KidsOutAndAbout
Rochester Family Newsletter
August 31, 2023
IN-PERSON events in and around Rochester this weekend
FREE events this weekend
IN-PERSON events next weekend
Fun on the Farm in Summer and Fall around Rochester
101 Family Day Trips around Rochester
Places to pick berries and other summer fruit
Post your organization and activities to our site (It's FREE!)
Save the Date:
Fri, Sep 1 - Mon, Sep 4: World Fife and Drum Friendship Festival - host Towpath Fife & Drum Corps
Tue, Sep 5: Fall Harvest Festival starts at Wickham Farms
Tue, Sep 12 - Sat, Sep 23: Rochester Fringe Festival 2023
Fri, Sep 15: Cirque Us Stories at The Theater at Innovation Square - Rochester, NY
Sun, Sep 17: Purple Foot Festival 2023 at Casa Larga Vineyards
Fri, Oct 20 & Sat Oct 21: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince™ - with the RPO at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Sat, Oct 21: Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour at Kodak Center
 Mon, Apr 8, 2024 (only 221 days away!): WHERE WILL YOU BE WHEN ALL OF ROCHESTER LOOKS UP? Great North American Solar Eclipse: Rochester is in the path of totality! Get ready to host all of your out-of-town friends and relatives that weekend! And get prepared with Rochester-themed eclipse merchandise. |
|
|
Dear KidsOutAndAbout.com readers:
Yet again, social media has rekindled The Great Pumpkin Spice Debate.
To those of you who argue that we shouldn't drag in a season before its time, who decry Pumpkin Spice's annual re-emergence in August, in coffee and everything coffee-adjacent: I hear you. I'm a child of summer, myself; I love it so much that every September I wish I could escape with it into the Southern Hemisphere and not return until April. So I empathize.
I also understand how so many of you can't wait for fall—for blessed release from the grip of heat and humidity, for corn mazes and sweaters and Halloween. You defend, equally passionately as Pumpkin Spice's detractors, the stores that have already stocked their entryways with cinnamon pine cones and their shelves with candy corn. I hear you, too.
Social media algorithms keep poking me to take a side in this tug-of-war, which of course makes me want to refuse even as I appreciate an effective marketing campaign. So as long as no one gets in the way of me squeezing every drop of joy out of summer 2023, I'll call myself a Pumpkin Spice Agnostic and sip to my heart's content. After all, the world can always use a little more yum, even if we'd all do better with a little less spice.
—Debra Ross, Publisher
If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
|
|
LAST Kids Free Day of the Season today - plus Hop Harvest Festival this Saturday! Genesee Country Village & Museum
Today is the very LAST Kids Free Day of the season at Genesee Country Village & Museum! Join us from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. for a day packed with family fun - and all kids 12 and under get FREE admission! Visit with animals on the Pioneer Farm, play historic games on the Village Square, enjoy an ice cream sundae special in the Pavilion Garden Restaurant, and so much more.
Plus, find even more hands-on family fun this Saturday, September 2, at our Hop Harvest Festival! Kick off September with a family-friendly celebration of all things beer and brewing in New York State! The leaves are just beginning to turn on the grounds of Genesee Country Village & Museum, we're enjoying the last of the summer sun, and the hops are ready for the harvest!
Click here to explore what's happening at GCV&M this week.
Red Wings are home this weekend! Only 10 games remaining! Get your tickets online and SAVE!
Only 10 games remain in the Red Wings' 2023 season! This weekend, they take on the Scranton W/B RailRiders (Yankees)! Tonight the first 1,000 fans will receive a Mittsy bobblehead. Tomorrow night, the first 500 fans will receive a Cocos Logos T-shirt, and there will be post-game fireworks. Saturday evening's game will feature an appearance from Rochester's very own Lou Gramm: He will be signing autographs pre-game, throwing out a first pitch, and leading the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Fans will also enjoy a post-game fireworks show set to the hits of Foreigner and Lou's solo career. Sunday afternoon's game is also a Knot Hole Kids Club game, and kids get to run the bases with Spikes and Mittsy.
Tickets for all Red Wings home games are available around-the-clock at RedWingsBaseball.com, over the phone at (585) 423-9464 or in-person at the Red Wings Ticket Office from 10 am - 4 pm Monday-Friday.
Labor Day Awareness Weekend at the Zoo at Seneca Park Zoo
As summer winds down and the school year gets ready to start back up, we hope you can make time to come out for some of our last summer programming opportunities here at the Zoo.
This year in honor of Labor Day Weekend, we are celebrating all the labor that goes into keeping the Zoo running! Click here for details.
World Fife and Drum Friendship Festival this Saturday through Monday from Towpath Volunteers Fife and Drum Corps
From Saturday, September 1 through Monday, September 4, see fife and drum corps from Italy, Belgium, France and USA perform at several different venues, from Fairport to Oswego over four days over the Labor Day Weekend. The groups are very different from each other with the Italians playing the same music just as it was played a century ago, the French playing spirited music written by themselves and the Belgians playing a mix of old and new and some with a twist. The host group, Towpath Volunteers Fife and Drum Corps plays patriotic music from the Revolutionary War, through the Civil War to today.
All events are free and open to the public for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Click here for details.
The Great New York State Fair 2023 continues through this Monday, September 4 in Syracuse at the State Fairgrounds!
 A Great Time, Every Time!
People from across New York State come together each year to experience an affordable, 13-day celebration of delicious food, eye-opening exhibits, captivating entertainment, and great fun at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Each year’s New York State Fair, running the 13 days up to and including Labor Day, showcases numerous animals, hundreds of commercial attractions, scores of exciting midway rides, and dozens of big-name entertainers... you'll have a great time, every time!
Click here for more information.
THE JUNGLE BOOK from OFC Creations
Now Enrolling for Fall 2023: THE JUNGLE BOOK KIDS! Open for young performers ages 7 to 11 to perform on stage, no experience necessary. Rehearsals meet once per week on Saturdays, concluding with a weekend of performances.
Sign up your young performer at www.ofccreations.com/2023-2024-classes-programs
Salena's: Let's TACO 'Bout Family Night!
Salena’s has served Rochester for 25 years and we are looking forward to continuing to feed you and your family! Join us every Wednesday for KIDS EAT FREE with the purchase of an adult meal, PLUS get 15% off if you work in a public service field- just let your server know! Celiac, vegetarian, and vegan friendly menus available, plus we are nut-free at both locations!
We have catering available for parties of 10-2000, and can host your event at Village Gate for parties up to 65. Email mexican@salenas.com to make an inquiry and check out salenas.com for more information. Follow us at @salenasmexican.
|
|
LEARN AND GROW IN 2023!
Make this your year of fun and join Girl Scouts of Western New York!
 Make this your year of fun and join Girl Scouts of Western New York.
Girl Scouts is a time-honored tradition that is forward-thinking and vibrant, just like the girls! Girls participate in troop activities, experience outdoor adventure, enhance STEM learning, develop leadership skills, and make friends to last a lifetime. There are troops all over our area for girls in Kindergarten to 12th grade. It’s easy to join and girls will start having fun right away. And yes, there are cookies to sell, too, which is the largest girl-run entrepreneur program around! Girls learn how to achieve goals, money management, customer service skills, and they gain confidence.
Learn more at GSWNY.org.
Empire Tennis Academy
Tennis is a unique individual sport that requires a combination of coordination, athleticism and problem-solving skills. Based out of the Harley School field house in Brighton, Empire Tennis Academy has one of the best junior tennis programs in Rochester. Empire helps kids quickly experience success in the sport while learning sportsmanship, teamwork and the skills necessary to become athletes. Empire offers several convenient classes throughout the week. Players are separated by ages and levels to ensure that each group is getting what they need most out of the lessons.
Visit www.empiretennisacademy.com to view classes and program offerings. For additional information, please email frank@empiretennisacademy.com.
Aerial Arts: Where confidence and creativity soars! Ages 6 -12
If you’ve got a kiddo with a dream of flipping and flying in the air, enroll them into Aerial Arts of Rochester’s youth/tween programming where they can take classes learning acrobatic skills on dance trapeze, hoop, hammock and silks. Have your aspiring aerialist get started by trying an Introduction to Aerial Class! Aerial Silks, Aerial Hammock, Trapeze, Tumbling and more! Multiple optional performing opportunities will be available throughout the year. Parents and students will be amazed by the feats of their accomplishments. Aerial Arts is where confidence and creativity soars! Ages 6 -12.
Enroll now, small class sizes. Located at the University Business Center. Click here for more info.
Music Together Flower City
 Toddlers are curious little people. They’re starting to explore the world and themselves and learning more about communicating with their grownups and peers. Music can help your toddler better understand all of these brand new experiences by giving her a valuable tool for relaxing, focusing, and expressing emotions.
At a Music Together® class, your toddler’s growing music skills are supported and challenged in a playful environment. Plus, making music enhances his language, cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. Bring your toddler to explore music in a family class at Music Together Flower City!
School of Rock - Rochester
Turning students ages 3-103 into real musicians at the most revolutionary music school in the world!
Music programs at School of Rock Rochester combine one-on-one lessons with group band practices. Every day, we watch our students grow from beginner musicians to confident and inspiring rock stars in their community. School of Rock Rochester NY is more than just your local music school.
Visit our website to see all the programs we offer!
Total Sports Experience
TSE offers instructional sports programs year round for boys and girls ages 2 and up. These programs include soccer, lacrosse, baseball, flag football, basketball, a multi-sport program and more. Programs are offered at both locations (East Rochester and Gates). Our child development Micro Programs feature age appropriate activities designed to develop a love of the game. Participants then move to our Practice and Play Programs (P3) to further practice and develop their skills all while having fun in a structured environment.
TSE Instructional Programs-a head start to a healthy lifestyle!
Generations Child Care
Generations is currently enrolling for FREE Universal Pre-K (4-year-olds) and EPK (3-year-olds) for those families who qualify at several of its locations. Rochester City School District PRE-K and EPK is offered in Downtown Rochester at their new Clinton Square location as well as Gates, East Irondequoit and SW Rochester.
Generations also offers full and part-time child care, early education, and before and after care throughout its network of locations in Gates, Fairport, Southwest Rochester (St. John's), Irondequoit, and Downtown Rochester at Clinton Square.
The Generations team understands that children love to play, explore, and create. They also understand the financial decisions that families face while trying to choose what programs are in their children’s best interest. Your child will be in good hands if you choose care at Generations Child Care. Click here for more info.
|
|
|
 BeyondTheNest.com: Our sister site for grownups
Did you know KidsOutAndAbout.com has a sister site for grownups? It's called BeyondTheNest.com; it launched in 2016, and it's for all adults in the Rochester area who are interested in learning about arts, culture, and recreation opportunities that might not be of interest to kids and families. My fabulous colleague Carol White Llewellyn is its editor, and she provides wonderful reviews as well as an array of options for grownup fun and date nights. Click here to sign up for the BeyondTheNest.com free weekly e-newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
