City’s choice: Ithaca theater

Need more drama in your life? Upstate summers are always chock full of theatrical opportunities for the cultural
explorer, especially along LakeCayuga, where Ithaca’s
several theaters are staging diverse seasons.

At the Hangar Theatre,
the main stage will showcase Andrew Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play Sleuth June 21-July 1. Then July 5-22
the Hanger goes back in time to tackle the Greeks, with four plays presented
over two nights written by favorites such as Aeschylus, Sophocles and
Euripides. Art, the critically
acclaimed West End hit, will stir up laughs
July 26-August 5, and the season wraps with the Broadway favorite Hello Dolly August 10-September 3. As
part if its KIDDSTUFF series, the theater will also stage shows geared toward
children, including favorites like Bunnicula, Tales of a
Fourth Grade Nothing, and The
Adventures of Stuart Little. Tix: $14-$32
(KIDDSTUFF $5). CassPark, off Route 89, Ithaca; 607-273-4497;
www.hangartheatre.org.

Across town at the Kitchen
Theatre, the world premiere of the romantic new musical The Angle of the Sun will grace the
stage July 6-August 5. Tix: $18-$25. Corner of Seneca and
Cayuga streets, Ithaca;
607- 273-4497;www.kitchentheatre.org.

On the other side of the lake, the Cortland Repertory Theatre is putting on six shows at the Edward
Jones Playhouse in Little York, including Five
Guys Named Moe (through June 17), It
Runs in the Family (June 21-July 1), Agatha
Christie’s Murder on the Nile (July 5-15), Annie Get Your Gun (July 19-August 5), Moonlight and Magnolias (August 9-19) and I Left My Heart, a salute to the music of Tony Bennett (August
23-September 2). Tix: $15-$24. 800-427-6160;
www.cortlandrep.org.

City’s choice: PAETECPark

Rochester’s new PAETECPark
will be a can’t-miss attraction this summer. For one thing, it’s huge: 13,500
seats, and growing (the stadium has only just completed Phase 1 of a multi-part
build-out). For another, the stadium will certainly be the quality sports
center of the season, hosting games for all three of its resident athletic
teams.

Soccer fans get two squads to watch, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos Men’s team will
play at PAETEC on June 17, 24, July 3, 8, 14, 21, 28, August 5, 11, 18, 26, and
September 1, 9 (tix: $9-$25). The Raging Rhinos Women’s team takes the home field on June 16, 24, 30
and July 3, 8 (tix: $8-$18).

Joining the Rhinos will be the Rochester Rattlers, the men’s outdoor lacrosse team. See the
Rattlers face-off against MLL opponents June 23, July 1, 29, and August 5, 12 (tix: $9-$18).

PAETEC park is located off of Smith
and Oak streets. Tickets available through Ticketmaster
(232-1900, www.ticketmaster.com) or at the PAETECPark
box office.

In addition to sporting events, PAETECPark
is also equipped for concerts and other goings-on. So keep your eyes peeled for
special events at the park to be announced.

City’s choice: Tuesday Nature Nights

Whether you’ll be dusting off your green metallic bicycle or
breaking in your new 10-speed, cycling is the cool thing to do this summer. Get
out into your neighborhood and escape high gas prices, enjoy the blooming
foliage — even visit your local ice cream shop without feeling guilty
afterwards.

To help you along, the City’s Bureau of Parks and Recreation
is hosting Tuesday Nature Nights,
free guided tours that will take place on foot, bicycle or canoe and highlight Rochester’s scenic
neighborhoods. The tours start at 6.15 p.m., leaving from a different
destination each Tuesday until September 5. The bike rides are designed for
cyclists of varying ability and will last approximately an hour. Registration
is not needed, but helmets are required.

Bike rides: June 27, Maplewood Rose Garden parking lot; July
11, Seneca Park, first parking lot; July 25, Charlotte Neighborhood, Turning
Point Park parking lot; August 8, South River Loop, Genesee Valley Park pool
parking lot; August 22, Port of Rochester, boat launch lot; September 5,
Southwest Neighborhood, Genesee Valley Park pool parking lot.

Walks: June 20, Ellwanger-Barry
Neighborhood, Gazebo at Mt. Hope Cemetery north entrance; July 18, U of R
Arboretum, steps of the Rush Rhees Library; August 1,
East Avenue Neighborhood, corner of East Avenue and Meigs
Street; August 29, Seth Green Drive and Switchback Trail, Seth Green Drive
parking lot.

Canoe tours: July 25 and August 2, 6:15 -7:45 p.m., Genesee
Waterways Centre in GeneseeValleyPark.
Tix: $15. Pre-register through July
15.

For more information on any of the events, call 428-6770 or
visit www.cityofrochester.gov/mayor/NewsReleases/index.cfm?release=1700.

City’s choice: Empire Statesmen Drum Corps

The Empire Statesmen have a busy summer schedule ahead of
them. The Rochester-based drum corps will be touring the region, with the
season culminating on Labor Day weekend (September 1-3) at the Drum Corps Associates World Championship,
taking place this year at PAETECPark. The 42nd annual
event showcases the best drum corps from around the world, and could draw
upwards of 20,000 people to the area. The Statesmen last won the contest in
2004 and are eager to compete in front of the hometown crowd after coming in
second place last year. Tix: $15-$30. 888-300-6910; www.dcacorps.org.

For those who need their drum corps/color guard fix a little
sooner, Fourth of July weekend is full of Empire Statesmen events. On Saturday,
July 1, the Statesmen will host the DCA
Touring Show at Wegmans Stadium at Aquinas
Institute with several other regional acts. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tix: $15. 1126 Dewey Avenue; 266-2232. The show will be followed by an exhibition at
the July 3 Rhinos game and a Fourth of July parade in Irondequoit. For more information, visit www.statesmen.org.

City’s choice: skate parks

Many area towns, such as Webster,
Sweden, Gates, and Parma, provide outdoor
skate parks free of charge. Most parks permit only inline skates/roller blades
and skateboards, though Webster also allows BMX bikes on its ramps. Safety
regulations vary from town to town — helmets are a must, but knee-pads and
wrist guards (probably a good idea anyway) are not always required. Some towns
even require a signed safety waiver, so check with your local parks and recreation
department before hitting the rails.

Webster’s skate park is located off Ridge Road next to the
Ridgecrest Community Center. The skate park in Sweden
is on Redman Road
across from the SUNY Brockport entrance, and Gates’ facilities are in WestgatePark, off Howard Road. Some towns also offer
skateboarding camps as part of their summer programs, and more details can be
found online in the recreation sections of these individual town websites:
www.gatesrecparks.org, www.websterparksandrecreation.org, www.townofsweden.org,
www.parmany.org.

This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2006.