Highlights Archive

Five Fun Things to Enjoy in July

WXXI is proud to be part of these five summer activities, and we hope you’ll join in the fun. See you around town!

1. Community Play Day at Rochester Public Market
Thursday, July 24, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Public Market, Shed D – 280 North Union Street
Grab the kids and come out for Community Play Day at the Rochester Public Market! Our WXXI KIDS team will be on hand with PBS KIDS crafts and activities, and summer learning materials to give away.

2. Corn Hill Arts Festival
Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. & Sunday, July 13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
With nine streets, hundreds of artists, and dozens of musical performances, the Corn Hill Arts Festival is a favorite summertime tradition. Be sure to stop by WXXI’s booth on Atkinson Street to say hello and enter a special drawing! The Route (WRUR-FM 88.5) is also a proud sponsor of The Porch at 27 Atkinson Street Stage at the Festival. Musical performances on that stage include Steve West (10:15am), Raedwald Howland-Bolton (12:25 p.m.), and Frances Lovett (2:25 p.m.) on Saturday, and The Fiddle Witch (10:30 a.m.), Papa Muse (12:30 p.m.), and Ryan Johnson and Glen Cummings (2:30 p.m.) on Sunday.

3. Hochstein at High Falls
Thursdays at 12:10 p.m.
Granite Mills Park
Join The Route (FM 88.5) and WXXI at Granite Mills Park on Thursdays for Hochstein at High Falls, a free lunchtime concert series in the city’s High Falls District. Bring a lawn chair and your lunch and enjoy performances from our local favorites! Debbie Kendrick Project (7/10), Watkins & the Rapiers (7/17), Mambo Kings (7/24), and Candy (7/31) take to the stage in July.

4. Rochester Pride Parade
Saturday, July 19, starting at 11 a.m.
South Avenue and Science Parkway to Highland Park
Did you know that the first Rochester Pride Parade was on June 28, 1989, in honor of the 20^th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising? Catch WXXI marching in this colorful, glorious and inclusive of this parade now its 36^th year.

5. PBS Book Club Scavenger Hunt
PBS Books Reader’s Club Interactive Adventure is a free nationwide scavenger hunt inspired by the bestselling novel Lessons in Chemistry and powered by the Goosechase app. Join readers across the country in completing creative, curiosity-filled missions that celebrate science, storytelling, local libraries, and the joy of lifelong learning. Visit pbs.org/experiencefor the full details. Let the literary games begin!

POV “The Ride Ahead” • WXXI-TV

Samuel Habib is a typical 21-year-old, itching to move out, start a career, and find love. But no one tells you how to be an adult, let alone an adult with a disability.

POV “The Ride Ahead” airs Monday, July 21 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

Meet Samuel Habib. His goals are pretty typical for a 21-year-old. Moving out of his family’s New Hampshire home. College. Establishing his career. Dating. Sex.

Yet every rite of passage is fraught with challenges. Unexpected seizures and uncontrollable movements caused by his rare genetic disorder. Friends’ homes that are inaccessible to his wheelchair. His labored speech and use of a communication device are barriers to a social life. He craves more independence and a family of his own one day. “But no one tells you how to be an adult,” he says, “let alone an adult with a disability.”

Samuel is determined to avoid the statistical realities: unemployment, isolation, institutionalization.

A turning point comes when he starts talking to disabled adults, who have been through all he is going through now. And when he begins to channel their insights, a roadmap for himself, and for other young adults like him, begins to take shape.

This program is presented by Move to Include^TM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Find WXXI & PBS KIDS in the Community!

Our WXXI Education Early Learning Team’s calendar is filled with community events, activities, and fun things happening in our region. We’ll be out and about in lots of places and spaces where families spend time (or want to!). Check out our calendar of community events below and stop by to see us!

Take Your Child to the Library Day – Saturday, February 7
Time: 12 to 4 p.m.
Location: Central Library of Rochester – 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY
More details: https://calendar.libraryweb.org/event/16138480

APAPA Lunar New Year Festival – Saturday, February 21
Time: 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Monroe County College – 1000 E Henrietta Rd, Rochester, NY 14623
More details: https://www.apapa.org/rochester

Trout Unlimited’s Fly Fishing Workshop Day – Saturday, March 7
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Jewish Community Center – 1200 Edgewood AvenueRochester, NY, 14618
More details: https://www.sethgreentu.org/club-events/2026-fly-fishers-workshop
Please note: 12 years old and under are free; tickets are $10/person.

RMSC’s Pi Day Celebration – Saturday, March 14
Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: 657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
More details: https://rmsc.org/museum-science-center/programs-and-events/
Included with regular RMSC admission.

2026 Celtic Family Faire – Saturday, March 14
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Hilton Garden Inn Downtown – 155 E Main St, Rochester, NY
More details: https://rochesterparade.com/Info/Celtic-Family-Faire

Inclusive Family Fishing Day – Saturday, April 25
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Lake Riley at Cobbs Hill Park – 100 Norris Dr , Rochester, NY 14610
More details: https://dec.ny.gov/get-involved/events/2026/4/annual-cobbs-hill-inclusive-family-fishing

STEAM Day @ Harley School – Saturday, May 2
Time: TBD
Location: 1981 Clover St, Rochester, NY 14618
This event is free and open to the public. More details as soon as they become available.

Want WXXI’s Early Learning team to attend your family-focused community event with a PBS KIDS resource or activity table? Please send your request to Cara Rager at CRager@wxxi.org.

Walking with Dinosaurs • WXXI-TV

Twenty-five years after it first stomped across our TV screens, the iconic Walking with Dinosaurs returns in a major new BBC Studios production for BBC and PBS, co-produced with ZDF and France Télévisions.

Walking with Dinosaurs airs Wednesdays, June 25-July 30 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

This six-part series will take you on a unique journey back through time, revealing the incredible life stories of these long-lost giants.

In an exciting reimagining of one of the BBC’s best loved factual shows, each episode of Walking with Dinosaurs will tell the dramatic story of an individual dinosaur whose remains are currently being unearthed by the world’s leading dinosaur hunters. Thanks to cutting-edge science, experts can reveal how these prehistoric creatures lived, hunted, fought and died more accurately than ever before. As the dinosaur’s bones emerge from the ground, the series will bring these prehistoric stories to life with state-of-the-art visual effects – making each episode a gripping dinosaur drama based on the very latest evidence. Across the six episodes, audiences will meet a range of spectacular dinosaur species in an array of prehistoric landscapes. These include a Spinosaurus – the largest carnivorous dinosaur to ever walk the earth – roaming the rivers of ancient Morocco; a youthful Triceratops battling a ravenous T. rex in North America; and a lonely giant Lusotitan risking it all for a love in Portugal. There’s never been a better time to travel back to the prehistoric times.

Around 50 new species are being identified every year, and science is revealing extraordinary new details about dinosaur biology and behavior. Across the globe, hundreds of dinosaur experts are currently scouring the wilds for new dig sites, and this series has exclusive access to some of the very best.

Episode titles + air dates:
6/25 The Orphan An orphaned baby Triceratops must outwit a deadly T. Rex. Can she survive?
7/2 The River Dragon A Spinosaurus struggles to keep his family alive in the deadliest place in Earth’s history.
7/9 Band of Brothers Follow a gang of armored dinosaurs battle to reach adulthood, pursued by ferocious raptors
7/16 The Pack A young Albertosaurus, a relative of T. Rex, earns her place in a fierce hunting pack.
7/23 The Journey North Travel back in time to the dangerous journey of the Pachyrhinosaurus, where survival is at stake.
7/30 Island of Giants Discover the story of Lusotitan, one of the largest dinosaurs ever.

Photo: A PACHYRHINOSAURUS mom and baby
Credit: BBC Studios

Patience • WXXI-TV

An adaptation of the popular French series Astrid, this series brings a unique and authentic perspective to the crime drama genre.

Patience premieres on Sundays in June at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app,

Patience follows Patience Evans, played by Ella Maisy Purvis (A Kind of Spark), a neurodivergent woman who works in the Criminal Records Office in the city of York. Patience is autistic and views the world in a unique way. When Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf, played by Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad), recognizes her talents, she takes Patience under her wing to assist with complex criminal investigations. Together, they tackle a series of challenging cases, with Patience offering extraordinary insight that transforms the way crimes are solved.

The ensemble cast includes Nathan Welsh (The Ledge), Mark Benton (Anna and the Apocalypse), Ali Ariaie (“The Great”), Adrian Rawlins (The Harry Potter Franchise) and others.
The series is presented as part of Move to Include^TM, a partnership between WXXI and The Golisano Foundation that is an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Photo: Ella Maisy Purvis as Patience
Credit: Eagle Eye Drama/Robert Viglasky

Grown Up Dad• WXXI-TV

On Father’s Day, binge all five episodes of this series that explores the generational changes of fatherhood and asks what it means to be a good dad today

Grown Up Dad airs Sunday, June 15 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

Historically, being a dad meant providing financially – putting food on the table and a roof overhead. Yet, this norm feels incomplete. With important societal discussions about toxic masculinity and evolving gender roles, defining good fatherhood has never been more complex. Host Joseph Gidjunis grew up seeing fathers as drive-by parents who often missed out on real family time. Wanting to be more present for his son, Joseph embarks on a journey across the United States and Australia to discover what that means for him and his family. Along the way, Joseph meets up with experts and other fathers to discuss fatherhood, parenting, work and life balance, and being a role model.

Photo: Host Joseph Gidjunis with son Gabe. Credit: Provided by APT

Stonewall Uprising: American Experience • WXXI-TV

When gay bar Stonewall Inn was raided in 1969, gay men and women did something they had not done before: they fought back.

Stonewall Uprising: American Experience airs Saturday, June 14 at 4:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

In 1969, homosexual acts were illegal in every state except Illinois and gays frequently found themselves being hauled off to jail, their names splashed in the next day’s newspaper. Even in Greenwich Village, where thousands of gay people moved to escape the constant oppression of their hometowns, patrons of gay bars were accustomed to frequent police harassment. But on June 28, 1969, the gay community experienced what one Village Voice reporter who was on the scene called its “Rosa Parks moment,” when the N.Y.P.D. raided a Mafia-run gay bar, the Stonewall Inn. For the first time ever, patrons refuse to be led into paddy wagons, setting off a violent three-day uprising that launched the gay rights movement.

Public Media Funding at Risk — What You Need to Know – A message from WXXI President & CEO Chris Hastings

Dear WXXI Community,

You may have seen recent news that the White House has officially sent its rescission request to Congress to rescind previously approved funding for public media, including funding that helps support stations like WXXI.

This proposal would revoke critical funds that stations across the country were already counting on this year to support local journalism, educational content, and community storytelling.

We want to be clear: This is a proposal – not a decision. Congress has up to 45 days to respond, and public media has long enjoyed bipartisan support from lawmakers who understand the essential role we play in communities nationwide.

At WXXI, we remain hopeful — but also focused. We’re in close communication with our partners in Washington and across the public media system. And we’re already working to make sure our elected officials hear just how vital this service is to the people of Rochester and the Finger Lakes.

This moment matters.

If you value WXXI’s work — the news you trust, the programs you love, the free educational resources we share — we hope you’ll raise your voice. Call your representatives. Protect My Public Media has a patch-through calling system which will put you in contact with your Congress person and offers talking points to help you make the call. Click here to access this information.

We also encourage you to share why public media matters to you. Invite others to do the same.

We are not panicked — but we are paying attention. And the best thing we can all do right now is stay engaged, stay informed, and stay committed to the values that brought us here in the first place.

With gratitude,

Chris Hastings
President & CEO
WXXI Public Media