Archive | January, 2020

Time to warm up that pint-raising arm

31 Jan

barry's old school

Webster’s favorite little Irish pub will be hosting its annual Great Guinness Toast (a.k.a. “St. Practice Day”) a week from Saturday.

As one of the top Irish pubs in the country (no exaggeration — read this blog here from 2018 for proof), Guinness representatives return every year about a month before St. Patrick’s Day to raise a pint of Guinness with everybody. The event happens all over the world, so participants know they’re part of something very big.

Guinness representatives especially like to come to Barry’s because — I believe — our little pub sells more Guinness than any other establishment in the Rochester area.

It all happens on Saturday Feb. 8 from 7 to 11 p.m. The official toast takes place at 10 p.m., when everyone will get a pint on the house. There will also be lots of giveaways, and a special Guinness design machine will be in the house to create pictures on top of the pints. Billy Herring will provide live Irish music from 7:30-10:30.

Barry’s Old School Irish is located at 2 West Main Street in the village of Webster.

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Webster teachers are “freezin’ for a reason”

30 Jan

polar plunge

We always knew that our Webster teachers are dedicated to our students. And if you’re not yet convinced, just check out what a bunch of them are planning to do in just a few weeks.

Almost a dozen teachers and staff members will be participating in this year’s Polar Plunge on Saturday, Feb. 9.

I’m sure you’ve heard about this annual event. Basically, participants come together at Ontario Beach Park, strip down to their bathing suits (or tutus or Santa suits or whatever they choose to wear), and take a dip into the frigid waters of Lake Ontario. Some just run in and out, others dive head-first. Nobody stays in very long. (I can say that from experience as I did take part in this last year).

What is particularly amazing about this event is that all the participants RAISE MONEY for the privilege of doing this crazy thing. And this year, get this:

WTA

Our Webster Teachers Association (WTA) is currently the top fundraising team of the entire Plunge. 

Yep, as of this writing, the WTA team has raised a whopping $7,540, easily eclipsing the second place team. And the two tippy-top fundraisers of all? Lisa Foster ($2,670) and Bill Ambler ($2070), both teachers at Schlegel Rd. Elementary School.

All the proceeds, by the way, benefit Special Olympics. So all this craziness and fund-raising is helping out our district’s students big time.

The team has raised so much money that the folks at Special Olympics reached out to team captain Dan Crowley and offered to bus them over to the Plunge site. That’s VIP treatment for some real VIP teachers.

It is NOT TOO LATE to donate to the WTA team. Let’s keep them on top! Just click here to see all the team members. You can either donate to one of them, or to the entire team as a whole. In either case, our students will benefit.

plungers

Last year’s WTA team of Polar Plungers.

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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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Local choruses make Valentine’s Day memorable for your sweetheart

28 Jan

Do you have a special person in your life who would appreciate a singing Valentine this year? Both of our Webster-based a cappella choruses would be happy to provide.

ENTROPY

Entropy, one of Rochester Rhapsody’s outstanding quartets

Rochester Rhapsody, the Rochester chapter of Harmony, Incorporated, an international organization of female a cappella singers, will offer Singing Valentines on Friday, February 14 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Vocal ensembles will travel throughout the greater Rochester area to deliver Singing Valentines to sweethearts, co-workers, family members and friends at various locations, including assisted living facilities, workplaces, schools, hospitals and restaurants.

Recipients will be treated to Valentine music in 4-part a cappella harmony delivered by an ensemble in Valentine’s Day attire, along with a rose and card with the sender’s personalized message.

“Ringing Telegrams” (telephone singing valentines) are also available for recipients who live out-of-town.

Please call (585) 820-3062 for pricing information. Special prices for ordering early, or ordering more than one Singing Valentine, will also be offered. All proceeds will benefit women’s vocal and performance education for the non-profit chorus. Arrangements can be made by calling (585) 820-3062 or visiting rhapsodysingingtelegrams@yahoo.com.

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CoG poster

Quartets from our local a capella men’s chorus, the Chorus of the Genesee, will also be traveling the county to offer their singing Valentines this year.

They’ll be delivered on Feb. 14 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., also complete with a rose and card. Cost is $50, and they can be ordered by calling (585) 734–1328.

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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

I just broke 1,000 posts

27 Jan

blog_header_missy

This was actually a bit of a shocker.

I was looking at my blog stats yesterday and saw that the blog I posted on Friday, about the Webster Rec ice rink, was my 1,000th post since beginning my Webster on the Web blog back in 2012.

And actually, that number is a bit misleading. It only reflects the number of posts I’ve published since the Democrat and Chronicle ceased its relationship with the community bloggers and stopped publishing us online and in the paper.

I’ve actually been writing a Webster blog since April of 2008 — almost 12 years ago now.

It’s been an awesome journey on which I’ve been able to spread good news about our town and village, met tons of great people, introduced new businesses and lamented the demise of old ones, helped the community through great loss and helped celebrate wonderful accomplishments, and basically had a terrific time discovering everything there is to know about Webster and sharing it with everyone. It’s like I’m having regular over-the-fence chats with thousands of neighbors and friends.

Only problem is, the conversations are usually one-sided and I rarely get to meet any of those neighbors and friends. Next month, I hope to change that.

You’ll be hearing more about this, but I’ve just arranged with the folks at the Webster Public Library to hold a kind of blogger meet-and-greet event on Friday Feb. 21 from noon to 3:30 p.m. My plan is to just hang out with my computer and work on some blogs, and anyone who would like to stop by and say hi is welcome to do so.

Have you ever wondered where I get my blog ideas? Do you have an idea for a great blog? Do you wonder if I’m actually on the payroll at Barry’s Old School Irish since I write about them so often? Please stop by and ask! More details to come about this.

Thank you everyone who has been on this journey with me, for the long haul or for just a short time. Please continue reading, and when I have my meet-and-greet event at the library, I hope you’ll come on by and say hi!

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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

 

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Frozen comes to Willink!

26 Jan
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Kayla Keeling, Kristina Fisher

Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Sven from your kids’ FAVORITE movie, Frozen, will come to life on the Willink Middle School stage this coming Friday Jan. 31 and Saturday Feb. 1, presented by the Willink Drama Club.

You know the story. It centers on two sisters, Princesses Anna and Elsa, who rely on the powerful bond of sisterhood (and some fun new friends) to overcome danger.

Frozen Jr. will feature musical favorites including “Love Is an Open Door,” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”, and “Let It Go,” some new songs from the Broadway production, plus magic, adventure and plenty of laughs. You’ll definitely leave the theater with a light heart and a song in your head.

More than 100 sixth, seventh and eighth graders have worked long and hard to bring this wonderful production to the stage, so let’s get out there and cheer them on! (Your kids will love you FOREVER.)

Here are the details:

Frozen Jr. will be performed at Willink Middle School, 900 Publishers Parkway, on Friday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 1 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for students and seniors. Children 3 and under are FREE.

Tickets will be available starting Monday Jan. 27 through the Drama Club website.

Here are some shots from the recent dress rehearsal:

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Kayla Keeling, Kristina Fisher, Jamiee Schelkun and Faustina Compton

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Julia Walters and Veronica Leistman

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Lilly Benefante, Jamie McCarthy, Kayla Keeling and Kristina Fisher

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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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The Rec Center ice rink is open — and better than ever

25 Jan

IMG_2606Good news for ice skaters! It’s finally been cold enough for long enough this winter for the Webster Recreation Center to open its ice rink.

As far as I know, it’s the only outdoor public ice surface in town, and since it opened several years ago, it’s been very popular with families and hockey players. And this season, I’m happy to report, it’s even better than ever.

Thanks to the efforts of the Webster Rotary, this season the rink — which measures 52 ft. x 104 ft. — has a brand new liner AND a spacious warming hut where skaters can sit and put on their skates while protected from the weather.

The hut itself measures 16 ft. x 10 ft. Inside are two benches and thick rubber flooring to prevent damage to skates. There’s also a window in one side which allows for what meager sunlight we get in the winter months. 

As for the new liner, Mark Yaeger, Webster’s Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, calls it a “great addition in this climate when we have a thaw.”

He explained,

In the past we would lose the water seeping into the ground and we would have to start from scratch. With the liner the water stays and refreezes within a day or two. Building the ice rink from scratch takes about 4 or 5 days. 

The Webster Rotary Club purchased the new liner and sidewalls in 2018, and last year purchased the materials for the warming hut. Rotarian Rich Comins designed the building and enlisted support from Yeager and his Parks and Rec employees to construct the building.

The Rotary and Rec Center hope to have an official grand opening ceremony for the hut in the next few weeks. Watch for news of that!

The Webster Recreation Center is located at 1350 Chiyoda Drive, just north of the Village of Webster. For updated ice conditions, call 872-7103, option 3.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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Barrys get VIP seats to McGregor fight

24 Jan

barrys

So this is cool.

You know how Danny and Jessica Barry, owners of my favorite Webster pub, Barry’s Old School Irish, have developed a pretty close relationship with Connor McGregor?

(Yeah, that Connor McGregor, the one who just gave a 40-second beating to some hapless opponent in the Fight Of The Century in Las Vegas.)

They’d been fans for a long time, and when McGregor introduced his very own Irish whiskey — called Proper Twelve — well, you can imagine how the Barry’s felt about that. The relationship has grown so strong that McGregor GAVE THEM TICKETS TO THE FIGHT. So they flew out, sat with the Proper Twelve team and even went to the after-party.

See the whole story here as reported by WROC Channel 8.

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Welcome to the new pastor of the Webster Baptist Church

24 Jan
spiegel

David Spiegel, new pastor at Webster Baptist Church, with his wife Martha

A warm Webster welcome to the new pastor at the Webster Baptist Church!

David Spiegel officially began his duties last Sunday, January 19.

In his first church newsletter column, Dave told his congregants a little about himself:

I am Rev. Dr. David J. Spiegel, Sr. As proud as I am of the titles that I have earned the right to use, I prefer to be called Dave or David. I have been married to Martha for 35 years. We have 2 children, Shannon and DJ. Shannon, married to James, is the mother of William. DJ, married to Nicole, is the father of Delilah, Colton, Jack, Micah, Thea and Gideon.

I was born and raised in New Jersey. I have three sisters and a brother, Cindy, Lil, Becky and Rich, and they are each amazing people. My parents, Sid and Barbara, are both deceased.

I am a graduate of Northwestern College (BA), Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv.) and New Brunswick Theological Seminary (D. Min.). I love reading, cooking and sports. I am a fan of the New York Mets, Jets, Knicks and Rangers and the University of Arizona Wildcats.

I took the liberty of editing his comments, but if you would like his full column,  click here.

(And let’s see if we can turn him into a Bills fan.)

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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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The next Webster Museum docent?

23 Jan

Edison PoppHere’s a wonderful tidbit from our Webster Museum and how the folks there are changing young lives.

The photo above is of 7-year old Edison Popp. His grandmother, Marianne Ferrara, had taken him to the Webster Museum where Sharon Pratt and Lisa McNamara were serving as docents. They gave him a tour of the museum, and he was so impressed that, upon returning home, he set up his own museum and acted as docent.

As for me, I would love to know what some of those objects are and am very impressed that he had access to all of them. I see a college history major in the future.

Haven’t visited the Webster Museum yourself lately? Make sure to pop in soon to see their latest exhibits. Perhaps you will also be inspired, juts as Edison was. The museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster, open 2-4 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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It must almost be spring.

21 Jan

CAD3

It MUST almost be spring.

The reason I say that is that I recently saw a blast of flyers from organizers of the 44th annual Community Arts Day, the Webster School District’s annual student show-off day.

Community Arts Day is our school district’s annual show-off day. Students from every one of our elementary, middle and high schools will have artwork on display, including . sculptures, paintings, collages, sketches, and more. There are dance exhibitions, music concerts and martial arts demonstrations. There’s face painting, sand and candy art for the kids, a bake sale, craft vendors, community group exhibits, and food and drink concessions. Most everything (aside from the food, of course) is free, which makes this event an awesome family activity for a (what will probably be) a cold, wintry day.

Lots of details are still coming together, but here’s what the organizers need right now to help make this year’s event run smoothly:

Vendors:

Anyone interested in becoming a vendor or exhibitor for this year’s event can click here  for more information and a registration form. Cost is $25 for exhibitors, $50 for vendors.

Performing groups:

Got a music or dance group you’d like to see on stage at Community Arts Day? Click here for more information and to register. Cost is $25.

Talent Show performers:

The “Webster’s Got Talent” talent show is also one of the most popular attractions at Community Arts Day. Singers, dancers and musicians are invited to participate. Acts should be 2-3 minutes long. So get your act together and register by April 7 by clicking here.  If you have questions, email the talent show coordinator, Jakob@JakobHRothfuss.com.

Sponsors: 

CAD sponsorship levels have been established to help offset the cost of the event. Sponsors at all levels will recognized in signage at both hostess stations at the front and back entrances, on the website’s main page and in several other ways. Sponsorship levels are Bronze ($75), Silver ($125) and Gold ($250). If you’re interested, click here for more information.

Volunteers: 

This event does not happen without a large number of volunteers. There are several ways you can lend a hand, including donating store-bought baked goods for the sweet-treats sale or working a morning, mid-day or afternoon shift in one of the activity areas, lunch counter, arts and crafts, face painting and others. Volunteer sign-up will begin the first week of March. In the meantime, you can find out more by clicking here. 

Volunteers: 

I know this is repetitive. But it’s really important. Please consider helping out, and get your teenagers to join you!

Stay tuned for more information about this terrific family and community event.

 

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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

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