The (hopefully temporary) loss of Barry’s Old School Irish at the Village of Webster’s four corners means something different to each one of us.
For me, it means that I won’t have one of my favorite watering holes walking-distance away, close enough to head down on a whim. It means the loss of Saturday traditional Irish music sessions and Irish entertainers every Friday night. It means I won’t be able to fist-bump my good friend Danny Barry again for quite a while.
But probably more than anything these days, the loss of Barry’s means that my weekly running group, Barry’s Runners, will have no place to call home, at least for a while.
Barry’s Runners is a social running group that has met every week (yes, even through the winter) at Barry’s for more than seven years. In the beginning we met on Tuesday evenings until the Barrys decided to close that day, so for the last year it’s been Wednesdays. We gather at the pub at 6 p.m., and take the requisite before-run group photo before breaking into small groups to head out on our chosen routes. Some will run just a few miles, others as many as four, along village streets, the bike path, and nearby trails.
But now the pub is going away, at least for a while. But Barry’s Runners is not abandoning Barry’s.
At a strategy meeting held after a recent run (around my fire pit with plenty of beers in hand), the assembled runners agreed on a few things. The easiest decision was probably that we would continue to be known as “Barry’s Runners.” Figuring out where we’d begin our weekly runs and where we’d land afterwards was more difficult.
My friend Meredith had given the question much thought and came up with an elegant solution. Beginning next week, Barry’s Runners will meet every week at the gazebo at Veterans’ Memorial Park on North Ave. By popular demand, the runs will be moving back to Tuesday evenings, but still begin at 6 p.m. After the run, everyone as a group will decide where to head for refreshment, perhaps sampling a different Webster bar or restaurant every week.
On Tuesday we held our last Barry’s run from the pub, in honor of where we began. To express our club’s commitment to Barry’s Old School Irish and to thank Danny and Jess for their support over the years, we presented them with a wooden plaque after the run, which we hope they’ll consider hanging in their new location, whenever and wherever that may be.
I think I speak for all of Barry’s Runners when I say we hope that will be soon. Running from the gazebo in the middle of winter is not something I’m looking forward to.
We invite everyone to join us any week you feel like meeting some new friends and getting a little exercise. We have a wide range of ability levels; some people run faster and farther, others (like me) less so. And we always have walkers. More often than not a few of the runners even bring their kids and/or dogs in strollers.
So, beginning next Tuesday Sept. 12 at 6 p.m., meet us at the gazebo on North Ave. You’ll be welcomed with open arms and big smiles. You can follow some of our adventures on the Barry’s Runners Facebook page, so check that out, ask to join the page, then come and be a Barry’s Runner!
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(posted 9/6/2023)
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