Winter Guide 2016

N E W S PA P E

R’S 6 GUIDE 201

Warming sou ups foor the soul

Ice on the min nd

Find ding beau uty in the frost

FOOD O , PA OD P GE 6

OUTDOORS, PAGE PA AG 10

ART, T PAGE 14

2 CITY

WINTER GUIDE 2016

WI WINTER N E W S PA P E

R ’S 6 G U ID E 2 0 1

GUIDE

NOT SO WILD WINTER [ INTRODUCTION ] BY JAKE CLAPP

INSIDE RECREATION................................. 4 FOOD. . .......................................... 6 OUTDOORS................................. 10 ART............................................ 14 EVENTS...................................... 16

This winter’s lack of snow has either been a Godsend or a mood killer, depending on Williamson God and greeen, Fight over AOn ldithe cover: IllustrationDby udRyan es doing g who you ask — there are some backyard ice toggether in North Win nton n Villlage art rink builders onPAGE page6 10 who aren’t NEIGHBORHOODS, thrilled RE ELIGION, PAGE 4 AR RT, PAGE 18 Publishers: William and Mary Anna Towler about the mild weather. But whether you are General Manager: Matt Walsh enjoying the unusual weather or cursing the missed chances to go sledding, it’s still winter Editorial department in Rochester and there are unique events themail@rochester-citynews.com and opportunities to take advantage of.

Arts & Entertainment editor: Jake Clapp We admit that when we planned this Contributing writers: Dave Budgar, Kathy year’s Winter Guide, we expected colder Laluk, Rebecca Rafferty, Martha Clement temperatures and a little more snow. Still, Rochford, Scott Pukos we hope the articles in this year’s edition give Art department you some ideas about how to make the most artdept@rochester-citynews.com of the days left until spring.

Art director/production manager: If you’re itching to move and want to let Ryan Williamson off some steam, check out page 4 for Kathy Designers: Aubrey Berardini, Mark Chamberlin Laluk’s look at indoor trampoline dodgeball.

Contributing photographers: Mark Chamberlin, It’s dodgeball … on trampolines. And it’s a Mike Hanlon lot of fun.

When the weather does get chillier, Advertising department remember to flip back to page 6 for dining ads@rochester-citynews.com writer Dave Budgar’s recommendations for New sales development: Betsy Matthews some of the best Asian soups in town.

Sales Representatives: Christine Kubarycz, And as much as it can become a burden Sarah McHugh, Bill Towler, David White when it snows heavily, the winter weather can Operations/Circulation inspire some truly wonderful pieces of art. On kstathis@rochester-citynews.com page 14, Rebecca Rafferty walks you through Circulation manager: Katherine Stathis eight pieces of winter-inspired works.

Distribution: Andy DiCiaccio, David Riccioni, Also, check out page 16 for 16 fun Northstar Delivery, Wolfe News things to look forward to in the first quarter of 2016 — from big-name musicians and Winter Guide is published by WMT Publications, comedians coming our way to a literary bus Inc. Copyright by WMT Publications Inc., 2016 - all tour through Rochester. rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any What are you most looking forward means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, to this season? Let us know in the recording or by any information storage retrieval comment section below this article at system without permission of the copyright owner. rochestercitynewspaper.com.

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BOUNCE HOUSE TRAMPOLINES ADD A TWIST TO CLASSIC DODGEBALL [ RECREATION ] BY KATHY LALUK

Teams square off at Sky Zone during a game of trampoline dodgeball.

PHOTOS BY MARK CHAMBERLIN

4 CITY

WINTER GUIDE 2016

With the new year, come those annual resolutions (whether we keep them or not) to get in better shape. But for those who can’t bear the bitter temperatures Mother Nature deals us and who hate the traditional gym, there is a familiar, yet extreme option: indoor trampoline dodgeball.

Picture the stadium from the comedy “Dodgeball.” Now take out the ridiculous characters, and add dozens of trampolines up to the walls, and you’ve got your standard trampoline dodgeball court. Locally, Sky Zone (155 Bellwood Drive) and Altitude Trampoline Park (3333 West Henrietta Road) are often packed with players doing their best to “dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge.”

Indoor trampoline dodgeball has been a part of Sky Zone since it opened. “That’s one of our staples,” says Valerie Berger, a spokesperson for the trampoline park. Sky Zone opened its first park in the early 2000’s, and expanded to Rochester about two years ago.

Berger says the park’s kids dodgeball leagues (for ages 8 to 10 and 11 to 13), have become hugely popular. “They get to go out and bounce around and burn off all that energy that kids have,” Berger says.

In the fall, Sky Zone had to cap the league at about 50 participants, and registration is already filling up fast for the Tuesday night league starting February 23 (skyzone.com/Rochester).

For adults, popularity comes and goes with the seasons. “It definitely has had its ups and downs — no pun intended,” Berger says. She adds that things are picking back up in the winter months.

Sky Zone offers adult drop-in dodgeball on Sunday nights for those who want to play regular games or anyone who just wants to see what it’s about. Every week, about a dozen or so adults show up, pay their $12 fee, meet their teammates for the night, play for an hour and a half, and then scamper off into the snowy abyss of Rochester’s winter.

Among them is Mike Johnson, who started playing about a year ago. “My buddy told me about it and I love dodgeball, so it just made sense,” he says.

The rules are essentially the same as regular dodgeball: hit your opponents with balls to get them out of the game while dodging those thrown at you; catch a ball and the other player is out and brings one of your teammates back in — all the while you’re bouncing off the floor and walls of the arena.

One of the main differences is if a ball hits any part

of the court (the trampolines), it’s considered a dead ball — if it hits you or you catch it off a bounce, it doesn’t count.

“Yeah, the rules are pretty much the same,” Johnson says, “but the trampolines add a whole other level of intensity. You’re bouncing everywhere, and the dodgeballs are bouncing everywhere, and it’s just nuts.”

Sky Zone has three trampoline courts to play dodgeball on, each made up of multiple mini trampolines. The largest court can accommodate a 14-on-14 match, while the smallest court is reserved for 5-on-5 games.

Johnson says the hardest thing is keeping your balance and staying focused. “You might be trying to bounce off one of the side trampolines and then all of a sudden — wham! You get hit because you’re not watching the other team.” Players wear special socks ($2 for a reusable pair) with grips on the bottom to help with traction and prevent injuries.

“The adult dodgeball is always really intense,” Berger says. “Like a regular dodgeball game, but on steroids because you’re bouncing everywhere, the dodgeballs are bouncing everywhere and sometimes it’s hard to keep up.” Despite that, there are no prerequisites to join. “We have people who are hardcore athletes and then we have those who just want to come out and have a good time.”

Johnson used to play soccer in high school and says he started playing dodgeball to get in shape. “I also just wanted to get back into team sports. There’s something about the comradery and the fun of it that makes me feel like I’m 16 again.”

Berger says that youthful feeling has helped spur interest in the extreme sport, including Sky Zone’s annual tournament. Registration is underway for their next one on January 31. Teams that advance from Rochester go on to play in regionals and eventually a national competition for cash prizes.

Sky Zone isn’t the only gig in town for those looking to bounce around. Altitude Trampoline Park (altituderochester.com) also has offers pick-up games and leagues for extreme dodgeball enthusiasts. Teams are even encouraged to create their own costumes — just maybe not as extreme as those worn by Vince Vaughn or Ben Stiller in “Dodgeball.”

Both parks also offer fitness classes, birthday parties and special events for those just looking to work up a sweat and keep warm this winter.

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WINTER GUIDE 2016

While soups find a place at the table in all seasons, they can be particularly spiritlifting during Rochester’s typically frigid winters. And really, there is no shortage of restaurants in our area that offer serious soul-sustaining soups. We even have some businesses that specialize in them.

No article on local soups would be complete without mentioning Rochester fixture Nathan’s Soup and Salad (on Park Avenue, at Eastview Mall, and at the Regional Market; nathanssoupandsalad. com), which serves more than 40 varieties, and the venerable American Hotel (americanhoteloflima.com/soups) in Lima, which offers five or six different homemade soups daily — from a repertoire of close to 100.

When I set out on a mission to find some of Rochester’s best winter soups, I did not anticipate where the path would lead me, and fully expected to include some favorite traditional soups that I adore: a rich and gooey French onion, a stout and briny clam chowder, a silky and succulent tomato soup.

Unwittingly, however, I found myself drawn to Asian cuisine, where soups are as an important part of culinary heritage as they are anywhere in the world. Below are some of the most sumptuous soups I sampled during this journey, but it is by no means an exhaustive list, as even each of these restaurants makes more soups that I now need to try.

For over two decades, The King and I (1455 East Henrietta Road; 427-8090; thekingandithaicuisine.com) has held court as one of Rochester’s hubs for Thai food. The restaurant’s Tom Kar Kai (more commonly spelled Tom Kha Gai), for as long as I can remember, has been one of

The babar, served at The Soup Spoon, is a Cambodian dish of rice porridge with various meats and spices. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN

Plum Garden serves the Nabeyaki Udon, a hot udon noodle soup topped with a poached egg and two tempura shrimp. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN

my go-to comfort foods. A complexly rich, sweet, sour, and spicy soup, the vibrant base of chicken-bone broth and coconut milk is accentuated with galangal (a rhizome in the ginger family), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, cilantro, fish sauce, and Thai bird’s eye chiles. The result is an aromatic and luxurious soup that will have you believing it can cure any ailment that afflicts you.

Dancing within your bowl, you’ll also find tender pieces of chicken breast, chunks of tomato, slivers of red onion, and straw mushrooms. With so much going on, you’ll find each spoonful different, but each one chock-full of goodness. This soup, in my opinion, benefits from adding some jasmine rice to the bowl, which tops off the creaminess that the coconut milk initiates.

Beyond the luscious Tom Kar Kai, The King and I also serves a Tom Yum Kai (more commonly spelled Tom Yum Gai). Tom Yum Kai has many of the same flavors as Tom Kar Kai, but in place of the creamy coconut milk foundation you’ll find a tangy tomatolike and sour citrusy base, courtesy of an emphasis on lime juice and lemongrass.

Within the bowl are chicken pieces, tomatoes, mushrooms, and chopped scallions. This soup has an uncommon depth of flavor and a spiciness that sneaks up on you, asserting itself more as you descend closer to the bottom of the bowl. The King and I also serves a shrimp version, called Tom Yum Koong.

Also operating in Rochester for more than 20 years, Plum Garden (3349 Monroe Avenue; 381-8730; plumgarden. com) serves up hibachi entrées, sushi, and sashimi, along with a plentitude of traditional Japanese dishes. One of them, Nabeyaki Udon, is a hot udon noodle soup served in an individual donabe (earthenware crock). Along with udon noodles, the soup — made from fish stock — includes chicken, kamaboko (fish cake), shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and scallions. Topping off this steaming cauldron of umami righteousness is a poached egg and two tempura shrimp, which must prudently be eaten first, lest they get soggy.

I loved the silky, toothsome udon noodles, the nuanced hints of both sweetness and saltiness, and the contrasting textures. Like so many other Asian soups, this one boasted a complexity of subtle and pronounced flavors. Plum Garden offers a shaker of ground cayenne pepper to sprinkle on this soup, which I felt added yet another layer of intrigue. While eating this, I thought to myself that nabeyaki udon might very well be the ideal Rochester winter soup. continues on page 8 rochestercitynewspaper.com

CITY 7

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The Roasted Duck Broth Noodles at Han Noodle Bar. PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN

Han Noodle Bar (687 Monroe Avenue; 242-7333; hannoodlebar.com) has been dishing out street vendor-style food from various regions of China since 2011. In addition to ethereal pork belly buns, Han offers 15 varieties of broth noodles. On the advice of a colleague, I opted on my visit for the Roasted Duck Broth Noodles.

In an earthy and herbaceous seafood and pork-bone stock swam chewy udon noodles, bright green tender-crisp baby bok choy, and generous pieces of crispy-skinned duck thigh, best eaten before that skin loses its crackle. While this is a relatively thin soup, it is deceptively rich, owing in part to the succulent duck. Although I could not finish the abundant noodles, I slurped down the last drops of this flavorful broth.

The Soup Spoon (1378 Mt. Hope Avenue; 244-7166; thesoupspoonroom. com), a relative newcomer to our scene (it opened in 2014), is a shining independent in the succession of (mostly) chain eateries in College Town. The Soup Spoon ladles out Cambodian comfort food, much of which comes from family recipes. It was here I found a new contender for a favorite winter soup: Babar. Babar is traditional Cambodian rice porridge with chicken, fresh ginger, onion, green onion, cilantro, and wide rice noodles.

Spicy and soothing, fulfilling and restorative, this is just about everything I could dream of in a winter soup. The soft silky texture of the porridge is punctuated by the intensity of the salted soybeans. As suggested by the menu (and my server) I added a few splashes

of white vinegar to brighten the flavor, and dusted the top with black pepper and fried garlic. Everything in this soup was balanced in terms of flavors, textures, and quantities.

Harmony in a bowl.

Barely known in these parts just a few years ago, Vietnamese pho is now relatively commonplace, and several restaurants in the area prepare it very well. Few meals are as hearty and deeply complex in flavor as is pho, and with few dishes does a diner receive so much satisfaction — in terms of quality and quantity — for so little cash. I consider it a quintessential winter staple, and there’s nothing I’d rather eat on a cold December night — even if on this particular one, temperatures hovered in the 50’s.

The one place I had not yet tried pho was Nam Vang (1380 Lyell Avenue; 319-4137; facebook.com/NamVangRestaurant), which remarkably sits immediately next door to another Vietnamese restaurant. Nam Vang does Pho Tai proud. An intensely deep beef-bone broth filled with slippery delicate rice noodles, thinly-sliced beef, onions, and scallions is accentuated with the heady aromas of fish sauce, star anise, clove, and cinnamon.

Squeeze in some lime juice and Sriracha to coax the most of the flavors in this ocean of gustatory assertiveness. Finally, top your soup from what the Vietnamese call “table salad”: bean sprouts, jalapeño slices, Thai basil, and lime wedges. Bliss in a bowl. Nam Vang also makes their own version of Vietnamese limeade — nuoc da chanh — which I thought complemented their pho very well.

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CITY 9

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People who tiptoe out of the house after midnight might be up to no good, but during Rochester’s cold months a lot of them are just checking their ice. Last year was an excellent season for backyard rink builders, and they are holding out hope for another.

“It’s about finding the holy grail of ice,” says Tom Viola of Webster. Viola and his “Over 40” men’s hockey teammates are sharing a pitcher of beer between games at the 2015 pond hockey tournament at Blue Heron Hills Golf Club when the conversation turns to backyard skating rinks. One player notes that “it’s a little bit of art, and little bit of science.”

Another adds “and a little bit of luck.”

According to these builders, good ice for a homemade rink requires hard work, experience, a level yard, and the right weather. Rink people talk extensively about do-overs; snow before the ice freezes is a mess, and a thaw can be catastrophic. That’s why, says Craig Abbott of Victor, “You need to check the 10-day forecast — several times a day.”

Carmen DelPlato of Batavia grew up where neighborhood parking lots, tennis courts, and wading pools were flooded every winter to make rinks. “When we were kids, we’d skate outdoors.” He adds in disbelief, “I’ve heard guys say they’ve never skated outdoors.”

Abbott skated on the edges of a shallow creek growing up, but hockey was difficult.

“The creek wasn’t frozen in the middle so if we lost the puck, the lightest kids would be trying to fish it out of the stream.” (Abbott added that the stream was about 12 inches deep and safe.)

Stuart MacKenzie of Brighton is a thirdgeneration rink builder whose grandparents lived well north of the Great Lakes in the 1920’s. They built rinks by packing the snow with their feet, and MacKenzie grew up skating in his family’s backyard, using the same method.

The MacKenzie family of Brighton already has their rink marked out for the season. Now it's just a waiting game for the proper weather to hit.

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MacKenzie now builds a rink for his own family — his current rink design is 40 feet by 60 feet with LED lights under the ice, a rink-side fire pit, and strings of Christmas lights above. “Our first rink started with rain on the lawn,” he says.

“We shoveled snow banks for boards.”

Even after 16 years of rink building, MacKenzie remains fascinated. “It’s never the same sheet of ice,” he explains.

Viola started his first rink by shoveling off a 12-foot-by-12-foot concrete slab

and flooding between the snow banks.

When his kids started playing hockey he built a wooden frame and lined it with plastic sheeting. As the children grew, Viola added boards, then a puck-catching net behind the boards. Like a lot of rink people, Viola would often go out late at night and check on the ice. “My wife used to call the rink my mistress.” continues on page 12

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Craig Abbott and his family in their Victor backyard. Growing up, Abbott skated on the edges of a shallow creek. This season he's building a 32-foot by 44-foot rink. PHOTO BY MIKE HANLON

Abbott started on this season’s rink in the summer. “My wife wanted a patio” and he took the opportunity to level his backyard.

This winter, he’ll expand the rink to 32 feet by 44 feet. He says “level is good,” but really it’s essential.

The first time Viola built a rink, he says, he “didn’t have a good appreciation for the pitch in my yard.” Now, with a system figured out, and years of experience, Viola and a few helpers could get the rink built in half a day. But building up the ice takes time, and patience. “An amateur mistake is standing on the ice to test it too soon, and breaking through,” he says.

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recalls “one year, we built the rink, and the season was so bad we only skated one weekend. Everyone else in Rochester thought that was a great winter.”

Viola remembers the year that a wind storm blew down his boards, and the water drained from his rink. “I told my wife I was going outside to take it down. She looked outside hours later, and I had rebuilt it.”

MacKenzie has had children, dogs, and deer fracture his ice by crossing it too early. Viola tells a story of fixing his rink after a thaw that was followed by snowfall.

“We carried hot water from the kitchen for two hours to fix the ice.” Abbott keeps a photo on his phone of a friend’s improvised Zamboni. “It’s the carcass of an old push mower, with a keg barrel filled with water that’s connected to a PVC pipe.”

The number of people in Rochester building their own rinks is hard to estimate, but MacKenzie, who also coaches hockey, says, “In every team I’ve coached, at least a quarter of the kids have backyard rinks.

Apply that to the 2100 kids in the area’s hockey programs, and even when you account for siblings, that’s a lot of families building rinks.”

In addition to the personal satisfaction of building a rink, “the kids can skate whenever they want,” MacKenzie says, “and I know where they are.” The backyard rink provides significant advantages, especially for young hockey players. “For example,” Viola says, “in a game, a kid might touch the puck 10 times; in practice maybe 50. All day long on a backyard rink, it’s infinite.”

Kids learn social skills on the ice as well, including cooperation and even mediation.

“I’ve seen that dynamic when I’ve got 30 to 40 kids on my rink, with a bunch playing pickup hockey, and kids figure skating in the middle,” MacKenzie says. “They figure it out.”

There is a sense of community among rink people, and they know where the rinks are. “I used to steal ideas shamelessly,” Viola says. He describes a homeowner out on Route 250 who always has a perfect rink, and whom he’s asked for advice. “He’s the ice-whisperer.”

MacKenzie sees people stop by his home to take photos of his rink, and laughs about having what he calls “jumpers”: kids who come over at night, jump out of their cars, skate around for a while and take off.

Eventually, the boards come down.

MacKenzie finds that the insulation of the rink creates “a little microclimate, and I get a nice green square in the middle of my lawn.”

Viola explains that the rink deconstruction makes his yard “look like a shanty town” and warns that taking the rink down too late carries risks.

“I’d find that moles had taken up residence, with ‘Caddy Shack’-type trails all over the place … But when the rink is surrounded by snow banks and Christmas lights, it’s our own winter wonderland.”

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WINTER WONDER FANS FOR SOME ARTISTS, WINTER MAKES THE WORLD COME ALIVE [ ART ] BY REBECCA RAFFERTY

If you think winter can be summed up by the words “cold” and “dreary,” you’re not looking close enough.

Overcast skies scatter light, which shows off the vibrancy of normally subdued hues. And through the talents of some of the area’s artists, we can re-learn how to appreciate the crueler months.

Rochester- and Western New York-based artists know how to depict the fun activity, the cozy themes, and the unexpected beauty of the season. A selection of historic and contemporary winter art follows — get inspired and go outside. Jessica Martin at Memorial Art Gallery and Jamie Allen at George Eastman Museum provided information and helped with research for some of the historic artworks that are talked about below.

Arthur Dove, “Cars in a Sleet Storm,” Memorial Art Gallery collection Painted in 1938 by Geneva, New York-native and artist Arthur Dove, this oil painting reveals a world imaginatively transformed by icy water streaming from the sky.

The rolling, rural terrain is reminiscent of winter days a touch too warm for snow to stick, leaving the rich earth of the hibernating fields exposed and drenched under moody skies.

Of his abstract work, the artist commented, “… I no longer observed in the old way, and not only began to think subjectively but also to remember certain sensations purely through their form and color, that is, by certain shapes, planes of light, or character lines determined by the meeting of such planes.”

W. Elmer Schofield, “Lower Falls,” Memorial Art Gallery collection When Walter Elmer Schofield (a Pennsylvania native) came to Rochester in March 1915 to exhibit his work at the Memorial Art Gallery, he braved the cold weather to paint a few large canvases outside. His dedication caught the eye of a passing news photographer who took his picture for the paper as he stood by his easel on the Driving Park Bridge overlooking the Lower Falls.

This painting is from that trip to Rochester. Schofield captures the mighty, muddy Genesee River cascading over Lower Falls, and the sweep of the city beyond. Though the rushing waters look murky, Schofield’s greens and yellows balance the icy blue snow and crimson buildings surrounding it. Schofield’s use of richly saturated hues truly showcases the power of overcast skies to breathe new life into the colors that surround us.

Jeanette Bernard, “Group of people throwing snowballs,” George Eastman Museum collection “Bernard is best described as an amateur photographer, but her work was published in many weekly illustrated newspapers in the early 20th century,” says Jamie Allen, associate curator at Eastman Museum’s Department of Photography.

“She regularly entered photography competitions held by the papers and was often selected as a winner.”

In this circa-1910 image, adults and children embrace the winter weather, stepping out into a snowy yard to have a snowball fight. The infectious smiles of the subjects encourage viewers to shirk hibernation, layer up, and enjoy some exercise and fresh air — bleak conditions be damned.

Bob Conge, “Let It Snow” I’m so accustomed to Bob Conge’s rad sculptural Plaseebo creatures that his peaceful, sweet “Let It Snow” illustration came as a surprise. Though the image has a distinctly 1980’s design feel to it, the subject matter is timeless. Sweetly rendered bunnies are tucked into the landscape as though snow mounds themselves, or winter sprites spied only because of their pink eyes.

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“One of the things I find uplifting about winter is the power of the snow to visually unify all that it touches as it paints the earth with a single brush of white,” Conge says. “Differences fade as peace descends.” He designed the poster as a holiday promotion gift for clients of Oser Press.

“That’s actually my favorite thing about winter,” Mott says.

“With cross country skiing you can glide across the snow in a way that lets you feel dynamically connected to everything.

You can’t escape gravity, but it still feels like flying.”

Adam Francey’s winter cabin tattoo on Renée Heininger

"Let it snow" by Bob Cage PHOTO PROVIDED

Jim Mott, “Ski Trail” “Winter can be grueling, but it also throws unexpected beauty at you now and then, in ways that provoke a sense of wonder,” Mott says.

For the landscape painter, a typical Rochester winter changes everything. “It makes the land brighter than the sky,” Mott says. “It makes the ponds and lakes solid. It gives us the bare eloquent structure of trees to contemplate. On sunny days, shadows cast on the snow fill with blue light reflected from the sky, so the winter change-up stimulates work with a fresh feel.”

Mott’s “Ski Trails” painting was a spontaneous effort, done after a morning of cross-country skiing. He perfectly captures crisp color of the sky and the lovely solitude of setting out after the solitary tracks left by others, crisscrossed by the long, sinewy shadows of the trees.

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“I approached Adam with the idea of tattooing a winter scene on my thigh and hip, where I needed a cover up done,” Heininger says. “Because I admire his style and trust his vision, I didn’t specify much more than wanting the piece to include a cabin in the winter woods and a wolf or other animal.”

Heininger loves winter, and wanted the piece to be a celebration “of the quiet energy the season gives me, rather than a depressing scene. I asked that the tattoo be dark yet peaceful and convey the feeling of solitude in the dead of winter. The wolf spirit Tattoo by Adam Francey of LoveHate coming out of the chimney Tattoo on Renee Heininger's upper was Adam’s idea and that thigh. PHOTO SARA CZERNIKOWSKI really took the piece to the next level.”

Renee Simone-Lee, “Highland Pines” Simone-Lee’s painting beautifully captures the continuous transition between seasons — some bright crimson foliage is still visible under a blanket-like layer of snow.

Warm, golden light peeks through the distant trees, and is balanced by deep, cold shadows in the foreground. A nook of a painting.

Snowfall has a transformative power on form, color, and light, Simone-Lee says. “Snow laden pines become a beautifully draped figure with its heavy boughs dipping down and becoming one with the earth below,” she says. “‘Highland Pines’ is that first fresh snow of the season. It is a trip to the park in early light before "Highland Pines" oil on canvas by it is disturbed by playful Renee Simone-Lee footprints. Then a second PHOTO BY MICHAEL RIVERA visit the same day to catch the last of the light just before it recedes over the ridge on the Winter Solstice Eve.”

Meghan Murphy, “Winter Guests” Rochester-based illustrator and designer Meghan Murphy creates the cutest scenes that celebrate every season. When creating winter-inspired imagery, she says she thinks about what makes her the most excited when the cold weather "Winter Guests" by Meghan Murphy blows in: sledding, making PHOTO PROVIDED snow people, playing games, or just hanging out by a toasty fire. “There are special wonders that only the snow brings,” she says.

“Winter Guests” takes Bob Ross’s “happy little trees” to the next level, with a contented smile and toasty scarf around its trunk. The adorable songbirds (in ear-flapped toboggan hats) are a key little reminder to look for and appreciate the signs of life during Rochester’s dreary winters (so be nice to the crows).

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CAN’T-MISS EVENTS TAKING PLACE THIS WINTER [ PREVIEW ] BY SCOTT PUKOS

If your New Year’s resolution was to find some (mostly figurative, but possibly literal) hidden treasures in the area, or if it’s something as simple as “dance more,” City is here to help. Here’s our list of 16 fun, rockin’, awesome events happening in the first quarter of 2016.

Did we miss something especially exciting on your personal calendar? Add it to the comments section of this article at rochestercitynewspaper.com.

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MUSIC | Doc Severinsen

657 Park Ave | 270-4467 bluwolfbistro.com 16 CITY WINTER GUIDE 2016

There are few instruments as majestic as a trumpet, and even fewer people who can rock it like Doc Severinsen. The Grammy-winning artist — along with his A+ attire — will team with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for a pair of special shows in January.

Severinsen will guest conduct and perform with the RPO on Friday, January 22, and Saturday, January 23 at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs Street. 8

p.m. $22-$99. rpo.org; docseverinsen.com.

Playing the air trumpet is acceptable.

MUSIC | Rover’s Holiday Hangover With the holiday season over, the time to sing “Joy to the World” gives way to something much better … Joywave. It’s quite apparent that the Rochester group always delivers those catchy hooks during its homecoming shows. The enthusiasm the group has for its hometown is hard to miss, and damn, is it contagious. Bonus points if you can spot lead singer Daniel Armbruster with a cup of coffee at Pour before the show.

Rover’s Holiday Hangover will also feature New Politics, Andrew McMahon, In the Wilderness, and Coleman Hell. The show will take place Friday, January 29, at the Main Street Armory, 900 East Main Street. 7 p.m. $30. mainstreetarmory.com; roverradio.com.

RECREATION | Nordic Sip-NSki and Wine Maker’s Dinner You wouldn’t be wrong if you said two of the best antidotes for winter are skiing and boozing. The Nordic Sip-N-Ski event at Ontario County’s Bristol Mountain combine the two in glorious fashion. Participants can warm up with drinks from different New York wineries and breweries before hitting the cross country tract. The good news is skiing experience isn’t required and instruction will be provided.

The better news is there will be a buffet-style dinner after the skiing. $25 from each ticket goes to Mercy Flight Central.

The Nordic Sip-N-Ski and Wine Maker’s Dinner will take place Saturday, February 6, at Bristol Mountain Winter Resort, 5662 State Route 64, Canandaigua. 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. $80. 374-6000; mercyflightcentral.org.

First Person Singular, music, food, adult beverages, and of course, art. There will also be a scavenger hunt, fast friendship (speed dating for friends), and if you’re feeling particularly vindictive, there will be voodoo doll making so you can get revenge on your ex.

The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Avenue) will host Valentine Schmalentine on Friday, February 12. 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. $12-$15. mag.rochester.edu.

SPECIAL EVENT | RMSC After Dark The Rochester Museum and Science Center’s After Dark parties are just like the film “Night at the Museum” … except instead of inanimate objects coming to life, there is a lot of adult beverages on hand. It’s fun. It’s also frightening to realize how well science and alcohol pair with each other.

If only this were allowed in high school physics class. RMSC will host a Totally 80’s party in February.

RMSC After Dark will host a Totally 80’s party on Saturday, February 6, at the museum, 657 East Avenue. 7 p.m. $12-$30. rmsc.org.

MUSIC | Caspian Listening to Caspian is an experience. The band’s music can be emotional and cinematic — there are, mostly, no lyrics, but there doesn’t have to be. Comparisons to Explosions in the Sky are easy, but Caspian has developed its own sound in its 12-year existence. The group’s most recent LP, “Dust and Disquiet,” was released in September, so expect lots of new tunes.

Caspian will perform with O’Brother on Wednesday, February 10, at The Montage Music Hall, 50 Chestnut Street. 6 p.m. $15-$17. themontagemusichall.com; caspianmusic.net.

FESTIVAL | New York Ice Wine Festival

FILM | Magic at the Movies Movies can be magical, but movies about magical personalities are pretty great, too. The Dryden Theatre will show a series of short films on February 9 that certainly will tap into that feeling that anything is possible. The highlight of these presentations is a series of Harry Houdini stunts, including an escape from a straightjacket and jumping off Rochester’s Weighlock Bridge in 1907 … while wearing manacles. The films start at 8 p.m. There will also be piano playing by Philip C. Carli.

Magic at the Movies will take place Tuesday, February 9, at the Dryden Theatre, 900 East Avenue. 8 p.m. $4-$8. eastman.org/Dryden-theatre.

While it sounds like it could be the type of wine they drink in Winterfell, ice wine is — luckily for us — not a fictional beverage. The drink is made with grapes that were frozen on the vine. The result is different, yet delicious. The New York Ice Wine and Culinary Festival will feature wines made at New York State vineyards, as well as food tastings, live music, and a horse drawn sleigh ride through the vineyards (it really doesn’t get more whimsical than that).

The New York Ice Wine and Culinary Festival takes place on Saturday, February 13, at Casa Larga Vineyards, 2287 Turk Hill Road, Fairport. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. $55-$65. casalarga.com.

SPECIAL EVENT | Valentine Schmalentine We’ll never know if the saying “Valentine schmalentine” originated in the time of St. Valentine himself, but we do know the Memorial Art Gallery is using it to put a new twist on the lovely holiday. The event features storytelling from

MUSIC | Lil Wayne Lil Wayne’s The Dedication Tour is coming to Rochester.

You probably know Lil Wayne for two things: His rapping, and his seemingly flawless ability for canceling shows in Rochester.

While he’s canceled three shows here already, the last axed show was in 2009. The early projection is he will not only perform in Rochester, but nail it too. Rae Sremmurd opens.

Lil Wayne will perform Saturday, February 20, at Blue Cross Arena, 100 Exchange Boulevard. 7:30 p.m. $29.50$79.50. bluecrossarena.com; youngmoney.com.

SPECIAL EVENT | First Person Singular It’s a proven fact that stories plus cookies make a winning equation. That’s exactly what First Person Singular delivers. The event takes place at the Rochester Brainery in Village Gate and gives anyone who’s willing to take the stage a chance to tell a funny, poignant, sad, or just plain weird anecdote. While many talented Rochester comedians will use this platform to get more personal, anyone in attendance is encouraged to share their story. Each person has roughly five minutes, so the action happens at a rapid clip. continues on page 18

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First Person Singular takes place on one Friday every month at the Rochester Brainery, 274 North Goodman Street. Follow them on Facebook for event alerts. facebook.com/ firstpersonsingular14607.

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THEATER | “To Kill A Mockingbird” There’s a reason why stories like “To Kill A Mockingbird” are classics. We never get sick of spending time with Atticus Finch, Scout, and even Boo Radley. Geva Theatre Center’s production, adapted by Christopher Sergel and directed by Mark Cuddy, promises to deliver a new take on a familiar yet always stunning tale. And don’t worry, this doesn’t include an adaptation of “Go Set A Watchmen,” too.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” will run February 16 through March 20 at Geva Theatre Center, 75 Woodbury Boulevard. Check gevatheatre.org or call 232-4382 for show times and ticket prices.

COMEDY | Jerry Seinfeld Seinfeld’s mega hit show is beyond iconic, but his standup remains gold, too (“gold, Jerry, gold”). But here’s the thing, like any great artist, his act has changed over the years. It makes sense that Seinfeld’s material has evolved as he transformed from emerging talent, to sitcom star, and now to life as a family man (albeit a richer more hilarious version of your typical family man). Despite the shift in subject matter, Seinfeld can still crush it with observational quips and witty asides.

Jerry Seinfeld will perform Friday, February 19, at the Auditorium Theatre, 885 East Main Street. 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. $49.50-$150. rbtl.org; jerryseinfeld.com.

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MUSIC | Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band The Boss is back. Time for an understatement: This is one concert many, many people have been anticipating.

There’s a reason why tickets were so tough to score — despite decades in the business, these guys remain among the best.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play Saturday, February 27, at Blue Cross Arena, 100 Exchange Boulevard. 7:30 p.m. $68-$153. ticketmaster.com; brucespringsteen.net.

MUSIC | Kaki King All Kaki King needs is a guitar. The musician is a veritable one-woman band, using nimble fingers, percussive taps, and string slaps for a sound that sways from post-rock and shoegaze to jazz. Occasionally, she’ll bring in looping stations, pedals, and visuals to help deepen her performance — but watching her perform with a simple six-string is just as mesmerizing. This show is the first in a new Little Concert Series presented by Different Radio.

Kaki King will perform Thursday, February 25, at The Little Theatre, 240 East Avenue. 8 p.m. $20. thelittle.org; kakiking.com.

— BY JAKE CLAPP

ern New York during the 1970’s. In March, you’ll be able to experience that knowledge firsthand. Writers & Books is hosting a bus tour of the Flower City with Livingston. The tour will visit sites from her books (the aforementioned “Ghostbread” and her latest, “Queen of the Fall”), along with a tour of the Susan B. Anthony House.

The bus tour will take place Tuesday, March 1. More details will be provided with purchase of a ticket. $50 per person. 473-2590; wab.org.

MUSIC | Hawthorne Heights Protip for staying warm: Jumping, screaming, and sweating at a rock show is just as effective as hats and scarves. There will be plenty of opportunity to do all of the above when Hawthorne Heights plays the Bug Jar. Hawthorne Heights will play with Mest and The Ataris on Tuesday, March 8, at the Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Avenue.

6 p.m. $25. ticketfly.com; hawthorneheights.com.

SPECIAL EVENT | Bus Tour of Rochester with Sonja Livingston Sonja Livingston knows a thing or two about Rochester. Her memoir “Ghostbread” details growing up in West-

Looking for more?

It's a long winter, so if you're looking for things to take your mind of the blistering cold check www.rochestercitynewspaper.com for weekly music and event listings.

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