Shipping Containers for Sale in Rochester, NY

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — With the federal government shutdown entering its 24th day on Friday, families who get food assistance are worried about how they’ll put food on the table if the shutdown continues.

A viewer, Jeremy, asked what will happen to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits on Nov. 1 if there’s still no funding agreement. Jeremy asked: “My good question: People who collect EBT or food stamps… will people not get them in November if government doesn’t open up?”

Government shutdown guide: What will and won’t be impacted in the Rochester area

Nov. 1 is a week from Saturday. If the government shutdown drags into next month, New York State, the federal government, and local food banks all say SNAP benefits will be paused.

“SNAP is the first and most powerful line of defense against hunger,” said Mark Dwyer, marketing and communications director for Foodlink. “We anticipate and we’re preparing for benefits to pause as of November. The federal government has come out and said they don’t have enough funding at the moment to fund benefits in November, so we’re taking that very seriously.”

On its website, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says: “If the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation.”

News10NBC’s Emily Putnam tried getting through to someone on the Monroe County SNAP customer service phone line and spent a half-hour waiting for a representative.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office says: “Nearly 3 million New Yorkers who rely on SNAP for food assistance could lose access to their benefits starting November 1.”

Dwyer said SNAP provides more meals to people than food banks can provide.

“The impact of Foodlink and food banks around the country pales in comparison to what SNAP provides to people nationwide,” Dwyer said. “They say SNAP provides about 9 or 10 times the amount of meals that food banks all across the country do the community. So anytime there’s a threat or a decrease to SNAP, that is felt far and wide and that impacts over 150,000 people throughout the 10 counties that we serve.”

Last year, the USDA estimated that federal SNAP spending was roughly $99.8 billion, with an average of $187 per person, per month. As we’ve reported, Foodlink’s Check Out Hunger campaign is underway. Learn more here.

If you have a Good Question you’d like answered, send us an email at GoodQuestion@WHEC.com.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The corner of Main Street and Clinton Avenue in downtown Rochester has undergone a major transformation. What was once a haven for pigeons with collapsing roofs and stairways is now a livable space ready for tenants to move in.

I have been covering this corner for years, and was able to tour the newly renovated space, which now looks livable.

The development, now called Harper’s Corner, connects four historic buildings into a cohesive space. Lindsey Allen, Development Manager for Home Leasing, led me through the first of 11 newly completed apartments.

Allen expressed her amazement at the transformation.

“Having been in these spaces before the construction began and seeing them now and envisioning a family or individual who gets to live in here, I mean I’m awe struck,” Allen said.

The project, supported by state tax credits, required maintaining the historical elements of the buildings. One of the things they had to do with this project is to save and maintain the historical elements of these buildings, including a stairwell.

They call it the stairwell to nowhere because the top is the bottom of the apartment above. But they had to do whatever they could do to save the stairs and the railing.

Dana Miller, Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development, emphasized the importance of the project.

“This is arguably the most visible corner in all of our downtown,” Miller said.

The apartments are intended for middle-class families, not market-rate or affordable housing. Home Leasing is currently accepting applications, with a lottery to select renters planned around Thanksgiving and move-in expected around Christmas. View the application here.

Harper’s Corner is named after Martha Harper, who came to Rochester more than 100 years ago and helped women by franchising 500 beauty salons to them.

The City of Rochester, Monroe County, ESL Federal Credit Union, BankOnBuffalo, Greater Rochester Housing Partnership, and the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation are among the many organizations that helped with the completion of this project.

See some photos below of what it looked like before renovations.

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Event Details

This year, ROC the Riverway Weekend celebrates both the revitalized Genesee River waterfront and events marking the 250th anniversary of the Erie Canal, a historic milestone for the region.

It invites residents and visitors to experience the river’s natural beauty, historical importance, and the progress of the ROC the Riverway initiative through a wide array of interactive and educational events.

Featured activities

Boat Cruises with Corn Hill Navigation

Enjoy an engaging 90-minute round-trip cruise along the Genesee River to Genesee Valley Park with live narration explaining how the river and canal contributed to Rochester's nickname, the "Young Lion of the West," plus picturesque views of downtown City of Rochester.

ROC the Riverway Guided Bike Ride

Family-friendly biking tours (helmets required) along the Riverway Trail, covering High Falls, Downtown, and South River Corridor enhancements City of Rochester.

Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse & Riverie Boat Tours

Historic excursions where visitors ride aboard the Riverie and Erie Canalboat Seneca Chief, join in flotillas, and return to Corn Hill Landing for live music and festivities City of Rochester.

Cider & Donuts Cruise aboard Sam Patch

A fun, canal-style boat experience featuring local cider and donuts, with narration on the Erie Canal and its lock mechanisms City of Rochester.

Erie Canal Bicentennial & ROC the Riverway Festival

A free festival welcoming the Seneca Chief's voyage, including live music, historic demonstrations, food carts, and short Riverie trips (priced ~$10) City of Rochester.

City Skyline Paddle

Educational paddle outings led by Genesee RiverWatch and Waterways Center, offering skyline views and riverfront development insights. All experience levels welcome; children must be accompanied City of Rochester.

Fireworks Cruise & River Show

Evening cruises aboard Riverie and Sam Patch to view fireworks over the Genesee River, capped off by a public fireworks display launched near the Frederick Douglass–Susan B. Anthony Bridge City of Rochester.

Autumn at the Lake Walk

A 1.5-mile guided historical walk through the Historic Third Ward, exploring indigenous, settler, and architectural history. Begins at the Waterspirit Sculpture, Exchange & South Plymouth

Jane Hopkins, a landscape photographer, can get a mixed reaction when she tells people she focuses her camera on cemeteries.

“It’s a conversation stopper,” says Hopkins, who lives in Webster.

But it can be a conversation starter, as well, because cemeteries have stories to tell.

Hopkins chronicles these stories in her second collection of cemetery photographs, “Buried Rochester New York Area: 200 years of Cemetery History.”

Published by America Through Time, “Buried Rochester” follows “Cemetery Reflections,” Hopkins’ collection of photographs published in 2022.

The first book offered thoughts on death and grief in addition to photographs.

“Hopkins sees (cemeteries) not just as places that honor the dead but also as peaceful places that provide healing for the living,” I wrote then.

“Buried Rochester” emphasizes changes in cemeteries and grave markers over the years. Those changes vary from place to place, reflecting shifts in cultural attitudes and different ways of honoring the dead.

“Although cemeteries can be regarded as cities of the dead,” Hopkins writes, “they are alive with the history of their towns.”

Hopkins explains that history in the captions for her photographs, each one a mini-essay reflecting extensive research.

Cemeteries might seem unchanging, but Hopkins makes clear that they do change.

Headstones are different from one century to the next, granite replacing marble. The stones display more pictures now. They often have longer messages to the living.

In the older cemeteries, there are tall monuments marking family plots. (Family members move about now, ending up in different cemeteries.)

The increased choice of cremation has led to more above-ground vaults. Older cemeteries are alive with trees. Some newer cemeteries aren’t.

An early photo shows a historical marker for King’s Landing, a burial ground across from what became Kodak Park.

The first official cemetery in the area, it was created in 1798 for members of the King family. According to the photo caption, just a few burial stones remain.

Contrast that with Mt. Hope Cemetery, the nation’s first municipal cemetery.

Dedicated in 1838, Mt. Hope now has thousands of graves. It’s a park of sorts, a place where people walk, take in the peace of the place.

This was especially true during the pandemic, when Mt. Hope was filled with visitors, people escaping the isolation of the time.

Hopkins gives Mt. Hope its due, just as she includes photos of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester, a 340-acre burial ground that was chartered in 1872.

Hopkins and her husband, Tom, visited 300 or so cemeteries in their travels.

Thus, she has pictures from Auburn, where Harriet Tubman is buried.

In Mt. Hope, she photographed the gravestones of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. (One of those pictures shows the stone covered with “I Voted” stickers.)

There are photos from cemeteries in Lockport and Medina, Avon and Geneseo, Webster and Pultneyville, just to name a few of Hopkins’ many visits.

For some of the photos, Hopkins stepped back to capture the change in seasons. There are terrific fall photos, just as there are shots of snow-blanketed graves.

In other photos, Hopkins focuses in on headstones.

“Every cemetery I’ve been to there are one or two special stones that are really special gems,” she says.

Hopkins says she’ll continue stopping at cemeteries, and she senses that she is not alone.

“Since the pandemic, death is talked about more openly,” she writes. “More people seem to feel at ease walking through a cemetery, savoring its peace and quiet while visiting loved ones.”

Hopkins’ book shows that cemetery visitors don’t even have to know cemetery residents. Enjoy the shade. Read the headstones. It’s worth the visit.

From his home in Geneseo, Livingston County, retired senior editor Jim Memmott writes Remarkable Rochester about who we were, who we are. He can be reached at jmemmott@gannett.com or write Box 274, Geneseo, NY 14454.

NAPLES — When it comes to craft beer, James Pettitte is an IPA guy. He also likes stouts.

But in the fall, he switches to Oktoberfest. There are so many to choose from in the Finger Lakes and he's tried a bunch of them, he said while whiling away a Saturday afternoon and sipping on this particular fall favorite at Engine 14 Brewing Co. in Naples.

When it comes to fall beer, “they’re delicious,” Pettitte said.

Just as the weather changes from summer to fall, so do craft beer styles, shifting from light and crisp to something a bit darker and heavier, but still quite tasty.

Besides the many iterations of Oktoberfest beers available this time of year, many craft brewers get into the fall season with their versions of pumpkin ales. If you’re more adventurous, several more styles will have you thinking autumn.

With so many Finger Lakes and Rochester area craft breweries offering fall beers, which do you think offers the best?

We'd like to hear what you think. Inspired by March Madness basketball brackets, here’s an opportunity for you to weigh in on your favorites by taking part in our Fall Craft Beer Bracket Challenge.

The New York State Brewers Association’s Think NY, Drink NY 2025 New York Fall Beer Guide offers some ideas, and we've included some of them and their descriptions, as well as added a few of our own. Breweries from eight counties are represented.

And if you don’t see your favorite in the brackets, let us know (mmurphy@messengerpostmedia.com). We'll acknowledge the top write-ins.

Here are the brackets:

Finger Lakes/Region North

ReInvention Brewing vs. Runaway Blue Brewing Co.

ReInvention Brewing offers its Oktothorpe Oktoberfest/Märzen classic, which is smooth, clean, and with a depth of malt character that provides a light raisin sweetness with a crisp dry finish. 9 N. Main St., Manchester.

Runaway Blue Brewing Co.'s Märzen lager may have you salivating with notes of caramel and toasted malt. 102 S. Main St., Newark, Wayne County.

Peacemaker Brewing Co. vs. Ritchie's Market

Peacemaker's Hourglass Festbier is a 5.5% ABV but don’t sleep on its Persephone (grape) sour. It is grape season in the Finger Lakes, after all. 39 Coach St., Canandaigua.

Ritchie's Market has a small brewing operation at its market but a Munich Dunkel with a big fall taste. 153 Lake Road, Ontario, Wayne County.

Prison City Brewing Co. vs. Eli Fish Brewing Co.

Prison City's Pumpkin Escovar is a porter blended with cinnamon and simple roast coffee mocha java coffee beans. 28 State St., Auburn (there are several locations in the Cayuga County city).

It's tough to resist including this Eli Fish creation just on the name alone: Lil' Pump's Magical Trip Through the Haunted Pumpkin Grove pumpkin ale. 109 Main St., Batavia, Genesee County.

Naked Dove Brewing Co. vs. No BS Brewing Co.

It’s a big day in August when Naked Dove taps its Oktoberfest. This traditional favorite is brewed with Weyermann Malts from Germany. 4048 state Routes 5 and 20, Hopewell.

No BS Brewing Co.'s fall offering is another for the name hall of fame: When Pumpkins Attack, which is a light ale infused with pumpkin spice. 3474 Bronson Hill Road, Livonia, Livingston County.

Finger Lakes/Region South

Abandon Brewing Co. vs Keuka Brew Co.

Abandon's Oktoberfest is an amber German-style lager with notes of bread, toast, figs and a slight malt sweetness. 2994 Merritt Hill Road, Penn Yan, Yates County.

Keuka Brewing's Pumpkin Cream Ale is brewed with real pumpkin, tasty fall spices and vanilla, which the makers describe as pumpkin pie in a glass. 8572 Briglin Road, Hammondsport, Steuben County.

Naples Brewing Co. vs. Engine 14 Brewing

Naples Brewing Co.'s Festbier serves as a celebration of all things fall in Naples, with grain and hops all sourced from local farms. 104 N. Main St., Naples.

You already know that James Pettitte likes Engine 14 Brewing co-owner Greg Borden's Oktoberfest Märzen. Now you try it. 52 West Ave., Naples.

Big aLICe Brewing Finger Lakes vs Watershed Brewing Co

Big aLICe's Oktoberfest Festbier-style lager is as German as it can get because of its 100% German malts and hops. It's fermented with a German lager yeast. 4180 NY-14, Geneva.

Watershed Brewing gets extra kudos for the Seinfeld show reference, as its Märzen-style lager is called Fest! is for the rest of us. 3543 E. Lake Road, Geneva.

Brewery Ardennes vs. Rising Storm Brewing Co.

Hard to choose between Brewery Ardennes' Belgium pumpkin ale and Oktoberfest, so why not experiment and go for Fall Farm Saison, which is mildly malty and lightly spiced? 570 Snell Road, Geneva.

Live the Gourd Life and try Rising Storm's pumpkin ale. 5750 S. Lima Road, Avon, Livingston County.

Monroe County

Spotted Octopus Brewing Co. vs. K2 Brewing Co.

Spotted Octopus showcases its Octo-berfest Märzen as a seasonal tribute to the Munich Fest. 56 S. Union St., Rochester.

K2 Brewing wants you to embrace the flavors of fall with its spiced Pumpkin Ale, which includes warming cinnamon, aromatic pumpkin spice, earthy pumpkin puree and lots of smooth vanilla sweetness. 1221 Empire Blvd., Rochester.

Swiftwater Brewing Co. vs Strangebird

Swiftwater Brewing Co.'s Festbier, German-style amber lager that comes in at 5.8% alcohol by volume. 378 Mt. Hope Ave., Rochester.

Strangebird's Märzen is an Octoberfest-style amber lager that embodies Bavarian traditions of rich, malty, lager, brewed in spring, barrel-fermented, and lagered to perfection to finish the summer and welcome in autumn. 62 Marshall St., Rochester.

Genesee Brewery vs Three Heads Brewing

Genesee's Oktoberfest is kind of the gold standard, so we'll offer up its fall seasonal Cran Orange Kellerbier, which has made its return to the Genesee Brew House and store shelves after a year’s absence. 25 Cataract St., Rochester.

Three Heads' Pumpkin Spice Latte Ale celebrates the Fringe Festival in Rochester and fall, too. 186 Atlantic Ave., Rochester.

Knucklehead Craft Brewing vs. Irondequoit Beer Co.

Orange you glad it’s pumpkin season? Knucklehead Craft Brewing is and has Pumpkin Ale to show it. 426 Ridge Road, Webster.

The folks at Irondequoit Beer Co. describe their Farm Stand Pumpkin Ale as a hearty amber ale conditioned on pumpkin, cinnamon, and vanilla beans. Why, it almost sounds like a still life painting of fall. 756 Titus Ave., Rochester.

What to know

Voting begins Thursday, Oct. 9, and ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14.

You may vote once per matchup per hour.

The next round of voting will begin Thursday, Oct. 16, featuring winners from the previous round.

The two Finger Lakes region winners will then match up and that winner will then take on the Monroe County winner to determine our champion.

Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.