I wanted to post a quick follow-up from last weekend’s Bridgerton Ball, hosted by the Country Dancers of Rochester at the Harmony House.
The ball attracted fans of English country dances in the style of the popular Bridgerton TV mini-series. The music was delightful, the costumes were beautiful, and the dancing was divine. There was a nice turnout, especially given this was a first-time event.
Ball organizer Lisa Brown of the Country Dancers of Rochester especially enjoyed the venue.
“Harmony House is a great resource for the Webster community,” she said. “It’s a wonderful venue for a dance event because it has a large ballroom with a wooden floor and air conditioning. We loved having our Bridgerton Ball there.”
Some RIT students who heard about the event attended and took some beautiful photos, several of which I’d like to share with you today.
If these photos pique your interest and you’d like to learn how to do this kind of dancing, you’re invited to join the Country Dancers of Rochester for their regular Sunday gatherings. They meet Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in Brighton at the First Baptist Church, 175 Allens Creek Rd. Beginners are welcome, dancers wear modern clothing and no partner is necessary. Cost is $10.
Here are several other photos from the evening, taken by Evie Linantud:
Denise Baller of Dancing With Denise has found a charming way to introduce kids to the joy of dancing, while at the same time helping their community.
Denise calls the program “Happy Feet.” It originated several years ago when Denise’s mother, “Miss Tina,” was living at Atria assisted living facility in Penfield. Denise wanted to give the residents a fun and entertaining intergenerational activity, so one evening she invited some of her students to meet at the facility for a “date night” with the residents. The evening was a great success, and the Happy Feet Dance Crew was born.
Since that first outing, “Miss Denise” has taken her students out once a month to visit different local facilities and dance. At the end of the night, the children always share a sweet treat with the residents. In 2019, the Happy Feet Crew grew into an annual summer dance camp, with the students traveling to a different location every morning.
Some of the places the Dance Crew has visited include Webster Comfort Care, where they also spent some time weeding the gardens, and Creekstone Memory Care. They also took a tour of Heritage Christian Stables, where the children cleaned riding equipment, groomed the miniature horses and even cleaned the pasture.
Connecting with the community is Denise’s way of teaching her students how they, and their dancing, can spread love and joy, while learning valuable life lessons. She said,
It’s important to share with the children that life is not perfect and sometimes the jobs we undertake are not things that we love to do. But if you can push through and get to the other side, it makes your heart happy, you become a better person, and most importantly you spread love and joy to make others happy.
If you’d like to meet Denise, learn more about Dancing With Denise and try out a class, stop by her open house on Wednesday Aug. 31 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the studio, 1077 Gravel Rd. Click here for more information.
Two big museum-sponsored events are coming up in the next several weeks you’ll want to know about.
The first is the museum’s annual Barn Sale, scheduled for Sept. 15-17 at — well, a barn — at 394 Phillips Rd. It’s a huge barn, but already there have been so many donations that organizers know they’ll definitely be spilling out onto the lawns surrounding the barn, plus the carriage house and two additional adjacent barns.
Among the thousands of items you’ll find are glassware, crafts, ceramics, lamps, dolls and jewelry, holiday wares, outdoor and garden care, books, music, electronics, paintings, toys and games, sports equipment, furniture, bikes and trikes, auto, tools and hardware and more all at very low price points.
The sale will run Thursday and Friday Sept. 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Please bring your own shopping bags!!!! All proceeds will benefit the all-volunteer Webster Museum.
Donations are still being accepted, by the way. You can just drop them off at the barn anytime before Labor Day.
Next month, the museum and Webster Public Library will feature a fascinating program by shipwreck explorer Jim Kennard, hosted at the library.
Kennard will take everyone along his personal journey and his underwater explorations of Lake Ontario, sharing stories he’s gathered while researching and locating the most historically significant shipwrecks of our Great Lakes. These include the 1780 British warship HMS Ontario and the sloop Washington lost in 1803.
Kennard has also authored a book, Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario: A Journey of Discovery, which can be borrowed from the library. He’s been featured in local publications as well as National Geographic, national and local news stations, the Discovery Channel and most recently National Geographic’s “Drain the Oceans” series on the American Revolution.
Kennard will share stories gathered over those 50 years while researching and locating the most historically significant shipwrecks in our Great Lakes. These include the 1780 British warship HMS Ontario and the sloop Washington lost in 1803.
The program will be held Saturday Sept. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Webster Public Library, 980 Ridge Rd. Attendees must register for this event by calling the library at 585-872-7075 or by using the library’s program registration link here.
This program was originally scheduled for May at the Harmony House but had to be postponed.
Every once in a while I’m reminded about how oustanding our local trail system is.
Sunday morning dawned so beautiful and cool, I thought it’d be a great day to go for a hike with my husband. And since it’s always more fun to hike with friends, I invited my friends Patty and Dave to join us. We met up at Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve.
For more than an hour, we explored several trails I’d never been on before, winding through grasslands and woodlands, across wooden bridges, up hills and down. We’d frequently stop to take a closer look at an unusual flower or plant, visit with a butterfly, or stare back at a deer who’d paused in the brush to stare at us. It was a delightful, peaceful afternoon filled with natural beauty and friendship.
Our experience was not unique. Thousands of people every year take advantage of our town’s beautiful trails. And there are plenty to choose from; almost four dozen distinct trails stretch from Rt. 104 north to the lake, and from Vosburg Rd. east to Salt Rd, each one well maintained and well marked with signs and trail maps.
We have the all-volunteer Friends of Webster Trails to thank for that. These volunteers put in thousands of hours every summer planning, creating and maintaining these trails. It’s really a thankless job, since only a small percentage of the people who use our trails actually sign up as members of the Friends.
If you’re not familiar with the trails, check out this map to see where they are. Then get out there with your family and friends and enjoy before the weather turns really nasty. And please consider becoming a member of the Friends of Webster Trails. (It really doesn’t cost much. Check out the membership page here.) Your donation will go a long way to helping these fine folks help US enjoy our town’s natural beauty for years to come.
Don’t forget that Friday night Aug. 26 is the next Family Games Night!
This month’s event is brought to you in part by the Webster PTSA, who’ll have a table there with some stuff to help your kids get ready for the upcoming school year.
There’s always tons of fun things to do for both kids and adults at these FREE, family-friendly events including sidewalk chalking, giant street games like Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four and cornhole. You can even grab dinner from Carl’s Pizza Kitchen while you’re there, plus there’ll be live music.
The Family Games Night happens on West Main St. in the Village of Webster from 6 to 9 p.m.
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UMC Webster, 169 East Main St., will be serving up a community pasta dinner on Saturday Aug. 27 in their Fellowship Center from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Children’s activities wil be provided.
There is no cost for the dinner, but donations will be accepted, and participants are being asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the church’s food pantry.
The Webster Theatre Guild is holding auditions for thier upcoming production of Annie on Sunday Aug. 28 and Thursday Sept. 1.
Auditions will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 1130 Webster Rd. (Rt. 250) in Webster, from 5 to 7 pm for children, 7 to 9 p.m. for adults both days. You only have to attend one day of the auditions. Callbacks will be on Saturday Sept. 3 at 9 a.m.
Show dates are Oct. 14, 15, 21 and 22.
Click here for more information and to download your audition packet.
The Webster Hope, Inc. (formerly Hope Ministry) Garage Sale is back this year, scheduled for Wed. Sept. 14 through Sat. Sept. 17 at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Rd. Webster.
Donations will be accepted on Sunday Sept. 11 from 11 am. to 3 p.m. and Monday Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Murphy Hall at the church. Please no large donations. Items that cannot be accepted are listed here on the website.
Hours for the sale will be:
Wednesday Sept. 14, 6-8 p.m. (sneak peek night), admission $5 per person
Thursday Sept. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to noon (everything HALF PRICE)
For a preview of some of the items that will be for sale, check out the Webster Hope Facebook page. Proceeds from the sale will benefit low-income households in Webster.
Also coming up in September, the Schutts Apple Mill Fall Kickoff event on Saturday Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This is a great family event with bounce houses, a petting zoo, a magic show, photo booth, live music, wagon rides, a cider demonstration, fried-cake eating contest and much more. It’s free to attend. Click here for more information.
Schutts Apple Mill is located at 1063 Plank Rd.
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And make sure to put this one on your calendar.
The Village of Webster’s September 11 Memorial Ceremony will take place on Sunday Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, North Ave. (Rt. 250).
This is always a very moving ceremony, and a great chance to remember those who lost their lives on this terrible day.
A terrific program honoring our fallen veterans — Wreaths Across America — is coming to Webster Union Cemetery this December.
Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit organization which began 30 years ago, its mission to place a wreath on the grave of every veteran in the country. They have a saying: “We die twice. Once when we take our last breath, and then when our name is said for the very last time.” The simple act of placing a wreath helps assure that these veterans are never forgotten.
Last year, 2.5 million wreaths were placed by volunteers, spread across 3,000 cemeteries in the U.S. and abroad. This year, Webster Union Cemetery will make that number 3,001.
But before that can happen, the wreaths have to be procured. That’s where you come in.
Webster Union Cemetery is the resting place for about 650 veterans, from the Revolutionary War to present day. So, decorating every one of the their graves will require about 650 wreaths. The Blue Star Mothers Rochester Chapteris taking the lead on this project and is reaching out to the entire Webster community for wreath sponsors.
Sponsoring a wreath only costs $15, and here’s one of the best parts: $5 from every wreath sponsorship will go directly to the Blue Star Mothers, who will use the funds to prepare and ship care packages to deployed servicemen and women who don’t have access to everyday supplies.
So your $15 will not only be sponsoring a wreath for a fallen veteran, but will also be providing some of the comforts of home to our deployed servicemen and women.
In December, Webster Union Cemetery’s 650 wreaths will be delivered by an 18-wheeler coming from Maine, which will receive a police escort through town. Then, at noon on on Saturday Dec. 17, family members of veterans who are buried at Webster Union Cemetery will be invited to place their loved ones’ wreaths first. Then, community members will be invited to help place the rest of them at veterans’ headstones.
What a meaningful day that will be.
There are about 3,000 veterans buried in Webster’s cemeteries. Our town’s Wreaths Across America effort has to begin somewhere, and Webster Union Cemetery was chosen because of the great number of veterans resting there. Hopefully, every year, more Webster cemeteries will be added to the list until every veteran receives a wreath.
If you’d like to sponsor a wreath for your veteran, or help veterans who no longer have families, click here, scan the QR code below, or email WebsterWreaths@icloud.com to request a form. Deadline is Monday, November 21.
When I was taking a bike ride around the Webster Recreation Center the other day, I saw that preparations are well underway for the second annual Mud Run, scheduled for Sept. 17.
The Mud Run is a a non-competitive, untimed, one-mile run/walk, sometimes through water and mud, with some challenging obstacles. What’s really neat about it is that kids and their adults can do it together. It’s only $5 per person, and the organizers promise that there’ll be swag, fun and food.
And judging from what I saw, there’s going to be a LOT of mud.
I was out of town last year for this event, but am definitely going to make sure to sign up this year. It sounds like it’s going to be a blast. Here’s a little teaser video sent from the Rec Center to get you excited:
Click here to register. You can sign up for any 15-minute wave between 10 a.m. and noon. The Webster Recreation Center is located at 1350 Chiyoda Drive, off of Phillips Rd.
Fans of the very popular Bridgerton books and historical-romance television series on Netflix will be excited about this news, especially if you enjoy the dances on that show.
The Country Dancers of Rochester will be hosting a Bridgerton Ball on Saturday Aug. 27 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Harmony House, East Main St. in the Village of Webster.
It will be an evening filled with easy English country dances in the style of the Bridgerton mini-series. Fans of Jane Austen and Mr. Malcolm’s List will also love this event designed for novice dancers.
Outrageous Regency costumes are encouraged and will be admired, but they are certainly not required.
David Smukler, who wrote two original dances for this event, will be calling. Music will be provided by the Bridgertune String Quartet, featuring Alyssa Rodriguez and Margaret Ball on violin, Katie Marshall on viola and Kathy Zager on cello.
The ballroom is well air-conditioned, so don’t worry about the heat.
Cost is $30 general admission at the door. Proof of vaccination and booster required. Covid masks are optional. For more information, click here.
What a terrific few days we just had in the Village of Webster.
The 2022 Webster Jazz Festival is in the books, and it will certainly go down as one of the best ever. Six different bands kicked off the festivities Friday night with Jazz in the Pubs, this year made even better by the mini street fair, complete with vendors, a professional sidewalk chalk artist, a photo booth and more.
But that was just a teaser for the main event, Jazz in the Streets on Saturday. The music began at 4 p.m. on the big West Main Street stage and continued well into the evening.
In the many years I’ve attended the Jazz Fest, I can’t recall ever seeing so many people. When I got into town at about 6:45, the street, sidewalks, even alleyways and driveways were already packed with tables and chairs and coolers. I didn’t think it could get any busier. But as the evening went on, people kept coming, and by the time Prime Time Funk hit their first downbeat at 9 p.m., people had filled in pretty much every nook and cranny along West Main.
The Village of Webster always looks its most charming for the Jazz Fest, too. Twinkly lights stretching back and forth across West Main made the entire scene look like a musical fairyland. Food and drink vendors set up along the street, combined with spectacular weather, made the whole evening a great chance to reconnect with friends and neighbors, or just enjoy an inexpensive evening out with the whole family.
West Main Street was hopping last night during the first annual (I hope) Webster Jazz Festival Street Fair.
There were perhaps a dozen or so vendors and street artistans set up, most of them enjoying brisk business from the hundreds of adults and children in attendance. Especialy fun was the photo booth sponsored by LaLa and Whimsies, and the Dancing With Denise table, where Denise was handing out tiaras, fairy wands and sparkly bows.
I know for a fact that the Webster Business Improvement District (BID) — and especially chairperson Elena Bernardi — organized the event on less than a month’s notice, to coincide with the first night of the Webster Jazz Festival. I’m sure Elena would’ve liked more vendors and artisans to participate, but it turned out to be a really nice event for its first year. I hope the BID considers doing it again next year. With more planning time, it should be even better.
By the way, don’t miss the main event, the Jazz Festival in the Street tonight! Check out my blog here for the schedule.
Here are a few photos I took from the event, and if you had your photo taken at the LaLas/Whimsies photo booth, click here to see that and all sorts of other goofy photo booth photos.
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
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