CITY May 2022

NEWS. ARTS. LIFE. | MAY 2022 | FREE | SINCE 1971 NEWS

MUSIC

IMAGE CITY

REBUILDING A PIECE OF HIGHLAND PARK HISTORY

UNDEATH BRINGS THE BRUTALITY

KODAK, A MOSAIC, AND A MYSTERY

INBOX WANNA SAY SOMETHING? CITY wants to hear you rant and rave. Your feedback must . . . . . . be no more than 250 words . . . respond to CITY content . . . be engaging CITY reserves the right to edit for accuracy, length, and readability.

Send your rants and raves to: feedback@rochester-citynews.com

CITY, 280 State St., Rochester, NY 14614 (ATTN: Feedback) A VITAL NEWS SOURCE I love, love, love your magazine.

Congratulations to all your staff for the great March issue of CITY. The items were well received by this reader. May your diligence continue.

I am a very longtime resident of the Town of Greece and see the dearth of vital news. The Greece Historical Society, ironically, told in its lowbudget newsletter of how a lack of vital information was brought on by the merging of newspapers. TV news does not take the place of the printed word.

Keep up the good work. Thank you.

Elizabeth (Betty) Nietopski, Greece LOVING THE ‘DAILY TO DO’ I love your new “Daily To Do” section.

I used to skip over the calendar section because it was too dense and overwhelming. I read everything in the “Daily To Do” and flagged a few events that I’ll be attending. Great change!

Adam Smith, Rochester

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MAY 2022

TERRIFIC! I am a lifelong Rochester resident with city roots going back 200 years. I have been a fan of CITY Magazine since its inception and have avidly read its articles (even those based on a premise with which I may have disagreed).

The events calendar, however, was always a challenge and I skipped over it most of the time.

So it was a pleasure to read its inaugural rendering as the “Daily To Do.” I especially enjoyed two aspects of the section which I hope will be replicated in the future.

The first was the centrally located four-page review of upcoming WXXITV presentations. It was convenient to remove that section while keeping the magazine staples intact so I could put WXXI on the living room coffee table.

The second much appreciated feature was the more complete chronological listing of events. Such an eclectic approach may prompt me to venture outside my 73-year-old comfort zone.

Congratulations to the person or people who conceived of and carried forward this “new” format. While change is certainly not synonymous with progress, I will look forward to reviewing the “Daily To Do” feature each month.

Thomas Rainbow Morse, Rochester Morse is a retired Rochester City Court judge.

MUCH ADO ABOUT THE ‘DAILY TO DO’ The main reason I read CITY is to find out what’s going on. My favorite venues for live music are the Bop Shop and the Eastman School of Music. If I go see a film, it’s invariably at the Dryden.

However, if something of interest to me takes place elsewhere, I rely on the event listings in CITY to tip me off about it.

Secondly, I’m a print guy. Computers are the bane of my existence. It galls me to no end that so many things can only be done online. (Except, luckily for me, contacting you with a hand-written letter.)

Which brings me to my reason for writing: the “Daily To Do.” A big thumbs down!! If the full events calendar is now only available on your website, the usefulness to me of the print edition has taken a pretty big nosedive.

Please bring back the event listings and let the readers decide where to go and what to do. Thank you very much.

Jim Laniok, Rochester CITY: We’re happy to type out your letter.

Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.

DUCK-AND-COVER DAYS I grew up across the street from the house on Hartsen Street that was featured in the article “‘Fallout Shelter’ signs still hanging in there” in the April edition of CITY. My parents bought our home in 1950 and I was born in 1955.

The owners of that house who built the fallout shelter there were Russian immigrants, George and Olga Gubaroff.

They were a wonderful couple and kind of “grandparent-ish” to our family.

George was a Cossack historian.

I remember my parents talking about Mr. Gubaroff building the shelter.

This was the time in school when we had both fire drills and bomb drills. We would get under our chairs. Kate McBride, who was interviewed in your story, was a Girl Scout friend of mine.

A great story about the Gubaroffs was the time Olga asked my mom to borrow some potatoes because they got word that a guest would be stopping by. Agents checked out the neighborhood and an unusual car pulled up. The guest was Nobel Prize-winning author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Mrs. Gubaroff prepared a simple stew lunch.

Ann Michele Barone Bouwmeester, Brighton CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

NEWS. ARTS. LIFE. MAY, 2022 Vol 50 No 9 On the cover: Illustration by Jacob Walsh 280 State Street Rochester, New York 14614 feedback@rochester-citynews.com phone (585) 244-3329 roccitynews.org PUBLISHER Rochester Area Media Partners LLC, Norm Silverstein, chairman FOUNDERS Bill and Mary Anna Towler EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT themail@rochester-citynews.com Editor: David Andreatta News editor: Jeremy Moule Arts editor: Daniel J. Kushner Life editor: Rebecca Rafferty Staff writer: Gino Fanelli Contributing writers: Jim Catalano, Kathy Laluk, J. Nevadomski, Steve Orr, Leah Stacy CREATIVE DEPARTMENT artdept@rochester-citynews.com Creative director: Ryan Williamson Designer/Photographer: Jacob Walsh ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT ads@rochester-citynews.com Sales manager: Alison Zero Jones Advertising consultant/ Project manager: David White OPERATIONS/CIRCULATION Operations manager: Ryan Williamson Circulation manager: Katherine Stathis kstathis@rochester-citynews.com CITY is available free of charge. Additional copies of the current issue may be purchased by calling 585-784-3503. CITY may be distributed only by authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of CITY, take more than one copy of each monthly issue.

CITY (ISSN 1551-3262) is published monthly 12 times per year by Rochester Area Media Partners, a subsidiary of WXXI Public Broadcasting. Periodical postage paid at Rochester, NY (USPS 022-138). Address changes: CITY, 280 State Street, Rochester, NY 14614. Member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and the New York Press Association.

Copyright by Rochester Area Media Partners LLC, 2021 - all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system without permission of the copyright owner.

WXXI Members may inquire about free home delivery of CITY including monthly TV listings by calling 585-258-0200.

@ROCCITYNEWS

IN THIS ISSUE OPENING SHOT

Tear into festival season just like CITY food writer J. Nevadomski is tearing into this piece of freshly fried dough (pictured, obviously).

Our definitive festival guide can help you get the ball rolling. PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH

NEWS

6

FULL CIRCLE

The long-gone Children’s Pavilion was an original feature of Highland Park. But soon a replacement will be built.

NEWS. ARTS. LIFE. | MAY 2022 | FREE | SINCE 1971

ARTS

16

PASSING THE GROOVE

The founder of Rochester Groovecast is welcoming new hosts and programs to its platform.

38

KODAK’S LOST ART

A mysterious mosaic, hidden behind the interior wall of a Kodak building, has once again been exposed.

BY DAVID ANDREATTA

12

HIGHFALUTIN FALLS

Past attempts to revitalize High Falls fell flat, but the city is set to try again.

BY GINO FANELLI

MORE NEWS, ARTS, AND LIFE INSIDE

BLOODY FUN

Undeath, which just released its sophomore album, wants to riff you to oblivion.

BY GINO FANELLI

ON THE COVER

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE 2022 FESTIVAL SEASON

RAFFERTY

46

BY DANIEL J. KUSHNER

22

KODAK, A MOSAIC, AND A MYSTERY

BY REBECCA

RECKONING POINT

Crystal Sellers Battle becomes Eastman School of Music’s first associate dean of equity and inclusion.

IMAGE CITY

UNDEATH BRINGS THE BRUTALITY

If you want to survive in this jungle of festivals, you need a good guide.

BY JEREMY MOULE

10

MUSIC

REBUILDING A PIECE OF HIGHLAND PARK HISTORY

LIFE

BY DANIEL J. KUSHNER

18

NEWS

FIFTY STATES OF FOOD

Each state has its notable festival foods — find out which one thinks a hemp burger is festive.

BY REBECCA RAFFERTY

48

FAIR FARE

When you’ve got a craving and no carnival, make your favorite festival foods at home with these recipes.

BY J. NEVADOMSKI roccitynews.com roccitynews.com

CITY 3

CITY: There is always a Rochester connection. Solzhenitsyn’s historical work, “The Gulag Archipelago,” led to his expulsion from his native land.

It was good to see the article on fallout shelters. It is amazing that those signs still remain in place. They are proof that the government once took national security seriously.

At this moment, it feels as though we are closer to nuclear war than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, yet we are far less prepared. An 800-kiloton blast over Kodak Park would end Rochester’s problems in a flash. On Canandaigua Lake, fishermen will no longer have to be concerned about catch limits.

John McKeown, Mendon SOLAR FLARE UP Thank you Steve Orr for writing about the solar energy nightmare in the April edition of CITY (“Dark days for solar subscribers in the suburbs”). I am a Brighton resident with RG&E and Source Power, and I have had the same nightmare he described. My last bill received was in December and all interaction with RG&E and Source Power tell me I have a credit balance.

The automated system and customer service tells me my next bill will be April 29. I can’t imagine what it will be.

Every month I have called RG&E, speak to customer service and get no answers.

I even spoke to Supervisor Bill Moehle’s office to complain, with no results. I am totally frustrated.

Linda Lowenstein, Brighton

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MAY 2022

HAD YOUR FILL OF TRASH? The British writer Dorothy Sayers wrote in 1947, “A society in which consumption has to be artificially stimulated in order to keep production going is a society founded on trash and waste, and such a society is a house built upon sand.”

Which brings me to the April edition article on the High Acres landfill (“A landfill fight becomes a constitutional battle”). Given that not every last thing you throw away can be composted or recycled, one’s left with two methods of disposal: landfilling and utilizing a wasteto-energy facility, which Monroe County lacks.

So how can the current situation be mitigated?

• Restaurants, schools, nursing homes, and grocery stores need to divert food waste by either investing in food digestors or contracting with a food waste hauler. Less of this stuff equals fewer smells.

• The county needs to get serious about establishing a compost site. At last check, Onondaga County has two such facilities. Wet leaves in the ground wind up doing what? Smell.

• Home and property owners need to leave grass clippings on the ground.

Clippings, especially when wet and put in the ground, smell.

• Lastly, the state ban on new wasteto-energy facilities needs to be lifted. Having toured such a facility in Syracuse, I can attest there’s no outside smells and actual electricity is fed into the grid.

Jeff Goldblatt, Rochester

roccitynews.com

CITY 5

NEWS

FULL CIRCLE

Highland Park ‘Children’s Pavilion’ to rise again

This undated photo shows the original Highland Park Children's Pavilion in all of its splendor. FILE PHOTO.

BY JEREMY MOULE

D

@JFMOULE

iane Hampton remembers being a little girl and her grandmother taking her and her two sisters to Highland Park, where they would play around the “Children’s Pavilion” — a once grand focal point of the park that has been gone for nearly 60 years.

6 CITY

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JMOULE@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

On a recent unseasonably warm spring day, Hampton stood where the pavilion once towered over her and everything else, just east of the reservoir, and recalled her grandmother standing on an upper level, taking snapshots of her grandkids having a blast.

“I just remember running up and down and around and around,”

Hampton said. “I mean, these were my two older sisters I was playing with, you know. So they were probably just chasing me.”

That was more than 70 years ago.

The historic pavilion was torn down in 1963 after years of neglect.

But a 20-year fundraising effort by the Highland Park Conservancy

to resurrect the pavilion has county officials taking action.

The conservancy, a nonprofit park booster group, raised around $1 million for a new Children’s Pavilion and secured another $1 million in state grants.

In March, county legislators pushed the campaign over the finish line when they approved measures that made

The Children's Pavilion sat at the highest point of Highland Park, an intentional design choice by Frederick Law Olmsted, who developed the park plan. PHOTO PROVIDED

the pavilion a county project and authorized borrowing for its design and completion. The project is anticipated to cost $3.1 million, with county taxpayers expected to kick in up to $1.1 million.

Officials expect to start construction next year and project a 2024 opening.

The original pavilion was an integral part of the plan for Highland Park, which was developed by the father of landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted. The round structure, which cost $7,000, stood three stories tall, and was 62 feet in diameter, was a gift from the Ellwanger & Barry nursery.

Its dedication in September 1890 drew a crowd of 10,000 — Blue Cross Arena seats 13,000, for comparison’s sake — and while the pavilion’s inscription stated clearly that it was built in honor of Rochester’s children, who were increasingly choked by pollution from burgeoning industrialization.

“Childhood mortality was a terrible, terrible issue at the time,” said JoAnn Beck, president of the Highland Park Conservancy board as she walked near the pavilion’s historic footprint. “There were not antibiotics and the best that anybody could think of to mitigate this health crisis was fresh air and sunshine.”

In fact, Patrick Barry, one of the founders and namesakes of the nursery, had lost three of his sons to tuberculosis — they died between the ages of 17 and 20, respectively.

Rochester Parks Commissioner George Elliott had lost two children to cholera, and two of Olmsted’s children also died in infancy.

Ellwanger & Barry also donated its 22 acres of nursery lands to the city for the establishment of Highland Park.

Bishop Bernard John McQuaid, who was a fervent proponent of establishing a public parks system in Rochester, praised the pavilion during his dedication remarks.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Diane Hampton recalled visiting the Children's Pavilion with her grandmother.

PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH

roccitynews.com

CITY 7

JoAnn Beck, president of the Highland Park Conservancy board, explained the history around the park and the Children's Pavilion. PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH

“Other large hearted and public spirited citizens will, in time, imitate and rival this first gift to the parks of Rochester,” McQuaid said. “A spirit of laudable pride will rise among them here, as it has risen elsewhere, to spend for the people’s instruction and improvement a portion of one’s accumulated wealth.”

The pavilion also fit directly with Olmsted’s driving philosophies. To him, parks were much more than decorative gardens or nature preserves. They drew on the land’s natural contours and on natural beauty over ornamentation.

Every element he designed in a park was intentional and served a purpose.

He laid out Highland Park as a series of “rooms” that centered certain plants or features. To this day, anyone sauntering along the park’s formal and informal paths still passes from room to room.

But Olmsted also championed the egalitarian nature of parks. He believed that parks were a place for all people, and that they are part of the scenery and experience. To Olmsted, who suffered from depression and took pleasure in walking in nature, parks were places to soothe and refresh the mind and body.

He took that approach a step further in Highland by placing the pavilion on the park’s high point. He wanted to ensure that everyone in Rochester, poor 8 CITY

MAY 2022

or rich, had a place where they could freely soak in the spectacular view of treetops and rolling hills sprawling in the distance, some as far off as Bristol.

Beck said that the lilacs which have come to define Highland Park were planted to serve as a visual buffer against development happening near the park.

She added that Rochester now has several tall buildings with their own impressive views, but they aren’t accessible to everybody. The new pavilion will restore an experience intended for all, Beck said.

Olmsted designed several parks in Rochester, including Genesee Valley Park and Seneca Park, but Highland is the most intact, Beck said. The new pavilion will bring the park back closer to its original plan, and it will also build on the original designer’s philosophy.

“We are struggling with social equity issues, we’re struggling with public health issues,” Beck said. “These are timeless issues and that is a timeless expression of community commitment to solving those issues. And it’s a profound expression of community values.”

“He had this grand vision of social equity, of everybody having equal access to beautiful places and, in doing so, creating a more just society,” Beck added. “And we never needed that more than we do today.

That’s an evergreen principle.”

roccitynews.com

CITY 9

This mosaic, measuring 12-feet high by 18-feet long and composed of some 31,000 tiles, was created in 1961 to celebrate the science been practiced in a new Kodak research laboratory. It would later be hidden for decades before being discovered in February 2022.

PHOTO BY MAX SCHULTE.

10 CITY MAY 2022

RANDOM ROCHESTER

BY DAVID ANDREATTA

@DAVID_ANDREATTA

DANDREATTA@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

KODAK’S LOST ART A mosaic hidden for decades behind drywall was a tribute to Kodak’s brilliance and artistry.

D

erek Dlugosh-Ostap wanted a wall knocked down.

The wall was stark white and had doubled as a projector screen for decades in a first-floor conference room at a former Kodak research laboratory on Lake Avenue that Dlugosh-Ostap was having rehabilitated for his company, Delta-X Global.

In its place, the chief executive envisioned a grand entryway for his company’s research and development hub, to be called Delta-X Imagine. He had it all mapped out.

Then, in February, after demolition had begun, he got a call from the rehab team. There was a problem. Was it asbestos? Was the wall load-bearing?

“It was like, ‘You’ve got to see this,’” Joe Shufelt, the facility manager, recalled saying.

Something was hidden behind the wall. It wasn’t toxic. It was art — and it was mesmerizing.

The drywall had been covering a gray cinderblock wall, about 12 feet high and 18 feet long, adorned by an elaborate mosaic composed of tens of thousands of hand-cut tiles, most measuring about one square inch. Others were as small as the pips on a pair of dice.

Gradations of blue danced with specks of black, and diminutively detailed dots of yellow and red, against a backdrop of white.

Together they formed . . . something.

A submarine? A rocket? A fish? A submarine rocket fish?

No one who has seen the work since the drywall and studs concealing it were peeled back like layers of earth at an archaeological dig seems to be able to pinpoint what it is.

When a photo of the mosaic was posted on Twitter, one commenter called it “the marriage of whimsy and physics.”

What is known is that the design appears to incorporate fundamental elements of science that make photography and film possible — the symbols for silver (Ag), nitrogen (N), carbon (C), and oxygen (O) are all

The Democrat and Chronicle's coverage of the opening of the Kodak research building on May 19, 1961, reference the mosaic and showed two research executives standing in front of it. FILE PHOTO.

present. Frames of film, a flash of light, and lenses also appear to be depicted.

“The mosaic shows the areas of science, chemistry, electricity, physics, and optics,” Dlugosh-Ostap said. “All of those elements combined together were meant to express the work that was being done in this building in the ’60s when it first opened.”

The building, an extension of Kodak Research Laboratories that was reportedly to be devoted to physics research, opened in April 1961 and was known as B-81.

The opening was chronicled by the Democrat and Chronicle in a brief story that was illustrated with a photo of two men, Cyril Staud, the vice president for research at Kodak, and Julian Webb, the head of physics research, standing before the mosaic.

“An eye-catching mural is a symbolic key to the new seven-story physics building of Kodak Research Laboratories,” the article began.

“The mural, a mosaic of white, blue, red and yellow tiles, is set in a wall in the lobby of the newly completed building,” the story went on. “Depicted in the mural are the symbols of sound, mechanics, atomic structure, optics, electronics, electrical energy and photography.”

Delta-X CEO Derek Dlugosh-Ostap remarks on the craftsmanship of a mosaic that was unearthed at a former Kodak research building he is rehabilitating. He said he plans to preserve the mural. PHOTO BY MAX SCHULTE.

The article made no mention of an artist or designer.

Dlugosh-Ostap recalled driving to Rochester from his offices in Toronto to see the work in person and being struck by its craftsmanship.

“I was intrigued by the level of detail,” Dlugosh-Ostap said. “But the second part that really intrigued me was the message behind it. That’s when we made a decision that this needs to be kept.

“This mural represents the past, the present, and the future of Delta-X Imagine.”

Dlugosh-Ostap said architects are now working to redesign his plans for a lobby around the mosaic or devise ways to transport the art to another part of the building.

Delta-X, a Canadian firm that specializes in industrial and digital automation, printing, security, and encryption platforms, has committed to investing $25 million into the building, from its purchase through rehabilitation.

Dlugosh-Ostap said his goal is to attract companies to start up or relocate there by offering them state-of-the-art facilities and access to labor coming out of the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. He said the

building, which is 263,000 square feet, has the capacity for 250 workers.

AIM Photonics currently leases two floors there.

Kodak employed more than 60,000 people in Rochester in its heyday. Few, if any, of them who are still around know why Kodak executives made the decisions they made that all but buried the company.

Why some Kodak executive decided that burying a work of art behind a layer of drywall was a good idea is anyone’s guess.

Kodak spokesperson Kurt Jaeckel called the mural “amazing” and said it had been hidden “for perhaps 50 years.”

While news reports of the building’s opening indicated the wall was part of a lobby, Shufelt, the facility manager who has worked there for nearly 30 years, said he has only known the room as a conference room.

“Kodak had the greatest tile artisans,” Shufelt said. “We don’t know the designer. But I guarantee you that handlaid tile mosaic was done by the old masons here. They were artists.

“They built these buildings, but they also had the ability to do things like this,” he went on. “It’s a lost art.” roccitynews.com CITY 11

NEWS

HIGHFALUTIN FALLS

Rochester takes another swing at revitalizing High Falls

A view of Upper Falls from the overlook at the High Falls Terrace Park. PHOTO BY MAX SCHULTE

BY GINO FANELLI

T

@GINOFANELLI

he High Falls District is about as nondescript as a city neighborhood can get.

The last series of attempts to revitalize the area just south of downtown was unsuccessful, and that cast a shadow over the neighborhood, which lacks the restaurants, bars, and public spaces that are the hallmarks of a thriving city.

Foot traffic peaks around 5 p.m., when employees at the office buildings in the district knock off work and make their way to their cars in the State Street 12 CITY MAY 2022

GFANELLI@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

Garage. It’s probably at its liveliest when the Red Wings play at Frontier Field.

The district’s defining characteristic is the roaring Upper Falls, the 96-foot Genesee River cascade that powered Rochester’s early industry. If new plans from the city and New York state come to fruition, the waterfall will be at the center of efforts to revitalize the district.

The city is advancing a plan to renovate the Water Works building on the west bank of the gorge, adjacent to the Pont de Rennes bridge, and turn it

into a visitor center for a proposed state park in the gorge. Officials estimate that the Water Works building renovations will cost about $3.5 million.

“The state park and the investments that the city is making are not being done in a vacuum,” said Rich Perrin, commissioner of the city’s Department of Environmental Services. “We’ve had a significant amount of development since someone has come in and said, ‘Okay, how can we take advantage of these characteristics and attributes that are

unique in the High Falls area?’”

The three-story building on Brown’s Race has overlooked the Upper Falls for nearly 150 years and historically, it provided high-pressure water for city fire hydrants and acted as a hydroelectric power plant. The building most recently housed the High Falls Museum and Visitor Center, which closed in 2019.

The renovations are part of a broader $5 million plan by the city that includes creating access to the gorge and cleaning up some of the land down there.

The state has already provided $2.5 million in grants toward the effort. The city is responsible for the other $2.5 million in funding, which it expects to allocate this summer.

The visitor center is one of several ongoing efforts to turn the Upper Falls and the area around it into a tourism destination. Separate from the visitor center project, the enacted 2023 state budget, which lawmakers passed April 9, includes $6 million for design work for the state’s proposed 40-acre falls gorge park.

Greentopia, an environmental advocacy group headquartered next door to the Water Works building, has long championed an “ecodistrict” in High Falls.

“There is incredible potential to once again put the falls at the forefront of the city’s pride,” Greentopia’s ecodistrict proposal reads. “By having the ecodistrict centered on the Falls, the community is reminded of its history as a city and the natural asset that gave Rochester its beginning.”

Lisa Baron, chair of Greentopia’s board, said putting money into High Falls is a “no-brainer.”

“You’re spending money on resources that aren’t going to go bankrupt, they’re not going to move their headquarters,” Baron said. “High Falls is going to be here forever.”

Baron also stressed the importance of urban green space. She envisions the potential park at High Falls as a place that introduces nature to a population that often doesn’t have easy access to it.

“I can’t say if it’s a good investment to build a new football stadium, but I can say that it’s good to build a park in an area of downtown where a large percentage of people are not going to jump in a car to go see a tree in Letchworth,” Baron said.

“Because one, they don’t have a car, and two, they have no desire to do that, they don’t feel welcomed. But here, if we do our homework and build a park that’s welcoming to everyone, boom: mission accomplished.”

Perrin said the plans for High Falls are part of a broader citywide shift to invest in Rochester’s natural attributes.

In April, the city also began improvements to High Falls Terrace Park and the Brewery Line Trail, a pedestrian and cycling path that leads to the Genesee Brewery. The city expects to spend $1.6 million on those projects.

In 2018, the city released its plans

Top: The Rochester Water Works building stands in the center of the High Falls District.

Bottom: Members of the Rochester Fire Department inspects the base of High Falls where Rochester and New York State plan to spend $30 million to transform the High Falls gorge into a public park and redevelop the Water Works building into a visitors center.

PHOTOS BY MAX SCHULTE

for the ROC the Riverway initiative, which included a series of projects aimed at making better use of the Genesee River waterfront. Those plans called for improvements to the High Falls area that would provide public access to the gorge with the goal of “creating a recreation

and outdoor adventure destination that capitalizes on views of the dramatic waterfall and gorge.”

Officials estimated the cost of the ROC the Riverway proposal for High Falls to be $30 million.

“I can tell you that from a tourism standpoint, we are thrilled for the potential of the High Falls State Park,” said Rachel Laber Pulvino of Visit Rochester, the local tourism promotion agency. “Having a state park encompassing the urban waterfall at High Falls is going to draw visitors from near and far. High Falls is already one of the largest urban waterfalls in the country, and the planned amenities surrounding the waterfall as part of the High Falls State Park are exciting.”

The new ecotourism plans for High Falls are the latest attempt to revitalize the riverside district. Other efforts failed.

In the mid-1990s, then-Mayor Bill Johnson set out to create an entertainment district at High Falls. He envisioned nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and venues. The city invested $40 million over the course of roughly 10 years, but every nightclub, brewery, bar, and restaurant that opened in the district during that time period faltered.

For example, Empire Brewing Company, a now-defunct brewery that was based in Syracuse, opened a microbrewery at State and Platt streets in 1997 and closed it in 2003 after struggling to turn a profit. That space was taken over by Bru, a short-lived brewery and restaurant.

In 2003, a $2.35 million city contract with Cordish Companies resulted in High Falls Live!, an attempt at mirroring Cordish’s successful Power Plant Live! entertainment district in its native Baltimore.

The project, which included a tiki bar and other attractions on Mill Street, faltered, and in 2008, the city let its contract with Cordish expire.

City officials hope that taking a different direction by creating a nature preserve in the heart of the city proves more successful.

Perrin said a major reason the High Falls entertainment district failed is because it was trying to mimic a successful initiative in another city, with the waterfall itself as an “ancillary feature.”

“It can’t be an ‘us too’ approach that, ‘Oh, they did this in this city or some other part of that city, so we’ll just copy it,’” Perrin said. “This is about place making, not place copying.”

roccitynews.com CITY 13

NEWS

NAUSEA IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

How about that awful stench around Kings Landing?

The Kings Landing Wastewater Treatment Plant is located on the banks of the Genesee River, across from Seneca Park. PHOTO BY JEREMY MOULE.

Operating difficulties at the wastewater treatment plant have raised a stink in the area.

BY STEVE ORR

F

@SORR1

oul odors, whether from a neighbor’s uncovered garbage bin or a malfunctioning factory smokestack, are an annoying fact of urban life.

Just ask the people who work at Eastman Business Park or live in nearby neighborhoods who have been beset by an intermittent and sometimes intense odor. It was so bad one day last month that motorists passing through the area drove with one hand on the wheel and the other over their noses.

The unpleasant aroma has been coming from the business park’s wastewater treatment plant, which sits on 14 CITY MAY 2022

the west bank of the Genesee River below Lake Avenue near its intersection with Maplewood Avenue.

Citizen complaints about the stench found their way to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which said in a statement that it had investigated the problem and in February issued what the agency calls a “notice to violation.”

The notice that the plant violated its DEC permit is a mechanism to encourage compliance and does not carry any fine.

In response to questions from CITY, the plant operator readily acknowledged

that operating difficulties at Kings Landing Wastewater Treatment Plant were the source of the smell and said it is taking multiple steps to address the cause.

The DEC said in its statement that it “continues to carefully monitor the facility to ensure compliance with requirements that are protective of public health and the environment.”

City officials said they had not fielded any recent complaints about foul odors in the area.

The Kings Landing plant, which takes its name from an early white settlement there, was built and operated for many years by Eastman Kodak Co.

The facility has never accepted sanitary waste from toilets and sinks. Instead, Kodak piped industrial waste to the facility for removal of pollutants before wastewater was discharged into the river.

But it was an imperfect process.

Residual silver from the manufacture of photographic film and paper made it through Kings Landing and into river sediments, which the company is in the midst of spending an estimated $15 million to remediate.

A decade ago, Kodak sold the business park’s utilities, including Kings Landing, to RED-Rochester, a unit of Illinois-based Recycled Energy Development.

The facility continues to treat inorganic and organic materials, including a significant amount of food processing waste from Eastman Business Park tenants.

The plant’s manager, Mary Lee Bishopp, said malfunctions in the process of storing and aerating sludge — the solids left after liquids are removed — was the root of the odor problem.

As a result of the particularly bad episode earlier this month, plant operators fed the less-than-fully-processed sludge to the plant’s incinerator on April 8, according to company representatives.

The company incinerated the sludge to address the odors “rather than waiting for the biology in the sludge storage system to return to healthy (nonodorous) conditions,” said Jill DiPiano, environmental, health and safety manager for RED-Rochester.

Bishopp said that when the weather warms, the company can mask odors with “counteractant sprays” consisting of essential oils. Cool temperatures prevented their deployment until April 11, though.

The company plans to improve the sludge aeration systems during a coming maintenance shutdown, Bishopp said, and has hired an outside consultant to conduct an odor study.

“That team will focus on identifying the root cause of the odor … and will make recommendations for avoiding/ managing the same,” Bishopp said.

roccitynews.com CITY 15

ARTS

FRIEND OF THE POD

Podcaster Ben Albert, left, is expanding the reach of his Rochester Groovecast brand with a new podcast by Siena Facciolo. PHOTOS BY JACOB WALSH

ROCHESTER GROOVECAST PAVES WAY FOR NEW ARTS PODCAST ‘THE PROCESS’

BY DANIEL J. KUSHNER

D

espite the robust community of artists and musicians in Rochester, the presence of local podcasts devoted to covering the scene is decidedly spottier. Launched in March 2022, one new podcast aiming to fill the void is The Process, a series of monthly, one-on-one conversations with creators, hosted by musician, dancer, and teacher Siena Facciolo.

16 CITY MAY 2022

@DANIELJKUSHNER

DKUSHNER@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

But The Process might not have come to fruition without Rochester Groovecast, a prominent music and culture podcast created in 2016

by Ben Albert, who now runs the business advertising company Balbert Marketing LLC and the “Real Business Connections” network of podcasts.

Six years ago, Albert constantly binge-listened to podcasts, but he

couldn’t find any specific to the Rochester music scene, he says. He was also feeling the weight of apathy as a consumer of the local cultural scene:he attended local shows and bought drinks at the bar, but he felt like he was contributing little in the way of new value.

“So that was my way of adding value,” he says. “I liked learning from

people, I liked asking questions. I loved the local music scene, and I loved podcasting. So it was kind of just on a whim, ‘Let’s start a podcast because this is something that our city needs.’”

Rochester Groovecast became a way for Albert to contribute to the music community and advocate for local artists. He went on to produce

122 episodes of Groovecast over six years, achieving nearly 36,000 listens on Soundcloud since the podcast’s inception. In the first several years, episodes were released sporadically in conjunction with specific festivals or other events. But the pandemic-related shutdowns sparked a productive pace in which Albert produced, on average, more than one episode weekly between April 2020 and May 2021. Artists on the podcast included Avis Reese of Danielle Ponder’s band, Joe Stehle of The Sideways, Teagan Ward, Tyler Westcott of Folkfaces, and Facciolo herself.

By November 2020, however, Albert had begun a second podcast called Rochester Business Connections in which local business professionals in a wide range of fields have shared their work experiences and tips with listeners. For him, choosing Siena Facciolo to host a new show under the Rochester Groovecast banner was about finding the ideal person to whom he could relinquish creative control while keeping the Rochester Groovecast name visible and relevant.

Facciolo sees some clear connective tissue between Rochester Groovecast and The Process. She recalls her appearance on the former podcast and how Albert took interest in her and her bandmates as people in a way that went beyond the music, a quality she looks to continue in her own show, even as she expands its scope to include visual artists as well as musicians.

And where the conversations on Rochester Groovecast would typically revolve around a particular song or album of the musician being interviewed, conversations on The

Process are less structured and more personal and intimate. In the podcast’s first episode, Facciolo and R&B-soul musician Zahyia opened up to each other about mental health struggles and their effects on creativity.

“So many people are living with these things, and we just need to talk about it so that people don’t feel as alone,” Facciolo says.

Facciolo says the podcast exists as a way for her to commiserate with fellow artists and have therapeutic conversations while providing listeners with empathy and appreciation for the lives of creative people.

“I want to get to the truth of people’s experiences. That’s all I want. I don’t care what the truth is.

I just want them to tell the truth on the podcast. That’s all I care about.”

Facciolo says the podcast is also meant to inspire people to be more creative in their own lives.

The Process is available at rochestergroovecast.com, and on other podcast streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Moving forward, Albert sees The Process as the first product of the Rochester Groovecast Collective — what he hopes will be an expanding network of podcasters, writers, and photographers that will cover the local music and culture scene.

“That’s always been the vision,” Albert says. “But it’s always been a side hustle. And it’s still a side hustle.

But part of why I’m humbled that Siena is keeping it going so strong is it’s not going anywhere. And even if this vision doesn’t come to fruition for another 10 years, it will.”

roccitynews.com CITY 17

ARTS

ROUNDUP

A

Crystal Sellers Battle is Eastman School of Music's first associate dean of equity and inclusion. PHOTO PROVIDED

EASTMAN SCHOOL MOVES TO PRIORITIZE RACIAL EQUITY WITH NEW HIRE Crystal Sellers Battle becomes the music school’s first associate dean of equity and inclusion.

BY DANIEL J. KUSHNER @DANIELJKUSHNER DKUSHNER@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM 18 CITY MAY 2022

mid a national reckoning around racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Eastman School of Music — a predominantly white institution — looked within at its own shortcomings in promoting a diverse educational community.

Led by Dean Jamal Rossi, Eastman made a public commitment to enacting lasting changes that would make it a “fully anti-racist institution.” One of those changes has recently come to fruition: In March the renowned music school appointed Crystal Sellers Battle to two new positions: associate dean of equity and inclusion and director of the George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion in Music. The Walker Center will serve as a meeting place for students as well as groups such as the Black Students Union at Eastman.

“It’s going to be a learning pattern in the first year, for me to learn the culture of Eastman very well, but also for Eastman to learn about where we need to move forward and how we can be truly inclusive of all and not just stop at anti-racism,” says Sellers Battle, who begins her role as associate dean on June 1. “We need to go to anti-bias, we need to go to anti-misogyny, we’ve got to go to all of these different areas and make sure that we’re truly inclusive of all in all these areas. That’s my number one goal.”

Sellers Battle was previously the music department chair at Bluffton University in Ohio, where she also chaired the school’s anti-racism task force and was the founding director of Project H.O.M.E., the institution’s mentorship program for any new students who have been historically underrepresented in the academic community. Most recently, Sellers Battle served as dean of equity, diversity, and inclusion at Juniata College in Pennsylvania. She was there for one school year.

“I missed music a little bit more than I thought I would and being immersed in that environment was really important to me,” Sellers Battle said of her decision to join the senior leadership team at Eastman.

Sellers Battle’s extensive experience in steering academic institutions toward social justice also includes DIEMA Consulting, a company she

co-founded with Jackson State’s music department chair Lisa Beckley Roberts.

The pair wanted to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion at music schools.

With that in mind, Eastman School of Music was “the perfect place” to combine her enthusiasm for DEI and music, says Sellers Battle.

She was one of more than 20 candidates considered for the associate dean position, in a search that began last fall and concluded in March 2022.

Rossi created the Eastman Action Commission on Racial Justice in June 2020 to investigate the music school’s systemic inequities of the past and present and prescribe short-term and long-term goals for changes in the admissions process, curriculum, musical repertoire, cultural life, and other areas.

Four months later, the commission — comprising Eastman students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community leaders — issued its final report with a total of 205 recommendations. Among the nine recommendations of “highest importance,” which the commission suggested be implemented within a year, was the hiring of a dean who would specialize in “Diversity, Equity, Access, and Belonging.”

Brianna Garçon, a senior horn performance major and the president of the Black Students Union at Eastman, was a key member of both the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice (EACRJ) and the search committee that helped to select Sellers Battle as associate dean.

“Diversity and inclusion isn’t just something you start doing,” Garçon says. “And I think a lot of applicants were so recent. After the summer of 2020, they wanted to start getting involved in this, whereas she has continually just done this, like, this is her life. This is what she does.”

Garçon and other executive board members of the Black Students Union also met with Rossi last summer to provide input for the creation of the George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion.

As the school has taken steps toward anti-racism and diversity, it has also dealt with recent controversy, including allegations of racial profiling.

In May 2021, Eastman flute major and Rochester native Jahshanti Henry posted an Instagram video in which a school security guard repeatedly asked

him to show ID after a fellow student reported him as “suspicious.”

Garçon says that the incident demonstrated that the EACRJ report itself is not enough to solve the underlying problems. “I think Jahshanti really showed this is embedded into the system,” she says.

“We have a full, 200-page report about these instances, and they’re still happening? It’s still not ok.”

Garçon says that in order for Black musicians to achieve success in classical music, they are typically expected to change the way they talk, what they wear, or the music to which they listen.

She says that as a freshman, she was similarly reported by a fellow student, after failing to produce her ID. She also recalls receiving a noise complaint for rap music she had on in her dorm room, while a neighbor playing traditional classical music loudly wasn’t admonished.

“I feel as if I have to convert — to assimilate in a way — to the culture

here at Eastman in order to not be perceived as other. And if you go outside of that grain and try to truly be your full Black self, it is perceived as dangerous.”

For Sellers Battle, creating an environment in which students feel they truly belong is essential. She sees the George Walker Center as a key component.

“I think the George Walker Center and the place that students of color will have, just to be, is going to be a wonderful opportunity,” Sellers Battle says. “Because that is a place that is really sometimes lacking at our institutions, is that we assume that the place to be for all students works the same way for all students and it doesn’t.

Sometimes there’s a place where you gotta let your hair down. And it needs to be a safe space and a space that isn’t being embodied by people who are trying to tell them how their journey is supposed to go.”

Black Students Union President Brianna Garçon was a pivotal member of the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice. PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH roccitynews.com CITY 19

ARTS

ROUNDUP

RoCo's "6x6" exhibit is back, and this year’s sale of small, square artworks includes a fundraiser-within-a-fundraiser for two Puerto Rican islands. PHOTO PROVIDED

IT’S HIP TO BE SQUARE — AND AWARE

BY REBECCA RAFFERTY @RSRAFFERTY BECCA@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

Now in its 15th year, Rochester Contemporary Art Center’s popular annual fundraiser, “6x6,” returns this year in a hybrid virtual and in-person iteration after a canceled event in 2020 and modified exhibition and sale of square-shaped art in 2021. And though the opening party and artwork sale takes place in early June, things get started this month with the online and in-gallery previews of this year’s 6-by-6-inch artworks, kicking off May 13 and May 31, respectively.

As usual, thousands of artworks, donated by professional and amateur artists from all corners of the world will line the entire art center and each will be available for purchase at a cost of $20.

On June 2 you can bid for early buying positions, which allow the winners to purchase artworks early during the First Friday preview party on June 3. The virtual opening party and artwork sale takes place from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 4. Admission to the virtual party is $15 ($10 for RoCo members).

Online purchasing opens June 7 at 10 a.m. and continues indefinitely, as unsold artworks from each year are still viewable and purchasable through RoCo’s website.

20 CITY MAY 2022

And normal in-person gallery hours resume on June 8.

New this year is an exhibition-withinan-exhibition and a fundraiser-within-afundraiser titled “Square the Love,” which is a selection of 6-by-6 artworks made in Puerto Rico. The pieces will be presented to raise awareness about environmental contamination from hazardous materials left at the sites of former U.S. military bases and the resulting humanitarian crisis on the Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra. The Department of Defense is engaged in cleanup efforts — of substances left from exploded underwater munitions and other contaminants in the waters surrounding the islands — that it estimates will continue through 2032 and cost $800 million.

This set of artworks will be available for $40 each ($20 will support RoCo and $20 will support La Fundación de Culebra, which protects the history, environment, and culture of Culebra and Vieques). And on June 30, a separate fundraiser event will be held at RoCo for la Fundación. More information about “6x6” is available at rochestercontemporary.org.

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www.col-care.com/location/rochester New York Medical Marijuana ID required to make a Medical Marijuana purchase. roccitynews.com CITY 21

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT

On “It’s Time…to Rise from the Grave,” Undeath continue a streak of bloody fun

On Undeath's sophomore release, the band continues a brutal streak of death metal.

From left: Matt Browning, Kyle Beam, Alex Jones, Tommy Wall, Jared Welch PHOTO PROVIDED

BY GINO FANELLI @GINOFANELLI GFANELLI@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

P

icture driving a car on the freeway at 95 mph, the wind picking up as storm clouds creep over the horizon. The chassis is rattling in the most unsettling of ways and at any moment disaster seems imminent, even though your wheels have a tight grip on the road below.

That’s roughly how it feels listening to Rochester death metal quintet Undeath’s sophomore release, “It’s Time…to Rise from the Grave,” which went on sale at the end of April.

A follow-up to 2020’s “Lesions of a Different Kind,” the band’s second offering is a musical cataclysm, with the tracks held together by perpetual grooves and infectious riffing. “It’s Time…” is a masterwork of control over cacophony, of maintaining cohesion while teetering ever-so-close to complete destruction.

Death metal is, despite its gruesome exterior, a delicate art form. A band reveling in brutality still needs to have structure, a task Undeath takes to heart.

“Trying to write a catchy death metal song, it’s just like any other song,” said Kyle Beam, lead guitarist and main 22 CITY MAY 2022

songwriter for Undeath. “You need a good idea, you need to expand on the idea, and the rest of the track needs to follow that idea.”

The album opens with the track “Fiend for Corpses,” which is stylistically similar to the 1990s Cannibal Corpse catalog. The song also sets the tone for “It’s Time...” with a pulsing yet punishing groove that permeates the rest of the tracks. Drummer Matt Browning and guitarist Jared Welch create a rock-solid foundation that anchors the madness of Beam’s frantic guitar riffs and Alex Jones’s crushing, guttural vocals.

On “Bone Wrought,” Beam breaks into a spacey, discordant solo while the blasting rhythm section holds the track together. The band tauntingly approaches sheer noise before pulling back while maintaining its headbanging rhythmic lifeblood — a dynamic likely familiar to fans of experimental music and free jazz.

Extreme music tends to eschew pop sensibilities, favoring brutality over hooks and choruses. While Undeath creates loud, abrasive music, their songs

follow clear structures. Jones’s vocals are guttural and intense, yet his lyrics are not indecipherable.

The result is ideal earworm fodder, best exemplified on the album’s title track, “Rise from the Grave.” The galloping guitar riffs conjure up memories of Entombed’s seminal album “Wolverine Blues.” In the chorus, Jones’s growls of “It’s time to rise from the grave” are nothing short of anthemic.

“Even in a genre like death metal that isn’t necessarily lyric-forward, I still like knowing what the people are saying,” Jones said in his 101st interview in promotion of the new album. “So I try to approach it with the same mentality.”

Undeath describes its sound as “skull-crushing death metal” and the same blood-and-guts imagery from “Lesions of a Different Kind” is alive and well on “It’s Time…”

The track “Human Chandelier” is about building a chandelier out of human bones. On “Necrobionics,” the band tells the story of a man being torn apart and rebuilt as a robo-human killing machine, with a chorus of “Biomechanical ligaments/ Bloody stumps turned super weapons.”

Another track is pointedly titled “Head Splattered in Seven Different Ways.”

If it seems gratuitous or just plain goofy, that’s because it should be. While death metal can be a genre which can delve into illusory self-seriousness, Undeath plants its tongue firmly in-cheek. It’s a spectacle of macabre that’s heavy, intense, and brutal. Most importantly, it’s fun.

roccitynews.com CITY 23

NEW MUSIC REVIEWS

“IT’S MUSIC”

BY ROSE & THE BROS After releasing its self-titled debut in 2019, Ithaca’s Rose & The Bros returns with “It’s Music,” which finds the band pushing beyond its Cajun and country roots to incorporate folk and Americana influences with a greater emphasis on original material.

Indeed, singer-guitarist Paul Martin wrote six of the album’s tunes — three more than on the first album — including the opening title track, whose buoyant lyrics set the tone for the rest of the record. At its heart, Rose & The Bros remains a dance band, with Rosie Newton’s accordion and Steve Selin’s fiddle driving most of the 12 songs.

The group’s secret weapon is the rhythm section of drummer Greg Evans, who teaches jazz at Ithaca College and Cornell University, and bassist Angelo Peters, who has played Afrobeat, reggae, and roots rock with Big Mean Sound Machine, the Crucial Reggae Social Club, and Swamp Kids, respectively. Their diverse backgrounds allow them to impart some subtly different feels to the grooves, which Sally Freund augments on the scrub board and triangle.

Martin and Newton trade lead vocals on some songs, and share harmonies on others. Their winsome voices lend a homespun vibe to the album, which was recorded and mixed by Peters at his Black Bear Studio in Danby, and mastered by Alex Perialas at Pyramid Sound Studio in Ithaca.

24 CITY MAY 2022

After covering James Taylor (“Bartender Blues”), Red Hayes (“Satisfied Mind”), and Julie Miller (“Don’t Listen to the Wind”) on its debut, Rose & The Bros continue to expand its rootsy terrain by tackling bluegrass icon Peter Rowan’s “Walls of Time” and British folk legend John Martyn’s “Don’t Want to Know,” which they first heard in a version by the late New Orleans blues-funk legend Dr. John.

The sextet again pays tribute to the three Louisiana stalwarts they feted on their debut, covering Keith Frank’s bouncy accordion instrumental “At the Trail Ride,” Dennis McGee’s twin-fiddlefueled “La Reel de Barza” and “Valse a Pop,” and Bobby Charles’s bucolic “I Must Be in a Good Place Now.” The album closes with Martin’s “As Time Goes By,” a lovely ballad featuring Chris Stafford, of the Louisiana Cajun band Feufollet, on pedal steel. Martin and Newton, who are married and just had their second child together, sing the heartfelt lyrics in a close harmony that reflects their strong yet still-growing relationship.

It’s the perfect song for a slow dance after a slate of upbeat tunes.

Rose and the Bros plays an album release dance party at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, kicking off the 2022 Big Sky Music Studio Concert Series at Sweet Land Farm in Trumansburg, N.Y. Tickets are $18 and are available online at bigskymusicstudio.com; roseandthebros.com.

— BY JIM CATALANO

INSIDE WXXI PUBLIC MEDIA | WXXI-TV PBS AM 1370/FM 107.5 NPR l WXXI CLASSICAL WRUR-FM 88.5 l THE LITTLE THEATRE

Kevin Young

FRIDAYS AT 8:30 P.M. BEGINNING MAY 6 ON WXXI-TV Four-time New York Times bestselling author Kelly Corrigan hosts insightful conversations with notable guests, reflecting on their lives and the impact they can have on their worlds.

Lilly Singh

THIS SEASON’S GUESTS: Anna Deveare Smith Richard Lui Greg Boyle Judd Apatow Kevin Young Sam Powers Robin Roberts Kate Bowler Lilly Singh Anthony Ray Hinton

Robin Roberts

roccitynews.com CITY 25

LET

BE YOU R

Looking to take up a new hobby? Cooking, gardening, home improvement, travel – WXXI-CREATE brings you the best of public television’s lifestyle programming, 24-7. Start painting, plan your next travel excursion, cook up something spectacular – you’ll find all the inspiration you need on WXXI-CREATE.

For home improvement buffs…

For foodies…

This Old House (Mondays & Fridays at 8 a.m. & 2 p.m.)

Ask This Old House (Mondays & Fridays at 8:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.)

Classic Woodworking > (Tuesdays at 2 p.m.)

America’s Test Kitchen (Wednesdays & Fridays at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.)

Lidia’s Kitchen (Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. & 9:30 a.m.)

Kevin Belton’s Cooking Louisiana > (Tuesdays & Sundays at 7:30 p.m.)

Photo courtesy Denny Culbert

For wandering souls…

Photo by Denny Culbert

For budding artists and crafters…

Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross (Weekdays at 11:30 a.m. & 11:30 p.m.) < Quilting Arts (Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7 a.m. & 1 p.m.)

It’s Sew Easy (Sundays at 7 a.m.)

Rick Steves’ Europe (Weekdays at 11 a.m. & 10 p.m.) < Field Trip with Curt Stone (Tuesdays & Sundays at 7 p.m.)

Travels with Darley (Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.)

Photo courtesy Hames Sturcke

For health and well-being…

Classical Stretch:

By Essentrics (Saturdays and Sundays at 6 a.m. & 8 a.m.)

Happy Yoga with Sarah Starr > (Saturdays at 6:30 a.m.)

At One with Nature: National Parks (Tuesdays at 10 a.m., 5 p.m., and 11 p.m.)

Photo provided

For green thumbs…

J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom (Tuesdays at 6 a.m.)

Family Plot: Gardening in the Mid-South (Sundays at 11:30 a.m.)

Urban Conversion > (Wednesdays at 6:30 a.m.)

Photo provided

Photo provided

26 CITY 2022 FOR AMAY CO M PL ET E L I ST O F P R O G RA MS A N D A I R T I ME S , V I SI T WX X I .O RG /C RE AT E

WXXI TV • THIS MONTH

Great Performances: Merry Wives

Tuesday, May 10 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV Narrated by Jason Momoa, discover the inspiring story and considerable impact of five-time Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku. He shattered swimming records and globalized surfing while overcoming racism in a lifetime of personal challenges.

Friday, May 20 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV Recorded summer 2021 at The Public Theater’s beloved Free Shakespeare in the Park, Great Performances presents playwright Jocelyn Bioh’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedic spinoff The Merry Wives of Windsor. A New York story about tricks of the heart, featuring the Bard’s most beloved comedic characters, this farce tells the story of the charlatan Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a celebration of Black joy, laughter, and vitality.

Credit: Courtesy of The Paragon Agency

Photo: Pascale Armand and Susan Kelechi Watson l Credit: Courtesy of Joe Sinnott

Lionel Richie: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song

National Memorial Day Concert 2022

American Masters l Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha

Tuesday, May 17 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song salutes musician Lionel Richie. The Alabama-born songwriter is known for his smooth voice and deft touch for the romantic ballad. His unforgettable work has shown us that music can bring us together.

Sunday, May 29 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV For over three decades, the National Memorial Day Concert has brought us together as one family of Americans to pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, their families at home, and all those who have given their lives for our country.

Credit: Courtesy of Capitol Concerts

Credit: Courtesy of Joe Shymanski/Sora Devor roccitynews.com CITY 27

TURN TO WXXI CLASSICAL FOR MUSIC PERFECTLY TUNED TO YOUR DAY

Cinco de Mayo: Viva ¡México!

Thursday, May 5 at 3 p.m. on WXXI Classical Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, where the Mexican army defeated the French forces of Napoleon the Third, remains a day that acknowledges Mexican heritage in the United States. In this special, Venezuelan born host and pianist Ines Guanchez will share the history of Cinco do Mayo through the music of Mexican and Chicano composers from the past and present that celebrates Mexican national pride and heritage.

Memorial in Song with John Brancy and Peter Dugan Monday, May 30 at 3 p.m. on WXXI Classical Inspired by World War I, this radio special explores the timeless themes of longing, loss, love, and the search for peace in the wake of war. Co-hosted and performed by GRAMMY Award winning baritone John Brancy and Peter Dugan, pianist and host of NPR’s From the Top, the WWI-era musical selections range from popular song by Ivor Novello and Irving Berlin to contemporaneous art songs by George Butterworth and Charles Ives.

Support public media.

Become a WXXI Member!

Whether it’s television, radio, online, or on screen, WXXI is there with the programs, news, and information — where you want it and when you want it.

If you value PBS, NPR, PBS Kids, WXXI News, WXXI Classical, and so much more, consider becoming a member.

Carnegie Hall Live Tuesdays at 8 p.m. beginning May 17 on WXXI Classical This new season of Carnegie Hall Live broadcasts features concert recordings captured live from New York City’s worldfamous concert hall during the 21-22 season. The series begins with Carnegie’s dramatic Opening Night Gala following the Hall’s closure during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues with performances from some of the classical music world’s most esteemed artists.

28 CITY MAY 2022

Visit WXXI.org/support to choose the membership that works for you. There are many giving levels with their own special benefits, including becoming a sustaining member.

AM 1370, YOUR NPR NEWS STATION + WRUR-FM 88.5, DIFFERENT RADIO

The Documentary: War on Truth Sunday, May 1 at 9 p.m. on AM 1370/FM 107.5 What’s fake, what’s real? Sharing stories from the information war over Ukraine, BBC disinformation reporter Marianna Spring speaks to people caught up in the battle for the truth.

Spotlight on the Confusion of Covering Mental Health Care Sunday, May 8 at 9 p.m. on AM 1370/FM 107.5 This special helps make sense of what kind of mental health care is supposed to be covered, and how health plans, regulators, and you can make it easier to get the therapy you need.

The Documentary: The Advertising Trap Sunday, May 22 at 9 p.m. on AM 1370/FM 107.5 Digital advertising has taken over the world. But is it all based on smoke and mirrors? Award-winning presenter and reporter Ed Butler investigates what some people claim is a massive collective deception — a trillion-dollar marketing pitch that simply doesn’t deliver value to any of those paying for it.

Early Risers: Waking up to Racial Equity in Early Childhood Spotlight on Youth Mental Health During COVID Sunday, May 15 at 9 p.m. on AM 1370/FM 107.5 This special looks at the mental health experiences of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores the extent of the crisis and considers how schools and the systems of care available to young people can improve.

Sunday, May 29 at 9 p.m. on AM 1370/FM 107.5 George Floyd’s death was a tragedy and a wake-up call that sparked a global racial reckoning. And for more than two years, our young children have been watching it all. So how do we help them make sense of what they’re seeing and hearing? In this special, you’ll hear practical tips and insights from a variety of early childhood experts about how to talk with very young children about race and racism. roccitynews.com CITY 29

WXXI Classical Presents: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 3 p.m. Saturday, May 7 Director Ang Lee’s Best Picture-nominated, martial arts/romantic film set in 18th century China, features spectacular cinematography and martial arts action sequences. In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover (Michelle Yeoh) to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to find it.

The score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was written by Chinese born American composer Tan Dun for the 2000 Ang Lee film. The score blends Chinese harmonies and instruments with Western orchestra music, creating moods ranging from wistful romance to heroic triumph, and features cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma.

Downton Abbey: A new Era

Opens May 20 The Crawley family goes on a grand journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the dowager countess’s newly inherited villa.

7pm May 12 At The New York Times, a particular team of writers is entrusted with reflecting upon the luminaries, icons, and world leaders of our day. Here, we are introduced to those responsible for crafting these unequaled obituaries. As we are taken through their painstaking process, we learn about the pressures accompanying a career spent shaping the story of a life.

30 CITY MAY 2022

TALKBACK: Obits are more about the celebration of life than they are death.

BEYOND THE FOLD JOURNALISM ON SCREEN

A

FILM SERIES

30+ MUSIC, ARTS, AND LIFE EVENTS TO CHECK OUT THIS MONTH

DAILY

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Full calendar of events online at roccitynews.com/events

SUNDAY, MAY 1 SPECIAL EVENT

International Plaza opening day cityofrochester.gov/internationalplaza The Latin-themed La Marketa at International Plaza on North Clinton Avenue opens for the season today, and will be open each Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. through October. Each week, established businesses and emerging entrepreneurs alike will set up in kiosks, tents, and shipping containers, to create a unique marketplace for local businesses. See what’s new this season, grab a bite from the food trucks, and take in live entertainment at the pavilion while you shop.

REBECCA RAFFERTY

FUN IN THE SUN

Kite Flight Ontario Beach Park, ontariobeachentertainment.org You remember being a kid and getting on your parents’ last nerves only to have them not so gently suggest you go play outside? I was told to go fly a kite more than once. Anyway, kite flying is never a punishment, it’s a joy. Kite Flight starts at noon with kite-making workshops for kids, and later there will be entertainment, including jugglers and acrobats. There will be refreshments for sale and whatever coin you drop on them will benefit the Charlotte Community Association.

JEREMY MOULE

MONDAY, MAY 2 ART

Asian/Pacific Islander/American Association of Greater Rochester: Through and Beyond the Pandemic Link Gallery, Rochester City Hall Rochester’s City Hall has an excellent small gallery that is currently hosting an exhibit curated by Mimi Lee and dedicated to “recognizing the resiliency of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in our region.”

The works on display reflect a range of perspectives, ages, and cultures, including a self-portrait that confronts shame, titled “Being Too Asian,” a tribute to the many Filipino nurses who lost their lives in the pandemic, and contributions from members of the Indian Heritage Museum. Carve out some space in your day to see this exhibit through June 6 during City Hall’s open hours, which are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or catch the opening reception on the May 6 First Friday event from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30pm.

MONA SEGHATOLESLAMI

TUESDAY, MAY 3 MUSIC

William Chapman Nyaho, piano Eastman School of Music, esm.rochester. edu/concert In the early 1990s, pianist William Chapman Nyaho sought music by Black composers to perform, but the works of Scott Joplin were all publishers had to offer. Five books of sheet music and three albums later, Nyaho has transformed the musical landscape by

For up-to-date information on protocols, vaccination and mask requirements, and performance cancellations, consult the websites of individual venues.

making “Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora” accessible to pianists from beginners through professionals.

That music includes selections by African-American composers including Florence Price and R. Nathaniel Dett, and works from Egypt’s Halim El-Dabh and Nigerian composerethnomusicologist Joshua Uzoigwe. The Seattle-based pianist, who has a degree from Eastman, returns to Rochester to play and teach this music, including a recital that starts at 7:30 p.m.

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MUSIC

Clutch, The Sword, and Nate Bergman Anthology, anthologylive.com As far as stoner-adjacent heavy metal acts go, Clutch and The Sword are something of a modern gold standard.

In the pandemic years, Clutch has opted for live streaming concerts, which it called “Live from the Doom Saloon,” the fourth volume of which was released earlier this year. But tonight they’ll be live, loud, and in person. Singersongwriter Nate Bergman rounds out the bill.

GINO FANELLI

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 MUSIC

Rochester Mandolin Orchestra The Little Theatre Cafe, thelittle.org/music The mandolin makes me think of two things: the R.E.M. song “Losing My Religion,” which has a pretty infectious mandolin melody, and the entire catalog of The Pogues. Someone more cultured might point to the twangy instrument’s use in bluegrass or European classical music, which is more in line with what the the Rochester Mandolin Orchestra plays (facebook.com/ RochesterMandolinOrchestra). The picking and plucking starts at 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, MAY 5 FILM

Rochester International Film Festival Dryden Theatre, rochesterfilmfest.org Since its 1959 debut, the Rochester International Film Festival (once known as Movies on a Shoestring) has been a stalwart showcase of narrative, documentary, animation, and foreign language short films — all for free. This year’s iteration, screening Thursday through Saturday, spans the genres and includes the work of filmmakers from across the world.

KATE STATHIS

FRIDAY, MAY 6 THEATER

The Velvet Noose: “MAOIS: Dance of The Satyrs!”

MUCCC, mucc.org The Velvet Noose has been performing to good crowds at the Rochester Fringe Festival for years, but describing the troupe’s act is little like spotting a satyr.

The Velvet Noose is elusive. To hear the troupe tell it, they give “costumed, immersive theatrical experiences under the aegis of primeval self-exploration” using entrancing choreography embellished by droning sounds. This show is said to meld avant-garde theater and therapeutic art into a new Greek tragedy. You’ll get a visual sound bath you’ll never forget. Three shows between May 6-7.

DAVID ANDREATTA

JM

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roccitynews.com CITY 31

30+ MUSIC, ARTS, AND LIFE EVENTS TO CHECK OUT THIS MONTH

MUSIC

Overhand Sam & Bad Weapon Bug Jar, bugjar.com Most Rochester music-lovers know guitarist Sam Snyder by his nickname “Overhand Sam,” an affectionate nod to his unorthodox playing style of reaching his left hand over the guitar’s neck rather than under it. That quirk aside, Snyder is a local rock music fixture, having played in the psychedelic band Maybird and the reggae-soul outfit Thunder Body and engineered seemingly countless Rochester albums. With his band Bad Weapon, Snyder lays into a retro-’60s, psych-rock feel, complete with jangly and unpredictable guitar parts, sun-drenched vocal harmonies, buoyant bass grooves, and warm organ sounds. Math rock trio False Pockets and alternative rock-funk band Animal Sounds open this 18-and-over show, beginning at 9 p.m.

DANIEL J. KUSHNER

SATURDAY, MAY 7 THEATER

“Little Shop of Horrors” JCC CenterStage, jccrochester.org The antics of the insatiably carnivorous Venus flytrap in the front window of Mr. Mushnik’s Flower Shop on Skid Row has been devouring abusive dentists and the hearts of musical theater-goers for 40 years.

But this production may also melt the hearts of tried and true Rochester theater fans. JCC Artistic Director Ralph Meranto made his CenterStage debut in 1987 as the show’s dorky hero, Seymour Krelborn, under the theater’s late and former artistic director, Herb Katz, as Mr. Mushnik.

Meranto presents this production in memory of Katz, who died in 2020, and steps into the role of Mushnik in his honor. Curtain rises for today’s opening night at 8 p.m. Through May 22.

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DRINK

Rochester Margarita & Mimosa Festival 384 East Avenue, margaritafestroc.eventbrite.com Celebrate the storied marriage of citrus and liquor in a totally appropriate way, with a bar hop around the East End. The Rochester Margarita & Mimosa Festival has action across five bars, each offering varying versions of their namesake cocktails, along with seltzers and beer. Tickets are $20 and include special drink discounts at each venue.

GF

MUSIC

An Intimate Night with Mario Water Street Music Hall, eventbrite.com Mario broke into the music industry in 2002 with his debut hit single “Just a Friend.” The R&B artist immediately became a teen heartthrob with his smooth voice, sultry lyrics, and good looks. This is a night for single ladies and devoted couples who are ready to kick off Mother’s Day weekend with a fusion of romance and entertainment.

Doors at 7 p.m., presale tickets available and there is a VIP seating option.

RACQUEL STEPHEN

32 CITY MAY 2022

SUNDAY, MAY 8

TUESDAY, MAY 10

THEATER

MUSIC

“Calendar Girls”

Eilen Jewell

Blackfriars Theatre, blackfriars.org Based on the 2003 film of the same name starring Helen Mirren, this cheery comedy about a group of aging women who pose nude for a charity calendar is a crowd-pleaser. The cast really does bare it all on stage — although tastefully and comically — with their modesty spared only by artfully-placed cakes, knitting instruments, and flower arrangements.

Expect a play that hits just the right tone from veteran director Alexa ScottFlaherty, who has proven herself adept at striking a balance between humorous moments and more somber, reflective scenes. From May 6 through 22.

JCC Hart Theater, abilenebarandlounge.com Singer-songwriter Eilen Jewell is a familiar face to local lovers of Americana music, having played at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Historic German House, and Water Street Music Hall. Jewell’s latest visit is a part of the “Abilene on the Road” series, and will no doubt showcase her polished blend of country and Western swing-flavored originals. The smooth sincerity of her voice pairs well with the clever satire of lyrics in songs such as “79 Cents (The Meow Song)” and “Bang Bang Bang.”

Proof of vaccination is required.

DJK

DA

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 COMEDY/MUSIC

“Weird Al” Yankovic: Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, IllAdvised Vanity Tour MONDAY, MAY 9 FILM

“Holy Heist” Discovery+, discoveryplus.com A cocky Rochester cop, a conniving Catholic priest, a bashful boxer, and a quiet Irish Republican Army rebel got together, see, and . . . This isn’t the setup for a joke, but the cast of characters thought to be behind one of the biggest unsolved robberies in American history — the 1993 stickup of the Brinks depot in Rochester that netted $7.4 million. This documentary by Sebastian Mylnarski, based on the meticulouslyreported true-crime book “Seven Million,” by Democrat and Chronicle writer Gary Craig, screams Rochester.

You’ll recognize the names and the streets, but the story will surprise you.

No one will be asking former federal prosecutor Charles Pilato to be the grand marshal of the Rochester St. Patrick’s Day Parade after watching this.

Kodak Center, kodakcenter.com What comes to mind when you think of Weird? The “Dr. Demento Radio Show,” zany polkas, or perhaps“Eat It”?

Or do you find yourself in an “Amish Paradise,” singing “Y-O-D-A,” or perhaps preferring “Word Crimes” to “Blurred Lines”? Weird Al’s clever and endearing parodies initially succeed by being so up to the moment, and the best of them hold up decades later. The “selfindulgent” nature of this tour means that along with the more familiar songs, Yankovic will highlight his “non-parody material — the somewhat more obscure pastiches and original songs that have largely escaped the pop culture radar.”

Tickets are $49-89.

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roccitynews.com CITY 33

30+ MUSIC, ARTS AND LIFE EVENTS TO CHECK OUT THIS MONTH

THURSDAY, MAY 12

FRIDAY, MAY 13

FILM

Beyond the Fold: “Obit”

MUSIC

Moon Gator

BICYCLING

The Little, beyondthefoldfilm.com News. Arts. Life. That’s what CITY is all about, and this one-day event rolls them all into one. “Beyond the Fold” is a six-part film and talk-back series that takes a 360-degree look at journalism through the lens of some of the best films ever made about the craft.

Tonight’s final installment of the series, the documentary “Obit,” chronicles the obituary desk at The New York Times.

Obituaries get a bad rap because most people associate them with death. In reality, the best obituaries have almost nothing to do with death and everything to do with celebrating a life. The film is followed by a discussion with Eric Grode, who has written obits for The Times, and Rochester journalist Patti Singer. CITY Editor David Andreatta (yours truly) moderates. The curtain rises at 7 p.m.

Bug Jar, bugjar.com When it comes to music, I often gravitate toward the esoteric. The more complex or eccentric the sounds are, the more intriguing they are to me.

But less can be more, too. That was my experience when first listening to the straight-forward blues rock of the Rochester duo Moon Gator. There’s something to be said for the bare-bones instrumentation of singer-guitarist Tommy Francis and drummer Chris Couture, especially when it’s delivered with the sauntering confidence and simmering energy found on their recent collection “Watchmen Session Demos.”

Moon Gator closes out an 18-and-over show that starts at 9 p.m. and includes fellow local act The Wily Tycoons and Brooklyn rock band The Velvicks. The cover is $10.

DJK

DA

Light Up the Night Ride Genesee Valley Sports Complex, reconnectrochester.org/calendar Biking at night can be a serene experience. Imagine coasting down quiet streets pulsing with lights, the crisp air flowing over your face. It’s soothing.

Reconnect Rochester is kicking off Bike Week by celebrating the glory of post-dusk pedaling with Light Up the Night. The 11-mile, slow-paced ride covers city streets and some trails; this is a social ride where comfort is top of mind. When biking in the dark it’s wise to wear light-colored clothing and to have a headlight and tail light on your bike. To make the ride fun and festive, organizers encourage participants to deck out their cycles with bike lights and glow sticks. One thing’s for sure, this group will be hard to miss on the road.

Ride starts at 7 p.m.

JM

SATURDAY, MAY 14 FILM

Saturday Night Rewind: “Spaceballs”

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The Little Theatre, facebook.com/ SaturdayNightRewind/ Mel Brooks has been threatening a sequel to his iconic satiristic space farce for years. Seriously. Yogurt, Brooks’ hilarious interpretation of Yoda, openly jokes about “Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.” Anyway, this movie is classic and for good reason. Set your ship to Ludicrous Speed, brace yourself, and go plaid on your way to The Little, where you can laugh until you Barf. The showing starts at 8 p.m., admission is $11.

JM

MUSIC

The Moho Collective Three Heads Brewing, threeheadsbrewing.com For more than a decade — and over the course of two full-length albums and two EPs — instrumental trio The Moho Collective has won over fans with its superior technical prowess and infectious rock grooves. Drummer Ryan Barclay, guitarist Kurt Johnson, and bassist Justin Rister’s collective chemistry propel them through mercurial compositions that also draw from jazz, funk, and world music influences. The band’s latest releases — the acousticdriven, contemplative “Soma,” and the brighter, ambitiously arranged “Arka,” are a testament to the emotional range of the music. The Moho Collective was the first band to grace the stage at Three Heads Brewing, and they’ll do so again soon after the doors open at 8 p.m.; $10 cover.

DJK

SUNDAY, MAY 15 DANCE

Rochester City Ballet: The Firebird Fort Hill Performing Arts Center, Canandaigua; Nazareth College rochestercityballet.org How to defeat an oppressive ruler who uses his power for ill and seeks to dominate the land? In this Russian fairytale ballet, love and heroism carry the day — with some magical help from an enchanted bird. The dances of love, death, swords, and sorcery are choreographed by Robert Gardner to Igor Stravinsky’s lush score, composed in 1910 when he was a young, mostly unknown composer, delighting Parisian audiences before just a few years later shocking them with his daring “Rite of Spring.” Performances take place at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center May 1315, and at Nazareth’s Callahan Theater from May 20-22.

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MUSIC

Ember Bop Shop Records, bopshop.com Jazz, for all its virtuosity and harmonic complexity, can sometimes suffer from being too busy. Not so with the music of Ember, the jazz trio from Brooklyn featuring alto saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis, bassist Noah Garabedian, and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. The group’s arrangements

are never overcrowded, allowing plenty of space for each instrument to shine without any one musician dominating the spotlight. As evidenced on Ember’s 2021 album “No One Is Any One,” the music can range from the near-ambience of “Pilot Light” to the dizzying precision of “Glass House.” Music starts at 8 p.m.; tickets are $20.

DJK

MONDAY, MAY 16 MUSIC

Jazz at UUU Art Collective UUU Gallery, uuuartcollective.com If you’re looking for the late night jazz fest spirit outside of that week in June, you can find it most Monday nights on State Street. The first set starts around 8 p.m., but the real magic happens in the second set, when musicians who have been haunting the corners of the gallery with their instrument cases are invited to step in. A vibraphone rolls up.

A trombone slides in. Things get wilder, weirder, and more wonderful, until… well, I can’t tell you where it ends up.

When I reluctantly dragged myself out of there at 11 p.m. one night, the music showed no signs of stopping. All this for just a $5 cover.

athleisure-wear company Jojomon (no resemblance to Lululemon, nope, none at all) is peaceful, until a scandal forces corporate shills to strike a warrior pose.

Watch for the conflicted yes-men who furtively dare to utter the forbidden word: “stress.” May 10 through June 5.

DA

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 MUSIC

Tori Amos: “Ocean to Ocean Tour” Kodak Center, kodakcenter.com Sharp wit and poetic lyrics have made Tori Amos one of pop’s most compelling personalities since the release of her “Little Earthquakes” album 30 years ago. This tour takes its name from her 16th studio album, which she began in early 2021, and delves into personal loss, the cruelty of the world, and the will to keep on going. “In a career that spans nearly three decades,” Spin magazine wrote of her latest work, “giving so much of herself at every stage, ‘Ocean to Ocean’ feels like something stylistically new — big, sweeping, mythic — with a nod to her ‘Little Earthquakes’-esque earlier work.” Tickets range from $37$87.

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THURSDAY, MAY 19 THEATER

“Placebo”

TUESDAY, MAY 17 THEATER

“Yoga Play” Geva Theatre Center, gevatheatre.org Most of the 36 million Americans who practice yoga say they started for “stress relief and flexibility.” But the other 290 million Americans who think a downward-facing dog is a canine that just got scolded for making a mess on the living room floor could get the same benefits by catching this romp of a play

by Dipika Guha. Life at the booming

MuCCC, muccc.org Did you know the word “placebo” derives from the Latin phrase “to please” and dates to the Middle Ages, when it referred to professional mourners who were “hired to act like they care”? That’s just one tidbit you’ll learn from Out-ofPocket theater company’s production of Melissa Jane Gibson’s smartly-written play about a woman who’s testing an experimental drug to increase women’s sexual arousal. Directed by local stage veteran Jeff Siuda, who runs Out-ofPocket with his wife, Stephanie Siuda, this production promises a dose of theatrical Viagra. The show runs May 13-21.

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roccitynews.com CITY 35

30+ MUSIC, ARTS AND LIFE EVENTS TO CHECK OUT THIS MONTH

FRIDAY, MAY 20

MONDAY, MAY 23

MUSIC

MUSIC

Bad Cop/Bad Cop

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, with Sunny War

Bug Jar, bugjar.com I first heard Bad Cop/Bad Cop when it released 2017’s outstanding “Warriors,” a record that blew away this aging, jaded punk. Then the band topped it with 2020’s “The Ride,” and specifically the song “Simple Girl.” It’s a forceful ode to the complexities of womanhood with its refrain of “I’ll never be a simple girl,” which reminds me that so many of the women in my life (and yours) are badasses — my mom, my partner, my friends, my colleagues. This show will set you back $15 in advance, $18 at the door, but I bet it will be worth it.

JM

SATURDAY, MAY 21 COMEDY

Kevin Nealon Comedy @ The Carlson, carlsoncomedy.com Nealon has been a staple on TV and the stand-up comedy circuit since his years on “Saturday Night Live,” where he was perhaps best known as host of the show’s “Weekend Update” and for playing Franz opposite Dana Carvey’s Hans. From his past critical acclaim on “Weeds” and “Man With a Plan,” Nealon has proven himself a reliably funny foil. He took his wry, observational humor on the road for three months beginning in April, with stops scheduled all over the country, including a three-show run at Rochester’s premier comedy club from May 19-21.

DA

Abilene Bar and Lounge, abilenebarandlounge.com Sarah Shook’s music has been described as a mix of country and punk, though a few years ago it seemed that while the attitude was punk, the sound was pure country. A few years and a couple albums later (including this year’s “Nightroamer”), Sarah Shook & The Disarmers have added a bit more rock to the country twang. Folk-punk musician Sunny War opens. Doors are at 6 p.m., music starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $20 in advance or $25 if you wait to get them at the door. Proof of vaccination required.

MS

TUESDAY, MAY 24 SPECIAL EVENT

Ease on Down 2022 Thurston Village, easeondown14619. business.site The 12th annual Thurston Brooks Arnett Business Association’s neighborhood crawl takes place in the 19th Ward from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, May 21 through Sunday, May 28. The week-long festivities include food, live entertainment, giveaways, and more. Win prizes by collecting game cards at participating businesses.

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SUNDAY, MAY 22 BUSINESS

The Man vs The Mogul: A Business Summit for Men Davinci of Greece, eventbrite.com The fantastic irony of this event is that it’s curated by a woman. Monique Chatman is the owner of The Groom Room Men’s Spa Lounge in Rochester, which provides spa services and treatment for men.

This particular summit will feature five local businessmen representing various career paths from fashion design to cryptocurrency. “This event is for anyone dreaming, the man with an idea, and the man who is standing still because he doesn’t know his next step,” Chatman says.

Tickets are $65.

RS

36 CITY MAY 2022

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 ART

“Duck, Duck, Shoot! The Story of American Waterbirds” Genesee Country Village & Museum, gcv.org Where can you find L.C. Smith shotguns, J.J. Audubon bird lithographs, and a collection of federal duck stamps in one exhibit? For those interested in both regional history and art, the Genesee Country Village and Museum’s John L. Wehle Gallery is a special place. Through sometime in 2023 you can check out “Duck, Duck, Shoot!

The Story of American Waterbirds,” which through art, sculpture, decoy objects, historic clothing, and curatorial

information explores sustenance and culinary practices, over-hunting, and the birth of waterfowl conservation efforts.

Access to the gallery is included with general museum admission.

RR

THURSDAY, MAY 26 ART

“Portals & Portholes” Main Street Arts, mainstreetartscs.org Whenever I walk in the woods, I try to spot a specific arc of a tree branch or ring of fungi that might serve as a portal to another place — it’s something I’ve done since I was a kid. Blame it on fairy tales, but apparently I’m not the only one with such flights of imagination.

Today’s your last chance to view a portal-themed exhibition of work by 37 artists from 10 different states. They each contributed sculptures, paintings, photography, and mixed-media artworks that explore the concept of looking or passing into or out of something, whether literally or metaphorically. A window, a telephone, a birth canal, a Zoom meeting. Francisco HernandezIllizaliturri, founder of Buffalo Art Movement. selected the artwork for this juried exhibition. The Clifton Springs gallery is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays.

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FRIDAY, MAY 27 MUSIC/FILM

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Concert Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, rpo.org Scottish film composer Patrick Doyle’s music has set the scene from “Gosford Park” to “Carlito’s Way,” his work is heard in Kenneth Brannagh’s Shakespeare and adaptations of Agatha Christie stories, and he has scored the life-and-death adventures of some student wizards battling the forces of evil. The RPO performs Doyle’s music live this weekend for two screenings of the fourth cinematic installment of the Harry Potter series. The composer will be visiting Rochester for the occasion.

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SATURDAY, MAY 28 FILM

“The Grand Bizarre” screening and Q&A with filmmaker Jodie Mack Dryden Theatre, eastman.org Jodie Mack’s textile-focused animation is an ASMR dream. Eye-popping visuals flash across the screen accompanied by a scratchy DIY soundtrack with plenty of pleasing thumps. Mack says she edited the 60-minute avant-garde film using a technique she learned from weaving textiles, creating “rows” of patterns and repeating motifs. But what does it all mean? An elevation of labor, a critique of capital, and a question about how culture transforms and travels all seem likely. But don’t worry; the filmmaker herself will be on hand to answer questions after.

DAVID STREEVER

SUNDAY, MAY 29 MUSIC

Cammy Enaharo Hollerhorn Distilling, hollerhorn.com Cammy Enaharo’s calming but catchy songs have been the ideal soundtrack for contemplation and personal reflection since the arrival of her 2013 EP “A Different Kind of Comfortable.” Two albums and three singles later, the silken-voiced songwriter is still crafting acoustic pop nuggets with the help of her trusty baritone ukulele. Enaharo plays the rustic chic Spirit Room at Hollerhorn in Naples as part of the distillery and restaurant’s Sunday Social Happy Hour series from 4 to 6 p.m. A $5 cover gets you some soothing tunes and a 20-percent discount on drinks.

Reservations are required, and can be made at 585-531-2448.

DJK

SPECIAL EVENT

The Lucky Flea 320 N. Goodman St., theluckyflea.com The open-air hipster shopping extravaganza in the Neighborhood of the Arts returns today, and repeats from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Sunday while the good-weather season holds. Shoppers can find arts and crafts for sale peppered among the dozens of booths of vintage clothing and tchotchkes. Looking for clothing with the Kodak logo, or a set of ’70s kitschy canisters for the kitchen?

You just might find it at The Lucky Flea.

Food trucks are usually on site as well.

There is free parking around Village Gate Square.

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MONDAY, MAY 30 SPECIAL EVENT

Memorial Day Parade East and Alexander, cityofrochester.gov Memorial Day falls on a Monday each year, which means a long weekend, and an excuse for many families to make travel plans or go on their first camping trip of the season. If you’re staying in town, set up your lawn chairs along East Avenue for the city’s Memorial Day Parade, which steps off from Alexander Street at 10 a.m. and follows the same route as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Though it’s a commemoration for those who have served and fallen, the honks and lights of firetrucks — and the chance to catch some candy — is always fun for the kids.

TUESDAY, MAY 31 SPECIAL EVENT

Roc Meat Hot Fest Rochester Public Market, rohrbachs.com/ events/2022/5/31/roc-meat-hot-fest Little in the local culinary world is more polarizing than meat hot. Everyone has their own recipe, and everyone has an opinion on what is critical to making the best garbage plate accoutrement. Is cinnamon an abomination, or the crux of a good sauce? Is it considered a type of chili and allowed to be approached as such? Are people, like me, who use things like Garam Masala or ground lamb in their sauce sinners or innovators? These are questions for the ages, best answered by trying as many variations of the Rochester classic as possible. Tickets for the Meat Hot Festival are $25 in advance, and include a drink ticket, a plate, and tastings.

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roccitynews.com roccitynews.org CITY 37

BY REBECCA RAFFERTY

If you want to survive in this jungle of festivals, you need a good guide.

Ready to stroll in the sun while listening to tunes, browsing the wares of merchants and artists, and munching on a bag of kettle corn that’s half your height? Welcome to the 2022 festival season, which promises (fingers crossed!) an almost-full return to its pre-pandemic glory.

Dozens of festivals celebrating music, the arts, culture, gardens, and life are scheduled through the fall, state health guidelines permitting.

Some festivals became COVID casualties and aren’t returning this year, either because organizers don’t want to invest in the prep time while still unsure of the direction the virus could take, or because the planning committees and chairpersons were burned out and elected not to serve this year.

But this year’s slate of festivals feels full. Here it is in chronological order:

38 CITY MAY 2022

ROCHESTER LILAC FESTIVAL

GENEVA MUSIC FESTIVAL

One of the enduring signs of spring in Rochester is the blooming of the lilacs, and the kickoff of festival season at Highland Park. The 124th edition of the Lilac Festival follows last year’s three-weekend format, and features food trucks, vendors, and — after two long years — the return of large, live music events. The music lineup includes headliners Blues Traveler (May 6), Uprooted Band with Michael Glabieti of Rusted Root (May 12), local reggae darlings Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad (May 22), and tribute acts to Phish, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and others.

This year also welcomes the return of the Lilac Festival parade, with more than 125 marching units and more than 3,200 groups participating, the Lilac Run at Highland Park, and the Wine & Beer expos (with an expanded footprint).

New this year is the Lilac Health and Wellness Experience. rochesterevents.com/lilac-festival

This year’s theme is “New Beginnings,” a nod to the festival entering its second decade, and to the idea of musical innovation in genres, the compositional techniques, and the national styles to be presented. The music lineup includes guest artists making their debut in Geneva, including the Montose Trio, the Ulysses Quartet, and the Jeff Hamilton Trio. Returning artists include ATLYS and other favorites. Concerts take place at several venues in Geneva. genevamusicfestival.com

Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 22

ROCHESTER DACHSHUND PARADE Saturday, May 7

This month the Rochester Dachshund Parade celebrates 20 years of its annual fashion show and trot around Washington Square Park. Get your pup primped in a unique costume and head down to the park at 10 a.m. to sing Dachshund songs, participate in the fashion show, and take part in other festivities before the parade, which kicks off at 11:30 a.m. You don’t have to be a Dachshund owner to participate, but being a dog lover is certainly required. Organizations dedicated to the relief of animal suffering will be on site.

Oh, and here’s hoping there are no high winds, which in the past have delayed the event for fear that the little dogs will blow away! Dachshundparade.com

Friday, May 20 through Sunday, June 12

TREE PEONY FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS

Saturdays and Sundays, May 21 through Sunday, June 5 For three weekends starting in late May, the private Linwood Gardens opens its grounds to the public for the blossoming of the tree peonies, which turn the already serene spot into a veritable paradise. The grounds are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each weekend, and advance reservations are required.

Admission is a $10 suggested donation per adult (kids get in free) or $15 per adult if you’d like to take part in the guided historical tour, which lasts an hour and includes information about the history of the summer house, family, and gardens at 1912 York Road West, Linwood, Livingston County. Sweet Arts Bakery will be on site with light lunch and treats for purchase. More info at linwoodgardens.org/festival2022.

GLASSFEST

Thursday, May 26 through Sunday, May 29 Appropriately hosted in Corning, home of the Museum of Glass, GlassFest is a celebration of glassmaking and so much more. In addition to a Friday night “Featured Artist Stroll” — where you can watch live glassmaking and shop for finished wares — there’s live music and entertainment, food, drinks, and more. gafferdistrict.com/events/annualevents-festivals/glassfest-2022

ANNUNCIATION ROCHESTER GREEK FESTIVAL

ROCHESTER COCKTAIL REVIVAL

Spanakopita, gyros, lamb shanks, flaming cheese, dancing, refreshing drinks, kids’ activities, and shopping at the Greek marketplace await the whole family at the Greek Orthodox Church, 962 East Ave. rochestergreekfestival.com

Celebrating nine years, this week-long celebration of the craft of cocktails hosts dozens of events that take you on a tour of 27 different Rochester bars.

This is one of the social events of the summer. rochestercocktailrevival.com

FAIRPORT CANAL DAYS

ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB’S OUTDOOR EXPO

Thursday, June 2 through Sunday, June 5

Friday, June 3 through Sunday, June 5 Celebrating 45 years, Fairport Canal Days returns with three days of music, food vendors, and art merchants, as well as the popular Erie Canal rubber duck race for charity. fairportcanaldays.com

19TH WARD SQUARE FAIR Saturday, June 4

Each first Saturday in June, the 19th Ward Association hosts the Square Fair, a neighborhood festival celebrating community. The event is held in Aberdeen Square, 330 Post Ave., and kicks off with a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by games and activities for kids, local vendors, entertainment, and more until 4:30 p.m. A parade starts at 11 a.m., leaving from the 19th Ward Community Association office at 216 Thurston Road. 19wca.org

THE FAST & THE FURRIEST Saturday, June 4

A must-attend event for animal lovers, the 16th annual The Fast & The Furriest Dog Walk and Pet Fest returns as an inperson event for the first time in two years, featuring a 5K and 10K walk, live music, food trucks, sponsor giveaways, vendors, pet contests, and other activities for families, including the furrier members.

A virtual option for the dog walks will be available for those who can’t attend in person. Proceeds from the race and fest help fund food, shelter, enrichment, and medical care for shelter animals, and support adoption, lost and found, and spay/neuter programs. 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Rochester Animal Services, 184 Verona St. vsas.org

Monday, June 6 through Sunday, June 12

Saturday, June 11

Want to be outdoorsy, but don’t know where to start? The annual Outdoor Expo includes demonstrations and workshops for hiking, canoeing, kayaking, backpacking, camping, bicycling and other related outdoor activities, all presented by a variety of local clubs and organizations. The day’s soundtrack will be provided by Golden Link Folk Singing Society. Sponsored by the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club and Monroe County Parks, the festival will take place 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Beach Area of Mendon Ponds Park, Douglas Road, Mendon.

Admission is free. gvc-adk.org.

ROCHESTER REAL BEER EXPO Saturday, June 11

After a two-year delay, this South Wedge celebration of suds returns to celebrate its 10th year with a showcase of 120 craft beers and street party with live music and food vendors. The event takes place from 6 to 10 p.m., with a VIP hour kicking off at 5 p.m. Tickets are $50-$70 ($10 for DD) and the event sells out every year. All proceeds from the event fund projects like public art, community events, and neighborhood improvements. rochesterrealbeer.com

KEUKA ARTS FESTIVAL

Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12 Festivities along the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail, just a short walk from downtown Penn Yan, include fine arts and crafts vendors, food, and live blues and jazz. The free event also features family activities, clowns, and art demonstrations. keukaartsfestival.com

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DANCES AT MUCCC

Tuesday, June 7 through Saturday, June 18 The annual celebration of dance features a series of contemporary performances by a variety of choreographers and companies on the stage at 142 Atlantic Ave. This year’s highlights haven’t been announced yet, so check out muccc.org.

ROCHESTER HARBORFEST

Friday, June 17 through Sunday, June 19 Marking the opening of the summer season at Charlotte Beach as well as the 200th anniversary of Monroe County and the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse, the 2022 Harborfest features entertainment, professional sand sculpting demonstrations, a huge car show and a boat parade of lights, a volleyball tournament, children’s area, food vendors, tours of the historic lighthouse, free rides on the 116-yearold Dentzel Carousel, and more. cityofrochester.gov

ROCHESTER DEAF FESTIVAL Saturday, June 18

The free, day-long family event features vendors and exhibitors, children’s programs, food trucks, and educational opportunities. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Genesee Valley Park, 1000 East River Road. rochesterdeaffestival.wordpress.com

CGI ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Friday, June 17 through Saturday, June 25 The city almost lost this fest to the ‘burbs, but Rochester’s biggest music festival returns to downtown after all, and Gibbs Street will once more be transformed into Jazz Street in mid-June. Among this year’s headliners are Spyro Gyra (June 20), Robin Thicke (June 21), former drummer for Prince, Sheila E. (June 21), The Bacon Brothers (yep, with actor Kevin Bacon, June 24), G Love and Special Sauce (June 25), and Wynonna Judd (June 25). But with hundreds of acts, there’s something for everyone. rochesterjazz.com

40 CITY MAY 2022

STERLING RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

Saturday and Sundays, July 2 through August 14 If you thought the pandemic’s “missing years” had you in a time warp, just wait. The village world of the Sterling Renaissance Festival is set in 1585 (though you’ll find your mobile device magically still works). This recreation of Renaissance culture includes themed weekends, artisan demos, jousting, giant turkey legs and tankards of beer, tea with Queen Elizabeth I, and more.

Costumes encouraged! Have fun with it at 15385 Farden Road in Sterling. sterlingfestival.com

FINGER LAKES WINE FESTIVAL Thursday, July 7 through Sunday, July 10 Featuring more than 80 wineries, along with regional artisans, music, classes, a grand prix race, and more, this is a celebration of the fruit of the vine that you can camp out at, if you so choose.

The wine weekend is happening at Watkins Glen International Speedway, 2790 County Route 16). flwinefest.com

CORN HILL ARTS FESTIVAL

Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10 It’s never too early to start your holiday shopping. This massive artist showcase draws hundreds of artists from across the country who gather on nine historical Corn Hill neighborhood streets for a weekend of art, music performances, food, a 5K race, and more. cornhillartsfestival.com

ROCHESTER JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Sunday, July 10 through Sunday, July 17 The Rochester International Jewish Film Festival screens quality contemporary films telling the stories of Jewish people from around the world, and hosts related events such as talkbacks with filmmakers and social events. Stay tuned for schedule information. rjff.org

ROC PRIDE WEEK

ARTS AT THE GARDENS

Rochester Pride really hasn’t been itself since its former organizers, the Out Alliance, went dormant a few years ago.

Now the festival has been taken over by the community-based coalition ROC Pride Collective, which plans to restore the festival to its former glory that includes the parade, picnic, festival, an ImageOut film screening, and dance parties. trilliumhealth.org/patient-andcommunity-services/pride-2022

Work from more than 100 artists fills the Sonnenberg Mansion and gardens, plus a wine and beer garden, live music, and food. Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park is located at 151 Charlotte St. in Canandaigua. Arts at the Gardens runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. sonnenberg.org/aatg/arts-atthe-gardens

Sunday, July 10 through Saturday, July 16

CANANDAIGUA ART AND MUSIC FESTIVAL

Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17 Now in its third decade, the celebration includes a showcase of more than 150 juried artists in every medium, music, children’s activities, and food. The celebration takes place at and around 115 South Main St. in Canandaigua. canandaiguaartfestival.com

CHAMBERFEST CANANDAIGUA Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 24 Classical chamber music is the focus for a week of concerts and education about this beloved form of music. chamberfestcanandaigua.com

ROCHESTER BURGER WEEK Thursday, July 21

This year’s “week” is actually crammed into one day, so prepare your appetites.

The CITY event features a party in the parking lot of The Little Theatre with food trucks and yard games, followed by a screening of “Good Burger.” Stay tuned for updates at rocburgerweek.com.

MACEDONIAN FESTIVAL

Friday, July 22 through Sunday, July 24 Held at St. Dimitria Macedonian Orthodox Church, this annual celebration of Macedonian culture and heritage features music, dancing, and more.

Check back with the festival site for the entertainment lineup, but expect uplifting music and dancing to help work off the Mediterranean fare and pastries. The spot: 235 Telephone Road in West Henrietta.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted. macedonianfest.com

Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24

INDIGENOUS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL

Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24 The annual celebration of traditional and contemporary Indigenous culture is back on at Ganondagan State Historic Site. This year’s headliners include Shelley Morningsong (Northern Cheyenne) and Fabian Fontenelle (Zuni/Omaha), and father-son blues duo Twice As Good. The festival also includes full-regalia performances by Bill Crouse (Seneca) and the Allegany River Dancers, traditional storytellers, a Native American Arts Market, Indigenous food, arts demos, and a family discovery tent. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. ganondagan.org

WALL\THERAPY

Saturday, July 23 through Sunday, July 31 It’s the 10th anniversary of Rochester’s world-class mural festival, which has brought together local, national, and international street artists and muralists to paint the town. The official lineup of artists and related programming won’t be revealed until later, so watch walltherapy.com for details.

CANANDAIGUA LAKEFRONT ART SHOW

Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31 This celebration takes place right along the lake at Kershaw Park on Lakeshore Drive in Canandaigua. A trio of fine art, music, and food near the sparkling water makes for the perfect weekend.

Admission is free. lakefrontartshow.com

SPENCERPORT CANAL DAYS

Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31 In addition to browsing the arts and crafts vendors, noshing on festival food and washing it down with wine, and taking in entertainment, you can try an elegant carriage ride along Spencerport’s scenic streets, participate in the canaligator race (like rubber duckies, but, ya know, alligators), and check out the classic car show. Free admission. spencerportcanaldays.com

WATERFRONT ART FESTIVAL Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28

Webster’s North Ponds Park will host the 49th annual waterfront party (which moved in recent years after more than four decades in Canandaigua). It features hundreds of artists, live music, beer, wine, and cider. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. waterfrontartfestival.com

SKANEATELES FESTIVAL

Thursday, July 28 through Saturday, Aug. 30 With a tagline of “World Class Musicians by the Lake,” you know you’re in for some serious entertainment at this celebration of chamber music both classic and new. Running Thursdays through Saturdays for a month, this year’s schedule includes string quartets, folk flavors, tributes to Mozart and Shostakovich, and exploration of film scores by John Williams, Philip Glass, and Leonard Bernstein, and a vocal performance commemorating the bicentennial of Harriet Tubman’s birth. skanfest.org

LIMA CROSSROADS BLUES FESTIVAL

Thursday, Aug. 4 through Sunday, Aug. 7 Just a short jaunt over to Livingston County yields a blues festival that’s worth the trip. This year’s lineup has yet to be announced, but expect both regional and national acts, family events and activities for kids, a BBQ cookoff, and more. Limafest.org

ST. STANISLAUS POLISH ARTS FESTIVAL

Friday, Aug. 5 through Saturday, Aug. 6 Organizers say there will be a sit-down dinner Friday night (or drive-through dinner if the county shuts down gatherings), and that live music and outdoor activities are planned for Saturday. Everything is contingent upon virus positivity rates and county health mandates. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, 1150 Hudson Ave. polishartsfest.org

PAN AFRIKAN FESTIVAL Saturday, Aug. 6

Formerly called the Afrikan American Festival, this one-day event presented

by Rochester A.B.O.V.E. celebrates the various cultures of the African diaspora through entertainment and education.

In addition to live music acts there will be a literature tent, a space for health screenings, vendors, food, a children’s play area. For updates watch panaffestival.org.

PAGEANT OF STEAM

Wednesday, Aug. 10 through Saturday, Aug. 13 Now in its 62nd year, this showcase of antique steam-powered vehicles also features tractor pulls, sawmill demonstrations, a chainsaw carvings auction, live music, food, and a gigantic flea market that is worth the trip even if you don’t care about the cool old machines. The Pageant of Steam runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, at 3349 Gehan Road in Canandaigua. nysteamengineassociation.com/ pageant-of-steam

AVON ROTARY CORN FESTIVAL Saturday, Aug. 13

High on the list of favorite summer foods is a steaming ear of corn that’s just dripping with butter (or whatever fixins you favor). Even if you don’t partake in the featured corn-eating contest, you can enjoy the arts and crafts, live entertainment, and games.

Free of charge, the festival is located on Genesee Street in the Village of Avon. avonrotary.org

BROCKPORT ARTS FESTIVAL

TURTLE HILL FOLK FESTIVAL

Main Street in Brockport will be filled with artist vendors selling their wares, live music, a duck race on the canal, food — including a wine garden and farmers’ market — and a vintage car cruise-in. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, and admission is free. brockportartsfestival.com

Folkies rejoice! This annual celebration of traditional and contemporary tunes is back, featuring evening concerts on Friday and Saturday. Attendees can also interact with the performers during workshops and small presentations during the day on Saturday and Sunday, with many informal opportunities to sing and play music together. Located at the Rotary Sunshine Campus, 809 Five Points Road, Rush. Organizers are finalizing contracts with performers, so check back for the lineup at goldenlink.org.

Saturday, Aug. 13 and Sunday, Aug. 14

ROCHESTER UKRAINIAN FESTIVAL

Thursday, Aug. 18 through Sunday, Aug.21 St. Josaphat’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 940 E. Ridge Road, hosts a free celebration of traditional Ukrainian arts, food, and culture with Ukrainian folk dancers and musicians, a church tour, and more. rochesterukrainianfestival.com

FLOWER CITY BREWERS FEST Friday, Aug. 19

Hosted at the Rochester Public Market, 280 North Union St., the brew fest brings together top-notch beers from New York breweries, food, and music.

Cheers! flourcitybrewersfest.com

ROCHESTER SUMMER SOUL MUSIC FESTIVAL

Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug.27 Lovers of soul music will want to head to Frontier Field for the return of the Rochester Summer Soul Music Festival.

This year’s lineup is TBA, so check back with rocsummersoulfest.com

NEW YORK STATE FESTIVAL OF BALLOONS

Friday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 4 If you get the chance to go up in a hot air balloon, take it. The eerie stillness of the basket as the balloon glides with air currents may come as a surprise, but the views are predictably breathtaking. If you’re not a heights person, don’t worry — the sight from the ground of the balloons against the landscape is pretty great as well. The event includes six scheduled balloon launches, an international food court, arts and crafts vendors, kids’ rides, and more. nysfob.com

Friday, Sept. 9 through Sunday, Sept. 11

CLOTHESLINE ARTS FESTIVAL

Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11 For more than 60 years, Clothesline has showcased fine artists and craftspeople with booths set up on the lawn of the Memorial Art Gallery. In addition to more than 400 artists from around the country, there will be music and dance performances, food, art-making activities, and more. mag.rochester.edu/ events/clothesline-festival

ROCHESTER FRINGE FESTIVAL Wednesday, Sept. 13 through Saturday, Sept. 24 Though this is the 11th year of Rochester Fringe, the origins of Fringe date to 1947, in Edinburgh, Scotland, where eight cast-aside theater groups crashed the newly established Edinburgh International Festival, performing on “the fringe” of the festival. Today more than 200 cities worldwide celebrate a Fringe Festival, and Rochester’s Fringe has expanded from its original five days to 12 days of artistic performances and interactive events at multiple downtown venues.

Stay tuned for the lineup of acts at rochesterfringe.com.

FESTIVAL OF FOOD Monday, Sept. 19

For $50 you get to spend an early fall evening tasting food and beverages prepared by area eateries set up throughout the Public Market, 280 North Union St. All proceeds benefit Foodlink.

From 6 to 9 p.m. foodlinkny.org

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LIFE

ART MARKET

The big art festivals like Clothesline are back, but there are lots of art-centered village festivals happening throughout the spring and summer, too.

Head to Fairport Canal Days, Keuka Arts Festival, or Spencerport Canal Days (pictured) and others. PHOTO BY TED SALADYGA

ART IN THE OPEN With this list of regional art fairs, you’ll have your holiday shopping done early.

BY KATHY LALUK

A

fter winter kept us all cooped up and doing arguably too much shopping online, spring and summer provide us with opportunities to enjoy the fresh air while exploring the wares of local and regional artists. You’re familiar with the Clothesline Festival at the MAG, and Arts at the Gardens at Sonnenberg, but there are loads of little village arts fests that fill up most weekends through the fall. These are the festivals that feature art and artisans front and center. If you’re into it, make it part of your 42 CITY MAY 2022

weekend routine. It’s great to shop local and never too soon to start checking people off your holiday gift lists.

Fairport Canal Days June 3-5 | S. Main St., Fairport | fairportcanaldays.com This year marks the 45th time artists and vendors will gather along South Main Street in Fairport for the annual Canal Days. Vendors offer up everything from painted birdhouses and lawn decorations to handmade soaps and pottery. After taking a pandemic pause in 2020, the all-

volunteer crew behind this festival held a smaller fête in 2021, but say they’re eager to present a full-fledged arts fest this year.

Booths are set up along the Erie Canal, though food vendors spill over onto the village’s side streets. There will be two musical stages which will feature everything from original local artists, pop, rock, cover bands, and more. Don’t forget to buy your rubber duck for the Duck Race and cheer for it from the lift bridge.

Keuka Arts Festival June 11-12 | Keuka Lake Outlet Trail | keukaartsfestival.com The Arts Center of Yates County held a pared-down, off-season Keuka Arts Festival last fall after the pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 event. But the full festival returns this summer. Set along a narrow, meandering portion of the historic Outlet Trail in the village of Penn Yan, this year’s festival will include upwards of 100 vendors selling paintings, jewelry, basketry, wood and metal CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

roccitynews.com CITY 43

work, fiber arts, and edibles, among other things. Eight different musical acts will perform on two stages during the two-day festival. This year’s acts include Three Stone Fire, John Bolger, Feedback, the Mt. Vernon Male Gospel Chorus, and Steve Grills & the Roadmasters featuring Joe Beard.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

Corn Hill Arts Festival July 9-10 | Corn Hill Neighborhood | cornhillartsfestival.com What started as a gathering of neighbors sharing their art with one another more than five decades ago has blossomed into one of the area’s most popular summer arts festivals. For two days, more than 300 artists set up throughout Corn Hill selling posters, paintings, metal work, jewelry, and other goods, with the neighborhood’s historic homes serving as a backdrop.

The show also offers a chance for artists ages 15-23 to show and sell their work in the Emerging Artists Expo. Musical acts take over four stages, including the neighborhood’s signature gazebo.

Festival-goers can also enjoy a variety of food from local food trucks and vendors. There’s also beer and wine gardens for the adults, and facepainting, bounce houses, and chalk drawing for the kids.

Canandaigua Art & Music Festival July 15-17 | Fri. Noon to 7p.m.,Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | S. Main Street, Canandaigua | downtowncanandaigua. com/art-and-music-festival/about For more than 30 years, people have flocked to downtown Canandaigua for the annual Art & Music Festival. Featuring more than 150 juried artists working in a variety of mediums — ceramics, pottery, jewelry, woodworking, fiber, glass, photography, and gourmet food just to name a few — the festival has

grown over the years to include music (bluegrass, rock and roll, jazz,and more), children’s activities, and food trucks.

Sonnenberg’s Arts at the Gardens July 23-24 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion | $10 (adults), $5 (3-15 years), free (under 3) | sonnenberg.org/ 2022-arts-at-the-gardens Perusing works of art in the middle of Mother Nature’s artwork is one of the more unique ways to enjoy an outdoor art festival. Sonnenberg’s Arts at the Gardens features paintings, prints, ceramics, jewelry, glass, photography, fabrics, and more set in and around the mansion and across the sprawling 50-acre state historic park and garden.

The event also includes musical performances, food, and wine.

Canandaigua Lakefront Art Show July 30-31 | Kershaw Park, 155 Lakeshore Dr., Canandaigua | lakefrontartshow.com Set against the backdrop of Canandaigua Lake, artists have lined up at Kershaw Park for nearly 50 years for this annual arts fest. Nothing says “Rochester summer” like strolling along the lakeshore, browsing local art, and scarfing down a bag of kettle corn (from one of the many food vendors on site for the event).

Spencerport Canal Days July 30-31 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | spencerportcanaldays.com After two years off, Spencerport Canal Days returns this year. What started as a small art show has grown to include music and entertainment on two stages, a massive car show featuring 200-plus vintage hot rods, wine tasting, and a “Canaligator” race in the same spirit of Fairport’s and Brockport’s duck races, but with rubber alligators instead.

Vendors selling all manner of handmade items — like these scented soaps and wood sculptures from previous years — will be on hand at the Canandaigua Lakefront Art Show.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

44 CITY MAY 2022

Webster Waterfront Art Festival July 30-31 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | North Ponds Park, Webster | $3 (adults), free (kids 12 & under) | waterfrontartfestival.com The Waterfront Art Festival has been running since 1973. After moving from Canandaigua to Webster in 2015, it includes an array of works from regional artists as well as live art demonstrations. There’s also wine, beer, and cider tastings, food tents, live music, and kids’ activities. Plus, there’s plenty of shade around the pond.

M&T Bank Clothesline Festival September 10-11 | Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave. | mag.rochester.edu The Clothesline Festival has been a fixture in the Rochester art scene for more than 60 years. This year’s fest features more than 400 artists selling paintings, photographs, woodwork, clothing, pottery, and more. After going virtual in 2020, and limiting crowd sizes in 2021, festival organizers are returning this event to its full glory this year.

Brockport Arts Festival August 13-14 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | N. Main Street, Brockport | brockportartsfestival.com After a two-year hiatus, the Brockport Arts Festival returns, featuring more than 100 local and regional artisans.

Organizers are ramping up the entertainment, too, with live acts all weekend long, including a Saturday evening performance featuring North of 40. Revelers can enjoy street performers, a smorgasbord of local foods, and a wine garden featuring the best the Finger Lakes region has to offer. There’s also the annual Duck Derby Race, with more than $6,000 worth of prizes to win.

Artist Row Art Show September 18 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Rochester Public Market, N. Union Street | artistrowrochester.com Instead of the usual fruits and vegetables you often find under the sheds at the Public Market, you’ll find nearly 200 local up-and-coming artists during the Artist Row Art Show.

This juried event started in 2004 and offers $1,000 in prizes to participating artists. The entry fees are deliberately kept low to encourage emerging artists to show off their work. An estimated 20,000 people turn out for this event, which also features free music by local musicians and treats from local food trucks and vendors.

2022 SUMMER SEASON THE LUMINEERS

RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND MAY 30

WITH SPECIAL GUEST CAAMP

MAY 27

ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS JUNE 1

KENNY CHESNEY

WITH SPECIAL GUEST CARLY PEARCE

JUNE 8

FITZ & THE TANTRUMS ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES JUNE 14

CATCH THESE UPCOMING SHOWS!

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE SEASON LINEUP AT CMACEVENTS.COM

roccitynews.com CITY 45

46 CITY MAY 2022

roccitynews.com CITY 47

LIFE

FAIR FARE

Recreate some of your festival food faves at home — it's easier than you think! Try your hand at corn dogs, gyro pitas, and even fried dough. PHOTOS BY JACOB WALSH

GET YOUR CORN DOG ON! When you’ve got a craving and no carnival, make your favorite festival foods at home with these simple recipes.

BY J. NEVADOMSKI

F

or the past two years, the pandemic led to the cancellation of many regional summer festivals, and made us miss out on all the music, the art vendors, and reveling in the sun that makes the long winter worthwhile.

And let’s not forget the food.

Wandering from booth to booth with some sort of fried food on a stick in one hand and a messy confection in the other is an essential part of the season. Many of the cultural fests open up a wide world of flavors for our curious palates.

The festival setting, like a trip to the movies, comes with a permission slip to fill up on foods you likely wouldn’t prepare and eat at home. But the good news is 48 CITY MAY 2022

you can cure your craving for some of the classic festival foods in your very own kitchen.

Most of the annual festivals have announced plans to return this year; but after two years of playing life by ear, we know how best laid plans can go.

Regardless of whether the festivals take place as scheduled, follow these recipes for homegrown versions of corn dogs, gyro pitas, and fried dough all summer long.

STOVETOP CORN DOGS Serves six to eight

Possibly the most iconic of all festival foods that come on a stick, the corn dog is an American classic. Various state fair vendors and restaurants across the U.S. claim to have invented the dish in the 1940s. Corn dogs are unrivaled in the fun-to-eat department and they are fairly simple to recreate at home. They’re also easily modified into a breakfast option by subbing in pre-cooked sausage and pancake batter.

Ingredients: • 1 pack of thin all-beef hot dogs (such as Nathan’s Famous 8-pack) • 8 wooden skewers (soaked in water for 30 min.)

• 1 cup of yellow cornmeal • 1 cup of all-purpose white flour • 1 cup of whole milk • 1 egg (lightly beaten) • 4 teaspoons of baking powder • Salt and pepper (to taste) • Vegetable or corn oil for frying

Step 1: Mix the batter In a stainless-steel bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and stir until blended, adding additional milk as needed for a thick batter consistency.

Allow the mixture to rest and thicken for 10 to 15 minutes prior to frying.

Step 2: Prepare the hot dogs Insert the wooden skewers into the hot dogs, allowing about one inch between the tip of the hot dog and the pointy end of the skewer.

Step 3: Fry the dogs Use a wok or deep cast iron pan with enough oil to float the corn dogs in and pre-heat the oil on a stovetop to 300 to 350 degrees. Roll the skewered hot dogs in the thickened batter and fry the corn dogs two or three at a time, turning as needed with tongs, until golden brown and puffy. Remove from oil and let drain on a wire rack. Serve warm with classic yellow mustard for dipping, or the condiment of your choice.

AT-HOME GYRO WITH HOMEMADE TZATZIKI Serves four to six

The gyro has curiously become a staple at any carnival, festival, or fair over the past several decades, as ubiquitous as the funnel cake or Italian sausage & peppers. The traditional Greek-on-thego pita dish is traditionally made by slow-roasting layered pieces of spiced lamb on a vertical spit, and the meat is then shaved off to order. For this at home version we eliminate the spit in favor of the trusty grill and frame the gyro as a deconstructed burger.

Ingredients: • 2-4 lbs. of ground lamb • 1 yellow onion (very fine dice) • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped) • 1-2 egg yolks • 1 teaspoon of cumin • Salt and pepper (to taste)

For the tzatziki: • 2 cups of regular low-fat yogurt • 2 tablespoons of fresh garlic (chopped) • 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley (chopped) • 1 tablespoon of fresh dill (chopped) • 3 teaspoons of lemon juice • 1/4 cup of water • 1 English cucumber (peeled, seeded, and diced) • Salt and pepper (to taste) Step 1: Making the tzatziki Carefully wash, drain, and pat dry the parsley and dill. Combine with the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender and pulse on a low setting until the mixture reaches the desired consistency (thick or thin), fine-tuning with additional yogurt or water as needed. This sauce should be prepared at least 30 minutes before cooking and allowed to rest in the refrigerator prior to serving. Tzatziki will keep well in a refrigerator for up to three days.

Step 2: Prepare the burger In a mixing bowl combine the ground lamb, onion, egg yolks, parsley, cumin, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Allow the mixture to rest in the refrigerator at least two hours (or overnight) before cooking.

Form into 1/4 to 1/2 lb. patties prior to cooking (depending on preference).

Step 3: Grilling the burgers Starting your grill on a high heat, sear the burgers on both sides and reduce to medium high heat (if using gas) and allow to cook to desired doneness.

Ideally you want them to be nicely seared on the outside, very rare in the middle. Cooking time will vary depending on your equipment, but a good rule of thumb is 10 minutes per inch of thickness. So, if your burgers are about one inch thick, they will need roughly 5 minutes on each side.

Let rest five minutes before serving, then chop the burgers into strips. Best served with chopped lettuce, tomato, and onion, all rolled up in a fresh pita with a drizzle of tzatziki.

FRIED DOUGH Serves four to six

Fried dough is one of those foods that can instantly transport an adult directly back to their childhood and memories of sweet treats. Not quite a doughnut, not quite a funnel cake, and almost always associated with carnivals, festivals, fairs, or amusement parks, fried dough goes by many different names. Some call it fry-bread. Some call it an elephant ear.

Still others call it a zeppole. Whatever name you know it by, it’s easy to make at home. You can use store-bought pizza dough to simplify the process, but the real joy of making fried dough at home comes from making the dough from scratch.

Ingredients: • 3 cups of white flour (plus more for fine-tuning consistency) • 1 cup of warm water • 1 teaspoon of rapid rise dry yeast • 1 teaspoon of salt • 1 egg white • Vegetable or corn oil for frying • Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar (to taste, optional) Step 1: Overnight starter rise In a stainless steel bowl mix one cup of white flour, one teaspoon of rapid rise dry yeast, and one cup of lukewarm (not hot) water and mix until it is an even consistency. Cover the bowl with a cloth towel and let sit at least 12 hours before you intend to continue the doughmaking process.

Step 2: Finish the dough Seven to eight hours before you plan to make the fried dough, take your starter and sift in about two cups white flour, two teaspoons of olive oil, one teaspoon

of salt, and one egg white, and stir until the mixture is thick and even. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface such as a large cutting board and work the dough until it has a smooth and glossy texture, adding additional white flour as needed but being careful not to get the mix too dry.

Take a clean stainless steel bowl and lightly dust with additional flour. Work your dough into a ball and place it in the center of the floured steel bowl.

Lightly dust the top of your dough with flour and cover the bowl with a cloth towel and let rise in a warm place for about five hours.

At the five-hour mark when the dough has risen to capacity, gently rework the dough in the bowl back into a ball, dusting with flour as needed.

Cover and let rise for at least two hours before cooking.

Step 3: Fry the dough Using a wok or deep cast iron pan with enough oil to float the disks in, preheat the oil on a stovetop to 300 to 350 degrees. Divide the final dough into four to six equally sized portions, place them on a floured surface such as a large cutting board, and use a rolling pin to form them into thin, flat disks. Fry the dough disks individually, turning as needed with tongs, until golden brown and puffy. Remove from the oil and let drain on a wire rack, then lightly dust with optional powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

J. Nevadomski is the author of the longrunning “Highlife for Lowlifes” series and is a food and culture contributor to CITY. For more please visit HighlifeForLowlifes.com and IG: @JNevadomski

roccitynews.com CITY 49

LIFE

SWEAT IT OUT

Area festivals are including more health and wellness components than ever, whether it's a high intensity workout or a low-key stroll with man's best friend. FILE PHOTOS

FITNESS AT THE FESTS Grease the skids for exercise to work off all that greasy food.

BY REBECCA RAFFERTY @RSRAFFERTY BECCA@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

W

hen we think of festivals, often we envision standing around, soaking in the sun, and grazing on greasy and sugary foods. But some parts of the annual fests are specifically geared to get you moving and thinking about your health and wellness. So whether you’re ready to run a full 10K, or fresh air yoga is more your speed, read on for opportunities to focus on fitness.

50 CITY MAY 2022

Fitness amid the flowers Lilac Festival, Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15 In addition to the annual 5K and 10K races (AKA the Lilac Run on May 22), the Lilac Festival’s offerings this year also include fitness classes and a Health and Wellness Expo. Ticketed classes will take place in eight different Flower Fitness zones throughout Highland Park and include barre, yoga, rowing, high-intensity interval training (HIIT),

bootcamp, dance fitness, cycling, pilates, and T’ai Chi, offered 9 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. by Spoke Cycle and Fitness, Burn Boot Camp, M/Body, Spenga, FLX Mobility+Performance, Hikyoga, the Rochester T’ai Chi Ch’uan Center, and the JCC. Don’t be afraid to really break a sweat — between the scents of the lilacs and fried food, you’ll have olfactory cover for the rest of your visit.

A Flower Fitness day pass costs $38 and gets you access to your choice of classes at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m.

The special events tent will be open with information and products on nutrition and wellness, fitness equipment, salon and day spa services, weight loss, personal development, and more, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission is free. Visit rochesterevents. com/lilac-festival for more information and to register.

Race with your best friend The Fast & the Furriest, Saturday, June 4 A centerpiece of this annual pet fest is its 5K and 10K walk with your pooch, which includes a virtual option for those who can’t attend in person. Registration opens at 7 a.m., the 10K starts at 8 a.m., and the 5K at 8:15 a.m. Participation costs $25-$30 and proceeds benefit Rochester Animal Services,184 Verona St. vsas.org

Get mountain and woods ready Adirondack Mountain Club’s Outdoor Expo, Saturday, June 11, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

This event was made specifically for people who enjoy some level of exertion in the great outdoors. While there are a number of hiking and orienteering events during the expo, much of the event is geared toward education. Demos and workshops offer best practices and tips for hiking, canoeing, kayaking, backpacking, and camping. There will also be sessions on some related yet practical skills, such as treating water before you drink it, outdoor cooking, tying knots, and, well, doing what bears do in the woods. Hopefully that last one isn’t a live demo. Gather at the beach area of Mendon Ponds Park, Douglas Road, Mendon. Admission is free. gvc-adk.org.

An artsy run along the river Corn Hill 5K, Sunday, July 10, 9 a.m.

An annual component of the Corn Hill Arts Festival, this 5K route takes runners along the shaded Genesee Riverway, beginning in the Corn Hill neighborhood and winding past the University of Rochester, through downtown, and along the river.

Beautification construction is currently underway on the riverfront, but our fingers are crossed that the heavy machinery will be a distant memory by the dog days of summer. Registration is $30 before May 31, and $35 after. cornhillartsfestival.com

roccitynews.com CITY 51

LIFE

RURAL REVELRY

MOVEABLE FEASTS Six small town festivals built around food

BY LEAH STACY @LEAHSTACY

V

enture outside city limits, and another world awaits. Roadside farm stands with honor system cash boxes. Acres of corn, beans, cabbage, and apple orchards. Stars that twinkle visibly at night. It’s part of the beauty of this region — living in Rochester means you’re merely minutes from any lifestyle you aspire to: suburbs, country, or city.

In each microcosm of the Rochester and Finger Lakes region, there’s a strong cultural tradition of summer festivals and county fairs. A large portion of the festivals are run by local Rotary Clubs, which then donate a portion of proceeds back to the towns and various non-profit organizations. Overall, these events provide a chance for towns to boost their economy, bring in tourism, spotlight local vendors, and, of course, eat and drink. From food trucks and baking contests to local beer and wine, most festivals thrive on food. But some take it a step further, theming the entire event around their biggest edible brag.

To celebrate the resurgence of festival season after the last few dormant years, we gathered up info on six small town fests that are centered on food.

Albion Strawberry Festival June 10-11 Take a 40-minute drive to the Orleans County seat of Albion for the annual Strawberry Festival, which has been running for more than 30 years.

Sponsored by the Albion Rotary Club, this 34th annual event returns June 1011 in full force and features an annual 5K/8K run, parade, craft booths, food court, live bands, farmers market, and a turtle race. While the strawberry is the North Star of the weekend — with strawberry shortcake, strawberries on ice cream, and the like — this year’s official theme is “Together We Serve,” to spotlight local service clubs and volunteers. Vendor applications are currently open. albionstrawberryfestival.com

52 CITY MAY 2022

Lyons Peppermint Days July 15-17 The origin of this three-day festival dates back to 1839, when Lyons resident Hiram G. Hotchkiss founded The Hotchkiss International Prize Medal and Essential Oil Co. By 1860, Hotchkiss owned more than 100 acres of peppermint fields in Lyons, and his companies were producing more than a third of the peppermint oil in the United States, along with employing most of the Lyons townfolk. Now, the town is known as the “home of peppermint oil,” leading to the festival moniker. Though the festival itself doesn’t really center on its namesake, you can still find peppermint themed goods from vendors with a sense of hometown pride. This year’s fest will take place July 15-17 and feature local vendors, food, a parade, the Baby Mint competition, and a fireworks show on Saturday evening. facebook.com/LyonsPeppermintDays Phelps Sauerkraut Weekend Aug. 4-7 It’s an unexpected claim-to-fame, but the Ontario County town of Phelps was once the sauerkraut capital of the world.

And for the past 54 years, aside from a brief hiatus due to COVID, the town has hosted Phelps Sauerkraut Weekend to commemorate its fermented reign. (The event was even featured in season one of Food Network’s All-American Festivals.)

This year, the event will take place Aug. 4-7 throughout Phelps, with the Firemen’s Field serving as the anchor. The festival will feature everything sauerkraut (and cabbage), along with other food vendors, food contests, arts and crafts, carnival rides, and an annual crowning of a Sauerkraut Festival Prince and Princess, who then cut a sauerkraut cake. facebook.com/phelpsfestival Avon Corn Festival Aug. 13 Founded in 1986 to drive more business to Genesee Street, the Avon Corn Festival has blossomed into a reunion of sorts, drawing expats and other nearby residents back to Livingston County on the second Saturday of August. The event is set to feature more than 100

street vendor booths, a food court, beer garden, cornhole tournament, corn eating contest, and live bands all day ending with a party vibe from The Skycoasters. According to the festival’s mission statement, corn was chosen because it “has been a staple of our agricultural heritage ever since the days Native Americans grew corn here as one of the ‘three sisters,’ including beans and squash.”

The festival is the Avon Rotary Club’s largest annual fundraiser, with tens of thousands of dollars donated to more than 10 organizations, including the Rotary Foundation (their charitable wing), Teresa House in Geneseo, Shelter Box, and others. Festival Chairperson Mike Ford estimates that during a normal year — the fest was canceled in 2020 and 2021 — the event attracts more than 10,000 people, and if it’s your first Corn Fest, he has a little advice. “Bring money to support the arts and crafts vendors, a big appetite for food, and comfortable shoes for walking. We’re excited to be back, and we hope to see everyone there.” facebook.com/avonrotarycornfestival2022 Naples Grape Festival Sept. 24-25 Perhaps one of the best-known and most-anticipated Finger Lakes fall events, the Naples Grape Festival has been taking place since 1961 — aside from a brief COVID hiatus in 2020 — and is one of the longest-running fests of its kind in the region. Last year, the festival returned at mostly full capacity, and this year it will take place Sept.

24-25.

“The best thing is there’s something for everybody,” says Jo Anne Alliet, who has been involved with the festival for more than 12 years, though this will be her first as Director of Operations. “It’s a great time of year as we celebrate the harvest of the grapes, and lots of people come to spend the weekend and support the local economy.”

Between 30,000 and 50,000 people attend each year, and while the official festival — run by the Naples Rotary Club — only takes place on the Memorial Town Hall grounds and across the street at Naples High School, Main Street’s sidewalks and yards fill up with outside vendors riding the excitement of the fest. In addition to the annual artisan vendors, food offerings

including grape custard from Abbott’s, lots of Finger Lakes wine, a grape pie contest, and live music, the festival will have some additions this year, including fireworks, a chili cook-off, street dances, a juried awards show for vendors, and a beverage garden where attendees can sample local spirits, wine, and beer. naplesgrapefest.org Hilton Apple Festival Oct. 1-2 Believe it or not, there’s only one festival dedicated to the official fruit of New York state. The quaint village of Hilton has claimed this bragging right since 1981, when two local businessmen founded it to create more free family entertainment, celebrate the apple harvest, and spotlight the local community. The Hilton Apple Festival marks its 40th anniversary this year, and draws approximately 30,000 people annually to enjoy apple-themed food vendors, arts and crafts, live entertainment, an auto show, and an apple pie baking contest.

Fun fact: in 1982, the organizers attempted to bake the World’s Largest Apple Pie for the Guinness Book of World Records — in an 18-foot pie pan — but the record was beaten just days earlier by a British town. The following year, Hilton achieved the record for the World’s Smallest Apple Pie by baking it in a bottle cap. Hilton Apple Festival is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and has donated more than $100,000 to charity during the first 25 years of the fest. hiltonapplefest.org Note: The Rochester Garlic Festival, formerly known as the Webster Garlic Festival, has announced it is on hold indefinitely.

Find grape pie and other regional specialties at various rural festivals this season.

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roccitynews.com CITY 53

LIFE

ROUND BALL ROUNDUP

Answers to this puzzle can be found on page 34

PUZZLE BY S.J. AUSTIN & J. REYNOLDS ACROSS 1. Batter ingredient?

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89. Pointilist painter Georges Pierre 91. Quaint expression of dismay 92. Oxford or slingback, e.g.

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DOWN

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57. Italian volcano 58. Little ovine 60. Daytime talk show since 2003 61. Ailment roccitynews.com CITY 55

56 CITY MAY 2022