Sept. 22 to 29, 2016

Dinosaurs exhibit at Strong
An exhibit that opens this weekend at the Strong museum brings the past roaring into the present. In "Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice," kids can dig for dinosaur remains, crawl through a volcano and explore the wilds of Montana and Alaska as the regions were millions of years ago. The exhibition is produced by the Minnesota Children's Museum. Visitors can get up close with touchable dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes—including the mighty Tyrannosaur rex, horned Triceratops and four-legged Edmontosaurus. Opening weekend is Saturday and Sunday. It remains on view through Jan. 8. Also this weekend, the Strong opens "Big, Scary and Extinct," featuring dinosaur toys and related items from its own collection. Go to museumofplay.org.

Behind the scenes at WXXI
WXXI plans an open house Saturday to celebrate the organization's 50th anniversary. The event runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the station, 280 State St. It is free and open to the public. PBS Kids' characters including Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George and Peg & Cat will welcome guests. Attendees can also meet WXXI radio and TV hosts and walk the sets of "Homework Hotline" and "Need to Know." Other highlights include arts and crafts and airbrush tattoos and free hands-on activities. Check out wxxi.org/openhouse.

Celebrate pets at Barktober Fest
The annual Barktober Fest fundraiser of Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester, is Sept. 24 at Egypt Park and Lollypop Farm. It features a 1.5 mile walk for animals, dog competitions, photo station, vendor booths, kids activities, live music, a beer garden and food. Pet owners can have their pets microchipped at the event for $30. Last year, the event raised more than $100,000. Go to lollypop.org.

Kids and Trucks at Frontier Field
Play is a critical part of every child's development. Kids and Trucks, a fundraiser for Children's Institute Inc., gives children an opportunity to climb aboard and explore all kinds of vehicles. It takes place Saturday and Sunday at Frontier Field's VIP Lot. Vehicles include a firetruck, mail truck, race car, police car, cement mixer, mini-excavator and semi. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Go to childrensinstitute.net for details.

On the Big Screen
In "The Magnificent Seven," seven mercenaries prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming. They find themselves fighting for more than money. Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and Vincent D'Onofrio are among the stars. In the animated "Storks," the top delivery stork is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorized baby girl. Andy Samberg and Kelsey Grammer star. Find movie times.

Naples Grape Festival
The Naples Grape Festival is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24 and 25. Highlights include artists and crafters as well as a variety of interesting foods, music and a wine-tasting tent featuring New York wines for sale by the bottle. A highlight each year is the "World's Greatest Grape Pie Contest." Go to naplesgrapefest.org. General festival admission is free; admission for the wine-tasting tent is $15.

Submit listing information

Help us provide readers with the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on dining, shopping, entertainment and the arts, wineries, sports and recreation, special events, museums and more.  

For information about submitting listings to Explore Greater Rochester, contact us by email.