Arts Season Previews PG 4 | Autumnal Outdoor Oases PG 16 | Special Events Calendar PG 18
[ INTRODUCTION ] BY ERIC REZSNYAK
Endings and beginnings Many people think of fall as a time when things wind down, when we start to hunker down for the impending winter. But when you work in the arts & entertainment section of a newspaper, you see that it’s really just the opposite. Fall in Rochester just explodes with activity. Sure, the seemingly endless procession of festivals that dominate the summer season die down, but they’re replaced by countless fascinating art exhibits, theater productions, classical-music concerts, and all kinds of farm events and holiday happenings. The weather may get colder, but the calendar is just as hot. With all of that going on, City Newspaper’s Fall Guide offers a look at some of the can’t-miss events of the new season. Our arts critics
TABLE OF CONTENTS ART................................................ 4 THEATER........................................ 6 DANCE.. .......................................... 8 CLASSICAL MUSIC......................... 10 POPULAR MUSIC........................... 12 FILM............................................ 24 OUTDOORS FEATURE..................... 16 SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR.......... 18
had a tough task picking through the plethora of amazing shows (seriously, 2010-2011 is one of the most exciting seasons this town has seen in some time). Check out their suggestions for the cream of the crop, then head over to the Fall Guide at rochestercitynewspaper.com for comprehensive listings of all the arts organizations’ offerings for the season. Of course, you would be remiss not to take advantage of Western New York’s gorgeous autumn scenery over the next few months. Writer Katherine Stathis offers a dozen or so outdoor spaces in the region that will fully engage those ever-changing fall moods. Go for a hike through the woods, grab some fresh produce from a farm stand, and enjoy the season and its many bounties.
Publishers: William and Mary Anna Towler Asst. to the publishers: Matt Walsh Editorial department themail@rochester-citynews.com Features editor: Eric Rezsnyak Contributing writers: Paloma Capanna, Casey Carlsen, Frank De Blase, Michael Lasser, Dayna Papaleo, Rebecca Rafferty, Caitlin Shapiro, Katherine Stathis, Nick Statt Art department artdept@rochester-citynews.com Production manager: Max Seifert Designers: Aubrey Berardini, Matt DeTurck Advertising department ads@rochester-citynews.com Advertising manager: Betsy Matthews Sales Representatives: Tom Decker, Annalisa Iannone, Christine Kubarycz, Robine Wolak, Bill Towler
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Fall Guide 2010
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City
Art [ CRITIC PICKS ] BY REBECCA RAFFERTY
More than pretty pictures
The new art season features psychedelic art, rock gods, and modern-day Dianas
George Cisneros’ “Cascades of Jubilation” (1978/1986), part of “Psychedelic: Optical Visionary Art Sinc the 1960s,” showing this fall at Memorial Art Gallery. PHOTO COURTESY MEMORIAL ART GALLERY
Oh, hello again, campus galleries. When your students flew the coop, you shut your doors for the summer, and we in the art audience have missed you. With the closing of summer and return to academia, the regional arts calendar is about to put on some winter pounds. Many, but not all, of the shows that are catching my eye are celebrations of the anniversaries of art spaces and organizations, but a regional anticipation of snow-melt expressed in art also drew me. I know it’s hard to care much about springtime while we’re still lolling about in ceaseless humidity, but by February, you’ll welcome the theme. In previewing upcoming shows, I’m sensing a trippy theme of patterns and perception from two of the main art houses in Rochester. Certain to make you dizzy is the Memorial Art Gallery’s upcoming “Psychedelic: Optical Visionary Art Since the 1960s” (October 17January 2, 2011). Meanwhile Rochester City
Fall Guide 2010
Contemporary Art Center will present a two-person media exhibition of recent work by Christopher McNulty and Andy Gilmore in “Geometries” (October 1November 14). This fall, the George Eastman House plans to rock you, with “Taking Aim: Unforgettable Rock ‘n’ Roll Photographs Selected by Graham Nash”
(October 30-January 23, 2011). That’s right, Nash of Crosby, Stills and Nash (and sometimes Young). The exhibit will showcase performances and portraits of musicians ranging from Bo Diddley to Nirvana, and shot by 40 famed photographers, including guest curator Nash himself, who will visit the Eastman House during the run of the show. One of the “alternative space” galleries that consistently provides fresh and interesting shows is 1975 Gallery at Surface Salon, which will mark two years of success with “Cinemonstrum! A Celebration of Movie Monster Mythology,” a group
An image from “The Modern Day Diana,” showing in March-April 2011 at Hartnett Gallery. PHOTO PROVIDED
show running October 1-November 12. A secondary show for this event will take place at the Little Theatre on October 30 during the Little’s 25-hour Horror Fest, where a selection of works from the main show will be hung in the lower lounge in Little 1. Did you know that poet E. E. Cummings also painted? The College at Brockport holds the most extensive public collection of artworks by poet E. E. Cummings, so visit the school’s Tower Fine Arts Gallery between March 4 and April 1, 2011. “E. E. Cummings: Painter and Poet” will introduce viewers to Cummings’ visual poetry, while showcasing the results of recent restoration efforts. The closing reception for this exhibit on April 1 is also a “pARTy” celebrating 175 years of the arts at Brockport. Maybe Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” got you thinking, what would it be like if deities of old showed up today? The Hartnett Gallery at University of Rochester will host a fascinating show entitled “The Modern Day Diana” (March 17-April 10, 2011), in which photographer Margaret LeJeune shows off a body of work for which she traveled the United States to photograph female hunters in their homes. Her work raises questions about the clash of the realms traditionally designated for the sexes. The subjects are shown in their domestic environments, surrounded by paraphernalia of the “masculine” hunting world, and of Roman goddess of the hunt, Diana. Initiated by Rochester Contemporary, the monthly city-wide gallery night First Friday has been a successful way to get bodies into art spaces, interacting with art
and artists. Coordinated openings create convenience for the public, but another organized effort is lending a little help to both city galleries and those that are a bit further from the beaten art path. The Regional Gallery Director’s Forum (founded by Kathrine Page, director of Davison Gallery at Roberts Wesleyan College) aims to promote the ideals and business skills of regional gallery, museum, or cultural center directors, and to grow public appreciation for and participation in the arts and artists in the region. For this spring, the RGDF has collaborated with participating galleries and museums to create area-wide exhibitions based on the theme “Thaw.” The collaboration will run FebruaryMarch 2011, and include shows that celebrate the region’s much anticipated transition to warmer months. You can expect unique exhibits on the theme hosted by Image City Photography Gallery, Crocus Clay Works, High Falls Gallery, The Lockhart Gallery, The Mercer Gallery, Genesee Center for the Arts and Education, and more. The Davison’s own contribution is “Thaw: Painting Confluence and Influence,” with artists Dave Berry, Emanuele Cacciatore, Aaron Gosser, Janet Mckenzie, Kathleen Nicastro, and Rachael Van Dyke (February 28-March 28, 2011).
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City
theater [ CRITIC PICKS ] BY MICHAEL LASSER
The state of the stage
Ambitious community-theater works and curious choices mark the 2010-2011 theater season
Joshua Radford and Jill Rittinger in Blackfriars’ “Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh.” PHOTO BY BARY SIEGEL
From an Equity company to college stages to community theater, the Rochester season for 2010-2011 is more varied than usual. There are more interesting plays at hand than I have space to write about them: the University of Rochester International Theatre production of the 17th century farce “Emperor of the Moon” (December) by female playwright Aphra Behn, and, from Nazareth’s Theater Department, “Grimm” (February 2011), a dramatic adaptation of the brothers’ fairy tales by faculty members Lindsay Reading Korth and Lorraine Person. There’s also a revival of “The Glass Menagerie” (February-March 2011) and Joel Gross’ “Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh” (September-October) at Blackfriars Theatre. They sound City
Fall Guide 2010
interesting as long as you recognize from the outset that college and community productions often lack polish. That said, what’s with Geva, by definition the biggest gorilla in the room? After setting aside two of its seven plays — the return of the holiday show “A Christmas Carol” (November-December) plus “Radio Golf” (March-April 2011), the last in Geva’s sequence of 10 plays by August Wilson — Artistic Director Mark Cuddy had five slots to fill. One is a glorified nightclub act starring Maureen McGovern (“Carry It On,” OctoberNovember), and the other is “I’ll Be Geneseeing You” (January 2011), a night of sketch comedy about Rochester by The Second City. That leaves a total of three plays. McGovern is a wonderful performer
and a lot of people find Second City very funny. But plays they ain’t, and Geva needs to be doing plays, leading the way. To his credit, Cuddy opens the season with Geva’s most challenging choice and ends with what might be its biggest hit: “Amadeus” (through October 3) Peter Shaffer’s thrilling exploration of the struggle to the death between Mozart and his archrival, composer Antonio Salieri, and then Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” (April-June 2011). Neither is easy to pull off, though the musical might be pre-sold for audiences that have found its characters and score irresistible for more than half a century. Other musicals worth watching for:
The challenge for Blackfriars’ Jack Haldoupis is to transform a glorified cabaret act like “Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” (DecemberJanuary 2011) and make it work as theater. Brel’s wonderful songs vary from the gritty to the cynical to the insistently hopeful, but onstage they need to become more than a recital. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote their best score for “Babes in Arms” (April 2011) in 1937, including “Where or When,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “My Funny Valentine.” It’s a youth musical from the Depression, in which the adolescent offspring of down-and-out vaudevillians decide to take matters into their own hands. Fortunately, Nazareth’s Theater Department chose a version that uses the complete score: no dropping of songs from the original, no adding of standards willy-nilly. And, yes, in the movie version, Mickey Rooney did indeed say, “Hey, kids, let’s put on a show!” Mercury Opera produces grand opera, but its seasons also include comic operas, operettas, and musicals. This year, it’s the brilliant but difficult operetta, “Candide” (May 2011), based on Voltaire’s novella about a naïve young man who struggles to hold onto his optimism with the help of his foolish teacher, Pangloss. With music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics mainly by poet Richard Wilbur, it has become part of the standard rep for both opera houses and Broadway revivals despite its having flopped when it first opened in 1956. NTID Performing Arts’ casting of “Guys and Dolls” (May 2011) is open to both non-hearing and hearing performers. Forget the dreadful movie; this is the real thing. Set on a mythical Broadway of lovable smalltime gamblers and nightclub
“chantoozies,” and blessed with Frank Loesser’s greatest score, the show is on the short list of the greatest Broadway musicals. When a musical at NTID works, signing becomes a form of dance that lifts the show in charming and unpredictable ways. Among the other plays I’m looking forward to:
At MuCCC, Greater Rochester Repertory Companies will stage a production of the wacky “Arsenic and Old Lace” (December) After decades of popularity, Joseph Kesselring’s black farce has been on the shelf for a while now, but its comic approach to homicidal mayhem should be right up our collective alley. Consider a normal theater critic [sic] who tries to make sense out of his sweet aunts who spice the elderberry wine with strychnine, a cousin who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and a criminally insane brother who looks like Boris Karloff. How can you resist it? MuCCC and the University of Rochester have something unlikely in common. UR’s International Theatre Program is staging a production of Shakespeare’s strange but moving play, “The Winter’s Tale” (April 2011) and, as if its own strangeness wasn’t enough, MuCCC has brought in what producer John W. Borek calls “hip-hop culture guys” So Lo Que Soy to recreate the “most astonishing riff built on the bones of a Shakespeare play” he’s ever seen (January 2011). I hope this “riff” to bring the play to the present doesn’t lose what’s remarkable about the original: a revealing look at the destructive force of envy, a portrait of a world from king to woodsman, and the power of a great devouring bear to signify somehow the magical familiar change from winter to spring. Christopher Piehler’s “Triangle Factory Fire Project” at JCCenterStage (March 2011) is one of the season’s few examplex of a play as social commentary. Too often, this sort of thing gives sincerity a bad name because the results are preachy and didactic. The 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City killed 146 workers, nearly all of them young immigrant women. The story has its own terrible drama, and if Piehler is up to its telling, it should make for an unsettling but moving two hours.
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City
Dance [ CRITIC PICKS ] BY CASEY CARLSEN
Count your steps
A stellar season emerges in a local dance scene that continues to grow
Viver Brasil brings its “Feet on the Ground” show to Nazareth Arts Center in March 2011. PHOTO PROVIDED
The local dance scene has visibly shifted since I moved back to Rochester from the Big Apple five years ago. I admit that I was, at first, somewhat blinded to the depth and scope of our local dance offerings by the glittering presence of the legendary Garth Fagan and company living literally right in my neighborhood. And while Fagan remains a treasured mainstay of Rochester’s dance world, it has so much more to offer. Tap, ballet, contemporary, African, Indian, Latin American, and various fusions of these dance forms all thrive here — so much, in fact, that Nazareth College Arts Center started a successful dance festival this past summer. So go see Garth Fagan Dance this fall, but see another group, too. Thankfully, we have more and more to choose from. It’s the 40th anniversary of Garth Fagan Dance this year, and, as usual, we can count on the troupe’s annual autumn run of performances (November 30-December 5, Nazareth College Arts Center, garthfagandance.org). Don’t miss attending because, like last year, the group will not be performing again in the spring. All the better to appreciate them, my dears. Perhaps, after four decades of the continued presence of Fagan’s brilliant choreography and the group’s exceptional dancing, just perhaps, us groundtreading Rochesterians have grown a tad spoiled, a touch entitled — like New Yorkers nonchalantly strolling the corridors of the Metropolitan Museum during their lunch hours. So clear your calendar, as well as your mind, and prepare to be truly present at this year’s performance by our hometown heroes. Fagan, perhaps best known to the world for his Tony City
Fall Guide 2010
Award-winning choreography for “The Lion King,” will have a new piece to reveal. His much-acclaimed 2009 piece “Mudan 175/39” will be performed, too, along with the revivals of several older works. Also, for the first time, another choreographer — Norwood (PJ) Pennewell, Fagan’s long-time rehearsal director and assistant, as well as a Bessie Award-winning dancer with the company — will present a new work for the company to dance. Take someone you’re close to — or someone you wish you were close to — to see Tango Buenos Aires (March 13, 2011, Nazareth College Arts Center, artscenter.naz.edu), the informal representatives of Argentina’s passionate dance form. Bask in the bold flirtations, lightning-fast footwork, and sheer sensuality of this renown group. “Feet on the Ground,” presented by the Brazilian group Viver Brasil (March 20, 2011, Nazareth College Arts Center, artscenter.naz. edu), is a multi-faceted show that celebrates ancient and contemporary Afro-Brazilian culture. Performances fuse Brazilian dance such as the martial arts and dance form Capoeira with live percussion and vocal music, and ceremonial celebrations of African deities with costumes and pageantry. Viver Brasil’s “Feet on the Ground” was the 2010 winner of the Lester Horton Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in World Dance. Jamey Leverett, artistic director of Rochester City Ballet, promises a ballet with some “bite” with the premiere of her new work, “The Blood Countess,” next May at Nazareth College Arts Center (May 20-21, rochestercityballet.com).
The full-length ballet is loosely based upon the notorious life of Elizabeth Bathory, a powerful, cruel, and vain beauty rumored to have bathed in the blood of virgin peasant girls. In her newest work, Leverett imagines what might have happened if Bathory had crossed paths with the legendary Count Dracula. Two groups I’m really looking forward to seeing this autumn are the newbies in the Rochester dance scene: Futurpointe Dance and BIODANCE. Futurpointe is the shining child of ex-Fagan dancer Guy Thorne and co-directors, Heather Roffe and N’jelle Gage. I, for one, will be there to soak up the rays of Thorne’s energy when the group hits Geva’s NextStage for four performances (October 21-31, futurpointedance.org). The work of multiple choreographers will be featured, including pieces as aesthetically different as “Tangere,” a tango-inspired contemporary work exploring the idea of touch, and “Mashramani,” a celebration of Caribbean life set to the music of Wynton Marsalis. As part of the same mini-festival at NextStage, BIODANCE will present contemporary multimedia dance choreographed by Artistic Director Missy Pfohl Smith with accompanying scores from Mozart to newly commissioned music by local composer Mark Olivieri (October 23-29, biodance.org). The 2-year old dance company will premiere “Your Stories/Our Stories,” a socially conscious work composed of several short vignettes that was created and inspired by a series of public, multi-generational workshops. The repertory will also include Smith’s “Guzzle!,” which takes a long, hard look at our nation’s greedy appetite for oil, but is not without its comedic moments. Both dance and opera buffs can look forward to the Geomantics Dance Theater’s January collaboration with the Eastman Opera Theatre under the direction of Johnathon Pape in a production of the opera “Orfeo Ed Euridice” by Christoph Gluck (January 27-30, 2011, venue TBA, geomanticsdancetheater.org). The company will perform artistic director Richard Haisma’s choreography while Madrigalia provides choral accompaniment. George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, and Mark Morris have all had their turn at creating versions of this popular opera, commonly known as “Orpheus and Eurydice.” Haisma has been dancing and choreographing for over 40 years, including years of touring abroad both with Murray Louis Dance Company and in solo performances.
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City
classical [ CRITIC PICKS ] BY PALOMA CAPANNA
A season of excitement
A big goodbye, some amazing guest performers, and incredible music mark the Rochester classical calendar
Van Cliburn Competition-winning pianist Olga Kern performs with the RPO November 18 & 20 for a concert our classical critic considers one of the must-see shows of the season. PHOTO COURTESY ROCHESTER PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
The top line of my 2010-2011 classical music concert season is not an “F” by any means (for those of you who don’t read music, the top line of the G-clef staff is an “F” all puns intended). This is a must-see season of breathtaking Russian and European composers and performers, along with some stand-outs among chamber music and early music. I would advise that you mark your calendars and purchase tickets as early as possible. This may be the best season in 20 years. It all begins on Thursday, September 30, with a second chance on Saturday, October 2. Your debut concert is at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Christopher Seaman in his final season as music director of the RPO with the gifted Ilya Itin at the piano. Itin, from Russia, will perform the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, S. 214. Do not accept anything other than this live performance. The tone will be poetry, the phrasing a prose no writer can pen. Among his many accolades, Itin won the gold medal at the 10 City Fall Guide 2010
Leeds International Piano Competition in 1996. The Liszt will be tastefully paired with the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 in f-minor, Op. 36 and others. (rpo.org) On Sunday, October 3, it’s over to Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music for one of Rochester’s best-kept secrets: Ukrainian violinist Oleh Krysa. Krysa, on faculty at Eastman, was previously on faculty at the Kiev and then Moscow conservatories, and he, too, has won top prizes, including first prize in the 1963 Paganini Competition. Imagine a violin tone so pure that if you close your eyes you will mistake it for the high soprano of an angel. Music will include Kreisler, Wieniawski, and others. A second program of “Great Violin Showpieces” will take place January 19, 2011. Russian Tatiana Tchekina will be on piano for both concerts. (esm.rochester.edu) Not to be outdone, on Saturday, October 16, the University of Rochester Symphony Orchestra and the Women’s Chorus will hold a joint concert in the university’s Strong Auditorium. The program includes
Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” the Stokowski arrangement of which you would recognize as being in Walt Disney’s “Fantasia.” (rochester.edu) Then it’s back to the Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra on Thursday, October 21, and Saturday, October 23, with Juliana Athayde on violin for works including the Glazunov Violin Concerto in a-minor, Op. 82 and Stravinsky’s Petrouchka. The RPO concertmaster since 2005, Athayde tends toward the likes of Bach and Mozart. Here will be an opportunity to listen to her dig deep into the soul of Russia a stretch I look forward to hearing her take. (rpo.org) On Monday, October 25, the Penfield Symphony Orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 in c-minor, Op. 17. At this point in this line-up, I have to wonder aloud if various groups coordinated with each other? Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony by the RPO in September, Tchaikovsky’s second symphony by the PSO in October… (penfieldsymphony.org) Now, turn your calendar to Thursday, November 18, and Saturday, November 20. This may well be the concert of the 2010-2011 season; the one that I advise you to rearrange your life to attend. Russian pianist Olga Kern will perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in c-minor, Op. 18 with the RPO at the Eastman Theatre. In 2001, Kern won the gold medal in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the Olympics of classical piano performance. Founded in 1962, it is conducted every four years. There have only been 13 gold medalists in the history of the competition, so exquisite is this grail. Unwilling to risk it, I am buying my ticket today. (rpo.org) Now go to your closet, pull out your best dress or suit, and put it by the door to take to the dry cleaners. You will want to be ready to strut with elegance at the Gala Concert for the much-anticipated opening of the addition to the Eastman School of Music on Friday, December 10. In true Eastman style, the concert is free and open to the public. It will be a whirlwind of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Eastman Philharmonia, and Eastman-Rochester Chorus, and the works on the program include Russian icon Igor Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms.” (esm.rochester.edu) Short on space and much to cover. Don’t
overlook that 2010 is the 200th birthday of beloved composer Frederic Chopin. Eastman School of Music will host a tribute concert to Chopin on Sunday, September 19, in Kilbourn Hall, performed by pianist Tony Caramia. And welcome pianist Paul Wyse to Nazareth College on Friday, September 24, for an all-Chopin
concert featuring a delightful program, including the Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 35, the Nocturne No. 1., Op. 9, and the well-known favorite of the Fantasy-Impromptu in c-sharp minor, Op. posth. 66. (esm.rochester.edu) Not to be left out, our chamber-music scene boasts at least three notable concerts this fall. First, on Friday, September 17, at Nazareth College’s Wilmot Recital Hall, listen to piano quartets by Mozart and Brahms, performed by Lee Wilkins, violin, David Hult, viola, Mimi Hwang, cello, and Rebecca Penneys, piano. (naz.edu) Next, on Sunday, October 17, the Ying Quartet will perform in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music. Three of your favorites will be there: David Ying, cello; Phillip Ying, viola; and Janet Ying, violin. So, too, the newest member of the Ying Quartet: Ayano Ninomiya, violin. (ying4.com) Tune in also on Saturday, October 23, to a recently established group, the Cordancia. It will perform at the Rochester Christian Reformed Church with a program that includes Ravel, Honegger, and Jaroch. With them will be David Harman, who will conduct two previously mentioned concerts, the Penfield Symphony Orchestra and the University of Rochester Symphony Orchestra. I’m out of space. Your calendar is getting
crammed. But we both need to manage at least two additional concerts, specifically of early music. Pegasus Early Music is offering an all-Handel program on Sunday, March 27, at the Hochstein Performance Hall. On the program is Handel’s opera-ballet “Terpsicore,” which is newly reconstructed by dancer Julie Andrijeski. This will be a collaboration with NYS Baroque, which you may have heard perform at the 2010 Skaneateles Music Festival. (pegasusearlymusic.org) And finally, not to be overlooked is the Rochester Early Music Festival at St. Anne Church on November 5. The artists will perform in a prism format, with musicians from several early music groups, including Musica Spei, surrounding and standing among the audience, and also literally singing from the rafters (read as “balcony”). Reasons to attend the concert include the much-anticipated performance of Mouton’s “Antequam comedam,” a work “which may not have been heard for centuries since it was published in Paris in 1534,” according to Joseph Finetti, chair of the festival. (musicaspei.org)
rochestercitynewspaper.com City 11
music [ CRITIC PICKS ] BY FRANK DE BLASE
Ten for 2010
This fall’s can’t-miss music concerts
Paris Hilton perform cunnilingus on herself? Count me in. Aside from all the obscenities and the extreme graphic horror played out on stage, GWAR plays some amazing metal. It’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s a lot of fun for the metalhead and 14-yearold delinquent in all of us.
Matt and Kim
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 8 P.M. | $17-$20 | WATER STREET MUSIC HALL, 204 N WATER ST. WATERSTREETMUSIC.COM
Indie pop artists Matt and Kim perform October 28 at Water Street Music Hall.
If you give this list the once-over and can’t find anything that excites you, I’ve got no sympathy for you. In some cases there may be bands coming to town this fall that you are a huge fan of — you just don’t know it yet. So let this line-up be your debutante ball, your coming out, if you will. And for those of you who have already pledged allegiance to one or more of these inbound artists, I suggest you check out one you know nothing about. Hell, I do it every week, and just look at how happy I am.
Allan Holdsworth
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 8 P.M. | $10-$20 | LOVIN’ CUP, PARK POINT, RIT | LOVINCUP.COM
Allan Holdsworth prowls the twilight between jazz and rock. It’s not fusion or prog-rock per se, but it is a progressive fusion of tones, fingerboard pyrotechnics, and inquisitive exploration. He is behind the music’s technical advances as well, working with baritone guitars and guitar-triggered synthesizers, resulting in even more frontiers. One of the most innovative electric guitarists ever.
Deadbolt
12 City Fall Guide 2010
PHOTO PROVIDED
frontman Harley Davidson intones deadpan and sinister like a hipster John Wayne as he picks loose and twangy within a sea of reverb. It’s all underscored by the band’s use of power tools on stage. There’s nothing quite like digging a band while dodging sparks from a grinder.
Joan Baez
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 8 P.M. | $42.50-$75 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE, 885 E MAIN ST. RBTL.ORG
It’s hard to believe that Joan Baez’s first album was recorded 50 years ago. Her vibrato-laden voice gives life to folk music and its characters far beyond their surface appeal. It was through Baez that bands like The Byrds, The Animals, and Led Zeppelin discovered traditional songs to augment their sets. Coming from an era where activism meant action, Baez has rubbed elbows with Dr. Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, and inadvertently introduced the world to Bob Dylan. This all from a lady who, as a teenager, was turned on to folk music by The Kingston Trio’s “Tom Dooley.”
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 8 P.M. | $10-$12 | BUG JAR, 219 MONROE AVE. | BUGJAR.COM
GWAR
With its members looking like leatherclad mercenaries on a tequila bender, San Diego-based quartet Deadbolt is about as stripped down as it comes. Over a zombie-fied surf-a-go-go beat and two basses known as “the wall of thunder,”
Want to see a dragon sodomize a penguin? Sure. Want to see the Pope beheaded and get sprayed in his blood? Who doesn’t? Want to see a bisected
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 6:30 P.M. | $20.50 | WATER STREET MUSIC HALL, 204 N WATER ST. WATERSTREETMUSIC.COM
Pop geek meets melodic genius. Quirky Brooklyn duo Matt and Kim — Matt Johnson (keyboards, vocals) and Kim Schifino (drums, vocals) — shun the trappings of standard pop posturing (like, say, a clever name) and head straight for the cookie jar. They call it dance punk. There’s a splash of 80’s new wave along with the big, bad beats. The duo started out full-on DIY, booking its own gigs and burning CDs in the van along the way. It has since gone on to bigger situations like the Siren Music Festival and Lollapalooza. Matt and Kim’s first album, “Grand,” was recorded in Matt’s bedroom.
Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 8 P.M. | $10-$20 | LOVIN’ CUP, PARK POINT, RIT | LOVINCUP.COM
I guess it was a matter of timing. English pub rockers The Stranglers’ rough and raw sound helped pave the way for a lot of UK punk bands. Whether out of a lack of direction or rebellion, the group rarely stuck with any one style. As The Stranglers tightened up its sound into slightly more concise pop, others followed suit into the post-punk new wave era. Front man Hugh Cornwall, believing the band had run its course, split in 1990 to work solo, though you can count on some Stranglers gems at this show, no doubt.
Black Label Society
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 5:30 P.M. | $35-$40 | MAIN STREET ARMORY, 900 E MAIN ST. ROCHESTERMAINSTREETARMORY.COM
Zakk Wylde is the personification of the metal sound. From its depths-of-hell chug to the reverse-hand harmonics, Wylde’s group, Black Label Society, is a thundering, blistering blast of angry, molten metal. And Wylde looks like he sounds — menacing, ominous, foreboding. His playing is instantly recognizable, flashy yet substantial. Perhaps better known as Ozzy’s guitarist, Wylde is especially suited for BLS, where his prowess and intensity really shines.
The Posies
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 8 P.M. | $15-$20 | WATER STREET MUSIC HALL, 204 N WATER ST. WATERSTREETMUSIC.COM
Yup, The Posies are still at it. In fact a new disc, “Blood/Candy,” arrives September 28. For close to 30 years this Seattlebased band has pushed pop boundaries by actually staying true to classic pop with doses of rock ’n’ roll swagger and attitude. In the context of pop music overall, The Posies make perfect sense; the music is melodious and fun, like a less angry Pixies. Yet faced with and compared to current pop trends, the band comes off even more unique, and a welcome respite.
Joe Bonamassa
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 7:30 P.M. | $36.50$66.50 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE, 885 E MAIN ST. RBTL.ORG
Jimmy Page, Rory Gallagher, Peter Green, Gary Moore — those artists weren’t trying to reinvent, they set out to recreate. Still, American blues in these inquisitive hands got amped-up and re-tooled before getting fired back to our shores, where guitarists like Utica native Joe Bonamassa were listening. That’s not unusual, except that Bonamassa was 10 when what was getting tweaked and twanged was coming from his own guitar. Bonamassa first came to Rochester at 11 when he opened for B.B. King. He was a young, cute kid playing a guitar as big as he was. But the “isn’t he so adorable” shtick is long gone, replaced by genuine awe inspired by one of the premier guitarists in the new wave of sixstring monsters.
Asylum Street Spankers
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 8 P.M. | LOVIN CUP, PARK POINT, RIT | $15-$20 | BOPSHOP.COM
This Austin, Texas, Tin Pan Alley, Beat poet, subversive, sexy, jazzy, bluesy, ballsy acoustic musical confablulation that is the Asylum Street Spankers is on its farewell tour. On what has seemed like an endless road, one of America’s finest bands — in any category, frankly — is finally putting the old Winnebago out to stud after wrapping up its “Spanks For Everything” tour. And if I know this band, even though it’s playing its own funeral, it’ll be joyous. I bet even the stiffs will get up and promenade.
rochestercitynewspaper.com City 13
movies [ critic picks ] BY DAYNA PAPALEO
Sweet 16
A dozen-plus fall flicks worth your box-office dollars
Helen Mirren leads the cast in Julie Taymor’s adaptation of “The Tempest.”
PHOTO COURTESY
TOUCHSTONE PICTURES
There are nearly 100 movies being released between now and the end of the year, which means that if you saw all of them, your wallet could be around $800 lighter. Of course, if you tack on popcorn and soda, your fall-movie spending jumps to a somewhat prohibitive $400,000, though this does include refills. So how are you supposed to know what’s worth it? I can’t guarantee that all your money will be wisely blown, but take a few moments and scan this humble little guide to some of autumn’s more interesting offerings. While it’s by no means comprehensive, it should help get you started. “The Town” Ben Affleck follows up his
deft directorial debut “Gone Baby Gone” with this gritty crime-drama in which he also stars as a robber in love with the bank employee (Rebecca Hall, “Please Give”) who might be able to identify him. With Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) and Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”). (9/17) “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”
Twenty-three years after winning the Academy Award, Michael Douglas reprises his role as greed aficionado Gordon Gekko, recently released from jail and trying to rebuild his life in 14 City Fall Guide 2010
these dicey economic times. Co-stars Shia LaBeouf as a struggling trader and Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) as Gekko’s estranged daughter. But most importantly: Charlie Sheen cameo! (9/24) “The Social Network” Yeah, you could call it the Facebook movie. Or you could refer to it as the latest from director David Fincher, whose adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s “The Accidental Billionaires” explores the hotly contested birth of the ubiquitous networking site from three different perspectives. With Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield (he’s the new Spider-Man), and Justin Timberlake. (10/1) “Let Me In” Dear cinema gods: Please extend your benevolence to this Americanization of the gorgeous Swedish vampire flick “Let The Right One In,” which director Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield”) has transplanted to 1983 New Mexico to tell the tale of a bullied young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Road”) who is befriended by a deadly bloodsucker (Chloë Grace Moretz, “KickAss”). Love, Dayna. (10/1) “Jackass 3D” Johnny Knoxville & Co. return after four long years for more pain, embarrassment, and hilarity. I. Can’t. Wait. (10/15)
“Hereafter” Recent octogenarian
Clint Eastwood moves into deeper Robert Altman territory with three distinct ruminations on mortality that screenwriter Peter Morgan (“The Queen”) takes his time in weaving together. Starring Matt Damon as a San Francisco psychic, Cécile de France (“High Tension”) as a Paris journalist, and newcomers Frankie and George McLaren as lads in London around the time of the 2005 subway bombing. (10/22) “127 Hours” Danny Boyle follows up his directing Oscar for “Slumdog Millionaire” with one of his characteristic 180-degree turns, this time out descending into the canyons of Utah for the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston (played by the fascinating James Franco), who severed his own arm to free himself after being trapped by a boulder. (11/5) “Due Date” The dream team of Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis star for director Todd Phillips (perhaps you recall “The Hangover”?) in this odd-coupleroad-movie-comedy-drama (whew!) about one man trying to get home for the birth of his first child and another man mourning the loss of his father. (11/5) “Fair Game” Not a remake of the Cindy Crawford classic, but “Bourne Identity” director Doug Liman’s ripped-from-theheadlines story of CIA agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts), whose own government blew her cover after her husband (Sean Penn) wrote an op-ed piece alleging that the Bush administration altered intelligence about WMDs in Iraq. (11/5) “Morning Glory” Harrison Ford tackles funny again in the latest from Roger Michell (“Notting Hill”), playing a respected veteran newsman lured by an ambitious producer (Rachel McAdams) into the zany world of a.m. television in an effort to boost ratings. With Diane Keaton as the more cooperative coanchor. (11/12) “The King’s Speech” Colin Firth stars in this period drama from director Tom Hooper (HBO’s “John Adams”) as George VI of England, who ascended to the throne in 1936 upon the famous abdication of his brother Edward (Guy Pearce) and sought help from a therapist (Geoffrey Rush) as his country hurtled toward WWII. (11/24) “The Fighter” His third film with David O. Russell (“I Heart Huckabees”) finds the on-a-roll Mark Wahlberg portraying “Irish” Micky Ward, a Massachusetts boxer who came out of retirement in the
Chloe Moretz in “Let Me In.”
PHOTO COURTESY
OVERTURE FILMS
mid 90’s to make an inspiring comeback. Christian Bale co-stars as Ward’s drugaddicted brother. (12/10) “The Tempest” Your year-end dose of Shakespeare comes courtesy of Julie Taymor (“Across the Universe”), pulling a gender switcheroo with Helen Mirren as the magician Prospera, plotting revenge against the brother who banished her. With Russell Brand, Alfred Molina and Djimon Hounsou. (12/10) “Somewhere” The newest film from filmmaker Sofia Coppola stars the recently unearthed (and rather underappreciated) Stephen Dorff as a hard-partying celebrity who begins to question the value of his hedonistic lifestyle once it’s interrupted by the arrival of his 11-year-old daughter (Elle Fanning). (12/22) “True Grit” It just ain’t the holidays without Joel and Ethan Coen, who reunite with their Dude to put a new stamp on Charles Portis’ 1968 novel about Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an alcoholic U.S. Marshal who gets a shot at redemption when a teenage girl hires him to bring her father’s murderer to justice. Also starring Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Barry Pepper. (12/25) “Blue Valentine” The transcendent highs and the gut-wrenching lows of a six-year romance are chronicled in this buzzedabout drama starring once and future Oscar contenders Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. (12/31) Do I have to remind you that release dates are subject to change? No? Good. rochestercitynewspaper.com City 15
outdoors [ recreation ] BY KATHERINE STATHIS
Those fall feelings
Natural settings that exemplify the ever-shifting moods of autumn
The dramatic landscape at Chimney Bluffs State Park in Wolcott is a perfect place to work through your complicated feelings about the changing seasons. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
Here in Rochester, where leaves on trees and color itself go missing for several months of the year, a wide range of emotions as unpredictable as our famed weather may be a trait we locals inherently share. We’re fortunate enough to fully experience the best of all seasons, as well as countless ways to make the most of them. So when those fall feelings start rustling, there are a host of outdoor spaces in which to indulge them completely. What would fall be without that familiar, sweet ache of melancholy? Like a ghost of an absent friend strolling quietly beside, its presence can be felt deeply but remain unseen. When setting out on one of those long, ponderous walks, consider a place that has welcomed wistful wanderers for generations, Mt. Hope Cemetery. Autumn only enhances the beauty that grows as Mt. Hope ages, shaping the gloom of its purpose with a dimension of loveliness. Discovery is constant, heightened by the dynamic, glacially formed landscape. Steeppitched hills and sprawling valleys serve as resting grounds for those marked by the 16 City Fall Guide 2010
grandest Victorian symbols of prosperous afterlife down to the humble anonymous stones bearing “Mother” or “Beloved,” barely legible due to decay and overgrown brush. Imagination is illuminated, and those with a Romantic bent can immerse themselves in nostalgia for longpassed eras, whiling the hours wondering and winding beneath the tree canopies. Trees are perfect companions to anyone feeling a heightened sense of loneliness in the fall; some trees may even be considered old friends. In the city of Rochester, we have some old-growth trees that can serve as quiet comfort, instilling a life-affirming awe in those who stand beneath them. Take a walk through Cobbs Hill Park to Washington Grove. Almost immediately, you will enter an oasis of big-time fall, crunching strata of leaves underfoot as you surround yourself in an entire world of woods awash with warm hues. If you prefer to add dramatic imagery to accentuate your own solitude, a long, single line of trees cannot be beat. Sycamore trees, with their golden-aura tops and mysterious autumnal bark, are especially effective, and
Rochester is endowed with a number of such settings. The most photogenic of these line the entrance to Rochester Institute of Technology along Lomb Memorial Drive, with enough distance from the road to stride undisturbed, gazing shoeward. Charming lines of sycamores can also be found in city neighborhoods; try a stroll along Browncroft near Winton, or on Beaufort from Henrietta Street to the dead end, or, of course, Sycamore Street itself. As fall progresses and the reality of those
impending snowy months starts to set in, instead of avoiding that sense of dread, you could choose to face it head on. Just head north. Keep going until you get to that great lake, and bring yourself to shore. Rochester’s stark grey skies and its moodier tones sometimes wash indecipherably into the mysterious darkness of Lake Ontario. With feet planted where water meets land, and eyes pointed to where water meets sky, we can let the wind and waves power away all that fear. For added drama and striking visual reinforcement, take the Seaway Trail east to Chimney Bluffs State Park in Wolcott. There you will find an otherworldly cliffscape lining the shore, an ever-changing natural monument to the transformative power of wind. Feel that same wind on your face, and notice how your face stands firm on your skull. You can face whatever it is you dread. Be sure to follow all this “dreadging” with something to look forward to, like a treat from Burnap’s Farm Market in Sodus on that scenic drive back. As a day of planetary equilibrium marks the entrance of fall, the season’s transitional progression from one extreme to another affects us with its transformative properties. For many, these changes are barely perceptible externally, but are hot under the surface. A perfect outward trek to stoke the fire within is a hike to Eternal Flame Falls at Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park. The trail, while not too long or arduous, is truly a journey, taking you through woods and groves of varying densities, down to a rocky, watery path that delivers you to the trickling falls barely concealing a modest natural flame. It’s definitely worth the drive, but much closer to home a journey through the tunnel at Corbett’s Glen in Penfield will take you to its own other side, into a haven so puzzlingly close to the highway. If you feel a restless urge to explore possibilities during this season, you may benefit from a scenic hub of local passageways. With so many paths to follow and beautiful bridges to cross, Genesee Valley Park offers choices to those still undecided in the face of so many options. Interesting lines and curves form as layers of paths cross in close proximity to one another – behold the confluence of the Erie Canal and Genesee River while Route 390
passes over high above to form a sort of sci-fi underpath of its own. Let’s not forget the trails; the Erie Canal Heritage Trail, the city’s Riverway Trail, and the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail (built atop the bed of the towpath-turned-railroad that once lined the Genesee Valley Canal) charm the waterways with quaint arch bridges where you can pause and contemplate all that’s happening at once. Gorgeous stretches await in every direction. The north-bound Riverway Trail will take you through the city to the lake, while traveling south on the Greenway will take you into the countryside, all the way to Letchworth Park. East or west routes along the canal will bring you as far along as you’d like to go, dotting your course with canal-side villages, allowing you to take in a bit of New York history along the way. For others, fall is a time for reflection, to take the time and recede inward rather than expand capriciously. For a neater, less chaotic, and more contained setting, make a point to visit the gardens at the George Eastman House on East Avenue. A perfect place to sort your thoughts is the Terrace Garden, which can serve as a tidy, angular labyrinth. Balancing the straight lines are the covered, columned curves of the Rock Garden, where on you can sit on shaded benches and admire the overhanging grapevines. But a personal favorite is the West Garden, where, in a stone loggia, you can sit hidden and sheltered even in the wind and rain. Both the Rock and West gardens are accessible without museum admission. If you’re bound to a desk in the city during the most beautiful of autumn days – be it the sunny, the crisp, or the moody overcast variety – you still have options. A quick stroll through Washington Square Park, on Clinton Ave, between Woodbury Blvd and Court Street, provides the immediate, albeit miniaturized, Central Park aesthetic integral to any urban autumn experience. For a dramatic meeting of history, industry, and nature, there’s no place like High Falls. Contemplate the view from Pont de Rennes that would be impossible to achieve not long ago. Every scene deserves its own postcard; southward, a passing train over the massive falls enlivens what may be the best view of the city, while a north-stretching view of the stunning foliage along the Genesee extends invitingly onward. It’s worth the quick walk to freshen up your workaday perspective. Do you have a favorite Rochester-area location that best captures a particular fall feeling? Leave a comment on this article at rochestercitynewspaper.com. rochestercitynewspaper.com City 17
special events [ CALENDAR ] COMPILED BY CAITLIN SHAPIRO AND NICK STATT | photos by matt deturck
Fall in Rochester is packed with all kinds of festivals, special events, and celebrations – far too many to list them all in this space. Consider this a primer, and consult City Newspaper every Wednesday for a comprehensive list of that week’s events. You can also check the searchable events calendar at rochestercitynewspaper.com for more events.
18 City Fall Guide 2010
Appleumpkin Festival Sat-Sun Sep 25-26. 5379 Moose Rd., Wyoming. appleumkin.com. Autumn Festival of Ales Sat Oct 2. Custom Brew Crafters, 93 Papermill St., Honeoye Falls. 623-4386. Bop Shop Fall CD and Record Show Sun Nov 7. Village Gate, 274 N Goodman St. bopshop.com. Bristol Mountain Snow Resort Sep 25-26, Oct 2-3, 9-11, 16-17, 23-24, 30-31: Weekend Sky Rides | Oct 3: Out of Bounds Race | Oct 10: Bristol Mountain Fall Festival | 5662 State Rt. 64, Canandaigua. bristolmountain.com.
Caroline Werner Gannett Project: Visionaries in Motion Wed Sep 29: Dan Ariely, “Who Put the Monkey in the Driver’s Seat?” | Wed Oct 20: Jeanne Gang,” Assembly as Medium” | Thu Dec 2: Alison Bechdel, “Drawing Words, Reading Pictures.” Ingle Auditorium, RIT. cwgp.org. Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse Fri Oct 29: “Ghost Stores/Nautical Nightmares,” Bill Briggs | Nov 7: “From Sea to Shining Lake,” Richard Reisem | 70 Lighthouse St. geneseelighthouse.org.
City of Rochester Sat Oct 2: Rochester Blossoms | Sat Oct 9: Columbus Day Parade (Downtown Rochester, columbusdayrochester. org) | cityofrochester.gov Cohocton Fall Foliage Festival Fri-Sun Oct 1-3. Town of Cohocton. 384-5287. Cultural Diversity Conference Thu Sep 16. Keynote Speaker Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”). SUNY Brockport. brockport.edu. Cumming Nature Center Sun Sep 19: Cumming Celtic Celebration | Sep 25, Oct 14 & 23, Nov 4: Wildlife Defenders Presentations | Sun Oct 3: Timber Sports Competition | Oct 16 & 23: Make a Scarecrow | Oct 17: The Gift of Corn | Sat Oct 30: Serendipity Walk | 6472 Gulick Road, Naples. rmsc.org/cummingnaturecenter. The Fair & Expo Center Fri-Sun Sep 17-19: WeePeats Children’s Consignment Event, Dome Arena | Thu-Sat Sep 23-25: Old English Sheepdog Show, Minett Hall | SatSun Sep 25-26: Gun Show, Dome Arena | Thu-Sun Sep 30-Oct 3: Ski Sale, Dome Arena, skicompany.com | Thu Oct 7: Health Fair, Dome Arena & Minett Hall | Sat Oct 9: RocCity Roller Derby, Dome Arena, 7-11 p.m. continues on page 20
rochestercitynewspaper.com City 19
SPECIAL EVENTS continues from page 18
$5-$20 | Sat-Sun Oct 16-17: Junior League of Rochester’s Holiday Market, Dome Arena, jlroch.org | Sun Oct 17: Bridal Show, Minett Hall | Sat-Sun Oct 23-24: Psychic Fair, Dome Arena, newmoonpsychicfair.com | Sat-Sun Oct 23-24: Gem Show, Minett Hall | Fri-Sat Oct 29-30: TreatFest, Dome Arena | Sat Oct 30: World’s Greatest Garage Sale, Minett Hall | Wed Nov 3: WBEE Guitars & Stars Concert, Dome Arena and Minett Hall | Sat Nov 6: Women’s Expo, Dome Arena & Minett Hall, rochesterwomanmag.com | Thu Nov 11: IMS Barter Exchange, Minett Hall | Sat Nov 13: RocCity Roller Derby, Dome Arena, 7-11 p.m., $5-20 | Sat-Sun Nov 13-14: Antique Toy Show, Minett Hall | Sat-Sun Dec 4-5: Holiday Festival of Crafts & Gifts, Minett Hall | Tue-Sat Dec 1418. RHAFT Food Cupboard, Minett Hall | Fri Dec 31: Family New Year’s Eve, Dome Arena and Minett Hall, townofhenriettta.org | 2695 E. Henrietta Road. fairandexpocenter.org. Fashion Week Rochester Thu-Sat Sep 30-Oct 2. Various locations, including participating boutiques around Rochester, Four Walls Art Gallery (34 Elton St.), and the Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave.). fashionweekofrochester.org. Finger Lakes Live Steamers Fri-Sun Sep 24-26: Fall Meet & Open House. 302 Clyde-Marengo Rd, Clyde. fingerlakeslivesteamers.org. Finger Lakes Scenic Railways Sat Sep 18: Camillus Wine & Cheese and Family Fun Ride, 1 p.m. departs from Camillus, $18-$25 | Thu Sep 23: Seneca Falls Montezuma Wine and Cheese, 1:30 p.m. departs from Seneca Falls Village Hall, $18-$20 | Sat Sep 25: Fall Festival Wine Event, 3 p.m. departs from Geneva Yard/Corporate Headquarters, $50 | Thu Sep 30: Seneca Falls Montezuma Run, 1:30 p.m. departs from Seneca Falls Village Hall, $18-$20 | 315-209-1029. Ganondagan State Historic Site Sat Sep 25: Living History Event | Fri Oct 1: Wild & Wicked Dinner (Mendon) | Sat Oct 2: The Good, the Bad, and the Powerful: Native Plants and Healing Seminar (Victor Town Hall, 85 E Main St, Victor) | Sat Oct 23: Dating the Formation of the Iroquois Confederacy (Victor Town Hall, 85 E Main St, Victor | Sat Nov 6: Birdhouse Gourd Workshop | Thu Nov 11: Canandaigua Treat Day Celebration | Sat Dec 4: Unraveling the Mystery of Catholic Symbolism (Victor Town 20 City Fall Guide 2010
Hall) | Sun Dec 12: Bearded Earrings Workshop | 1488 Route 444, Victor. ganondagan.org. Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum Sat Nov 6: Canandaigua Christkindl Dinner Dance w/the Skycoasters | Fri-Sun Nov 12-14: Canandaigua Christkindl Market (canandaiguachristkindlmarket.com) | Fri Nov 12-Dec 5: Festival of Trees | 295 N. Main St., Canandaigua. grangerhomestead.org. Genesee Country Village & Museum Fri-Sat Sep 24-25: Creatures of the Night | Sat-Sun Oct 2-3: Agricultural Society Fair & Exposition | Sat-Sun Oct 2-3: Antique Show & Sale | Fri-Sat Oct 15-16, 22-23, 29-30: Spirits of the Past Ghostly Tours | Sat-Sun Nov 13-14: Crafts at Christmas | Fri-Sun Dec 3-5, 10-12, 17-19: Yuletide in the Country & Evening Buffet | 1410 Flint Hill Rd., Mumford. gvc.org. Genesee Valley Conservancy Sat Sep 18: Waterfall Walk at Fall Brook | Sat Oct 16: Fall Walk | 1 Main St., Geneseo. geneseevalleyconservancy.org. Genesee Waterways Center Sat Sep 18: 14th Annual Rochester River Challenge | Sat-Sun Oct 9-10: Head of the Genesee Regatta | 149 Elmwood Ave. genseewaterways.org. Great Pumpkin Walk Sat Oct 16. Ontario Fairgrounds, Route 10, Ontario. Ontariopathways.org. Harbor Town Belle Thursdays through late October: Mark Twain Cruise | Beginning in early October: Fall Foliage Cruises. harbortownbelle.com. Haunted Hayrides of Greater Rochester Oct 1-31. Weekends only. 3329 Eddy Road, Williamson. Hauntedhayridesrochester.com. Hilton Apple Fest Sat-Sun Oct 2-3. Town of Hilton. hiltonapplefest.org. House of Pain Haunted House Oct 1-31. Weekends only; haunted house in former Eastman Dental Dispensary. 800 E Main St. rochesterhouseofpain.com. ImageOut Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Fri-Sun Oct 8-17. Various venues, including Dryden Theatre and Cinema Theater. imageout.org. continues on page 22
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SPECIAL EVENTS continues from page 20
Irondequoit Oktoberfest 2010 Fri-Sun Sep 17-19 & 24-26. Camp Eastman, Irondequoit. Irondequoit.org/Oktoberfest2010. Jewish Book Festival Fri Oct 22-Mon Nov 31. Jewish Community Center, Edgewood Ave. rjbf.org. Landmark Society of Western New York ThuSun Sep 23-26: Hudson River Valley Motor Coach Tour | Fri-Sat Sep 24-25: Inside Downtown Tour | Sat Oct 2: Durand Eastman Park Hike | Fri Oct 8: Historic Ithaca Day Tour | Fri-Sat Oct 22-23 & 29-30: Ghost Walk | Sun Nov 21: Historic Preservation Awards & Annual Meeting | Sat Dec 4: Corn Hill Holiday Tour | 133 S Fitzhugh St. landmarksociety.org. The Little Mon Oct 4: Celebration of The Little (Riverside Convention Center, 123 E. Main St.) | Date TBA: 24-Hour Horror Feast | 240 East Ave. thelittle.org. Lollypop Farm Sat Sep 25: Barktober Fest. 99 Victor Rd., Fairport. Lollypop.org. MCC’s Alumni Week and Homecoming 2010 Sat Sep 24-Fri Oct 1. 1000 E. Henrietta Rd. monroecc.edu/depts/foundation/alumni/ alumnievents.htm. Medina Railroad Museum Oct 9-10, 12, 15-17, 19, 23-24: Fall Foliage Train Rides. 530 West Ave, Medina. railroadmuseum.net. Memorial Art Gallery Sun Oct 3: Hispanic/ Latino Heritage Family Day | Sat Nov 6: Fine Craft Show | 500 University Ave. mag. rochester.edu. Mt. Hope Cemetery General Tours on Saturdays and Sundays through October | Sat Sep 18: Theme Tour: Geology at Mt. Hope Cemetery | Sat Oct 23: Theme Tour: Fall Foliage | Sat Oct 23 & Tue Oct 26: Grand Torch Light Tour | 1133 Mt. Hope Ave. fomh.org. Naples Grape Festival Sat-Sun Sep. 25-26. 136 N. Main St., Naples. naplesgrapefest.org. National Hunting and Fishing Day Sat Sep 25. nhfday.org. Nightmare Manor Sep 30-Oct 31. Weekends-only haunted house in Southtown Plaza. 3333 W Henrietta Road. nightmaremanor.com. NY Museum of Transportation/Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum Sun Sep 1922 City Fall Guide 2010
Oct 31: Fall Foliage by Trolley and Train. 6393 East River Road. nymtmuseum.org. Open Letter Reading the World Conversation Series Thu Sep 23: Robert Walser & His “Microscripts” feat. Susan Bernofsky and Barbara Epler | Thu Oct 28: The State of International Publishing feat. Yana Genova (NextPage Foundation) and Steve Dolph (translator, publisher of CALQUE) | Tue Nov 9: Ledig House Roundtable. Openletterbooks.org. RIT’s Brick City Homecoming Fri-Sun Oct 15-17: Craig Ferguson (guest comedian at Gordon Field House), Men’s Hockey vs. UMass Lowell (Blue Cross Arena), distinguished speaker Al Pacino. 1 Lomb Memorial Dr. www2.rit.edu/brickcity. Roc City Roller Derby Matches through Nov 13. Fair & Expo Center at 2695 E. Henrietta Rd. rocderby.com. Rochester Arts & Lectures Thu Oct 7: Thrity Umrigar | Thu Nov 4: Elizabeth Strout | Thu Dec 9: Eric Shlosser | Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N Fitzhugh St. artsandlectures.org. NOTE: sold out; standing-room tickets may be available at the door. Rochester Independent Music Festival Thu Sep 16-Sun Sep 19. Various venues. rochesterindefest.com. Rochester Main Street Armory Fri Oct 15: Professional Boxing: War at the Armory | 900 E Main St. rochestermainstreetarmory.com. Rochester Museum and Science Center Traveling exhibit: Sat Oct 2-Jan 2: “CSI: The Experience” | Sat Sep 25: Science Saturdays: Much Ado About Nothing | Sat Oct 2: Drama in Mount Hope Cemetery (Mt. Hope Ave) | Sat Oct 2 & Sat Oct 30: “The Invisible Universe” | Mon Oct 11: Columbus Day School Break Activities | Sat Oct 16: Science Café: “CSI: Rochester” | Sat Oct 16 & Oct 23: Celebrate National Chemistry Week | Fri Oct 22-Sat Oct 23: Family Science Detectives Camp-In | 657 East Ave.rmsc.com. Rochester Public Market Sun Sep 19: Artists’ Row Public Market Arts Fair | Sun Sep 26: Harvest Jamboree & Country Fair |280 N. Union St. cityofrochester.gov. Rochester River Romance Fri-Sun Oct. 8-10. Variety of events celebrating Rochester’s waterways, including the Head of the Genesee Regatta. Genesee River Corridor. Cityofrochester.gov. Sam Patch & Mary Jemison Cruises Wine-tasting cruises through late Oct. | Sep 20-23: World Canals Conference | Sat Oct 9: Twilight River Romance Dinner Cruise | 270 Exchange Blvd. samandmary.org. Savor Rochester Festival of Food Mon Sep 20. Public Market, 280 N. Union St. festivaloffood.org. Seneca Park Zoo Sat-Sun Oct 16-17, 23-24: ZooBoo | 2222 St. Paul St. senecaparkzoo.org. Seneca Siberian Husky Club Sat Sep 18: AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day. senecasiberianhuskyclub.org. Sodus Harbor Fest Sat Oct 2. 54 Mill St., Sodus. sodusny.org. Strasenburgh Planetarium Sat Sep 25, Oct 30, Nov 13: Nightfall Music | Now showing: giant-screen show “Dolphins” w/”The Falcons of Toronto” and “Mysteries of the Great Lakes” w/”Walking with Dinosaurs: Death of a Dynasty”; star shows “My Planets,” “Life and Death of a Sun” (through Oct 2), “Black Holes” (opens Oct 9) 657 East Ave. rmsc.org/ strasenburghplanetarium. Strong National Museum of Play Sat-Sun Sep 18-19: Talk like a Pirate Weekend | Sat-Sun Sep 25-26: Comic Book Heroes Weekend with Iron Man and WordGirl | Wed Sep 15, Oct 13, Nov 10: Making American Music Series | Traveling exhibit: Sat Oct 2-Jan 9: “National Geographic MAPS: Tools for Adventure” | Starting Nov 20: “eGameRevolution” | 1 Manhattan Square Drive. museumofplay.org. Town of Canandaigua Sat Oct 2: Fall into Canandaigua Festival | Fri-Sun Nov 19-21: Holiday Open House | Nov TBD: Taste of the Finger Lakes | downtowncanandaigua.com.
Town of Fairport Sat Oct 9: Fairport Scarecrow Festival. fairportmerchants.com. Town of Pittsford Sun Oct 24: Family Halloween Fest (St. John Fisher College) | Tue Dec 7: Candlelight Night (village of Pittsford) | townofpittsford.org. Victor Wine & Food Fest Fri Nov 12. Ravenwood Golf Club, 929 Lynaugh Road, Victor. victorny.org. Wayne County Apple Tasting Tour Fri-Mon Oct 8-11. waynecountytourism.com. World Canals Conference Sun-Fri Sep 19-24. Various venues. wccrochester.org. Writers & Books The 2010 Big Read is “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. Dozens of events, including many book discussions and readings, plus: Fri Oct 1: Veterans Open Mic | Mon Oct 4: Terry Hamblin “John Lennon, The Beatles, and the Politics of the 1960’s and 1970’s” | Sat Oct 9: Veterans Softball Tournament (MacAvoy Field, corner of Winton Rd. and Empire Blvd.) | Oct 5, 18, 19, 25 & Nov 2: War on Video series hosted by Jack Garner | Tue Oct 12: Vietnam War Trivia Contest (Old Toad, 277 Alexander St.) | Sat Oct 16: Tour of Highland Park Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Highland Park) | Mon Oct 18: Veterans Panel Discussion (Henrietta Public Library, 455 Calkins Rd.) | Wed Oct 20: Anti-war Activism Panel | Tue Oct 26: Chess Tournament for Vietnam Veterans | Thu Nov 4: Presentation by Tim O’Brien (Hubbell Auditorium, University of Rochester) | ThuFri Nov 4-5: “Vietnam Through the Eyes of a Soldier” Student Art Exhibit (Greece Athena High School, 800 Long Pond Rd.) | Fri Nov 5: Reading and discussion with Tim O’Brien (Monroe Community College, 1000 E. Henrietta Rd.) | Sat Nov 6-Sun Nov 7: Combat Papermakers Workshop for Veterans (Visual Studies Workshop, 31 Prince St) | All events unless otherwise noted at Writers & Books, 740 University Ave. wab.org.
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24 City Fall Guide 2010