Cover Story
Changing of the gallery guard
At the beginning of its second hundred years, the Memorial Art Gallery considers its position in the Rochester community.
Campbell Brown is winning the education PR war
Much of the education reform movement has become a battle for public opinion. And news personality Campbell Brown is posing challenges for teachers union leaders in ways that her predecessor, Michelle Rhee, never could. Brown has been making the rounds on news and talk shows pitching the idea of overturning teacher tenure laws. Her strategy…
Ag dept brief sides with Chili farm family on substation
A brief by attorneys for the State Department of Agriculture and Markets could mean a big change for a $254 million Rochester Gas and Electric project in the western half of Monroe County. Rochester Gas and Electric wants to tap into a New York Power Authority line that carries electricity from the Niagara Falls hydroelectric…
Film Review: “Guardians of the Galaxy”
For the 10th entry in its Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios reaches deep into its character roster to bring intergalactic outlaws the “Guardians of the Galaxy” to the big screen. Though lacking the name recognition of Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America, the Guardians have been around since the late 60’s, with a number of changes…
WEEK AHEAD: Eastman Dental conversion; Southpoint Marina expansion; Vargas gives his State of the Schools address
The Preservation Board of the City of Rochester will hear an application to convert the old Eastman Dental Dispensary on East Main Street in Northeast Rochester into senior housing. The board meets at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 6, in City Council chambers at City Hall, 30 Church Street. Home Leasing LLC wants to use…
Film Review: “I Origins”
Since the earliest years of cinema, science fiction has inspired filmmakers. Its major subjects — space travel, time travel, alien encounters, robots, the future — translate easily to film, the most magical of the arts, the most hospitable to the possibilities of fantasy. The form also responds to the dreams and fears of its time…
Rochester school board looks for answers at East
Updated version: Friday, August 1, 2014 The Rochester school board met yesterday to review a plan to improve East High School. The plan, put together by a team at East High, is supposed to be submitted to the State Education Department today for approval, but some board members said they needed more time to examine…
RIT student takes on climate advocate role
Susan Spencer sees potential for the Rochester region to lead on technology that could prevent the acceleration of climate change. In particular, she says she sees promise in the solar cell research and development work happening across the area, especially at Eastman Business Park. And that makes sense: Spencer is a Ph.D. candidate at Rochester…
ART | First Friday
The evening of Friday, August 1, loads of artists, galleries, and alternative spaces will host open studios, and receptions for new or current shows. Here are a few key picks, but for a full list, visit firstfridayrochester.org and check out the art openings section of City’s calendar in this issue or at rochestercitynewspaper.com. Rochester Contemporary Art Center (137 East…
FESTIVAL | Park Avenue Festival
On Saturday, August 2, and Sunday, August 3, the 37th Annual Park Avenue Summer Art Festival will fill the Park Avenue neighborhood with arts, crafts, and music. The event, hosted by the Park Avenue Merchants Association, will feature hundreds of local artists, as well as vendors from across the U.S. and Canada. These artisans will…
FAMILY | Laura Ingalls Wilder Days
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…
FESTIVALS | Cultural Festivals
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…
SPECIAL EVENT | Craft Beer #FLXperience Week
The Finger Lakes area is quickly becoming an important home for craft breweries. The Finger Lakes Visitors Connection will celebrate the thriving industry with a week of beer-centric events. The Craft Beer #FLXperience Week begins with tours of hops farms and tastings at The Bluebell Hopyard (319 Cline Road, Victor) and Schmidt Farm (415 County…
THEATER | “Tick, Tick … BOOM!”
Before Jonathan Larson wrote “Rent,” he wrote and performed a “rock monologue” called “Tick, Tick … BOOM!” first presented Off-Off Broadway in 1990. The huge success of “Rent” came soon afterward, but Larson never lived to see it. Ironically, “Tick, Tick … BOOM!” dramatizes Larson’s own apprehensions about turning 30 with little to show for…
IRISH PUNK | The Mahones
Irish punk rockers The Mahones are currently riding the peak of their career, headlining festivals around the globe and winning a few awards over the last few years. The longevity may be unexpected, as frontman Finny McConnell originally started the band to perform for one night during St. Patrick’s Day in 1990. After the band…
CELTIC ROOTS | Runa
Runa takes a contemporary and refreshing approach to both traditional and modern Celtic music. This vocal and instrumental band fuses music from Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and the United States to create a pleasing, unique sound. The ensemble features vocals, guitar, percussion, mandolin, and fiddle, as well as some less common instruments like the bodhrán. Runa…
ROCK | Split Squad
All I have to do is list the borderline royal pedigree in this outfit, right? I mean, c’mon there’s Clem Burke (Blondie and the Empty Hearts with Rochester’s Andy Babiuk), Keith Streng (Fleshtones), Eddie Munoz (Plimsouls), and Josh Kantor (The Baseball Project). The band’s 2013 “Now Hear This” was produced by Young Fresh Fellow Scott…
Feedback 7/30
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in…
ELECTRONIC | “Operation Impending Boom II”
Love Nightclub has the line-up to support a crazy event name like “Operation Impending Boom II: GIRS Cheesagedon.” The club is calling all “galactic defenders” to the dance floor to fight back against GIR and its armada — enacting its revenge following a defeat during “Operation Impending Boom I.” The party will feature an army…
Closing in on the immune system
Most of the images that researchers use to help them understand the immune system are essentially snapshots. Despite advances in medical technology, the images don’t show much activity, which limits researchers’ understanding of how the immune system works. Cells could be right next to each other, for example, and give the appearance that they are…
EXPERIMENTAL/HIP-HOP | “Man vs. Machine 2”
With six groups combining traditional instrumentation and vocals with the use of live drum machines, “Man vs. Machine 2,” a follow-up to last year’s show, sets out to explore the creative possibilities of incorporating the machine into live sets. Each act will be paired with someone playing drum machines, pushing for experimentation and innovation on…
Environmental moves make good business sense
Bob Bechtold built a successful manufacturing company by embracing new technology, not treating it as a threat. Bechtold founded Harbec, Inc., almost 40 years ago in the Wayne County town of Ontario as an all-purpose machine shop. Computerized machine tools were just starting to make their way to shop floors, and some in the toolmaking…
HIP-HOP | Lil DurkJAKE CLAPPEXPERIMENTAL/HIP-HOP | “Man vs. Machine 2”
At 21 years old and with a handful of impressive mixtapes to his name, Lil Durk made XXL Magazine’s 2014 Freshman Class earlier this year — along with fellow up-and-comers Kevin Gates, Chance the Rapper, and Vic Mensa. Raised on Chicago’s South Side, Lil Durk has come out in the last three years as a…
Urban Action 7/30
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Plan your National Night Out event National Night Out Against Crime will be held on Tuesday, August 5. The Rochester Police Department recommends that neighborhood groups alert their community police officers as soon…
Genesee Johnny & The River Rats
John Sacheli has always wanted to be Genesee Johnny. He’s bopped around Rochester for the past 15 years in various bands — most notably the song-centric group, The Spirit of Ontario — but the man’s resume reads more like a detour until Sacheli began to play the blues. The Spirit of Ontario went down in…
The Great War
This week is the 100th anniversary of the start of that senseless, eminently avoidable explosion of violence, World War I – the Great War that was to end war. Plus ca change. Winged spirits must be gathered together above us, watching, heads bowed in grief. Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, Libya:…
CONCERT REVIEW: Gogol Bordello
Ukraine-born front man Eugene Hütz and his multicultural crew played to a crowded Main Street Armory, Saturday night, when Gogol Bordello made its Rochester debut — and the Gypsy punk band proved why it is one of the most celebrated concert experiences in all the land. Opening act Man Man started the festivities. Lead singer-pianist…
The most important meal of the day
The food world can be a divisive place where finding something that most people agree on is difficult, to say the least. Despite that, almost everyone loves to eat food stuffed between two pieces of bread. I’m a huge fan of sandwiches, and specifically, I have become obsessed with great breakfast sandwiches. There’s something irresistible…
Skaneateles Festival
The combination of a relaxed, summery atmosphere and lofty musical artistry is a potent one. As western New York’s summer chamber music festivals attest, it is also a popular one. One summer music festival preceded the others: The Skaneateles Festival, which held its first program in 1980, is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2014, and…
