Events
Fifth Sunday Open Mic
Sunday, March 29, 12:30 pm to 3 pm.
The first Open Microphone for performers of literary or musical work of 2026. All are welcome as performers or listeners. Performers are invited to offer brief samples of their work to a friendly audience. Come, perform, listen, enjoy light refreshments, have fun! Free.
A sign-up sheet for five-minute segments will be available from 12:30 until 1 when the performance begins. First come, first served. All welcome.
Special guest readers for March 29: Jerry Miskin and Roger Hecht.
Jerry Mirskin has worked in the New York State Poets-in-the-Schools program and is a Professor Emeritus at Ithaca College. He is the winner of the Arts & Letters Prize in Poetry and the Mammoth Books Award for Poetry. His collections include Picture a Gate Hanging Open and Let That Gate Be a Sun and In Flagrante Delicto. His most recent collection is entitled Crepuscular Non Driveway from Mammoth Books (2014). He has presented his work at public libraries, art centers and on public television and radio and has been published in several anthologies.
Roger Hecht has an MFA in poetry from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D in Literature from Syracuse University. In Tucson, he co-founded the Among Other Things reading and performance series and served as a director of the Tucson Poetry Festival. He is currently an Associate Professor of English at SUNY Oneonta where he also co-directs The Red Dragon Reading Series. He has published two poetry collections, Taking Pictures and Witness Report. He also plays the drums in an Ithaca blues band, Off the Rails.
For more information contact Steve at stachu14512@gmail.com or (585)554-4899.
No registration required, but performers should arrive at 12:30 to sign up for a time slot.
Cinema Special: Astral Plane Drifter
Thursday, April 2, 7:00 pm, in the Jim Spates Theater.
Doors open at 6:30. Meet and greet with the filmmaker before the show!
Q&A following the film.
The Best Western/Sci-Fi/Kung-Fu/Comedy In The History Of Ever! Film Threat’s Award This! “BEST WTF” Winner and “MOVIE OF THE YEAR” Nominee. Multiple Film Festival Award Winner (27 Wins, 22 nominations). Midnight Movie Cult Classic.
The Feature Film The Universe Needs!
More information at www.astralplanedrifter.com.
Admission: $10.00.
No registration required, but seating is limited to 27.
Sunday Cinema: Secrets of the Bees
Sunday, April 19, 1:00 pm.
This Emmy award-winning film uses groundbreaking filming technology to reveal the extraordinary world of bees. With the expertise of entomologist and fellow National Geographic Explorer Dr. Samuel Ramsey, the series uncovers their astonishing architecture and intelligence, unlocking their secrets and featuring never-before-filmed moments. The two-part Series is from National Geographic Explorer at Large and Academy Award®-winner James Cameron.
Presented by Petra Hafker who will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion on bees. She is a scientist in Geneva working on her PhD, conducting research in the honey bee system. "Nature as Art" really shines through in this documentary.
No registration required, but seating is limited to 27.
Sunday Cinema
Third Sundays, 1:00 pm.
The Dove Block will host movie viewings in its intimate Jim Spates Theater on the third Sunday of most months. The films will be a variety of fiction and non-fiction works.
No registration required, but seating is limited.
Fifth Sunday Open Mic
Every Fifth Sunday, 12:30 pm to 3 pm.
On Fifth Sundays in 2026, from 12:30 until 3 pm, the Dove Block will host an Open Microphone for performers of literary or musical work. All are welcome as performers or listeners. Performers are invited to offer brief samples of their work to a friendly audience. Come, perform, listen, enjoy light refreshments, have fun! Free.
A sign-up sheet for five-minute segments will be available from 12:30 until 1 when the performance begins. First come, first served. All welcome.
Special guest readers for March 29: Jerry Miskin and Roger Hecht.
Special guest readers for May 31: Carol Mikoda and Jessica Dubey.
Additional dates in 2026: August 30 and November 29.
For more information contact Steve at stachu14512@gmail.com or (585)554-4899.
No registration required, but performers should arrive at 12:30 to sign up for a time slot.
All-American Ruins with Blake Pfeil
Saturday, October 10, 1 to 3 pm.
Blake Pfeil is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist. His latest body of work, All-American Ruins, has been the recipient of numerous awards for its genre-bending, multimodal storytelling, including recent UK Press Gazette Future of Media Awards nominations for Podcast of the Year (Regional) two years in a row. In 2025, the podcast arm of the project, abandoned, hit No. 1 on Apple Podcasts "Places & Travel" charts. Blake most recently served as a guest producer for season 5 of History Colorado's Lost Highways while also working his "day job" as the Operations & Digital Programs Manager at TMI Project and "night job" as co-host of Cinema Kingston! on WKNY.
The program will begin with an introduction by Blake Pfeil and viewings of selections from his podcast, abandoned, and his film, All-American Ruins: Universal Atlas Cement Plant. This will be followed by a moderated discussion about urban exploration, audio storytelling, and the healing power of the human imagination, as well as the importance of restoring abandoned spaces and properties for public use. Blake will take questions from the audience and will offer tips and tricks for audio storytelling magic.
Come armed with curiosity as Blake discusses the salve of imagination in the outdoors as well as the cultural and social significance of American ruins and their lasting impression on the past, present, and future of the United States.
Ages 18 and up. Attendance limited to 26.
Registration required.
The Third Annual Dove Block Project Short Film Festival
Sunday, October 11, screening from 1 pm to 4 pm.
The Film festival is in it's third year and will feature regional, national, and international films . The films are chosen based on artistic merit, social commentary, and entertainment value. The categories this year will be Youth produced, Animation, Environmental, Drama, and Documentary. Submissions to the festival will begin in June of 2026 through both Filmfreemway.com and directly to Harold@thedoveblockproject.org.
Ages 8 and up. Attendance limited to 26.
Registration required.
The Arc Ontario: Creative Expressions
The first Monday of each month, the Creative Expressions Team from The Arc Ontario visits the Dove Block. Creative Expressions is a comprehensive service/therapeutic experience that fosters creativity through visual arts, music, and horticulture, encouraging individual to expand upon traditional methods of communication and interaction in an educational environment.
Creative Expressions is designed for people seeking to improve their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social skills by expressing themselves in a variety of creative ways, while getting involved in their community.
They offer an Art Program that gives individuals access to a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, sculpture, book arts and digital animation by guided by our art specialist.
The Music program offers a wide range of musical experiences to promote the health and well-being of individuals by enhancing and transforming their lives.
Our Horticulturist provides experience using the senses to experience various aspects of gardening.