ROC in the Ruins festival debuts Saturday

ROC in the Ruins, a community festival, will mark its debut this week.

The fest, organized by Downtown ROCs in partnership with the Local Sound Collaborative, a music and arts nonprofit, and RocGrowth, will take place 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday in St. Joseph’s Park on Pleasant Street, 

“It is totally aligned with our mission—promoting the New Rochester, highlighting Rochester’s innovators and creatives,” says Richard Glaser, a co-creator of RocGrowth. “It instigates ‘creative collisions’ (a.k.a. networking). It is informed by promoting greater equity of race, class, gender and age. I have partnered with tremendous social entrepreneurs at Downtown ROCs and Local Sound Collaborative.”

Glaser says RocGrowth is underwriting most of the cost of the events, with partners that include the Landmark Society of Western New York and Rochester Downtown Development Corp.

ROC in the Ruins will feature live music, food and activities. The historic church ruins in the heart of downtown will serve as the stage for musical performers from Rochester’s diverse communities—including an Americana ensemble, Latin fusion band and hiphop artist, organizers say.

“ROC in the Ruins celebrates Rochester’s creativity and diversity in one of its most iconic spaces,” says Mike Gilbert, executive director of Downtown ROCs. “We are honored to partner with the Local Sound Collaborative and RocGrowth who also recognize the importance of bringing people together and building community.”

St. Joseph’s Park is located inside the remains of Rochester’s oldest Catholic church. It was destroyed in a fire in 1975.

Smriti Jacob is Rochester Beacon managing editor. Contributing writer Narm Nathan assisted with this article.

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