Alexander Jones

Upstate New York is a region known for its sprawling, camping-ready wildernesses — and its countless annual haunted houses and hay rides. It seems like kind of a no-brainer to combine the two into one spectacularly horrifying event. Batavia’s Scream Campout Live promises to “break even the strongest will.” Taking cues from the recent crop […]

The 30th Annual Caribbean Festival and Parade — also known as Carifest — will take place Saturday, August 9, and offers a host of activities for anyone who stops by. Following this year’s theme “Honoring the Past, Anticipating the Future,” Carifest kicks off in a big way with a costume parade along East Main Street […]

Joe Rogan’s Machiavellian carnival of mortal terror, “Fear Factor,” included everything from contestants being buried alive in a pit of tarantulas to having them chow down on sheep’s eyes. The show represents a tipping point in our television viewing in which watching strangers scream obscenities at one another simply was not enough. The Brighton Memorial […]

Many people know, and love, Laura Ingalls Wilder for her “Little House” series of young adult books, but what’s often glossed over are her strong ties to New York. Her husband, Almanzo Wilder, was born near Malone, New York, and her father, Charles Ingalls, was born in Cuba, New York. This summer, the Genesee Country […]

Rochester’s glowing cultural diversity is something its residents should be proud of. The Rochester-area is home to no shortage of top-notch restaurants, centers, and festivals celebrating the region’s various cultures. Next week, Rochester will host not one, but four individual cultural festivals. The Polish Arts Festival, which takes place Friday, August 1, 5 p.m. to […]

The Ten Ugly Men is a non-profit organization operated by, you guessed it, ten “ugly” men with a single goal in mind: to put on huge festivals and donate the proceeds to charity. As if the allure of unlimited amounts of chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, ice cream, and various other snacks wasn’t enough of a […]

Ganondagan’s annual Native American Dance & Music Festival is celebrating its 23rd year this summer with a host of activities celebrating Native American culture and traditions. This year’s featured performers include New Mexico’s Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers, Iroquois singers and dancers, and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Joanne Shenandoah. The festival also features traditional Native American demonstrations — […]

Rochester Area Triathletes are holding the fourth annual Rochester Kids’ Triathlon on Saturday, July 19. While certainly a more scaled down and accessible course when compared to traditional triathlons, the Rochester Kids’ Triathlon is still sure to pose a challenge to the kids who are up for it. Participants can either participate in the short […]

The 17th Annual Macedonian Festival is taking place the weekend of July 18, showcasing the rich heritage of the Macedonian people. The Macedonian Festival is bringing as many aspects of Macedonian culture to the Rochester community as possible, ranging from authentic baked goods like baklava and tulumbi (a fried, syrupy desert) to traditional music and […]

The 2014 Canandaigua Music & Arts Festival takes place Friday, July 18, through Sunday, July 20, in Historic Downtown Canandaigua. In its 27th year, the annual festival is showing no signs of growing stale. In addition to showcasing more than 100 artists and crafters up and down Canandaigua’s Main Street, this year’s festival also includes […]

It’s no secret that a great beard, while often hard to find, can truly be a sight to behold. The spectrum of facial hair tends to exist as a fine line between “Why would you do that to your face?” and “Your beard makes me believe in love and hope again.” With his series, “Behold […]