Exciting news for the Knuckleheads

14 Aug

Exciting things are happening for the Knuckleheads.

If you’ve been watching their Facebook page recently, you might have seen the announcement that Len Dummer, owner of Knucklehead Craft Brewing, recently posted about the changes happening there.

It read,

Do you like the color of your brewery? Oh well, it’s going to change.

Watch for a lot of changes at Knucklehead because the Dummer family finally closed on the building and they own 426 Ridge Rd! Like Chef Josh’s food? Wait for it…we are totally re-modeling his kitchen with a build-out and all new equipment. Like to sit outside & enjoy a pint? We have hired Thomas Landscape Garden Center & Florist to build out a new beer garden with gas fireplace & a water feature. Trees will fall (for a future retaining wall to allow more on-site parking), windows will change, fences will be built, but Head Brewer Jake’s beer will remain the same delicious beer you love! Stay tuned as we move forward, be patient with us and continue to come in to your favorite “Webster’s only” brewery.

This is very cool news. It’s an expansion I know the brewery has been looking to accomplish for a long time. It also represents another small Webster business success story: not only surviving the pandemic, but finding a way to turn things positive.

That kind of enduring success can be attributed in large part to the loyal customer base Knucklehead has developed, and the kind of people we are here in Webster. Let’s continue to show the love.

Knucklehead Craft Brewing is located at 426 Ridge Rd. in West Webster.

A look inside the brewery in a photo from the Knucklehead Facebook page.

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A guest blogger lends me hand today

12 Aug

I am so thankful for friends.

A little while ago, my friend Dave Kassnoff offered to write a blog for me as I took a few days off for my elbow surgery. Here it is today for your enjoyment.

Picturing Webster today (reviving the photo contest)

by David Kassnoff

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 Sunset from Lodge at Webster Park, D. Kassnoff

While Missy recovers, I thought it’s a good time to revisit a long-lost practice of celebrating the local beauty of our community.

But, when I go looking for a current, local photo competition, I come up a bit short.

The Webster Arboretum ran a photo contest for a few years, but the most recent entries I found appeared from June, 2017. Missy Rosenberry’s “Picture Webster” photo contest ran in the Democrat & Chronicle, predating this blog space, in 2010. The Webster Library has featured local photographers, both professional and hobbyist – but the library’s current limitations on hours and access makes a photo event unlikely in 2020.

So far, no photo contests on my radar. Or, it seems, anyone else’s.

This is slightly ironic, as Webster this year has played host to a number of photo enthusiasts. We’re a photogenic town, even without our usual parades and festivals. Digital photographer and newsman John Kucko regularly shoots and streams lakeside scenes from Webster Park, in summer and winter. Oklahoma Beach and its Sandbar Park were among the best places to photograph last month’s Neowise comet in the night skies. And, I’ll admit to capturing a few vistas along our Lake Ontario coastline this summer. Just for the satisfaction of it.

I’d hate to see Facebook and Instagram hog all the great pictures – and not recognize the imaginative picture-takers in our town. Our diligent efforts at social distancing have given rise to chalk-drawn driveways and other creative outlets. I’d like to see someone take the lead on a community photo contest, with entries posted on a website where viewers can comment. Webster is home to several HTML-coding experts, so this shouldn’t be so difficult.

Who’s willing to step up?

Mini-bio: A Webster resident, David Kassnoff teaches strategic communications courses at St. Bonaventure University.

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Webster community mailbag

8 Aug

There are several ways for you to help out your community — and environment — in today’s mailbag.

Bottle and Can Drive

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For starters, the Webster Marching Band will hold their next bottle and can drive on Saturday August 22 at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd. 

Bottles and cans can be dropped off at the high school from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day. If you have any that you’d like to have picked up before then, simply call the Bottle and Can Hotline at 234-8684, select option 1, leave a message, and someone will be in touch to pick up your returnables.

Food Drive

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That same day, Saturday August 22, Immanuel Lutheran Church at 131 West Main Street in Webster will host a non-perishable food drive. All donations will be used for the church’s Little Free Pantry and the WCSD Food Backpack Program.

Click on the poster above for more information about items they particularly need. The drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Blood Drive

blood drive

Another local opportunity for you to help save lives with your blood donation will take place on Tuesday Aug. 25 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Webster Volunteer Fire Department Firemen’s Building, 172 Sanford Street. To set up your appointment, call 1-800-Red-Cross. 

Electronics Recycling

The next local electronics recycling event will be held at Xerox on Saturday August 29 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

The last time one of these drives was held at Xerox, the line of cars stretched down Phillips Rd. So organizers are requesting that everybody pre-register for this drive. Click here to do that.

Items that will be accepted include cell phones, computers, monitors, printers, audio video equipment, and small devices. There’s a limit of four TV monitors per car.

Book Sale! 

The Webster Public Library will hold a pop-up book sale on Thursday August 13 from noon to 4 p.m. outside the library on Van Ingen Dr.

All books will be $1 each. Please bring cash, wear your mask, and follow the social distancing guidelines that are laid out at the sale.

Movies and Concerts Return!

The Village of Webster is squeezing as much summer out of this year as they can.

Movies in the Gazebo Park series will return with two showings in the coming week in Veterans Memorial Park on North Ave.

Monsters uniMonsters University will be shown on Tuesday Aug. 11, and Charlie Wilson’s War with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman on Saturday Aug. 15.

Both movies will begin at dusk, around 9 p.m. To encourage social distancing, the park will be marked off with specific “family areas” spaced six feet apart in the grass. There will be plenty of room for chairs and/or blankets within each spot and facial masks must be worn when outside your family space. There will be room for about 60 family spaces and are first-come, first-served. You can place your chairs or blankets in a space to reserve it on movie or concert days anytime after 2 p.m. the day of the event.

No popcorn will be served so feel free to bring your own snacks and drinks.

And the (abbreviated) Friday Night Concert Series is back, too!

Friday Aug. 21 will feature Super Mini Prime Time Funk with Ronnie Leigh on vocals and sax, Dave Cohen on drums, Andy Calabrese on keys and Ron France on bass.

Friday Aug. 28, the Juday Sealy Band will take the stage. Recently Judah, a School of the Arts grad,  released his highly anticipated single called “Off The Charts” which spent two months on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart. The group also features Webster HS graduate Deepak Thettu on guitar.

The Bill Tiberio Band returns Friday Sept 4, with Bill Tiberio on alto and tenor sax, Scott Bradley on trumpet and keyboards, Vinnie Ruggiero on guitar, Phil Lake on drums and Geoff Smith on bass.

The concerts are from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information visit websterbid.com.

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Village Quilt Shoppe celebrates first anniversary

6 Aug

quilt shoppe

The Village Quilt Shoppe in the Village of Webster is celebrating its one-year anniversary, and boy, do they have a lot to celebrate.

The anniversary celebration runs through this coming Saturday Aug. 8, with prizes, raffles, and other surprises. On Saturday there’ll even be cake and lemonade.

The first year for any new small business is always a challenge, but there was no way owners Vanetta Parshall and Monique Liberti could have anticipated the struggles they would face when they followed their dream and opened their shop at 21 E. Main St. last summer. For a while it looked like they weren’t going to make it.

After a strong grand opening, hugely welcoming reception from the community, and a rapidly expanding clientele, disaster struck.

Just days before the Village of Webster’s White Christmas celebration took place, an event where potentially hundreds of new customers would discover the shop, a water leak from the apartment above them came through the floor and destroyed much of their merchandise. They to close to regroup.

Thanks to their loyal customers who bought gift certificates and “flood fabric,” they made enough money to cover their deductible. After restocking and completing some renovations, including a new floor, they reopened just a little more than a month later.

Then, after a strong grand reopening, hugely re-welcoming reception from the community, and a rapidly expanding clientele, COVID struck, and they had to close again.

Of course, we all know that story. Following the governor’s regional guidelines, it was almost three months before they could open again in June. Reflecting the kind of people Vanetta and Monique are, they spent that time coordinating an effort to make masks for health care workers and other agencies.

So, at least for now, things are smooth sailing again. And the ladies credit their loyal clients for helping them weather the storms.

Monique wrote,

QUILT SHOP 3

Village Quilt Shoppe owners Vanetta Parshall and Monique Liberti

“Both Vanetta and I know that the primary reason we have made it is due to our customers. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU- we truly appreciate your support and are looking forward to another great year!”

She added, “Things can only get better. If we can make it through a flood and pandemic we can make it through anything.”

So make sure to pop in sometime in the next few days to say hi and congratulations.

The Village Quilt Shoppe is located at 21 East Main, at the corner of Lapham Park. They’re open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 11 to 5, Wednesday 11 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 3.

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PN kindergarten teacher makes the news

5 Aug

Capture

As the the very uncertain beginning to the school year draws near, our local TV stations are naturally trying to gauge the mood of students, parents, and teachers as well.

When WHEC Channel 10 went looking for a teacher to interview, they came up with the a perfect spokesperson for all teachers everywhere who are missing their students terribly: Plank North kindergarten teacher Peggy Garritano.

Click here to see the piece.

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Snag some deals, support Webster Schroeder Musicals!

4 Aug
auction 10

This “movie night” basket is one of almost two dozen goodie packs the band is auctioning off.

Webster Schroeder Musicals has come up with a creative way to raise a little money. They’re holding an Facebook-based online auction for almost two dozen gift packs featuring snacks, pet supplies, items for the home, craft supplies and more.

The auction can be found on Schroeder Musicals’ Facebook page.  You’ll find photos there or each package or basket, and you can make your bid by clicking on the photo and putting your bid in the comments.

All items are labeled with a minimum bid amount and minimum bid increments. The auction ends at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday Aug. 5. If more than one individual bids at the same time upon closing, the item will go to the first person who posted their bid.

Once the auction is over, send the band a private message with your name and email address. They’ll email your invoice and information for your electronic payment. All payments will need to be made via PayPal. Items will be available for pick up in Webster.

For more information and to see all the goodies, check out the Facebook page, and if you have any questions, you can message the band through the page.

All proceeds from this auction will benefit students participating in Webster Schroeder Musicals.

Here are a few more samples of the available packages:

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A story about strangers helping strangers

3 Aug

Today’s blog is about community.

My story begins last Saturday morning around 11 a.m., when my husband and were riding our bikes on Rt. 250 north of the village. Just before we reached where the Hojack Trail crosses the road, I hit a pothole and went head-over-handlebars onto the road.

But that’s not what this story is about. It’s about the people who took the time to stop and help.

A large group of Genesee Valley Hiking members was crossing 250 as we approached, and when I went down, several of them immediately scurried over. Sandy, a nurse, called 911 while Stacey stood a few feet down the road slowing traffic. As we waited for the ambulance, Sandy even offered to transport my bike back home.

Those were the only two names I got, but there were others there ready to step in if necessary, not to mention all the drivers who slowed and asked if we needed anything.

This was not the first time I’ve seen this kind of community response after a traumatic incident. But it did confirm for me something we too often forget, especially in times like these when so many awful things are happening: there are more good people in this world than bad. People who are willing to stop whatever they’re doing to help a stranger in need.

And don’t worry about me; I broke my elbow but it would have been a lot worse had I not been wearing a helmet.

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This family-friendly Webster Village history tour is like no other

31 Jul

A Webster resident and geocache aficionado has devised a fun way for entire families to learn a bit more about village history.

I’m sure you’ve heard about geocaching. This extremely popular hide-and-seek challenge uses GPS coordinates to guide participants to hidden “caches.” Each one includes a logbook and some trinkets. You choose one of the trinkets and leave one of your own.

I’ve never been a big fan of geocaching, being a letterboxing gal myself. But this brand-new “Webster Walkabout” history geocaching challenge created by my friend Gerry Sander is something I would recommend to anyone and everyone, especially families.

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The Webster Walkabout is not your typical geocache puzzle, where you download the coordinates for one cache and then search for a physical, hidden box. Instead, this activity is part of the relatively new “Adventure Lab” geocaching platform, which guides participants to a series of virtual caches — in this case, historically significant properties within the Village of Webster.

At each stop, the game prompts you to answer a question by typing in a word that can be found on a sign or plaque nearby. The correct answer unlocks the clue to the next location. Some of the walkabout stops even include videos, which is cool.

Then the whole experience gets even better. Once you complete the Adventure Lab, you’ll be given a code to unlock a special bonus puzzle geocache located at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park.

When Gerry started planning out his Adventure Lab series, he immediately thought of a historical tour, and first considered making it a town-wide hunt. But after discussing his idea with Webster Village Historian Lynn Barton, he narrowed his focus.

I met with Lynn Barton and the Webster Museum and she gave me all kinds of ideas. Just talking with her that initial time, we decided to limit the focus to just the village. There were enough places around the village which have historical significance. Since it’s only five (stops), we could basically make it a walking tour so people can come to the village, visit these historical places, get the feel of the village, maybe visit Barry’s or some of the restaurants, and drive people to the museum. 

It kind of meshed really well. 

Gerry also got support from Webster Village Mayor Darrell Byerts and Webster Supervisor Tom Flaherty, both of whom recorded videos for the walkabout.

Gerry has been hunting geocaches for 14 years, has found more than 2800 of them and placed another 24 of his own. This, however, is his first Adventure Lab challenge.  If it’s successful and people seem to have fun with it, perhaps he can follow it up with one that teaches us even more about the Town of Webster.

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Outside the Webster Museum with the newly installed gadget box are Museum President Tom Pellett, Gerry Sander, and Museum board member Jill Kraft. The box can be unlocked only after completing the 5 virtual caches in the Webster Walkabout Adventure Lab.

Want to try the Webster Walkabout? Here are the details:  

The Webster Walkabout guides participants to five historically significant Village of Webster buildings, on a walk that’s about 1.5 miles. The route is entirely along village sidewalks, so it’s handicap accessible and great for all ages. It should take about an hour.

After the last stop, you want to stroll over to the Webster Museum at 18 Lapham Park. There, attached to the front of the building, you’ll find the ultimate geocaching award, a “gadget box.” This is a bonus puzzle cache which the kids especially are going to LOVE. You’ll need a combination to get into the lock on this one, which is provided once you complete all five stops.

Participants need a smart phone (Android or iPhone), with the Adventure Lab app installed (it’s free). Because it’s multi-media and location based, you’ll need to use your data and have location services enabled.

To open the Webster Walkabout Adventure Lab in the mobile app, click on this URL:  https://labs.geocaching.com/goto/WEBSTER

Have fun!

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Library collecting school supplies

30 Jul

school supplies

It’s that time of year, and it looks like plans for this coming school year are finally being sorted out. So everyone’s thoughts are beginning to turn once again to school supplies.

While you’re out and about in the stores, please consider picking up a few extra supplies to help out those families who have a hard time affording their own. (And there are probably more families in that boat this year thanks to the economy.)

The Webster Public Library has begin its annual school supplies collection to make donating easy. There’s a big box right in the library’s lobby where you can drop your supplies. They’ll be accepted through Aug. 21, then delivered at HOPE Ministry, who will distribute them to Webster families with children and teens.

If you have any questions, email webster.reference@libraryweb.org.

For a complete list of requested supplies, click on the image below.

individual bookmark 2020 front & back (1)

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Movies in the Park are back!

29 Jul

The Village of Webster is trying its best to give our community something resembling a normal summer.

So in a few weeks, the Movies in the Gazebo Park series will return for kind of like a trial run. in Veterans Memorial Park on North Ave.

Monsters uniMonsters University will be shown on Tuesday Aug. 11, and Charlie Wilson’s War with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman on Saturday Aug. 15.

Both movies will begin around 9 p.m. To encourage social distancing, the park will be marked off with specific “family areas” spaced six feet apart in the grass. There will be plenty of room for chairs and/or blankets within each spot and facial masks must be worn when outside your family space. There will be room for about 60 family spaces and are first-come, first-served.

No popcorn will be served so feel free to bring your own snacks and drinks. For more information visit websterbid.com.

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Veterans Memorial Park will also be host to a return engagement by comic Rudolph Valentino this Friday July 31.  He’ll be joined by his co-host and funny friend Kevin Markman.

gazeboThis is a family-friendly show. There’s no admission, and water and snacks can be purchased, if this show will be anything like the last. And you’ll laugh a lot.

Bring your quad chairs and a cooler if you like, and bring a mask in case you have to sit too close to anyone or want to hit up the vendors. But it’s a spacious area, so there shouldn’t be any problem social distancing. The show is slated to start at 7 p.m. But it started late last time so don’t worry if you’re running late.

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