Biltmore Bar and Lounge, 47 State St, Rochester
6:30-9:00 PM
Presentations begin at 7pm. Get there early to grab a seat, something to eat, and a drink. Bar is open late so all are welcome to hang out after!
Info about speakers and presentations:
Chaz Goodman presents – Simple Ways to Reduce Your Driving
Cars are bad for the planet, expensive, dangerous, and take up a lot of space. So why are they so ubiquitous? It’s not easy to get around without one with the world we built! Learn about the myriad of options in Rochester to get around without a car that many people don’t consider on a daily basis. It’s easier than you think!
Chaz Goodman has been a bicycle commuter his entire adult life. He is passionate about transitioning Monroe County to move beyond car dependency. When he’s not riding his bike or an RTS bus he is raising two sons and playing music with his band Chaz & The Dazzlers.
Sally Millick presents – Beyond the Epitaph: Victorian Cemetery Symbolism
There is little random about the design and symbols on Victorian funerary monuments! Every detail was to impart some meaning, some grief or remembrance of the deceased. This talk will be an overview of how to interpret what you see as you stroll through Mt Hope or other 19th century cemeteries, with lots of illustration and specific examples.
For over 20 years, Sally has been a tour author and guide at Mt Hope Cemetery in Rochester, and has photographed cemeteries all over the world. She has contributed to several books about Mt Hope and gravestone symbolism. A frequent volunteer for the Landmark Society and Memorial Art Gallery, Sally is also current President of the Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library.
Reverend Kingfish presents – The Strange and Sometimes Ugly History of the Music Business in the early 1900s
The invention and growing popularity of sound recordings reflected aspects of American society that were often strange and frequently ugly, and it influenced as much as it reflected values and social attitudes. From hyper-romanticized images of domesticity to outrageous racism punctuated by aspects of vice and violence, the era laid the foundations for what would become the most important vehicle for popular music. As a history major and avid musician, these interests have merged into a long-time fascination with the development of popular music in the United States.
Reverend Kingfish was influenced early on by his grandfather, a vaudevillian and early film actor who personally knew some of the most famous New York City musicians of the 1910s and 1920s. From Ma Rainey to Annette Hanshaw (to name just two ends of the spectrum), this period has held a special place in Reverend Kingfish’s heart.