Happy Friday! I’m FINALLY feeling better after whatever I had come down with while in Ireland. I’m hoping to get back on my general content game next week. ANYWAY! We have basically 2 full weekends of Halloween fun and the calendar really does reflect that this week. Most notably for us here in Auburn: Prison City (Auburn)’s GRIMM this Saturday.
In this Middle of Somewhere, you'll find:
The Schine Theater has a buyer
Not so fast… new stop signs going up
On the calendar (two weekends of Halloween)
A small request
Early voting starts tomorrow
Thanks for sharing the love of CNY with me!
Victoria
Photo taken by me during a walk downtown in July 2026.
The Schine Theater has a buyer
Big news for South Street. Last night the city agreed to sell the Schine Theater to Schine On!, a local nonprofit, for $70,000. Here's the full rundown from Finger Lakes 1.
The city took the building back in 2025 after years of stalled rehab, and it's been waiting for someone brave enough to love it. Schine On!'s plan includes 750+ seats, film and live music, a small basement theater, even a podcast studio.
First, though, engineers and architects get 180 days to see what the building can handle. Fingers crossed it passes.
Need a refresher on why people care so much? The 1938 Art Deco theater was designed by John Eberson, the architect behind some of the country's great movie palaces. Read its history.
Capitol & Perry is now a four-way stop
If Capitol Street is part of your route, heads up: the intersection at Perry Street is now a four-way stop. Until now, only Perry traffic had to stop. Police counted 10 crashes there since June 2021, five with injuries, so this one's been a long time coming. Here's the backstory.
City Council approved two more while they were at it: a three-way stop at North Marvine Avenue and Ross Street Extension, where kids cross on the Herman Avenue Elementary walking path, and a new stop for drivers turning from Drummond Street onto North Hunter Avenue. The signs were set to go up by mid-October, and Auburn police will enforce them once they're in. Read about the vote.
On the Calendar
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FRIDAY:
10/23 [Auburn] — Costumed guides lead the Haunted History Tours of Auburn Oct. 23-25 (6 and 7 p.m. slots), winding through the Seward House grounds and downtown with the city's ghost stories. Learn more.
10/23 [Syracuse] — Jurassic Quest stomps into the NYS Fairgrounds Expo Center Oct. 23-25 with life-size animatronic dinosaurs, baby dino encounters, rides, and a fossil dig (Friday 1-6 p.m.). Learn more.
10/23 [Baldwinsville] — The Baldwinsville Theatre Guild stages Ragtime through Oct. 25 with a cast of 50-plus and a 21-piece orchestra ($40; the Oct. 24 show is ASL interpreted). Get tickets.
10/23 [Victor] — The Victor Spooktacular on Main St. turns downtown into a grown-up Halloween bar crawl with 10-plus stops, a costume contest, and a photo booth (5:30-9 p.m., check in at DeWolf Brewing). Learn more.
10/23 [Rochester] — WICKER opens at The Little. Olivia Colman plays a fisherwoman who has the local basket maker (Peter Dinklage) build her a husband (Alexander Skarsgård). Ticket-holders get free wicker-print pasties at the auditorium door, one per person, while they last. It's rated R, and the pasties explain why. Showtimes.
10/23 [Rochester] — The Little screens Hocus Pocus at 7:30 p.m. for Little Craft Night with Little Button Craft. The house lights stay on so you can craft through the movie; bring a project or buy one there. Prefer it dark? Regular screening Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Get tickets.
10/23 [Rochester] — The Memorial Art Gallery becomes the "Museum of the Dead" for a Halloween-themed evening of art and the macabre. Learn more.
10/23 [Rochester] — Bee Gees tribute "Stayin' Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees" plays the Kodak Center at 7:30 p.m. Get tickets.
10/23 [Mumford] — Genesee Country Village & Museum's "Spirits of the Past" lantern walk leads after-dark tours through the historic village Oct. 23-25 and Oct. 30 (tickets online in advance only). Learn more.
10/30 [Auburn] — The Seward House Museum's "Death Rites and Mourning Culture" tour (6:30-7:30 p.m.) digs into Victorian mourning customs and the Seward family's own. Learn more.
10/30 [Auburn] — Roast & Toast's Zombie Ball runs 7 to 11 p.m. with DJ Addy, Halloween cocktails, $1 off your first drink if you show up as a zombie, and a costume contest with a $50 gift card on the line. Learn more.
10/30 [Auburn] — Prison City's Armory speakeasy throws Spookeasy, a Halloween-eve soirée with spooky cocktails, small bites, live music from Mojo Combo at 7, and a costume contest for a $100 Prison City gift card (6-9 p.m.). Learn more.
10/30 [Auburn] — DJ Mooch spins at Prison City Pub & Brewery on State Street, 9-11 p.m. Learn more.
SATURDAY:
10/24 [Near You] — Early voting starts
10/24 [Auburn] — Prison City's annual Halloween party, GRIMM: A Night in the Dark Forest, turns the North Street Barn into a fairy-tale forest of witches, wolves, and poisoned apples, with themed cocktails, food specials, music, and a costume contest (6-10 p.m., 21+, $10 advance, $15 at the door). Get tickets.
10/24 [Marcellus] — Marcellus Together is hosting BooFest for the kids from 2pm-5pm!
10/24 [Syracuse] — The Syracuse Veg Collective's second annual Vegtoberfest, a free family-friendly celebration of plant-based living, brings vegan food, live music, arts vendors, and a costume contest to Harvey's Garden, 1-6 p.m. Learn more.
10/24 [Syracuse] — The Everson Museum hosts a beginner-friendly Abstract & Semi-Abstract Carving Workshop from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., shaping soap and floral foam into sculpture with all materials provided ($48 members, $60 non-members). Learn more.
10/24 [Syracuse] — Zoo Boo's second weekend at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, with trick-or-treat stations, games, and costumes encouraged. Learn more.
10/24 [Canandaigua] — Fall Into Canandaigua takes over downtown from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with pumpkin decorating, a petting zoo, face painting, a kids' costume parade and contest, and a Monster Mash dance-off. Learn more.
10/24 [Mumford] — Genesee Country Village & Museum invites families to Trick or Treat in the Village among its historic buildings (Oct. 24-25). Learn more.
10/24 [Rochester] — The Kodak Center pairs a screening of "Hocus Pocus" with a themed tasting in its Taste-A-Long Experience. Get tickets.
10/24 [Rochester] — Anthology Live throws "It's a 2000s Halloween Party," a costume dance party themed to the 2000s. Get tickets.
10/24 [Rochester] — The Italian American Community Center hosts a Halloween Casino Night with gaming, costumes, and entertainment. Get tickets.
10/24 [Rochester] — The RPO Piano Festival continues with "Douglas Plays Tchaikovsky" at 7:30 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Learn more.
10/31 [Auburn] — Prison City North Street hosts a Red Cross blood drive, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Learn more.
10/31 [Rochester] — Anthology's fourth annual Monster Bash: Decades Edition has local bands dressing up and performing as iconic acts across the decades, 7 p.m. Learn more.
10/31 [Rochester] — Week two of the RPO Piano Festival brings "Biss Plays Beethoven" to Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Learn more.
SUNDAY:
10/25 [Auburn] — Grab your kiddos! Make those costumes! Cash in on free candy. Friends of Emerson Park are hosting a free Trick or Treat from 12-2pm!
10/25 [Rochester] — The RPO's family-friendly orKIDStra concert "Spooktacular Sounds" plays Hochstein Performance Hall at 2 p.m. with Halloween-themed music. Learn more.
10/25 [Canandaigua] — Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion offers a Haunted Stroll through its gardens and grounds. Learn more.
10/25 [Mumford] — Trick or Treat in the Village wraps up at Genesee Country Village & Museum. Learn more.
10/25 [Syracuse] — Final day of Zoo Boo at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Learn more.
11/1 [Rochester] — The Novel Affair Book Fair returns to ARTISANworks with local bookstores and authors, a DIY book-page bouquet bar, a terrarium station, coffee, and a cash bar ($10, includes the gallery). Learn more.
11/1 [Rochester] — The RPO Piano Festival wraps with "Hamelin Plays Brahms" at 2 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Learn more.
WEDNESDAY:
10/28 [Auburn] — Prison City's last Yappy Hour of the season brings a dog costume contest to the North Street courtyard, 5-7 p.m. Learn more.
THURSDAY:
10/29 [Auburn] — Auburn Public Theater opens the musical revue "Whistle While You Quilt" with Teddy Brill and Dominic Gambaiani at 7 p.m., running through Nov. 6. Get tickets.
10/29 [Auburn] — Right Mind Syracuse brings its Chunky Knit Blanket Workshop back to Prison City North Street, 5:30-8 p.m. Reserve a spot early. Learn more.
10/29 [Auburn] — Orange Trivia Thursday at Prison City North Street, 6-8 p.m. Learn more.
ONGOING EVENTS:
Fridays through October [Camillus] — The Camillus Farmers Market sets up Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Camillus Municipal Building, with local produce, baked goods, and artisan goods. Two Fridays left.
Through 10/24 [Fairport] — Fairport Restaurant Week, featuring over 20 participating restaurants. Last call!
Through 10/24 [Syracuse] — The Associated Artists of CNY 99th Annual Juried Members Exhibit shows members' drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture. Learn more.
Through 10/25 [North Syracuse] — Final weekend of Chuck Hafner's Fall Festival, with axe-throwing, food trucks, and family fun, free rain or shine. Learn more.
Through 10/30 [Liverpool] — The Spooktacular Stroll, a family-friendly half-mile walk-through at Long Branch Park with witch, ghost, pumpkin, and dinosaur displays, runs Fridays through Sundays until Oct. 30. Learn more!
Through 10/25 [Cazenovia] — Critz Farms' Fall Harvest Celebration has pumpkin picking, wagon rides, a corn maze, and handcrafted beverages (10 a.m.-6 p.m.; wagon rides and the café are weekends only). Learn more.
Weekends through 10/30 [Baldwinsville] — Abbott Farms' Fall Festival wraps up with apple picking, corn mazes, wagon rides, and hay climbs (Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sundays noon-5 p.m.).
Through 10/31 [LaFayette] — Apple-picking season winds down at Beak & Skiff Apple Hill, with U-pick orchards, hard-cider tastings, and a bakery and cafe. Learn more.
Early voting starts tomorrow
Early voting for the 2026 general election opens tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 24, and runs nine days, through Sunday, Nov. 1.
Heads up, Auburn: the city's early voting site has moved to the Booker T. Washington Community Center, 23 Chapman Ave. Clifford Park isn't being used this year.
The other Cayuga County early voting sites are the Cato Municipal Building (11320 Shortcut Rd., Meridian) and Moravia Town Hall (1630 State Route 38).
Hours:
Sat 10/24 & Sun 10/25: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Mon 10/26 & Tue 10/27: noon-8 p.m.
Wed 10/28 through Fri 10/30: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sat 10/31 (yes, Halloween) & Sun 11/1: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
