Dear friends—
Happy Fri-yay! We at (585) hope you’re staying healthy and happy.
This weekend, we want to extend our sincerest gratitude to all our men and women in uniform—past and present—as we celebrate Memorial Day. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
While Memorial Day is usually a day of loud parades and busy barbeques, we know things will have to look a little different this year. Even so, we hope you’re able to spend the day with a few loved ones and kick off the unofficial start of summer with a little fun.
See below for some local news, as well as some activities happening in the next week to keep you busy.
- Missing your favorite food trucks? And the start of festival season? Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex will be hosting ROC Dine-N-Dash, a drive-thru food truck series on Thursday, May 28 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Upon arrival, guests will receive a menu from participating food trucks (check out social media channels for menus in advance) and choose a designated food truck line. All guests will remain in their vehicle for the duration of their visit. Participating food trucks to include: Eat Greek, Effortlessly Healthy, Rob’s Kebobs, Chef’s Catering, and The Meatball Truck Co.
- Pack a picnic to sling to your favorite local park this Memorial Day. All twenty-one Monroe County parks are currently open to visitors, although park buildings, lodges, shelters, and restrooms remain closed until further notice. Visit a personal favorite or take the opportunity to explore a park that’s new to you. Durand-Eastman Park, Ellison Park, and Mendon Ponds Park are all good options.
- If you plan on a picnic, let someone else do the preparation for you. Hurd Orchards in Holley is offering pre-packed baskets filled with homemade rhubarb pie, rhubarb bread, honey oatmeal bread, blueberry blackberry jam, and sharp cheddar cheese—and you’ll keep the handwoven basket and tea towel included. An optional quiche and tablecloth are also available for an additional cost, or purchase a single picnic pie instead of the whole basket. Pickup this Saturday, May 23, at the farm in Holley or at a pickup spot in Brighton. Boxes of applesauce and preserves are also available for shipment.
- Artist Alejandro Cartagena’s formerly postponed artist’s talks at the George Eastman Museum have been rescheduled as virtual conversations on May 28 (in Spanish) and May 29 (in English). Cartagena will discuss his latest body of work, “Photo Structure / Foto Estructura,” for which he sifted through landfills outside of Mexico City looking for old photographs to repurpose. Both talks are free, but registration is required as space is limited. View his work here before attending the webinar.
- News-to-warm-the-heart alert: Special Touch Bakery recently partnered with Pennant Ingredients, Frontier Food Brokerage, and Chabaso Bakery to deliver 6,200 pans of brownies and 7,000 loaves of ciabatta bread to local healthcare organizations and facilities in need. Food items were delivered last week to three local hospitals, as well as St. Mary’s Nursing Home, Greece Central Schools (for families of students), and more.
- For your entertainment, and to take your mind off isolation, Iron Smoke’s co-founder and CEO Tommy Brunett has created a talk show spoof called “Wag the Jaw with Tommy Brunett.” The online “lifestyle/whiskey/music” show’s first episode features Senior, star of truTV’s “Full Throttle Saloon”; Jennie Marie of TLC’s “Mama Medium”; and Tony Rouhana of local restaurant The Cub Room. Watch on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
- Last week, Label 7 reopened for online ordering and contactless curbside pickup in Pittsford. Menus featuring “New-Age American fare” change weekly, so check social media for updates. Bottles of wine, date night packages, and family-sized cocktail kits are also available for pickup. Place your orders three hours in advance by credit card, and pick up from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.
- This weekend is your last chance to visit the final Rochester Lilac Festival Pop-Up Sale to pick up your favorite Highland lilac perfume and other Festival merchandise. Just visit the pansy bed on Highland Avenue west of Goodman Street from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday.
- The Rochester Public Market is still open, with food items and plants currently available for sale. The hope is that general merchandise and crafters will be able to return by June 1, but that won’t be confirmed until the date draws nearer. The Market is open regular business hours (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays), and many vendors—including the Chai Guy, Bolton Farms, Market Seafood, and more—are offering curbside pickup and delivery options. Also, The Market offers a year-round reward program for those bicycling to and from the site
- Eat Me Ice Cream has partnered with Red Fern to bring you a variety of vegan treats for your Memorial Day celebrations. Current items on Eat Me’s site from Red Fern include vegan carrot cake and an Almond Joy blondie, as well as vegan and gluten-free brownies and cookie sandwiches. Eat Me is offering their NYS dairy and dairy-free ice cream pints and bars as well, and all items are available for pickup at their location in the Hungerford Building downtown. Delivery is free within a 4.5-mile radius for orders over $25, or contact Eat Me for delivery pricing outside that radius.
Our May/June issue of (585) Magazine is available to read online, free, here. You can also read the Upstate Gardeners’ Journal free, here.
Thank you to all our readers and subscribers. We appreciate you!
– Jinelle Vaiana, contributing writer
[email protected]
