Patrick Beath: New year, new Rochester corporation counsel rbj.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rbj.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Malik Evans looks ahead to transition to become mayor of Rochester NY democratandchronicle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from democratandchronicle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
View Comments
In 1995, then-Rochester mayor William A. Johnson Jr and then-Commissioner, now outgoing City Council President, Loretta Scott wanted to create opportunities for the community to come together. What they came up with was the Rochester Music Festival.
“There were a lot of things going on in the community in ’95, and Mayor Johnson felt like we needed something to celebrate,” Varick Baiyina, CEO of Xperience Live Events, said. “So that’s how the festival was born in 1995, and it was started as a community-based event.”
Baiyina was born in the 19th Ward, where he attended Wilson High School. He sees his participation in the festival both as an opportunity to give back to his hometown and as a homecoming for him personally.