Highlights Archive

Hochstein at High Falls: Watkins & the Rapiers

The Hochstein at High Falls lunchtime summer concert series returns to the city’s High Falls District, kicking off with Watkins & the Rapiers on Thursday, June 13 at 12:10pm.

Watkins & the Rapiers play an eclectic mix of acoustic music incorporating echoes of Cajun, country, jug band music, reggae, soul, and swing. The band’s repertoire includes more than 60 quirky original songs written by band members, as well as covers of songs by artists as diverse as The Band, Travelling Wilburys, Steve Earle, and Colorblind James, among others. The band has been rocking out in the Greater Rochester area since January 1996, when the band was formed on a lark to fill an empty performance slot at the Rose & Crown Pub. The band includes Scott Regan, Kerry Regan, Tom Whitmore, Marty York, Steve Piper, and Rick McRae.

More about the concert series:
Hosted by Ryan Yarmel of The Route/WRUR 88.5, the concerts begin at 12:10 pm in the outer parking lot at 4 Commercial Street, corner of Browns Race. Please note that this is an alternate location for this summer, due to ongoing construction on the Pont du Rennes.

Concerts take place rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, the rain location will be announced by 10:30 am on Hochstein’s website and via Hochstein’s social media. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own seating and lunch. Each performance will run approximately 40 minutes.

Hochstein at High Falls concerts are presented by High Falls Business Association, The Hochstein School, and The Route/WRUR 88.5. The new look for this year’s Hochstein at High Falls concerts was designed by Brandtatorship.

Hochstein at High Falls concerts are made possible by a number of local organizations, including Brandtatorship, LaBella Associates, Monroe Community College, and The Zoghlin Group.

Photo: Watkins and The Rapiers
Provided.

WXXI Ducklings

In mid-April a duck made her nest near the front doors of WXXI on State Street and laid 12 eggs. We quarantined off the area so as to not disturb her, but kept a close eye on her. We are happy to report that all 12 eggs hatched on May 20 and mama and the ducklings safely left the nest the morning of May 21 headed to the High Falls area for water and better shelter.

WXXI Security Guard Sherwin Drakes captured this video of our ducklings being safely led by their mama to water.

WXXI at the Rochester International Jazz Festival • Jazz Street • June 21-29

Come visit us on Jazz Street every evening of the festival.

We’ll be setting up our booth all nine days of the Rochester International Jazz Festival. So, if you’re headed there, be sure to stop by our booth on the corner of Main Street and Jazz Street (aka Gibbs Street) and say hello to our staff and volunteers! And be sure to enter our drawing to win some fabulous prizes.

For a list of performers and venues, visit rochesterjazz.com.

Photo: Gwilyn Simcock and Tommy Smith (They perform on 6/22 at 6pm + 9pm at Kilbourn Hall)
Credit: Provided by RIJF

The Rolling Stones: GRRR Live! • WXXI-TV

Celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary with Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga and more in a 2012 concert.

The Rolling Stones: GRRR Live! airs Saturday, June 1 at 9:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV

The Rolling Stones celebrated their golden anniversary in 2012 and 2013 by embarking on the 50 & Counting Tour, a 30-show itinerary for North America and Europe. On December 15, 2012, the band took the stage at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center for the final of four shows in the New York area. Featuring guest spots from The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen, and Mick Taylor, the concert proved to be one of the most memorable shows in the band’s history.

The set list featured “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Paint It Black,” “Gimme Shelter” (with Lady Gaga), “Honky Tonk Women,” “Tumbling Dice” (with Bruce Springsteen), “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Brown Sugar,” and so many more.

Photo: Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, and Ronnie Wood
Photo credit: Getty Images

FRONTLINE: Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza • WXXI-TV

Escalating tension between the Israeli leader and the U.S. after months of war in Gaza. At a critical juncture, Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival and turbulent relationships with the U.S. and the Palestinians over peace in the Middle East.

FRONTLINE: Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza airs Tuesday, May 28 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Due to recent news developments in the Middle East, including the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor seeking arrest warrants for the leaders of both Israel and Hamas, FROTNLINE presents an updated version of Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza. Below is the description of the original episode that aired in December 2023.

As the war in Gaza continues with devastating consequences, a major 90-minute documentary offers a sweeping examination of the critical moments leading up to this crisis over the course of the past three decades, and the pivotal role of a central player: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Starting with the Oslo peace accords and continuing through the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the ongoing war in Gaza, the documentary draws on years of reporting and is an incisive look at the long history of failed peace efforts and violent conflict in the region — and the increasing tensions between Israel and its ally, the U.S., over the war’s catastrophic toll and what comes next.

FRONTLINE: South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning previously scheduled on Tuesday, May 28 will premiere on Tuesday, July 23, 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

CREATE Showcase: Memorial Day BBQ with Steven Raichlen • WXXI-CREATE

Fire up the grill and get ready to sink your teeth into mouthwatering barbecue dishes with tips and tricks from Steven Raichlen.

CREATE Showcase: Memorial Day BBQ with Steven Raichlen airs Friday, May 31 from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, June 2 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE.

Steven Raichlen (Barbecue University, Primal Grill, Project Smoke) returns for an insightful exploration of contemporary grilling. Innovators of live-fire cooking join Steven to share revolutionary techniques that elevate the backyard barbecue experience — from ember-roasting and salt slab grilling to fire-heated iron and high-tech rotisseries.

Project Fire introduces new foods — from unfamiliar cuts of steak to eco-friendly seafood — and twists on popular classics — from breakfast to paella to clambakes. And, as usual, Steven features a collection of new tools and fuels for the avid griller.

An Evening with Rashaad Parker • The Little Theatre

The Little Theatre’s One Take Documentary Series presents four short films from Rochester filmmaker Rashaad Parker.

Join The Little & One Take for An Evening with Rashaad Parker on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at The Little Theatre.

The evening includes a post-screening discussion with Rashaad followed by the screening of his four short films. Click here to purchase tickets.

The films include:

BLACK LIVES MATTER, A Sanctuary for Daniel Prude (18:35) Captures the Black Lives Matter Movement protests in Rochester, NY from May 2020 to January 2021.

ROC CITY SPEAKS Episode 1 (17:18) June 13, 2020; In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in May of 2020 by Minnesota police officers, today we are conducting street interviews during a Black Lives Matter protest rally that started on location at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park in downtown Rochester, NY.

ROC CITY SPEAKS Episode 2 (21:09) Interviews during a Black Lives Matter protest rally at City Hall in Rochester on Wednesday, September 16, 2020.

ROC CITY SPEAKS Episode 3 (24:56) In this episode of ROC CITY SPEAKS the news from the street is coming from some of the international students as well as those originating from the United States currently enrolled at the University of Rochester.

The films will also screen on Saturday, May 25 at 3 p.m.