARON WINTERS
42 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 43
For the kids Family-friendly options in Rochester BY DANIEL J. KUSHNER AND DAVID ANDREATTA
Altitude Trampoline Park 3333 WEST HENRIETTA ROAD, HENRIETTA 585-434-3260 | ALTITUDEROCHESTER.COM
What are your kids to do with all that energy? Altitude Trampoline Park has more than 24,000 square feet for families to get their jump on. A seemingly endless number of trampolines, as well as a dodgeball arena, basketball hoops, a rock wall, and a good ol’ foam pit await your hop-happy little ones. Altitude also makes for a novel place for birthday parties.
If there is one constant theme to greater Rochester, it’s that the area is a great place to raise kids. There are countless opportunities for kids to kick back and be themselves, and lots of venues that bring out the kid in everyone. The internationally recognized Strong National Museum of Play is the granddaddy of all kid-friendly venues in Rochester, if not the entire country. The Seneca Park Zoo is another go-to if you have a youngster in tow. Those places need no introduction. But there are plenty of lesser-known, budget-friendly gems that provide a backdrop for hours of family fun. Here are a few possibilities worth exploring. 44 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
Edgerton Model Railroad Room 41 BACKUS STREET, ROCHESTER 585-428-6769 EDGERTONMODELRAILROADCLUB.COM
Within the city’s Edgerton Recreation Center is an historic model train room that bedazzles kids of all ages. The display deftly depicts Rochester and many of its natural and man-made landmarks in all four seasons. The model railroad room was launched in October 1950 when then-Governor Thomas E. Dewey officially opened what he called “model railroad heaven” with the driving of a ceremonial miniature golden spike into the exhibits track.
Lilac Adventure Zone at Highland Park 249 HIGHLAND AVENUE, ROCHESTER “LILAC ADVENTURE ZONE AT HIGHLAND PARK” ON FACEBOOK
Highland Park is a perennially picturesque place to take a stroll with the family and enjoy the fresh air when the Rochester weather allows. But it’s the park’s Lilac Adventure Zone on Highland Avenue that’s an especially ideal spot for kids to play in an openair setting. The rugged, natural wood construction — with ingenious use of felled trees — is something you don’t see that often with modern-day playgrounds, and gives the Adventure Zone even more charm. A great place for an on-the-fly play date or even small family gatherings.
Ontario Play + Cafe 1861 SCOTTSVILLE ROAD, SCOTTSVILLE 585-434-2720 | ONTARIOPLAY.COM
Ontario Play + Cafe combines the casual fun of an indoor playground with convenient, kid-friendly food options and ample table seating. Activities include slides, a merrygo-round, a station for sensory water play, and even a pedal-car “Autobahn.” Whether you’re planning a pizza party or just a lowkey weekend hangout, Ontario Play + Cafe is a blast for children under eight in particular, though all ages are welcome. (Top Left) The Jack Rabbit roller coaster at Seabreeze Amusement Park PHOTO PROVIDED
FILE PHOTO
Olcott Beach Carousel Park 5979 EAST MAIN ST., OLCOTT (NIAGARA COUNTY) 716-778-7066 OLCOTTBEACHCAROUSELPARK.ORG
Olcott Beach Carousel Park is located about an hour’s drive west of Rochester in the heart of Niagara County’s fruit belt — and it is worth every second in the car if you’re looking to entertain youngsters under 7 years old. The park is a vestige of a bygone era with bygone ticket prices, whose lovingly restored pint-sized attractions recall the heyday of homey seaside resorts before sprawling theme parks drove them to the brink of extinction. The half-dozen rides, including a 1928 Hershell-Spillman carousel, a 1940s-era Hershell “sky fighter,” and a tiny Ferris wheel that would give any toddler at the top a feeling of euphoria, cost a quarter apiece. In the background, a 1931 Wurlitzer band organ toots out tunes as repetitive as the Lake Ontario surf.
The Fish Hatchery at Powder Mills Park 154 PARK ROAD, PITTSFORD 585-586-1670 | MONROECOUNTY.GOV/ PARKS-POWDERMILL.PHP
This medium-sized fish hatchery nestled in the middle of 380 acres of parkland maintained by Monroe County is a yearround favorite destination for families. Its six, huge water-filled basins and nearby pond provide a unique opportunity to view and get up close and personal with several varieties of fish in various stages of development, from trout to salmon and perch. You can literally touch their slimy scales as they breach the water hoping for snack. Bring a fistful of quarters for the kids to plunk into the vending machines dispensing fish food pellets, sit back, and watch the wonder wash over their faces. One note of caution: The basins are shallow, but deep enough and easy enough for a fearless little one to tumble into. Be on your guard.
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 45
Seabreeze Amusement Park 4600 CULVER ROAD, ROCHESTER 323-1900 | SEABREEZE.COM
Seabreeze is synonymous with summertime family fun in Rochester. Established way back in 1879, this classic destination is the fifth-oldest amusement park still in operation in the United States. The park has expanded significantly since then to include a full-fledged waterpark — complete with a wave pool, tubing, and the Looney Lagoon for little ones — as well as classic rides for kids of all ages. Speaking of classic: The Jack Rabbit, the oldest continuously functioning roller coaster in the country, will have its 100th anniversary this season. Throw in the Cirque En Vol acrobatics show, an arcade, a nostalgic ride on the carousel, and you’ve got a full day’s worth of excitement, close to home.
Schottland Family YMCA 2300 WEST JEFFERSON ROAD, PITTSFORD 585-446-2000 | ROCHESTERYMCA.ORG/ SCHOTTLAND
The YMCA of Greater Rochester has 11 different area branches, and the organization has long provided plenty of opportunities for families with young children to enjoy activities ranging from year-round swimming, rock and wall climbing, basketball, day camps, and more. The newest Rochester location, Schottland in Pittsford, has really upped the ante. The facility’s family-friendly amenities are impressive: a large recreational pool area, including a lazy river and splash pad; the three-story, climbable playground; a family gym for kids 12 and under, with an interactive projector for fitness activities; a turf gymnasium and climbing wall; licensed child care for infants to kindergartners; and a family lounge. And if all that activity leaves you looking for a pick-me-up, refreshments (including complimentary coffee) are available at the in-house Java’s.
46 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
Cora the Barn Owl, of Wild Wings PHOTO PROVIDED
Wild Wings Inc. at Mendon Ponds Park 27 POND ROAD, HONEOYE FALLS 585-334-7790 | WILDWINGSINC.COM
The non-profit bird sanctuary Wild Wings has been a staple in the community since 1995, promoting environmental preservation by educating visitors about the injured birds of prey that live there and are unable to be released back into the wild. Located in bucolic Mendon Ponds Park, kids and adults alike can see such animals as ravens, falcons, eagles, owls, and more. Tours can be booked, and demonstrations are regularly given by the knowledgeable caretakers and staff at Wild Wings. A great way to get in touch with wildlife.
Other kid-worthy spots Perinton Community/Aquatic Center 1350 TURK HILL ROAD, FAIRPORT 585-223-5050 | PERINTON.ORG/DEPARTMENTS/RECREATION/PCC
RocVentures Climbing Gym 1044 UNIVERSITY AVENUE. ROCHESTER 585-442-5462 | ROCVENTURESCLIMBING.COM
Seneca Park Zoo 2222 ST. PAUL STREET, ROCHESTER 585-336-7200 | SENECAPARKZOO.ORG
The Strong National Museum of Play ONE MANHATTAN SQUARE, ROCHESTER 585-263-2700 | MUSEUMOFPLAY.ORG
Flour City Brewers Fest Aug 14 Rochester Public Market, 280 N Union St This festival has everything a beer lover could want: seemingly endless tastings of New York State craft beers from area breweries, food trucks, and live music performances, all located at that beloved summertime location, the Public Market. [DJK] flourcitybrewersfest.com
SEPTEMBER
Clarissa Street Reunion August 15 Clarissa St., Rochester The Clarissa Street Reunion ushers in its 25th year, celebrating the rich, multicultural history of the Clarissa Street neighborhood. This literal reunion of community members past and present includes live music, food, guided walking tours, an archival audiovisual exhibition, and more. [DJK] clarissastreetreunionfestival.weebly.com
Clothesline Arts Festival September 12 & 13 Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave Stroll the museum grounds and explore fine arts and craft booths, meet the artists, and learn the story behind the special pieces you find. [KS] mag.rochester.edu
Fiddlers’ Fair August 15 & 16. Genesee Country & Village Museum, 1410 Flint Hill Rd., Mumford. Rain or shine, this weekend will showcase more than 100 musicians who take the many facets of fiddlin’ very seriously. [KS] gcv.org Arts at the Gardens August 15 & 16 Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion, 151 Charlotte St., Canandaigua A juried fine arts exhibit and sale weaves into Sonnenberg’s stately grounds. Admission includes tours of the gardens and mansion, food, wine, and live music. [KS] sonnenberg.org New York State Fair August 21-September 7. New York State Fairgrounds, 581 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse. New York is on proud display, with lots to explore in agriculture, industry, and innovation. And the food? Fried and on-a-stick, please! Take the train direct for the ultimate experience. [KS] nysfairgrounds.ny.gov Rochester Black Pride August 26-30 Various locations. This 5th anniversary edition promises to “Make it Fashion,” starring queer black artistry rooted in the ballroom scene that’s always ahead of its time. [KS] rocblackpride.com ROC Summer Soul Music Festival August 28 & 29 Frontier Field, 1 Morrie Silver Way This party is for old- and new-schoolers alike, with lots of classic soul, rhythm & blues, and hip-hop, plus new acts that keep it fresh. [KS] rocsummersoulfest.com
Antiquarian Book Fair September 12 Main Street Armory, 900 East Main St. Find treasures among books, old maps, vintage posters, postcards, memorabilia, and various other collectible ephemera, all from small booksellers from throughout the state. [KS] rochesterbooksellers.com
Festival of Food September 14 Rochester Public Market, 280 N Union St. Sample from more than 100 local restaurants, wineries, and more to benefit Foodlink’s mission to end hunger. [KS] foodlinkny.org Rochester Fringe Festival September 15-26 Various city venues. The Fringe has become the fabric of our rich festival scene, spanning the arts and inspiring more to join in the action each year. [KS] rochesterfringe.com Rochester Marathon September 20 Starting at Maplewood Park and finishing at Frontier Field, the route takes athletes & cheering spectators through some of our city’s best historical and natural features. [KS] rochestermarathon.com 1th Annual Artist Row Juried Art Show September 20 Rochester Public Market, 280 N Union St. More than 200 local artists present their works in this juried show lively market atmosphere, complete with live music, and yes – food trucks. [KS] artistrowrochester.com Naples Grape Festival September 26 & 27 Main St, Naples Do you prefer your homemade grape pie with a pastry top or crumb? And do you like your slushies made with Riesling, or a rosé & fruit-purée blend? These are some of the choices you’ll be facing at this quintessential Finger Lakes event. [KS] naplesgrapefest.org
OCTOBER
Agricultural Fair October 3 & 4 Genesee Country & Village Museum, 1410 Flint Hill Rd., Mumford. A traditional county fair with 19th-century flair: Cast Iron Chef Competition, Mayor’s Cup Base Ball Championship, a museum of oddities, merchant stands, livestock shows, and family activities celebrating the local harvest. [KS] gcv.org Continues on pg. 50 ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 47
Dive into the nightlife BY FRANK DE BLASE
As the old Willie Nelson song goes, “The nightlife ain’t no life, but it’s my life.” And if you’re someone in search of live music, bawdy burlesque, some tasty barbeque, or a place to dance and romance, well hell, it’s your life, too. Here’s just a choice selection of myriad Rochester nightlife options for you to shake a tail feather and dig as much as we do.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que DINOSAURBARBQUE.COM
Lux Lounge
Skylark Lounge
LUX666.COM
THESKYLARKLOUNGE.COM
Lux Lounge (666 South Avenue) is a hip spectacle to behold as it plays home to barflies and vampires that crowd the South Wedge night. Patrons are one part Pabst Blue Ribbon weisenheimer, one part cognac pugilist. If Charles Bukowski had gotten off the train in Rochester, he would have hung out in this gloriously deluxe dive. Oh, and they throw some pretty good rock ‘n’ roll shows from bands such as The Televisionaries, Dangerbyrd, The Hi-Risers, and The False Positives, every now and then.
Skylark Lounge (40 South Union Street) is a slick and spacious dive where all types of entertainment fill the place and shake the walls. There are frequent visits from the peelin’ and squealin’ Sirens & Stilettos Cabaret, as well as bands such as heavy metal’s Kryst and Canadian alt-country outfit The Sadies. Art on the walls from artists such as El Destructo add to the thrill. Skylark serves meatballs exclusively. Oh, and there’s a coupla cool pinball machines just waiting to snatch your quarters.
Roar
The Spirit Room FACEBOOK.COM/THESPIRITROOMROCHESTER
FACEBOOK.COM/ROARROC
You’ll need some grub to start out your evening, or end it, for that matter. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court Street) is the place. With music pumpin’ out off the stage and a rack of ribs in front of you, this is an ideal nightstop to lose your blues. Just simply follow your nose.
Iron Smoke Distillery IRONSMOKEDISTILLERY.COM
Iron Smoke Distillery (111 Parce Ave, #5B) is located unobtrusively in an old canning factory in Fairport. Amid the swag and swill associated with running a still, the powers that be have opened the doors to folks wanting to sample its wares and check out the scene in its big warehouse-with-aspeakeasy feel. There’s live music regularly, and if you’re lucky you’ll catch Iron Smoke founder Tommy Brunett, rockin’ the joint himself with his Tommy Brunett Band. 48 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
Roar (621 Culver Road) is the sparkly new kid on the scene. Here, life’s a drag and the queen reigns supreme. Located next-door to Sticky Lips BBQ, Roar is LGBTQ-friendly. I suppose you could call it LGBTQ-BBQ. Frankly, it’s everyone-friendly, and there’s a big ‘n’ delicious dance floor, too, for you to flex your moves and grooves.
In the spirit of the Fox Sisters, fortune tellers, and talking to the dead, when you cross the threshold of The Spirit Room (139 State Street), you feel a chill. The place is jam-packed with curios and oddities. It’s an intimate space that can get crowded quick, but the vapor-esque vibe of jazz, poetry, theremin, and all other manner of performance escaping the stage looms large. Overall, it’s as if Anton LaVey decorated this joint.
Live performances at (Left) Iron Smoke Distillery and (Right) The Spirit Room PHOTOS BY AARON WINTERS
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ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 49
Other key hotspots 80W
7 Lawrence Street 80wrochester.com
140 Alex Bar & Grill ImageOut Film Festival October 8-18 Dryden Theatre (900 East Ave) & Little Theatre (240 East Eve) Rochester’s longstanding LGBTQ film festival is a mammoth achievement in film curation and exhibition, extending beyond the screen with ImageOut Art Exhibit at Gallery Q and ImageOutWrite literary magazine. [KS] imageout.org Fashion Week Rochester October 12-17 Various venues Local designers, artists, and boutiques will get the flashbulb treatment along the runway, all in the name of raising support and awareness to The Center for Youth’s homeless programs. [KS] fashionweekofrochester.org Gateways Music Festival October 13-17 Various venues. Now an annual festival in the fall, Gateways brings together black classical musicians in a series of concerts and other events such as panel discussions and film screenings, all designed to reflect and promote the diversity of the classical music scene. [DJK] gatewaysmusicfestival.org Accessible Trick-or-Treat Date TBA Center for Disability Rights, 497 State St. CDR transforms its office into a neighborhood where kids with and without disabilities can go door-to-door in an open, safe, and fun environment. Early admission is available for a low-sensory experience. [KS] cdrnys.org/event/accessible-trick-or-treat 2nd Annual Stephen King’s Dollar Babies October 28 & 29 Dryden Theatre, 900 East Ave Since 1983, author Stephen King has been licensing certain short stories to budding filmmakers for $1. The resulting short films are full of heart. Submissions are being accepted for review through April 30. [KS] eastman.org/Stephen-kings-dollar-babies
NOVEMBER
Rochester Jewish Book Festival November 3-13 Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Ave. Founded in 1992, the festival highlights literature by Jewish authors, as well as books that speak to Jewish history, culture, and community. Presented by the JCC of Greater Rochester, with support from the Jewish Book Council. [DJK] rjbf.org High Falls Women’s Film Festival November 5-9 Little Theatre, 240 East Ave High Falls spotlights the work of women in filmmaking, featuring narrative, documentary and shorts as well as post-screening discussions, coffee chats, and an award presentation. [KS] highfallsfilmfestival.com
B-Side
5 Liftbridge Lane, Fairport fairportbside.com
One Nightclub
1 Ryan Alley onenightclubrochester.com
Holiday Bazaar November 20-22 Rochester Museum and Science Center, 657 East Ave RMSC’s Holiday Bazaar is destination holiday shopping for that unique, quality handmade gift – especially when you find it at the feet of Murray the Mastodon. [KS] rmsc.org
Swan Dive
The Nutcracker November 25, 27, 28, & 29 Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St. The RPO and Rochester City Ballet pair together to perform Tchaikovsky’s enduring ode to holiday magic, and it never fails to enchant. [KS] rpo.org
169 North Chestnut Street facebook.com/vertexnightclub
DECEMBER ROC Holiday Village December 4-6, 11-13, 17-20, 26 & 27 MLK Jr. Park, 1 Manhattan Square. The city of Rochester has revived the downtown holiday scene we had been craving since our last goodbye to Santa at Magic Mountain. This new tradition features outdoor shopping, ice skating, hot chocolate, time with Santa, and lots more. [KS] rocholidayvillage.com Holiday Open House December 20. Genesee Country & Village Museum, 1410 Flint Hill Rd., Mumford. The halls will be decked and the streets will be dressed for a day of old-fashioned glad tidings. Surely someone will bring out the figgy pudding. [KS] gcv.org/events/yuletide-open-house
50 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
140 Alexander Street facebook.com/140Alex
289 Alexander Street swandiveroc.com
Vertex Night Club
Via Girasole Wine Bar 3 Schoen Place, Pittsford viagirasole.com
Uniquely Rochester
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 51
Susan B.'s Big Year BY DAVID ANDREATTA
Rochester has grand plans to celebrate its favorite daughter — Susan B. Anthony — and her accomplishments throughout 2020, a year that marks a trifecta of important anniversaries. The first is the 200th anniversary of Anthony’s birth. The second is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which recognized women’s right to vote. Lastly, the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding. The museum, at 17 Madison St., Rochester, was the home of Anthony for 40 years and was where she conducted the bulk of her most important work. It was the hub for planning strategies, organizing campaigns, writing speeches, and preparing petitions. Indeed, the Finger Lakes region was the hub of the women’s suffrage and equality movements of the 19th century. To honor Anthony’s legacy and the contributions of other important women, the city and the museum have partnered to hold myriad events, including a suffragist parade, several Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra events focused on women, and a lineup of exclusively female performers at one of the city’s weekly Party in the Park gatherings. The Rochester Institute of Technology will spotlight its annual Big Shot photo project on the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood, and a 300-panel quilt commemorating the suffragist movement will be on display at the New York State Museum in Albany. Votercade is a series of single-day events to be held throughout the Rochester region aimed at inspiring people to become more involved in civic matters. The event features a motorcade of vintage and contemporary cars, street theater, historical perspectives, music, displays, and interactive games. Five Votercades have been planned, with the first being at the Ganondagan Historic Site in Victor on May 16; at the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn on June 13; at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester on July 25; at the Rochester Public Market on August 29, and at the Finger Lakes Welcome Center in Geneva on October 3. A parade celebrating women and encouraging voter registration will be held in Rochester on September 12. The parade route will start at West Main and Broad streets and will culminate with a celebration in Susan B. Anthony Square Park, off Madison Street near the museum. For a full calendar of events celebrating Susan B. Anthony and other important women in local history, go to rocsuffrage.org.
52 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
Exhibit A A survey of Rochester’s museums, galleries, art studios, and public art BY REBECCA RAFFERTY
Rochester is regularly called a “city of the arts” by politicians and cultural movers and shakers alike. And while many people working within the arts sector grumble about the need to increase funding streams and better organize the infrastructure to support artists and institutions on every level, what they say is true — this town is filthy rich with creatives, arts programming, and places to see art. Aside from the householdname, established institutions, Rochester has dozens of medium-sized “white walls” galleries, smaller venues that support emerging artists, impressive university galleries, and installations of public art. On any given week these spaces offer dozens of diverse exhibits, artist talks, and cultural lectures, but there are also dedicated days of the month, such as First Fridays (firstfridayrochester. org) and Second Saturdays, when scores of galleries and art studios host simultaneous art openings and events for the art-trekking public. In between all of the formal offerings, there’s the any-day-of-the-week opportunity to get out and take in the city’s vibrant public art and street art scenes. In addition to stand-alone sculptures peppered throughout city parks and other public spaces, scores of Rochester’s buildings are adorned with murals by Rochester’s well-established graffiti crews (most notably the
A Wall\Therapy mural by Irish artist Conor Harrington. FILE PHOTO
Rochester Contemporary's annual "6x6" exhibit. FILE PHOTO
hyper-talented FUA Krew) and muralists with studio practice backgrounds. Notable folks In that latter group include Sarah Rutherford, whose monumental paintings in the “Her Voice Carries” series celebrate women in Rochester and beyond who positively impact their communities, and Brittany Williams, who has worked alongside Rutherford as one of the lead artists for Roc Paint Division, the city’s youth mural arts program. Both Rutherford and Williams are alumni of the independent annual mural festival, Wall\Therapy, which since 2011 has installed more than 130 works by local and international artists all over Rochester, and has also presented programming such as the Arts & Activism Conference.
Rochester’s big, established arts institutions are few in number but have a big impact. Functioning as both a vibrant contemporary exhibition space and museum to 5,000 years of world history, the University of Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Avenue, 276-8900; mag.rochester.edu) has a collection of more than 12,000 works of art and cultural artifacts from across the globe. The institution’s major Docent’s Gallery hosts traveling exhibitions as well as shows curated in-house, and its smaller Lockhart Gallery functions mostly as an educational showcase of works on paper from the MAG’s collection. Additionally, the public can take classes at the Creative Workshop, where established artists teach studio classes to all ages. ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 53
established Oxford Gallery, (267 Oxford Street, 271-5885, oxfordgallery.com), Axom Gallery (661 South Avenue, 232-6030 x4, axomgallery.com), and Main Street Arts (20 West Main Street, Clifton Springs; 315-462-0210, mainstreetartscs.org). In addition to hosting regular exhibitions, Main Street Arts also maintains a calendar of arts programming that ranges from film screenings to artist talks and after-school engagement for kids, as well as an artist residency program. George Eastman Museum FILE PHOTO
The internationally-renowned George Eastman Museum (900 East Avenue, 3274800, eastman.org) functions as both an exhibition space for contemporary and historic photography, as well as a museum dedicated to the history of photography and Kodak founder George Eastman’s impact on Rochester and the world. The estate features a contemporary building — which houses galleries, archives, and workshops — that is built right up against Eastman’s historic mansion. Also on the grounds is the Dryden Theatre, which hosts film screenings, film festivals, and the annual Nitrate Picture Show. The museum offers a number of historic photo processes workshops and hosts the Jeffrey L. Selznick School of Film Preservation, which is a world-leader in conservation studies for moving images and audio-visual formats.
Rochester Contemporary Art Center (137 East Avenue, 461-2222; rochestercontemporary.org) straddles the little-guy/big-influencer boundary as a small institution that does a lot. RoCo spotlights local, national, and international artists and collectives in one-off exhibitions. It also organizes annual and biennial exhibition series; hosts artist talks, lectures, and other programming; and facilitates collaborations with other arts and cultural institutions in Rochester and beyond, promoting micro and macro discussions about the regional state of the arts.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t note the great work of the smaller, independent arts and cultural spots in town, such as the Baobab Cultural Center (728 University Avenue, 563-2145, baobabcultural.org). The center has an indispensable wealth of information about African cultures and the history of African diaspora pre-dating the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It also hosts community meetings, music, yoga, art events, and weekly Friday film screenings and discussions that emphasize the history of Civil Rights activism and contemporary issues. The UUU Art Collective (153 State Street, 434-2223; uuuartcollective.com) is helmed by a young group of friends who steadily evolved their operation over a few short years to become the hip-meets-professional white walls space it is today. In addition to showcasing local and regional artists, the UUU represents a handful of emerging artists from New York City and abroad. The spot regularly hosts musical acts of all genres as well as community events, and has become a hub for helping young artists find their footing.
Another heavy-hitter with an expansive collection is Artisan Works (565 Blossom Road, 586-3535, artisanworks.net). The massive warehouse off Atlantic Avenue is a spectacle with thousands of works of art by established and emerging artists alike, displayed in a chaotic crush that invites hours of exploration, as the collection is less traditionally-curated than most. With on-site studios, there’s a good chance you’ll catch artists in action, too. Rochester and its surrounding towns have many great, mid-sized galleries that emphasize local and regional artists, but at times also represent national and international artists. They include the well54 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
UUU Art Collective's founders in the State Street gallery
FILE PHOTO
Joy Gallery (498 ½ West Main Street, 436-
5230, facebook.com/JoyGalleryAndStudio) is owned and operated by watercolorist, sculptor, and RIT professor Luvon Sheppard. The spot is both his studio and an exhibition space that hosts student exhibitions and work by local and regional professional artists.
Though it had a glorious run as a white-walls space that presented contemporary work by local and national artists in the low-brow, horror, skate culture, graffiti, and illustration scenes, 1975 Gallery (1975ish.com) is currently an itinerant but active endeavor. Owner and curator Erich Lehman collaborates with different venues to host occasional exhibitions. He also collaborates with other arts organizations on a variety of programming efforts and is the lead curator of Wall\Therapy. Notable among Rochester’s many artist studio hubs and art collectives are The Hungerford (1115 East Main Street, facebook.com/ TheHungerford), Anderson Alley (250 North Goodman Street, andersonalleyartists.com), WOC Art Collective (215 Tremont Street, facebook.com/WOCArt585), The Refinery (936 Exchange Street, refineryrochester.com), and The Yards Collaborative (50-52 Public
Market Way, theyardsrochester.com). Each spot has its own mix of art studios, exhibitions, arts facilities, and programming worth keeping on your radar. Some of them also have artist residencies. Our region’s many academic institutions each have gallery spaces with varying missions, but among them, the following spots stand out for their dedication to excellence in exhibitions and programming that benefits not only the matriculated students but the general public as well. Rochester Institute of Technology’s University Gallery and Bevier Gallery — both located on its Henrietta campus — are noteworthy, but RIT also facilitates shows and programming at its downtown RIT City Arts Space (280 East Main Street, cityartspace.rit. edu). Also located in downtown Rochester is Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince Street, 4428676, vsw.org), which offers an MFA program through The College at Brockport. With a distinct emphasis on activism and social justice, Visual Studies Workshop also hosts important exhibitions, film series, community symposia, and other programming. VSW has a droolworthy print media, film, and video archive, an impressive residency program, and an active press that publishes artist bookworks.
Rehearsals for "Create a Space Now" by Hettie Barnhill (choreographer, Broadway actor, and WOC•Art affiliate member) were held last summer at WOC•Art's studio space while Barnhill's daughter Vy slept nearby. PHOTO BY MOKM CREATIVE SERVICES
At Brockport’s campus-proper, Tower Fine Arts Center (180 Holley Street, Brockport, 395-5253, brockport. edu/finearts) is an academic, studio, and performing arts hub that’s home to the Tower Fine Arts Gallery, which presents deep dives into fascinating niche art movements and shows student and faculty work. Monroe Community College’s Mercer Gallery (1000 East Henrietta Road, 292-2021, monroecc.edu) and the University of Rochester’s Hartnett Gallery (Wilson Commons, Wilson Boulevard, 275-4188, blogs.rochester.edu/hartnett) both do an excellent job exposing students and the general public to a variety of contemporary artists from around the country. Rochester also has a bunch of exhibition spaces within educational facilities, where you can take classes to learn various skills. Among these are Flower City Arts Center (713 Monroe Avenue, 244-1730, rochesterarts.org), where you can learn a variety of skills in the fields of analog and digital photography, printing and book arts, and ceramics; 540WMain (540 West Main Street, 420-8439; 540westmain. org), which functions as a “communiversity” that offers a variety of classes and workshops focused on combating inequity and encouraging community; and Rochester Brainery (176 Anderson Avenue, 730-7034, rochesterbrainery. com), which maintains a full calendar of classes and workshops covering just about every creative or DIY endeavor you could dream up. And finally, we’ll show some love for the “alternative spaces” in Rochester — the ones that aren’t galleries or art houses per se, but consistently open their walls to showcase local and regional artists -- and do a dang good job at curating shows. It’s not uncommon for restaurants, bars, cafes, and other businesses to showcase local art, but the following spots do it in an intentioned, consistent way. Good opportunities for local and regional artists can be found at The Little Theatre Café (240 East Avenue, 258-0403, thelittle.org), the Bug Jar’s resident art curator The Lobby (219 Monroe Avenue, instagram.com/lobbyist), Lux Lounge (666 South Avenue, 232-9030, lux666.com), Fuego Coffee Roasters (1 Woodbury Boulevard, instagram.com/fuegocoffee), Lumiere Photo (100 College Avenue, 461-4447, lumierephoto. com), The Out Alliance’s Gallery Q (100 College Avenue, 244-8640, outalliance.org/ programs/galleryq), and The Avenue Blackbox Theatre (780 Joseph Avenue, 491-6730, avenuetheatre.org). ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 55
shelf
aware
A peek into Rochester’s literary scene BY REBECCA RAFFERTY
Believe it or not, Amazon hasn’t entirely replaced independent booksellers, and not everyone prefers to absorb their literature through a screen. Rochester’s got many organizations and literary centers that support its crowd of authors, poets, and lit-loving audiences. There are a handful of small presses that publish and sell books in niche categories, including the non-profit BOA Editions (250 North Goodman Street, suite 406; boaeditions.org), which focuses on poetry and short fiction by local, national, and international writers, and the University of Rochester’s non-profit literary translation press Open Letter Books (openletterbooks. org), which emphasizes expanding our perspectives through reading world literature.
56 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
To that end, Open Letter facilitates readings and discussions with visiting authors. Synonymous with the reading and writing scene in Rochester is community literary hub Writers & Books (740 University Avenue, wab.org). The center hosts a number of writing classes and workshops, literary readings, author visits, theatrical performances, and more. W&B holds literary summer camps for kids and teens, and provides a focused escape for adults via the Gell Writers Retreat, located in the Finger Lakes. Writers & Books also facilitates the annual Rochester Reads community-wide book club, for which a new or recent novel is chosen, the whole community is encouraged to read it, and loads of programming is presented at libraries, universities, and other community centers leading up to the author’s visit in the fall. This year marks the 20th anniversary Rochester Reads. More information is available at wab.org. A new kid on the local lit scene, Sulfur Books (18 East Main Street, Clifton Springs; sulfurbooks.com) is a freshly rebranded bookstore operating under the wing of Clifton Springs-based Main Street Arts Gallery. Named for the mineral spring running through the historic Victorian village, the bookstore carries books for all ages, but has incorporated more titles by
regional small independent presses, as well as literature-in-translation. Sulfur’s literary arts coordinator Rachel Crawford (who is a freelance writer for CITY) has been filling the store’s calendar with workshops, readings, book club events, film screenings, and author signings. Also east of Rochester, but closer to the city, Books Etc. (78 West Main Street, Macedon, facebook.com/booksetcmacedon) sells new and used books, hosts an art gallery, and presents programming including readings and book clubs. A staple of downtown for decades, Greenwood Books (123 East Avenue, greenwoodbookstore.com) is a well-curated second-hand shop specializing in old and rare volumes. Owner Franlee Frank is an ace at locating new-to-you tomes within your interests. More previously-loved literature (and a huge collection of used VHS and DVDs) in every genre is available on the jam-packed shelves of Rick’s Recycled Books (737 Monroe Avenue, 442-4920), which is one of those spots where you can spend hours digging for paperback gold. Down the road, Before Your Quiet Eyes (439 Monroe Avenue, 563-7851) is a generalist used bookstore that also sells some artwork and hosts poetry readings.
Small World Books (425 North Street, facebook.com/smallworldbooks) is another general-interest used bookstore where you can regularly catch indie and folk bands playing among the stacks, or, when the weather’s fine, in the adjacent garden. Yesterday’s Muse (32 West Main Street, Suite 1, Webster; websterbookstore. com) is a generalist antiquarian shop with a focus on literature, American history, military, and local history. Out in Brockport, Lift Bridge Book Shop (45 Main Street, Brockport; liftbridgebooks.com) is a spacious twostory spot that sells new and used books for all ages, as well as toys, games, and other gifts. And Rochester has two newish, kid-focused bookstores. In the South Wedge, Hipocampo Children’s Books (638 South Avenue, hipocampochildrensbooks. com) is an independent woman/Latinxowned shop which offers books that represent diverse cultures and languages in our region, as well as toys and apparel. Hipocampo also hosts classes, author visits, performances, and more. At Village Gate, Element of Fun (274 North Goodman Street, elementoffunbooks.com) carries books for babies through tweens that represent cultural and gender diversity, as well as gifts and apparel. Several of the used-book shops mentioned here are part of the Rochester Area Booksellers Association, which annually presents the Rochester Antiquarian Book Fair in the fall at the Main Street Armory in Rochester. That event features dozens of book dealers from New York and the northeast, vending volumes from their collections as well as some artwork and other ephemera. This year marks the 48th anniversary, and the fair takes place on September 12.
Season of Awakening 2020 - 2021
Exciting. Dramatic. Inspiring. Learn more today! rochestercityballet.org
ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 57
HOUSE PARTY Rochester’s off-off-really-off-Broadway performance venues BY LEAH STACY
For a city of Rochester’s population size and general distance from the Great White Way, there’s an impressive amount of talent and options for theater lovers. A scene from Blackfriars Theatre's 2019 production of "Detroit '67." PHOTO BY RON HEERKENS JR.
But while the bigger houses like Geva, Rochester Broadway Theatre League, and Blackfriars get plenty of love for their seasonlong programming, there’s something to be said for the scrappier upstart houses that host roving companies and pop-up shows throughout the year. Here’s a comprehensive look at the go-to spots for live performances, from theater to comedy. It’s still worth mentioning Rochester Broadway Theatre League (RBTL), which is as close to Broadway as local folks can get without booking a trip downstate. RBTL is housed in the Auditorium Theatre (885 East Main Street, rbtl.org) and hosts a full season of touring Broadway productions from larger markets as well as one-off events such as Blue Man Group and Jerry Seinfeld live. 58 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
Geva Theatre Center (75 Woodbury Boulevard, gevatheatre.org) is the city’s sole regional professional theater, and does equity casting in New York City, with the occasional need for local actors. However, all of Geva’s shows are designed, built, and teched by its own (local) staff. And while Blackfriars Theatre (795 East Main Street, blackfriars.org) doesn’t use equity actors, it does cast all of their productions from the massive talent pool in town, and everyone involved in a show is paid. The Multi-use Community Cultural Center (MuCCC), which was opened in 2009 by arts entrepreneur and local theater enthusiast Doug Rice, is a home for new companies or companies that don’t have a permanent space. Housed in an old church (142 Atlantic Avenue, muccc.org) MuCCC can be rented for a weekend (or more)
of performances. The center also produces a few events of its own: MuCCC Fest, a celebration of local performers; New Plays, New Voices, a playwriting reading series; Dances at MuCCC; and This is Our Youth, which showcases city students. Deep inside the Village Gate complex, on the second floor of the main building, is The Avyarium (274 North Goodman Street, avyarium.com), a blackbox theater that’s home to WallByrd Theatre Company and rents space to other small troupes around town, such as Grey Noise Theatre Co. The Avyarium is located within walking distance from the Village Gate’s many restaurants, which makes dinner and a show especially convenient. During September, it also functions as a Keybank Rochester Fringe Festival venue.
Bread & Water Theatre (172 West Main Street, breadandwatertheatre.org) has been around for 20 years, but beats a quiet drum. The company’s space is on the outskirts of downtown, and founder J.R. Teeter keeps a strong commitment to theater works that reflect the cultural pulse. This year, Bread & Water is hosting “The First and Final Word Playwriting Contest” in September. Entrants are encouraged to submit original plays of any length for consideration by May 1. One of the newer venues in town is The Avenue Blackbox Theatre (780 Joseph Avenue, avenuetheatre.org). Founded by artist and arts advocate Reenah Golden in 2018, The Avenue brands itself as “an inclusive, fully accessible, queer space where social justice and art disciplines converge to create dynamic stage productions, installations and live artmaking events.” In the almost two years it’s been open, The Avenue has instituted youth programming, merchandise, and regular exhibits in addition to performances.
Housed in a former Christian Science church building, Lyric Theatre (440 East Avenue, lyrictheatrerochester.org) boasts an ornate 700-seat auditorium as well as a smaller cabaret theater. Right now, it’s the primary residence of OFC Creations, a youth theatre ensemble that focuses on K-12 day camps and performances. The Lyric also has its own educational initiatives — some focused on opera — and produces solo music performances and shows by Hands In Entertainment, a troupe that performs in American Sign Language (ASL). Another venue worth mentioning — though a little further from downtown — is the newly renovated Kodak Center (200 West Ridge Road, kodakcenter.com), where patrons can see everything from touring children’s theater and comedy acts to locally produced musicals. Performances by big stars (such as Fran Drescher’s one-woman memoir show this season) also grace the stage from time to time. OFC Creations also holds a theater summer
camp at Kodak Center for ages 4-18. In addition to the auditorium, the Kodak Center Visitor Center has rotating photo exhibits, a gift shop, and café.
Hummingbird Theater Co. presented "The Amish Project" at The MuCCC in the fall of 2019. PHOTO BY ANNETTE DRAGON
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Please Join Us The Historic Parsells Church An American Baptist Church Serving the Beechwood/Culver Neighborhood for 120 years!
Sunday Gospel Services: 12:00 noon Temporary worship site for services: Covenant Methodist Church 1124 Culver Rd., Rochester, 14609 Visit our Facebook page for photos and audio:
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Church of the Ascension (Episcopal) Welcomes you and your family Sunday Services at 8:00 AM and 10:15 AM
• Christian Education, Sunday School & Bible Study • Women’s and Men’s Fellowship Groups • Adult and Youth Choirs and Change-Ringing Bells • Neighborhood Mission and Outreach Programs • Enhance your relationship with God and God’s people at Ascension • There is a place for you at Ascension. You are invited to come and see:
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62 CITY • ANNUAL MANUAL 2020
Advertisement Index AUTOMOTIVE
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Finger Lakes Welcome Center..................57 Genesee Country Village & Museum................. 7 George Eastman Museum....32 Lamberton Conservatory......20 The Strong Museum of Play................................57
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HEALTH
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Monroe Community College.25 New York Kitchen................57 University of Rochester.......... 2
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Church of the Ascension......61 Downtown United Presbyterian.......................62 First Church of Christ..........61 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate World..................62 Rochester Mennonite Fellowship..........................61 St. Paul's Episcopal Church................61 The Historic Parsells Church...................61 Third Presbyterian Church...............................62
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SERVICES
Monroe County Board of Elections................. 8 Rochester Teachers Association.........................10 Women Owned Biz..............60
SPECIALTY SHOPPING
Alexander Optical................35 Axom Gallery......................46 Baker Street Bakery............13 Bernunzio Uptown Music.....13 Eastview Mall.....................45 Free Style Mercantile..........51 Get Caked Bakery................35 Hedonist Artisan Chocolates..........................13 Lori's Natural Food Center........................24 Marketplace Mall................45 Mileage Master Center.........23 Next Door by Wegmans........21 One Hip Chic Optical + Sole.....................23 One World Goods................23 Paula's Essentials...............51 ReHouse Architectural Salvage..............................51 Rochester Public Market.....49 Rochester Ophthalmological Group Designs in Eyewear..........................19 Salty Boutique....................23 Savoia Pastry Shoppe..........23 Sequels Consignment Fine Furnishings.................13 Sound Source.....................27 South Clinton Merchants Association.........39 Stacy K Floral.....................51 The Mall at Greece Ridge......................45 Tupelo Interiors...................35
LOCAL CRAFT BEVERAGES
Black Button Distilling........51
RELIGION
Blessed Sacrament.............61 Church of Divine Inspiration..........................62 ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM 63