You gotta love Rochester. Summer's pretty much over, but the family fun goes on and on.
Celebrate National Grandparents Day on Sunday, September 10, at Rock Ventures from 3 to 6 p.m. Grandparents climb for free when accompanied by grandchildren, who pay $10 or $15 depending on whether they rent shoes. Owner Kent Winchester says, "If you can climb a ladder, you can climb here. You don't need a lot of upper body strength." Colored tape on the rocks shows the degree of difficulty. Grandparents should be naturals because --- as they like to remind us --- they were driven up a wall by their own kids. Pre-registration required by September 8 (www.rockventures.net, or call 442-5462).
Hopefully you wore flip-flops at the community pool, ensuring a fungus-free summer. Reacquaint yourself with the mysterious and strange world of spore-bearing, chlorophyll-free plants at "Family Fun Day: Fungi!" at GeneseeCountryMuseum's NatureCenter on September 10 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Learn about mushrooms, molds, rusts, lichens, and smuts. Rochester Area Mycological Association members will lead a fungi foray into the woods at 2 p.m. Exhibits and crafts for kids, too. Free with nature center admission, $4 for adults, $3 for kids 4-16, 3 and under free (www.gcv.org or call 538-6822).
Here's one for older kids: "Kayaking in Antarctica," a free lecture and slide show by Louise Adie, kayak guide and member of the Adirondack Mountain Club, GeneseeValley chapter. It takes place Wednesday, September 13, at 7:30 pm at the RochesterMuseum and ScienceCenter's Eisenhart Auditorium. Show your kid there's life beyond MySpace with Adie's tales of adventures through icebergs and glaciers and encounters with whales and leopard seals. A safe skiing workshop at precedes the lecture at 6:30 p.m. (www.gvc-adk.org or call 987-1717).
