Every once in a while I hear from Denise Baller, the high-energy director of Dancing With Denise, about the interesting things happening at her studio.
Most recently, I blogged about how her “Happy Feet Dance Crew” makes regular visits to nursing homes to cheer up the residents. More recently, Denise and professional ballerina Bogdana Kopiy visited Dewitt Rd. Elementary School, St. Rita School and Bishop Kearney to talk about Rochester’s upcoming production of Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet.
Ukranian-born Bogdana Kopiy, a professional ballerina, choreographer and dance teacher, was visiting the Dancing With Denise studio to audition young dancers for this year’s production.
At the assemblies, Bogdana talked about the dedication, discipline and perseverance it takes to become a ballerina. Following a question and answer period, Bogdana then led the school students in a short dance class. At Bishop Kearney she also talked some about her home country, the Ukraine, and what’s happening there now.
The assemblies were a follow-up to a weekend of auditions and rehearsals held at the school to cast some of the 40 children who will play the parts of mice, snowflakes, party kids, snow maidens and variations. The school will be well represented in next month’s production; 35 Dancing With Denise students will have parts, including two students with special needs.
(L-R) Bishop Kearney Principal Mary Martell, Bogdana, Denise Baller Bogdana said she’d never seen Niagara Falls, so Denise took her there
Enjoy this charming holiday favorite for yourself, and watch these young dancers perform their hearts out when Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet returns to the RBTL on Friday Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.Tickets purchased online cost $42.50, but contact Denise for a discount code to get the tickets cheaper.
Tickets are now available for two very popular Village of Webster events, the Beer Walk and the Bourbon Bash.
The annual Beer Walk returns to the streets of Webster this weekend, Saturday Oct. 15, from 4 to 7 p.m. Participants will wander through the vlllage and pop into more than a dozen local businesses, which will be providing snacks and samples of craft beers, poured in your own personal mini pint glass.
Some of the participating merchants include
BC’s Chicken Coop
Bernardi & Co. CPAs
Woodland Silkscreen/Ohhh Lordy
Crafty Christy’s Boutique
Modified Collective
Beyond Cuts Salon
Brimont Bistro
Lattimore Physical Therapy
The Coach Sports Bar
JoJo Bistro and Wine Bar
Barry’s Old School Irish
Ploty’s Bar and Grill
Cobblestone on Main restaurant
Mayer’s Cider, Wine, and Brewery
Finns Automotive
Glass pickup this time around will be at BC’s Chicken Coop, 159 West Main Street. The Village Oktoberfest is also happening this Saturday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. (more info on that soon), so Beer Walkers can enjoy those festivities as well.
Tickets for the Beer Walk are $20 and can be purchased online here.
This year’s Bourbon Bash returns Saturday Nov. 5 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Harmony House, 58 E. Main St.
Sample bourbons and whiskey from local and national distilleries, complemented by food samples from local restaurants.
This very popular event is brought to you by the Webster Business Improvement District and Webster Wine and Spirits. Tickets are $25 and will be limited (this event always sells out, so get your tickets doon). They can be purchased online here or at websterbid.com. Cash sale tickets are also available at Hegedorns.
Leading today’s mailbag is the Webster Public Library Book Sale, happening Friday and Saturday at the library, 980 Ridge Rd., at the back of Webster Plaza.
Hardcover books are just $1 each, and paperbacks only 50 cents. Today and Saturday are also BYOB Bag Sale days. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow, bring your own bag and fill it for just $5. Credit cards are accepted, and all proceeds benefit the library.
Also happening at the library this month:
The What, Why and How of Paranormal Investigating, Tuesday Oct. 11, 7 to 8 p.m. — Monroe County Paranormal Investigators discuss the process they go through to investigate, as well as share evidence from local haunts. There is no cost, but registration is required. Click here to register.
Invasive Species Talk: Spotted Lanternfly, Thursday Oct. 13, 6:30 to 8 p.m. — Learn about one of the biggest invasive species threats seen in decades, the spotted lanternfly, and how you can help stop this destructive bug. There’s no cost, but registration is required. Click here to register.
Spooky Storytime, Tuesday Oct. 25, 10 to 10:30 a.m. — Some skele-fun with spooky stories and a creepy craft! Feel free to wear your Halloween costume. All ages are welcome, and no registration is required.
Library Trick or Treat, Friday Oct. 28, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — Bring the whole family trick-or-treating at the library. Follow the trick-or-treat trail through the entire library with a spooky maze at the end. No registration is required.
Halloween Crafts, Saturday Oct. 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Drop in anytime. All ages are welcome and no registration is required.
For the teens and tweens, there’s a Stranger Things craft night on Wednesday Oct. 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with crafts and activities. Grades 4 to 12 are welcome, and registration is required. And on Friday Oct. 21 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. there’s a special Halloween Night with games, activities, crafts, treats and more. Registration is required.
St. Martin Lutheran Church is offering up some great food again.
Their next Pulled Pork Drive Thru BBQ will happen on Saturday Oct. 15 from 4:30 until gone at the church on 813 Bay Road, Webster. Pull into the parking lot, place your order using exact payment, and the dinner will be delivered to you as you drive up in your car.
The take-out dinner includes pulled pork, roll, salt potatoes, cole slaw and cookie for $12.00. Proceeds support the church’s eleventh annual Christmas Stocking Project reaching over 500 children and teens in Monroe and Wayne counties.
These next few events are repeats from my last mailbag, in case you might have missed them the first time.
The West Webster Fire Department will hold their open house on Sunday Oct. 16 from 1 to 4 p.m., and the Webster Volunteer Fire Department will hold their open house on Saturday Oct. 29 (during Halloween in the Village). These events offer much more than fire trucks, too. There are demonstrations, giveaways, a chance to check out all sorts of emergency equipment and talk to real first responders. But of course, there’s definitely plenty of opportunities to take a picture of your young firefighter sitting in a real fire truck.
The West Webster Fire Department is at 1051 Gravel Rd., and the Webster Volunteer Fire Department is on South Ave. in the Village of Webster. These events are both free and open to everyone.
Gleason Orthodontics, on South Ave. in the village, will be hosting a winter-wear donation drive from Oct. 1 through Nov. 20.
You can drop off adult and youth-sized coats, hats and gloves at the office, 246 South Ave., during regular business hours.
The Webster Recreation Center, Webster Central PTSA and Webster Teachers Association are also hosting a Concert Apparel and Coat Drive. They’re looking for any size (toddler through adult) of the following items in good condition:
Winter coats, jackets, pants, boots and accessories
Concert apparel: white and black tops, shoes, bottoms and accessories
Collection boxes are loated at each Webster Central School building through Oct. 27.
On Saturday Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr., anyone who needs winter or concert gear can come “shop” for gently-used items for free.
And don’t forget about the Webster Community Blood Drive, which returns next Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 12 and 13 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Firemen’s Exempt Building, 172 Sanford St.
Regular blood donors will know this drive as one where everyone gets a coupon for a free ice cream cone from Bruster’s. Plus, the Red Cross will be giving all donors a $5 e-gift card, good for use at a merchant of their choice.
Walk-ins will be accommodated, but it’s always best to make an appointment. Click here and choose the time that best fits into your schedule. Or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). And make sure to fill out your RapidPass on the day of your donation to save at least 15 minutes.
Fall-like weather is upon us once again, which means the Joe Obbie Farmer’s Market will be packing up for the winter soon. But all is not lost; you’ll still find the locally-produced fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, syrups, honeys and more you’ve come to love for a few more weeks.
The market is open every Saturday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Webster Towne Center (Target/Kohl’s Plaza) on Holt Road, near the gazebo.
Now would be a great time to check out the market if you haven’t already. You’ll not only find many of your favorite summertime produce, crafts, cheeses, spice blends, and baked goods, but now the market is really leaning into the autumn season. Need maple syrup and cider? How about pumpkins for your porch? Stop by the market and you’ll be delighted at the selection.
I’d like to lead this week’s mailbag with a huge THANK YOU from the Webster Museum.
The recent Museum Barn Sale, held Sept. 15 to 17, was a tremendous success, reportedly the best ever. Museum volunteers would like to thank the Webster community for all the donations, purchases and “delightful company.”
Your support for this — the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year — assures that the Webster Museum will be with us for another year, carefully preserving our town’s rich history.
The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster, and is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Webster Public Library brings these two events your way:
Hispanic Heritage Month Night, Thursday Sept. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. Celebrate the month with a culture-filled evening of food, dance, music, crafts and more. All ages are welcome, and registration is requested. (Click here)
Hispanic Heritage Month Crafts, Saturday Sept. 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All ages are welcome, drop in anytime and no registration is required.
Also from the library, their big Fall Book Sale is right around the corner.
It happens Thursday through Saturday Oct. 6 to 8, with the best deals saved for Friday and Saturday. Check out all the details in the flyer below.
If your kids are REALLY into fire trucks, then you’ll want to mark these dates on your calendar.
The West Webster Fire Department will hold their open house on Sunday Oct. 16 from 1 to 4 p.m., and the Webster Volunteer Fire Department will hold their open house on Saturday Oct. 29 (during Halloween in the Village). These events offer much more than fire trucks, too. There are demonstrations, giveaways, a chance to check out all sorts of emergency equipment and talk to real first responders. But of course, there’s definitely plenty of opportunities to take a picture of your young firefighter sitting in a real fire truck.
The West Webster Fire Department is at 1051 Gravel Rd., and the Webster Volunteer Fire Department is on South Ave. in the Village of Webster. These events are both free and open to everyone.
Gleason Orthodontics, on South Ave. in the village, will be hosting a winter-wear donation drive from Oct. 1 through Nov. 20.
You can drop off adult and youth-sized coats, hats and gloves at the office, 246 South Ave., during regular business hours.
The Webster Recreation Center, Webster Central PTSA and Webster Teachers Association are also hosting a Concert Apparel and Coat Drive. They’re looking for any size (toddler through adult) of the following items in good condition:
Winter coats, jackets, pants, boots and accessories
Concert apparel: white and black tops, shoes, bottoms and accessories
Collection boxes are loated at each Webster Central School building through Oct. 27.
On Saturday Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr., anyone who needs winter or concert gear can come “shop” for gently-used items for free.
The Webster Aquatic Center will be hosting a Blood Drive on Tuesday Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Aquatic Center, 875 Ridge Rd.
Call 1-800-RED-CROSS or log onto RedCrossBlood.org to make an appointment.
I’m discovering that among the many benefits of my retirement has been having extra time to work on my blog — to track down more stories, meet more interesting people, and discover places in Webster I’ve not seen before. Basically, I now have more time to become better connected with my community.
I especially want to improve my connection with our local businesses. I took the first step in that direction last night when I attended an open house at the Webster Chamber of Commerce. Chamber president Barry Howard had invited members to the offices for drinks and hors d’oeuvres and to show off some recently completed renovations.
I was very kindly invited to attend by Steve Conger of Spectrum Business. Steve reached out to me a few weeks ago, hoping to lay the groundwork for a stronger relationship between the Chamber and my blog. I jumped at the opportunity.
Not surprisingly, I saw several familiar faces at the event (Webster is a small town, after all), but also met some business owners, handed out several business cards, and introduced people to Webster on the Web.
Basically, I started making those connections.
I always love meeting new people, but last night was doubly enjoyable because I got a good look at the Chamber of Commerce’s new digs. Well, they’re not new, actually. The office hasn’t moved from its current location at 1110 Crosspointe Lane, although that prospect was definitely in the cards. When it was clear that the Chamber needed more space, Howard said they started looking around town to see what was available. Even though they visited and rated 17 places, nothing checked all the boxes they needed.
So they took a closer look at redesigning the space they already had. “We’d like to stay here if we can afford it,” Howard told the architects, and they got to work.
The result is beautiful. Without increasing the actual square footage, somehow they managed to make the space bigger and brighter. Over a three-month period, workers eliminated storage closets, moved and added doors, installed new windows, updated the lighting and slapped on fresh paint. In the process, somehow they added a third office — which can be rented out to members for meetings and interviews — updated their technology, opened up the conference room, and created a much more accessible and welcoming atmosphere. (Check out some photos below.)
I’ll be attending more Webster Chamber events in the coming months. I look forward to getting to know its members better and sharing more business news with my readers.
In our daily lives, we frequently walk by or drive by things of historical significance without even realizing it.
Such is the case with the building at 206 North Ave. in the Village of Webster. Most of us know it as Climate Controlled Self Storage, or “that place where you can rent U-Hauls.” Fewer of us realize the building has a long and rich history in our village, a history that recently earned it recognition as the Webster Village Historic Preservation Commission’s September Site of the Month.
In the early 1920s, the building at 206 North Ave. was known as Webster Cold Storage, a cooperative created by local apple growers including Louis Kittelberger, George Hosenfeld, William Stokes, George Dunn and Earl Wright. In her book Webster Through the Years, Esther Dunn reported that the building had about 400,000 cubic feet of space, enough for 50,000 barrels of apples.
Over the next four decades, the Cold Storage building saw many changes in both the facility itself and the products stored there. In 1923, an addition was made to install an ice-making tank, and years later, more than half of the space was converted from coolers to locker space. The variety of produce stored there over the years is impressive: apples, cherries, grapes, peaches, prunes, berries, currants, all sorts of vegetables, and even seafood.
Before it closed in March 1965, Webster Cold Storage had become a true community business. Even individual residents leased some space for their own use.
But the building’s history is not the only reason it was recognized by the Historic Preservation Commission. Members of the commission choose their Sites of the Month based not just on the site’s history, but also what its current owner has done to maintain and improve the property.
The building’s present owner, Dimitri Stefanou, has made significant improvements since purchasing it in 2002. It needed a lot of repairs, and when Stefanou started planning how to redevelop the property, he decided to return it to its original purpose, storage, saying that he hoped “to once again make (the) building a landmark.”
Stefanou put windows along the front of the building and added an office, and even managed to build the storage units around existing pillars. But the top two floors were still empty, and rather than turning them into storage units as well, Stefanou decided to take the renovations to a whole new level and create luxury apartments.
The Lofts of Webster was created, 20 luxury units on the third and fourth floors, complete with a private resident entrance, a porte cochere, a new elevator and fitness area. Outside, he added a vegetable garden, a flower garden, and a huge picnic table for the residents to enjoy.
The improvements are kind of a reincarnation for this historic building, assuring its position once again as an vital part of the Webster Village community.
You know how sometimes you search the stores forever looking for that perfect outfit for your big night on the town, and you finally find it in your friend’s closet? That’s the thinking behind the Village of Webster’s newest shop, My Roommates Closet, opening in October at 19 East Main St.
The new clothing store, located in the former Village HandWorks storefront, is owned by 23-year old Nicole Iorio, a recent St. John Fisher graduate with a degree in business marketing. A self-described shopaholic, Nicole’s vision is to share her love of clothing and fashion with women of all ages, help them discover new and different styles to add to their closets and to find that “missing piece” they’ve been looking for.
Her plan is to offer a mixture of styles, from street wear to lounging-around clothes to going-out clothes, much like what you’d find in, well, your roommate’s closet. But more than anything else, Nicole wants the women who wear her clothes to feel confident and comfortable at all times.
At just 23 years old, this is Nicole’s first experience at opening a storefront, but not her first experience in running a successful business. She actually created My Roommates Closet a little over a year ago as an online store, which she’s also taken on the road to several flea markets. Even from the beginning of that venture, she knew she wanted to eventually combine her marketing degree with her love of fashion and open a brick-and-mortar shop. But no way did she expect it to happen so soon.
It was actually a haircut that put things into motion.
“I get my hair done right next door at Main Street Beauty Lounge,” Nicole remembered. “I was sitting there back in May, and I saw that 19 East Main St. opened up. I was thinking about moving my business into a store, but not this soon. I was going to wait a bit, but the place opened up and this area is so cute.”
“When I saw that location, I thought yeah, I think I want to do this.” So she got in touch with the landlord, took a look at the space, and just three months later had signed the lease.
Nicole hopes to open her new shop sometime in October, but there’s still a lot to do. Newly-painted ceiling tiles have to be reinstalled, lights have to be swapped out, changing rooms built, walls painted and floors redone. She’s discovering that opening a new business is a complicated endeavor, involving a hundred little unforseen details from getting on Google to replacing outlet covers. And on top of all everything else, she’s taking a night class to complete her Master’s degree in Business Marketing.
Fortunately, she’s getting a lot of help and support from her family and friends. “I’m here for it,” she said. “I love it. I love the whole process, It’s very stressful, but I love it.”
My Roommates Closet is located at 19 East Main St. in the Village of Webster. It doesn’t look like much yet, but stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, you can check out the shop online. You’ll find My Roommates Closet here on the website, and also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest.
It sure hasn’t seemed like it’s been three years since Vanetta Parshall and Monique Liberti opened their cute, friendly little Village Quilt Shoppe at the corner of East Main and Lapham Park in the village. It might seem like that to them, though, since it wasn’t always smooth sailing.
Just three months after they opened their doors in August 2019, and just days before the Village of Webster’s White Christmas celebration, disaster struck when a water leak from the apartment above the shop came through the floor and destoyed much of their merchandise. They had to close for almost a month to regroup and restock. But, determined not to lose their dream shop, they persevered and survived that early setback.
Then COVID struck, and they had to close again for three more months.
Somehow (well, we know how: loyal customers), the little business navigated a global pandemic and came back stronger than ever.
So this week they’ve been celebrating their last three somewhat difficult years and their bright future, by offering special sales on fabric, a By Annie trunk show, and gifts and cake for everyone who walks in the store on Saturday Sept. 10.
The trunk show has a waiting list right now, but all of the By Annie products will be in the shop for the rest of the month, so you can still check them out.
Make sure to check out the Webster Quilt Shoppe website for all of the latest news and class schedules. And be sure to stop in this Saturday Sept. 10 to congratulate Monique and Vanetta on their third anniversary.
The Village Quilt Shoppe is located at 21 E. Main St. in the Village of Webster. They’ll be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Check out some of these then-and-now photos. I took the first ones in August, 2019. The last three are from this week, three years later.
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.
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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