BeyondTheNest: Weekly e-newsletter for Rochester | |
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Save the Date
Fri, May 22: GCV&M’s OFFICIAL 50th Anniversary!
Fri, May 22 & Sat, May 23: RPO: Broadway in Hollywood!
Sat, May 23: Soldiers through the Ages at Old Fort Niagara Sat, May 23: Birding at Powder Mills Park and the Burroughs Sanctuary Wed, May 27: Anastasia: The Musical opens at Geva Theatre Sun, May 24: Out of Pocket, Inc. presents Deep Blue Sound
Sun, May 24: Flower City Days at the Market - Plant and Garden Sales Sun, May 31: Season opens at the New York Museum of Transportation in Rush
Sun, May 31: ROS with the RPO: Carmina Burana
Sun, May 31: Sunday Narrated Afternoon Lock Cruise with Live Music - Colonial Belle Fri, Jun 5-Sun, Jun 7: Fairport Canal Days 2026 Sat, Jun 6: Rochester Flower
Fest
Sat, Jun 6: GemFest 2026
Sat, Jun 13: ADK Outdoor Expo 2026
Sat, Jun 13: Freedom Festival: America 250 in the Bristol Hills
Sat, Jun 13: Second Saturday Dansville featuring Fairy Fest
Sun, Jun 14: East Avenue Music Festival
Thu, Jun 18: 40th Annual HARBORFEST |
Note from your publisher A long weekend is just ahead, and Rochester is showing off in all directions: comedy at Casa Larga, music from Broadway to Mozart with the RPO, Blue Barn’s summer concert series, contra dancing, poetry, peonies, and the official 50th anniversary celebration at Genesee Country Village & Museum. It’s also a perfect weekend to look up and look around, whether that means early-morning birding at Powder Mills Park or Seneca Park
Zoo, wandering Ellwanger Garden, or easing into the season with live music, cold cider, and a lawn chair. Memorial Day is as early in May as it's possible to be, so it feels like it's crept up on us
fast. We have the big list of parades and activities from Batavia to Waterloo... find your town and head out the door at the right time on Monday!
The Red Wings start a one-week homestand on Monday that is packed with reasons to head to ESL ballpark: $5 tickets, giveaways, fireworks, Star Wars Night,
Women in Sports Night, Kids Run the Bases, and plenty more. Add in Geva’s upcoming Anastasia and free Blue Star Museums admission for active-duty military families at RMSC, and you have a week full of ways to connect, explore, and make the season feel like it’s really beginning. Check out this week's details below, and then scroll back up to our "save the date" section to plan for the weeks to come! —Debra Ross, publisher
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Saturday, May 23 at Casa Larga: Experience the comedy of Joe Avati – an Australian-born comedian of Italian heritage! We are excited he's included Rochester on his packed US tour! Join us before the show with a delicious, chef-prepared Italian Buffet. Can purchase show tickets alone ($64) or with buffet dinner ($109). https://casalarga.com/events/joe-avati-dinner-show-may-23-2026
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Saturday, May 23, 2026, 7:30 AM -12:00 PM, Powder Mills Park in Pittsford: Powder Mills Park is a mature woodland and wetland park that can be productive for many late-migrating or nesting species. In recent years, Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, Pileated Woodpeckers, and Red-tailed Hawks have all nested there. We will spend time around the hatchery, then drive to and walk the Daffodil Meadow trail (less than 2 miles total).
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Treat your family to a night at Geva Theatre this spring. Tickets to Anastasia are on sale now! This Tony Award-nominated musical inspired by the beloved films takes us on a journey to the past. Iconic songs like “Once Upon a December,” “Learn to Do It,” and “Journey to the Past” transport us from the darkness of Soviet Russia to the opulence of Paris in the ’20s. Could it be that Anya really is the long-lost Romanov? Anastasia runs from May 27th through June 28th. The show’s run time is approximately 2 hours, including a 15- minute intermission and is recommended for audiences ages 10 and older. Get tickets now by calling (585) 232-4382 or by purchasing online at GevaTheatre.org.
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The Wings are home for Memorial Day! The Rochester Red Wings kick off a fun-filled homestand against the Syracuse Mets on Monday, May 25 with $5 tickets, a camouflage jersey giveaway, Bruce Fetching Bats, and a pre-game autograph booth. The excitement continues Wednesday with an Education Day matinee, then Thursday brings Salute to Pro Wrestling Night with Kevin Nash, Thursday Night Plates, College Day deals, and happy hour. Friday features Women in Sports Night, a Mittsy jersey giveaway, Mo’ne Davis, and fireworks; Saturday is Star Wars Night with more fireworks; and Sunday wraps up with Kids Run the Bases, giveaways, Knot Hole Kids Club Day, and Spikes & Mittsy’s Birthday Party.
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Contra dancing is a folk community dance that is inter-generational. No experience or partner is required, this dance is open to everyone and all ages. It is a substance and fragrance free environment. They are 7:30-10PM every Thursday in the South Wedge, with a newcomer's lesson at 7PM. $12 suggested.
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Join the RIT Tiger Pride team for a fundraiser where 20% of all sales will be donated to the American Heart Association
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Poet Kathleen Wakefield has found that experiencing the reading of poetry in community opens it up in new ways for everyone, whether you've always loved poetry or had less than positive experiences with it! She brings a diverse mini-anthology to each meeting and helps participants discover poems that deeply connect them to their own experiences and to the world. No prior experience with poetry is necessary.
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Our Summer Concert Series is back at Blue Barn Cidery! Starting May 21st, join us every Thursday night from 5:30pm–8:30pm for live music and cold cider. Admission is FREE, we are family friendly, and blankets + lawn chairs are welcome — so grab your crew and settle in for an evening of great local music and laid-back summer vibes.
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Friday, May 22: Genesee Country Village will be open until 8 p.m. and tickets are $5 for all visitors (free for members!). In celebration of our anniversary, the first 250 evening visitors will receive a piece of cake from the D.B. Munger Confectionery (must obtain cake voucher from Admissions). A dozen buildings in the Historic Village will be open, along with the Flint Hill Store, John L. Wehle Gallery, and the Genesee Country Nature Center and trails. Learn from costumed interpreters and tour spaces and buildings representing home, civic, social, economic, farm, and religious life throughout the 1800s.
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You've seen these iconic films based on musicals before; hear the music live with your Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra!
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Sunday RPO Matinee: Mozart & Haydn at Rose Marie and John Beston Hall at Nazareth University Arts Center on Sunday, May 24, 2026, from 2–3:30 PM. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Music Director Andreas Delfs, will fill the intimate Beston Hall with music by Mozart, Liebermann, and Haydn—perfect for families who enjoy a relaxing afternoon of live classical music.
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Seneca Park Zoo is not only home to many animals from all over the globe but also an excellent habitat for our local birds! Unleash your inner birder and view the Zoo in a different way while learning about the different types of birds that call this park and Rochester home. Bring your own binoculars or borrow a pair. All birding skill levels welcome! The tour goes from 8:00 am to 9:30 am (remember, early bird catches the worm)!
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Ellwanger Garden, a historic perennial garden brimming with peonies, is open to the public for self-guided tours from noon to 3:00 pm on Sundays, May 10, 17, 24 and 31. $5 suggested donation. Service animals only. Off-site parking.
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As part of Blue Star Museums, the RMSC is extending its gratitude to those currently serving in the United States Military and up to five of their family members, by offering free admission to all three of its locations from Armed Forces Day, May 16, 2026, through Labor Day, September 7, 2026. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.
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Lovely local experiences are in your future! |
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