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Webster community mailbag

6 Nov

So many special events coming up in the next week, especially for veterans and their families.

Free dinner for veterans

Are you a veteran or active duty service member? Do you know one?

veterans dayAll veterans and active duty service members and their families are invited to a free dinner in honor of Veterans Day, on Thursday November 8 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Spry Middle School, 119 South Ave., Webster.

The event is sponsored by the Spry Middle School Student Council, Builders Club, and the Webster-Fairport B.P.O. Elks #2396.

Reservations are appreciated.  Please call Ms. Ritzmann at Spry Middle School at 216-0093.

How about breakfast, veterans? 

The Webster-Fairport Elks Lodge will host a free pancake breakfast for veterans and their families on Sunday Nov. 11 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Veterans will eat for free, and donations are welcome.

Proceeds will benefit the Elks West District Vets Fund. The Webster-Fairport Elks Lodge is located at 1066 Jackson Road.

Learn more about D Day

Also in honor of Veterans Day, the Webster Museum will present a special program on Saturday Nov. 10 called “The Hidden Story of D Day.”

The program will be presented by Kodak retiree and history buff Jack Kowiak, whom some might remember from his presentation last year at the museum about the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. This year Jack will present some interesting facts he’s uncovered about D Day, the largest amphibious invasion in history.

The program will begin at 2 p.m. and be about an hour long. Admission is free, the public is invited, and the museum ladies promise the “best cider and donuts in town.”

The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park. It’s open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information log onto the museum’s website or visit them on Facebook.

Join the Lions for a super steak dinner

The Webster Lions Club will host its Annual Steak Roast on Saturday Nov. 10 at the Columbus Center, 70 Barrett Drive.

The cash bar will open at 3 p.m., and dinner will be served from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($10 for children 5-12) which includes a thick, juicy steak, potato, fresh garden salad, bread and your choice of soda.

Tickets will be available at the door, or in advance from Kitchen & Bath Expressions, 1175 Ridge Rd., Webster. For more information call (585) 234-5480, email websterlionsclub@gmail.com or log onto www.websterlions.com.

All proceeds to go directly to the Willow Domestic Violence Center and to support Webster other Lions Club charities.

Buy a turkey, give a turkey! 

The Penfield Ecumenical Food Shelf is looking for your help this year with collecting frozen turkeys for their annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner distributions.

Sizes can range from 8-12 or more pounds. They ask for everyone to deliver their Thanksgiving turkeys to the Dolomite Lodge parking lot (Veterans Memorial Park on Atlantic Ave.) on Sat. Nov. 17 between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. For Christmas, they’ll collect the turkeys on Saturday, Dec. 22, from 7:30-8:30 a.m. in the same location.

If you would like to donate a frozen turkey, email penfieldfoodshelf@gmail.com to let them know.

Caps for Sale! 

Now here’s a clever little fundraiser, based on a popular children’s book, hosted by the Friends of the Webster Public Library.

IMG_E9392Bartholomew Cubbins had 500 hats, and the Friends will be selling more than 260 hand-crafted hats during their Caps for Sale event later this month.

Just in time for a long, cold winter, you’ll find caps, hats and head-warmers of all sorts, made from felt, crocheted, sewn, and woven, for infants through adults. Adult caps will cost $10, children’s for $5. Buy a hat for a gift, for yourself or to hang on the HOPE House’s mitten and hat tree in the lobby.

The sale is scheduled for Thursday November 15 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday November 17 from noon to 4 p.m. The Webster Public Library is located at 980 Ridge Road, at the back of the plaza. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Webster Public Library and their programs.

Barre, barre and more barre

ROC & Soul Fitness gives new meaning to the phrase “Barre So Hard” as they gather barre and yoga instructors from other local studios for an epic Barre-A-Thon event on Saturday, November 17.

Barre fitness is a workout that combines the best elements of barre, yoga, Pilates, and functional weight training. Absolutely no choreography, tutus, or leotards can be found in barre class, because barre is NOT a dance class.

roc & soulOwner of ROC & Soul Fitness, Malena Guadagnino and the owner of M/Body, Molly Flaherty, teamed up to create an all morning Barre Class event. They’ve brought together some of the best yoga and barre instructors in the industry, including instructors from: Balance Yoga, Hikyoga, Compass Cycle Studio, M/Body, and ROC & Soul Fitness. Four barre classes will be offered on the hour beginning at 8 a.m. at ROC & Soul Fitness. Participants will have a chance to win prizes from a raffle.

Proceeds from the Barre-A-Thon will benefit GiGi’s Playhouse in Rochester, a learning center that empowers children and young adults with Down syndrome.

To find out more, visit the ROC & Soul Fitness website here or connect with them on Facebook.

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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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A night for the books at Barry’s

4 Nov

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Danny and Jessica Barry — and several hundred of their closest friends — gathered last night at Barry’s Old School Irish in the village to celebrate the little pub’s seventh anniversary.

Pints were raised, music was played, there was conversation, laughter, old friends reconnected, and new friends were made.

So basically, it was just like any other night at Barry’s.

I can say that with certainty, as I was one of the very lucky few who can say I knew the pub when it was a baby. I still remember the sunny day when I met Danny and Jess. It was Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, the day before they officially planned to open, when the village was hosting a sidewalk sale they called the “Gazost Festival.” (Any wonder why you haven’t seen it return?) Jess and Danny were both there, and Jess’s mom Debbie reminded me last night that she was there, too, scrubbing the floors.

Their door was open, and I was excited to have a chance to finally meet the people who had refurbished the old living Plumber shop and cleaned up the unsightly corner. Mostly, thought, I needed to find out what the heck a “pub and bakery” was.

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We chatted for a while, and I took a photo of them holding the Barry’s sign. (I’m sure you’re familiar with it.) As I was visiting with them, I had no idea how much these kids would change our village for the better.

Not much of consequence has really changed since that day. There’s new furniture, a couch has come and gone, and the “fireplace” is a distant memory (remember that?). And those early Friday nights when only a half dozen people sat at the bar have become very crowded — as has pretty much every night — as more and more people discover what Webster has long known:

Barry’s Old School Irish is a treasure.

The fact that not much has changed since the pub’s opening day is a testament to Danny and Jessica. They had a vision to make their new place unlike any other. They saw how the pubs in Ireland are truly “public” houses, welcoming young and old, a place where the music never stops and new friendships are made every night. A pub where parents can feel comfortable bringing their children, and you don’t have to worry about leaving your purse hanging on a hook behind some stranger. Where you can come for coffee and a scone in the morning, and a quiet corner to work in the afternoon.

Even after seven years, that vision has not wavered, and that is why people keep discovering Barry’s Old School Irish.

So yes, the place is often shoulder-to-shoulder, especially on St. Patrick’s Day and for celebrations like this. I do miss those intimate Friday nights. But last night it was clear how happy Danny and Jess were, and how much fun they were having. And it just made me smile.

Click here to see some more photos from the evening.

The D&C has deleted the very first blog I wrote after meeting Danny and Jess, but here it is in text if you’re interested.

 

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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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Webster community mailbag

29 Oct

So Halloween is not yet in the books, but let’s start looking forward to November and the REAL holiday season.

Let the craft shows begin

The first craft show I’ve heard about this shopping season is schedule for this Saturday November 3 at Schlegel Elementary School, 1548 Schlegel Road, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This annual event features more than 60 vendors, sweet treats, raffles, concessions and lots more. There is, of course, no admission, and there’s plenty of parking.

Barry’s celebrates another anniversary

It’s a big weekend at Barry’s Old School Irish, as Danny and Jessica celebrate the little Irish pub’s 7th anniversary.

You all know how close to my heart I hold Danny and Jessica Barry and their pub. And clearly they feel the same about the people they have met in Webster. This from the Facebook event notice:

This Pub is special for so many reasons. A dream of ours to open after honeymooning in Ireland, which became a reality at 20 and 24 years old. We’ve brought three crazy kiddos into this world since the year we opened Barry’s- our kids quickly gained MANY aunts and uncles from our pub community. We are so thankful to all those who call Barry’s home and are blessed to have made so many wonderful friends that have become Family to us. We’ve shared a lot of lasting memories together in these 7 years, let’s make a few more on November 3rd during our Anniversary Party!

You can check the Facebook event for details, but briefly, the celebration runs from 7:30 to 11 p.m. this Saturday November 3; Dave North will provide live entertainment; there’s an official whiskey toast, Guinness giveaways, an appearance by Jack the Bagpiper, and more.

Barry’s Old School Irish is located at 2 West Main Street, at the Village of Webster’s four corners.

Hot cocoa is back

Next Saturday, November 10, the Friends of Webster Trails will host their annual Hot Cocoa Hike at Four Mile Creek, rescheduled from a few days ago when it was stinky rainy and cold.

Arrive anytime between 7 and 8 p.m. and hike your way to some free hot chocolate. This popular event is NOT guided, but it is easy to do and fun for all ages. You’ll find your way by following a lighted path, starting at the parking lot. The exact route will be selected that week based on trail conditions and marked that evening for you to follow. It may be up to a mile in length (one way).

The hot chocolate will be free, hopefully the moon will be out, and there will be a lot of new friends to meet.

Pre-registration is requested. For more information and to sign up, click here. You can also find information under the events section of the Friends of Webster Trails website.

Four Mile Creek is located at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads, and there’s plenty of parking.

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Also on November 10, the Village of Webster’s second annual Bourbon Bash returns to the Harmony House from 6 to 9 p.m.

Bourbon fans can sample several craft and commercially-produced bourbons, plus fine foods from local restaurants. Participants can also enter a raffle for $15 to win a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle!

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here. Proceeds will benefit Webster Local Charities. (Remember to bring your ID.)

The Harmony House is located at 58 East Main Street in Webster.

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Does your organization have any special holiday events coming up? Make sure to tell me about them so I can publicize them in my blog. Email me at missyblog@gmail.com.

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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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Two things to do with the family this Saturday

23 Oct

Two fun events happening this Saturday October 27. You already know about the Trick-or-Treat Trail in the Village, of Webster. Let’s hope for reasonable weather for this amazing family-friendly event.

You can read details about that event in  my previous blog here.

That evening, help the kids walk off some of those extra calories at the annual Friends of Webster Trails Hot Cocoa Hike at Four Mile Creek Preserve, at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads.

blue-hot-chocolate-cup-mdArrive anytime between 7 and 8 p.m. and hike your way to some free hot chocolate. This popular event is NOT guided, but it is easy to do and fun for all ages. You’ll find your way by following a lighted path, starting at the parking lot. The exact route will be selected that week based on trail conditions and marked that evening for you to follow. It may be up to a mile in length (one way).

The hot chocolate will be free, hopefully the moon will be out, and there will be a lot of new friends to meet.

friends

Pre-registration is requested. For more information and to sign up, click here. You can also find information under the events section of the Friends of Webster Trails website.

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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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Halloween in the Village is coming!

18 Oct

halloween

It took a while, but I finally have gotten into the Halloween mood. Perhaps it was visiting Victor last weekend, seeing all of their light pole scarecrows and making plans with friends to attend Victor’s very adult trick-or-treating Spooktacular in a few weeks. Maybe it’s that the weather has turned very fall-like (OK, downright cold) and the trees are really beginning to change.

In any case, let’s talk Halloween.

The Village of Webster’s annual Halloween in the Village is coming up on Saturday October 27. The highlight of this event is the Trick-or-Treat Trail, where kids can get into their costumes and trick-or-treat all through the village, stopping by dozens of businesses for treats.

Here are the details:

  • A costume contest will kick off the day’s activities from 11 a.m. to noon at the Community Meeting Room, 29 South Ave. (adjacent to the fire house). Prizes will be awarded for best costumes. To be entered into the contest, you must arrive between 11 and 11:30.
  • The Trick-or-Treat Trail itself will run from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Look for the orange pumpkin in the windows of the participating businesses. (Or just follow the crowds of kids.)
  • The Webster Museum on Lapham Park will host an open house and usually has a fun scavenger-hunt for the kids.
  • The Fire Department will also have an open house, which is always very popular with the kids. Along with candy and other treats, the firefighters will be handing out fire hats and goodie bags and will have lots of demonstrations and hands-on activities.
  • The village’s Festival Wagon will also be making the rounds if you’d like to enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride around the village.

I’ll be there with my camera, as I am every year, snapping photos of as many cute kids as I can. If you’d like to check out last year’s gallery of photos, click here.

Several other events you’ll want keep on your radar include the Friends of Webster Trails’ annual Hot Cocoa Hike the evening of Oct. 27; Barry’s Old School Irish’s 7th anniversary party on Saturday Nov. 3; a craft show at Schlegel Elementary School also on Nov. 3; and a magic show to benefit Miracle Field on Saturday Nov. 24. More details to come about all these soon.

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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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I wish Webster had scarecrows

17 Oct
Turning Point

Probably my favorite scarecrow in Victor, created by The Turning Pointe dance studio.

Fairport does it up big. This year Victor is doing it, too. Business owners all along the town’s main streets are lashing scary and whimsical scarecrows to the lamp posts near their shops.

Fairport’s done it for years, and they’ve become such an important part of the village’s Scarecrow Festival that it’s even named after them. Victor is doing it for the first time this year as part of their second annual Spooktacular Victor event. In both cases, the scarecrows are a main festival feature. But they also will draw families to town at other times, which means more foot traffic for local business owners.

I really wish Webster would do this to. Or more accurately, I wish Webster would do it AGAIN. As recently as five years ago the village did organize a scarecrow contest, and even invited community members to vote. You know what that means: people actually had to COME INTO TOWN to look at them, and that can only mean good things.  And what nice decorations they made for when thousands of adults and children descended on the village for the Trick-or-Treat Trail.

So c’mon, Webster BID. Can we do this again next year? Think of how nice they would look alongside those beautiful planters, and what a nice addition they would be to our village’s Halloween events.

Here are photos of a few others in Victor:

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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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What did YOU do this weekend?

15 Oct

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Boy, wasn’t Sunday just a picture-perfect autumn day?

The firefighters at the West Webster Fire Department really lucked out with the weather for their open house, allowing them to pull all their rigs out of the bays, set up SO MANY food tents and give-away tables, and give little wanna-be firefighters a chance to go through an inflatable fire-safety house (never seen one of those before) and use a real fire hose to extinguish some not-so-real flames.

I popped by the event and snapped some photos, making sure to give a wide berth to the free hot dog table and free doughnut table. Click here to see a gallery.

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The annual Webster Fall Festival held Saturday afternoon didn’t have quite as good weather. An already cool day was made even more so by a lot of clouds and a stiff wind. But the brisk temperatures didn’t seem to bother the large numbers of families who attended.

The event was held at Gosnell Big Woods Preserve on Vosburg Road, which provided plenty of open space for kids’ games, pony and wagon rides, classic cars, food trucks, a live entertainment stage, and a few community agency information tables.

The event benefited Rochester Challenger Miracle Field, which is a great cause not only because it’s right in our own Webster back yard, but it’s simply an awesome facility for the differently-abled.

Click here to see a gallery of photos from that afternoon.

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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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Community blood drive successful — but glitchy

12 Oct

Webster has done it again. Our community continues to show how much we care about others, this time through a very successful two-day blood drive.

Both days of the drive, held on Wednesday at St. Paul’s Church and Thursday at the Recreation Center, surpassed the ambitious goals set by the Red Cross, ultimately collecting about 180 pints.  That’s enough blood to save up to 540 lives.

The drive wasn’t without its glitches, however. Unfortunately, a lot of people experienced longer-than-usual wait times at the Webster Recreation Center. Even I had to wait 45 minutes after arriving before being ushered into the interview area (and I had an appointment) and I know others who waited even longer.

That was an unacceptable situation. The Red Cross knows that they dropped the ball, and are addressing the issue.

Having said that, I want to extend my personal thank you to everyone who carved out a chunk of their day to come out to the drive, especially those who patiently weathered the long wait times yesterday (or even weathered them with some grumbling). And a big thank you also to the amazing Webster businesses who faithfully support this drive not once, but two times every year.

IF YOU COULDN’T DONATE at this drive for some reason — you were deferred, couldn’t find the time, or just got tired of waiting —please consider attending the next local drive, coming up soon in the village.

Our very own Webster Volunteer Fire Department will host a “Battle of the Badges” donation drive on Thursday October 25 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the village fire station, 35 South Avenue.

Firefighters are touting this drive as a friendly competition among all local first responders to see which department can donate the most units. But of course they’re also hoping that all eligible donors in our community will come out and “answer the call,” and give blood in honor of our everyday heroes.

Zoom in on the poster to see how you can make an appointment, but of course walk-ins are always welcome.

 

WVFD blood drive

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A shout out to Webster businesses

10 Oct

Hopefully you know by now that the bi-annual Webster Community Blood Drive is back in town. And that this drive is faithfully supported by more than a dozen local businesses, whose owners donate prizes for the raffle, or just simply hand out gifts to donors.

Today, the American Red Cross did something really neat to recognize those businesses.

The PR person at the Red Cross came out to Webster and stopped by several of the sponsoring businesses to thank them for their support, AND posted photos of them to Twitter. Here are the ones from today, and I expect there will be more tomorrow:

Brusters

Garage Sale Store

Goodie Shoppe

Shutts

Smith Insurance

And here’s a photo of all the raffle prize bags set up at St. Paul’s Church for today’s drive, and a photo of the very first prizewinner, Bill Scahill, who took home a fruit basket courtesy Schutt’s Apple Mill:

Remember that every donor is handed ten raffle tickets, which you can use for chances at more than two dozen prizes including restaurant gift certificates, a grumbler gift pack, Kobalt tools, and more. Plus every single person gets a free int of ice cream from Brusters and a long-stemmed rose from Kittleberger’s.

There’s still a chance for you to win. The second day of the blood drive is Thursday October 11 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center, 1380 Chiyoda Drive. Stop on in when you can, spend just hour to help save lives, and maybe win something for your efforts!

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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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Webster businesses show amazing support for Community Blood Drive

6 Oct

blood drive prizes

Our Webster small business people continue to amaze me.

Allow me to explain. For probably six or seven years now, I’ve been helping organize and publicize the bi-annual Webster Community Blood Drives which happen here in town every April and October. In part, I’ve been in charge of contacting local businesses for support. In previous years, that support meant offering some sort of coupon, which were all combined in a booklet handed out to each donor.

More recently, we decided to replace the coupon booklet with a raffle. So now when I go into these businesses it’s a bigger ask: can we have a gift certificate, or a product which we can raffle off?

And this, finally, is where the amazing part comes in. Without fail, when I contact a business, the answer is always yes. The only hesitation — if there is any — is when they ask, “how much do you want me to make it out for?”

That’s why my spare bedroom is piled high right now with raffle prizes. I recently posted on my Facebook page a photo of the incredible Kobalt tool set that the Garage Sale Store donated. But that’s just the beginning. Here’s an almost complete list of the prizes so far:

Gift certificates from:

  • Barry’s Old School Irish
  • Ploty’s Hometown Tavern
  • Webster Hots
  • The Filling Station
  • ROC & Soul Fitness
  • The Chicken Coop
  • Eastway Liquor
  • Rubino’s
  • Natural Alternatives
  • The Goodie Shoppe
  • Flaherty’s

Plus, these prizes:

  • Gift basket from Schutt’s
  • Beauty products from Beyond Cuts Salon
  • Growler gift pack from Knuckleheads
  • Gift basket from Hegedorn’s
  • That Kobalt tool set from the Garage Sale Store

And there’s more! Each donor will receive a free rose from Kittleberger Florist, a free pint of ice cream from Bruster’s, chance for a cool $100 from Gerard P. Smith Insurance, a $5 coupon from Superior Solutions … and I don’t think we have all the prizes in yet.

See? Amazing, right?

Please join us at the blood drive next week, Wednesday October 10 at St. Paul’s Church on Hard Road, and Thursday October 11 at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive, from noon to 7 pm each day. You can make an appointment by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or by logging onto http://www.redcrossblood.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.

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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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