Age: 45 Hometown: The Bronx Current resident: Rochester Occupation: Executive director, Father Tracy Advocacy Center Shortly after 10:30 on a weekday morning, people are already gathered outside the Father Tracy Advocacy Center at 821 N. Clinton Ave. By the end of a typical day, about 200 people will have passed through the building. A woman […]
Culture
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Rochester Ten | John Kucko
Age: 61 Hometown: Binghamton Current residence: Penfield Occupation: Digital content creator During a recent MRI, John Kucko laid inside a tube with a cylinder resting inches above his face. Physically, he remained still for about 30 minutes while the machine captured images of his brain. But mentally, he took a trip to the Adirondacks. “I […]
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Rochester Ten | Andria B. Langston
Age: 35 Hometown: Rochester Current residence: Rochester and Washington, D.C. Occupation: Co-owner, WDKX; actor, writer and producer Andria Langston freely admits that she does not know how to relax. Perhaps it’s because she is the only child of the only child of Andrew and Gloria Langston, who came to Rochester 52 years ago with next to […]
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Rochester Ten | Max Kelley
Age: 32 (33 on Aug. 16) Hometown: Webster Current residence: Rochester Occupation: Software engineer at Applied Materials; station manager at WAYO 104.3 FM Long before Max Kelley helped establish one of Rochester’s most beloved community institutions, he was sitting beside his Italian grandfather, listening to voices travel across an ocean through an old Grundig shortwave […]
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Rochester Ten | Leaphe Ferm
Age: 29 Hometown: Morristown, NJ Current Residence: Rochester Occupation: Musician, artist, caregiver A world where souls turn into stuffed animals so they can be protected against the Very Bad Normal Man and his terrible contract. A campy puppet folk opera at the crossroads of psychedelic rock and twee. A handmade cardboard set with a mind […]
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The nation’s first founding farm animal sanctuary marks 40 years in Watkins Glen
It’s 1986, and Gene Baur is selling vegan hotdogs at Grateful Dead shows. Surrounded by the sounds of Jerry Garcia and company, Baur spends his time educating fellow “Deadheads” about the cruelties of animal agriculture, providing firsthand accounts from his investigations at factory farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses. Then Baur finds Hilda, a discarded sheep left […]
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The Witches of Water’s Edge dance to benefit others
It’s a Wednesday night in Seneca Falls, and a group of women prepares for another busy weekend of performances. In a few days, they’ll don pointy hats, grab their broomsticks and dance into their roles as modern-day witches. But they aren’t just dancing for spectacle —- they’re raising awareness. The Witches of the Water’s Edge, […]
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How a struggling Lima pub became a blues haven
On a quiet stretch where Routes 5 & 20 cut through Lima, there’s a low-slung building that doesn’t call much attention to itself. You could pass it without realizing that, on certain nights, it becomes one of the most intimate blues rooms in the Northeast. Inside Fanatics Pub, something unlikely has been unfolding — steady, […]
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The veteran-owned Rainbow Cammo is a gathering place for the queer community
During the pandemic, Malcolm Keim was making soap in about 200 square feet of basement space. What began as a hobby, sparked in part by a college assignment illustrating scientific concepts through soapmaking, gradually grew into something larger. Artist markets led to a website. A website led to appearances at the Rochester Pride Festival. “It […]
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Local radio show ‘Rainbow Roc’ celebrates 10 years of proud LGBTQ+ advocacy
When Brian Hurlburt applied to host a radio show on low-power community broadcaster WAYO-FM, the station didn’t technically exist yet. This was 2015, and organizers were still laying cables and installing power racks before launching. Hurlburt wanted in. He’d worked in radio before, hosting a show in Batavia, and he dreamed of returning to the […]
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Three Finger Lakes ice cream shops bringing the heat
Milk, cheese, yogurt, artisanal ice cream: while the Finger Lakes may be lesser known for its dairy production, the region is a quiet cornerstone in New York’s lactose industry. During the summer months especially, ice creameries boom, from classic mom-and-pop shops to artisanal makers that specialize in unique styles and flavors. CITY visited three creameries […]
