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BEST BETS: Sept. 17 to 23

Welcome the world to Rochester

The community is invited to welcome the world to Rochester on Sunday to officially kick off the 2010 World Canals Conference and celebrate our magnificent waterways. The conference, which is Sunday to Friday, will have the largest international attendance in its history; 18 countries will be represented, including Panama for the first time. The festivities begin Sunday when boats traveling on the Erie Canal from east and west converge at the Genesee River crossing in Genesee Valley Park. It will be one of the largest gatherings of boats the canal has seen since it opened 185 years ago. The flotilla of some 100 vessels, including state Canal Corp. historic and working fleet vessels, tugboats, canal boats and a wide range of pleasure craft, will form a parade to Corn Hill Landing between 1 and 2 p.m. Sunday. (The official flotilla is slated to arrive in Lyons on Friday and in Fairport and Pittsford Saturday.) There will be vendors, food, a barge concert, boat tours, live performance painting, entertainment, wine tasting, children's activities, art exhibits and a laser light show. Nearly 400 delegates will attend sessions on economic development and community revitalization; engineering, management and transport; marketing and tourism; and education and interpretation. All events are free of charge. International performance artist Eric Waugh (pictured) will paint the flotilla and surrounding activities live from a barge at Corn Hill Landing. The 2011 conference is in the Netherlands, and the 2012 event is slated for China. For details, visit worldcanalsconference.org.

Celebrating indie music, art

Rochester Indie Fest, which got its start in 2008 as a celebration of independent music, is embracing artistic expression in all its forms this year. It kicks off tonight and runs through Sunday, featuring 40 musical and non-musical acts and open-mic events. The festival provides an umbrella for multiple individual projects, many of which mix music, art, projection, poetry, dance and audience participation. The festival will be held at two primary venues: the Bug Jar and Boulder Coffee Company on Alexander Street. For details, visit rochesterindiefest.com.

On the big screen

"The Town" was written and directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars. It's about a longtime thief who tries to deal with his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists and an FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down. In the animated film "Alpha and Omega," two young wolves (voiced by Justin Long and Hayden Panettiere) are thrown together by circumstance. Find movie times.

 

Harvest Festival at Springdale

Springdale Farm's Harvest Festival, which is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, features open-hearth cooking, miniature horses, crafts, pedal tractors, wagon rides, fishing, a petting zoo and other kids' activities. Visitors also can participate in the farm's apple bake-off. The 200-acre demonstration farm is owned by Monroe County and operated by Heritage Christian Services. For details, springdalefarm.org.

Pub crawl combats breast cancer

The fourth annual Rochester Fall Crawl is 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday in the East End. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society and breast cancer research in Rochester. Purchasing a wristband entitles you to specials at all participating bars along the crawl, including Temple Bar and Grille, Matthews East End Grill, Murphy's Law, The Pig and Heat. Wristbands are $10, or $15 on the day of the event. Crazy Dog T-shirts donated the printing of the shirts, which will be sold to benefit the Cancer Society. Visit rochesterfallcrawl.com for details.

Beer and bratwursts aplenty

The annual Oktoberfest at Camp Eastman in Irondequoit is Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Beer and German food, such as potato salad, bratwurst and schnitzel, will be abundant. Music on tap for the weekend includes the Saxons and The Ausländers. Entertainment for kids also is planned. Admission is $8, free for children younger than 6. Parking is free. The event continues next weekend as well. The original Oktoberfest occurred in Munich, Germany, in October 1810. Visit irondequoit.org.

Virtually real

Online video games take center stage during Method Machine’s next production. The theater group will perform “Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom,” a play by Jennifer Haley, through Sept. 25. The show’s premise: Suburban teenagers are addicted to an online horror video game set in a subdivision with identical houses. Soon the line between virtual and real begins to blur. The play’s tech-savvy edge is a good fit for Method Machine’s youthful approach to theater. In addition to Method Machine, a half-dozen other groups are producing the play, including Bricolage Production Company in Pittsburgh, Sacred Fools Theater Company in Los Angeles, above, Carving in Ice in Hamilton, New Zealand, and Hot City Theatre in St. Louis. Past productions and readings have included the Summer Play Festival in New York City and the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Ky. For show times and ticket information, visit methodmachine.org.

Maplewood tour

Visitors often remark on Rochester’s plethora of charming homes, many built in the earlier part of the 20th century during the city’s manufacturing heyday. See inside some of the most beautiful examples during the Historic Maplewood Home and Garden Tour Saturday. On the six-stop tour is the first local home designed by Ward Wellington Ward. His Arts & Crafts-style residences can be found throughout Rochester and other upstate communities. The tour, a Landmark Society event, will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are available on the day of the tour at tour headquarters, the Church of the Ascension at 1360 Lake Ave., and on landmarksociety.org.

 

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