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Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market “Evening in the Park” a great addition to the regular Saturday market

25 Jul

Another Wednesday is upon us, which means it’s time to head out to Charles Sexton Park for the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market, especially since the weather looks like it’s going to be picture-perfect.

The “Evening in the Park” market is a relatively new improvement to the long-established Joe Obbie Market, which has been setting up at Webster Towne Center every Saturday for years now. And it’s been a very popular addition.

On top of the wide variety of food and craft vendors you’ve come to know and love at the Saturday market, the Evening in the Park also has food trucks and live music. Basically, everything you need for a nice evening out with the family, including flowers, fresh produce, meats and sauces!

I stopped by the first market last week and took these photos. The band and a lot of the vendors were still setting up shop, so the photos really don’t capture the entire fun atmosphere of the evening. Make sure to check it out for yourself this Wednesday.

The Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market Evenings in the Park will run every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Charles Sexton Park (formerly North Ponds). The poster below tells you what bands are playing each evening. Don’t forget your chairs!

Definitely don’t forget about the Saturday market, either.

You’ll find the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market in Webster Towne Center Plaza (Target/Kohl’s plaza) every Saturday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The vendors offer baked goods, flowers, crafts, farm-raised meats and eggs, honey, jams, maple syrup and more.

Enter the plaza from Holt Rd. or Ridge Rd. and follow the signs. You’ll see the market set up in front of Old Navy.

Need more information? Check out the market’s Facebook page here.

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

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(posted 7/25/2023)

Heroes, and more heroes, will play at Miracle Field on Saturday

20 Jul

Combine baseball, Miracle Field, and first responders, and whaddya get? An incredibly fun and inspirational day for the whole family.

I’m talking, of course, about the third annual Heroes Helping Heroes Day at Challenger Miracle Field. This coming Saturday July 22, local first responders will spend the day at Miracle Field, playing with and against some of our amazing Challenger athletes. In addition to the entertaining baseball games, and the chance to meet some local first responders and get a close-up look at some of their equipment, there’ll be food, carnival games, a dunk tank, obstacle course and lots more.

The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the field, 1000 Ridge Rd., Webster.

  The day will start with a tribute to local heroes, followed by baseball games. The family-friendly games and activities will be available throughout, and during and between games, first  responders will be interacting with our athletes and visitors. Almost 150 participants are expected for this year’s event.

This is a great morning of safe family fun. There’s no charge, and there’s plenty of parking. If you have any questions about the event, email lindab@rochestermiraclefield.org or visit the www.rochestermiraclefield.org.  

About Challenger Miracle Field of Greater Rochester  

Challenger Miracle Field of Greater Rochester provides people with developmental, physical or intellectual disabilities a barrier free, safe, accessible place to experience the health benefits and joy of play through baseball, other team sports, and adaptive recreational equipment.

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

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.

(posted 7/20/2023)

Up ahead in the village: music, games and BED RACES!

19 Jul

The Webster Business Improvement District (BID) has a few great events on the schedule this weekend, and has just announced the exciting return in September of the Bed Race!

First up is the next Friday Night Concert at the gazebo on North Ave. This week’s concert features Tom Keefer and Celtic Cross, a Celtic rock band playing music from Ireland and Scotland. Celtic Cross is a regular visitor to Barry’s Old School Irish, so you may have seen them there and already know that they pack a lot of energy.

Next Friday, the Friday night concert will feature the Beatles tribute band 8 Days a Week. Visit the Webster BID website for additional dates.


This Saturday night July 22, mark your calendar for the BID’s first Family Games Night. In the past, these very popular family fun nights took place on Main Street, but this one has moved to Gazebo Park, where the Friday night concerts happen.

There will be plenty for both kids and adults to enjoy, including Zumba for the kids (and adults), some fun activities from Roc Dance, sidewalk chalk, giant Jenga, giant Connect Four, Cornhole and more.

It all happens Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Gazebo Park.


AND THIS JUST IN!

Details have just been announced for the Bed Race, which is returning to East Main Street on Sept. 16. Here’s the announcement from the BID website:

The Bed Race is back!! Grab 4 friends or family members as runners and one “sleeper”(5 people total) and construct a bed to race an obstacle course on East Main St in the Village of Webster. Hosted by the Business Improvement District along with Webster Rotary, Webster Lions Club and Webster Kiwanis, this event is to help raise money for the Webster Community Chest. Merchants on Main St will also be celebrating with a Sidewalk Sale on the day of the event. The Junior event is for ages 14-19 years and will be run separately from the senior event.

I’ll post more details soon, but in the meantime, visit the BID website for rules and registration information.

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

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(posted 7/19/2023)

Musical, wet and muddy fun ahead, courtesy the Webster Rec

17 Jul

Today’s blog is dedicated to the Webster Parks and Recreation Department and all of the cool events they have coming up this summer.

The first one I want to highlight is the annual Summer Splash family fun event taking place this coming Saturday July 22 at the First Responders Spray Park, just west of the Rec Center on Chiyoda Drive.

From 3 to 5 p.m., families are invited to the park to see Rich the Magic Man with his bubble foam machine, enjoy free Snowie Ice courtesy Gleason Orthodontics, and of course lots of splashy fun at the town’s best spray park.

There’s no cost, and registration is not required.

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Next, make sure to mark your calendars for this summer’s Music in the Park series, sponsored by the Rec Center at the Kent Park gazebo.

The next concert is on Wednesday July 26, featuring Doctor’s Orders, an acoustic folk and pop duo playing a variety of songs from the Beatles to John Prine, and pretty much everything in between.

The concert will be held Wednesday July 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kent Park on Schlegel Rd. It’s free and open to the public. Bring a chair or a blanket, fill a cooler with dinner and drinks, and enjoy a pleasant evening of music.

Coming up on August 16, the concert will feature Sarah De Valliere and Levi Gangi. Read more about them in the poster above.

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And it’s not too early to pencil this next event into your calendar.

The Rec Center’s third annual Mud Run has been scheduled for Saturday Sept. 23.

The Mud Run is a a non-competitive, untimed, one-mile run/walk along the Recreation Center’s obstacle course/fitness trail which loops around the back of the facility. Some of the run will be through water and mud, and there will be 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. I can personally attest that it is tons of fun, and I hope to make it again this year.

Click here for more information and 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.

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The most recent Webster Recreation Center 55+ newsletter is packed with great programs for those of us trying to keep our bodies and minds active in these later years. Some of the ones that really caught my eye were:

  • a cookout at the Arboretum
  • the upcoming Tuesday Talks
  • a free estate planning workshop

There’s too much information to repost here, so for more details about all of their great programs this month, click here.

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

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.

(posted 7/17/2023)

38th annual Field Day a great success

1 Jul

The XRX Amateur Radio Club held their annual Field Day last weekend, and from all reports, it was a great success. The event’s chairman, Bob Karz, wrote that the club made more contacts than ever, meaning more points than ever, and they hope to finish in the top 11% of their class, which is a pretty big deal.

If little of what I just said made sense to you, keep reading. Bob sent along this very good description about what this interesting exercise is all about.


Amateur Radio Emergency Services and the XRX Amateur Radio Club held their 38th annual emergency preparedness Field Day June 24 to 25 at Kent Park in Webster. It’s not a field day in the usual sense, but rather an opportunity to try out our radios and hone our skills needed to provide communications to the outside world in the event of a real emergency.

Field Day involves over 30,000 amateur radio operators (or hams) in the US and Canada as well as a few from other parts of the world. This year we made over 1,000 contacts with stations in every state except Alaska, most Canadian provinces, Chile, France, and Puerto Rico all totally “off the grid” using power from generators and batteries with no internet or cell phones.

These days amateur radio is more than dots and dashes, although we did make several contacts using Morse Code. We also made contacts with voice and a computer mode called FT8 which is a little like the internet except over radio. FT8 is becoming increasingly popular for Field Day. This year for the first time we actually made more contacts using FT8 (420) than with any other method.

Field Day is an opportunity to try out new equipment and techniques. It’s also a chance showcase Amateur Radio to the public. We encourage visitors and even give kids (and their parents) a chance to make radio contacts. This year we had more than 30 people drop by including 12 kids who each made a radio contact with help from a radio “coach.”

Field Day is always the 4th full weekend in June. The next Field Day will be June 22 to 23, 2024. We will again be at the lower soccer fields in Kent Park. You are invited to drop by and see for yourself what some of your friends and neighbors are doing to help keep us safe in the event of a natural disaster. More information about the local amateur radio community can be found at www.rochesterham.org.


If you’d like to read more about Field Day, click here to read the blog I wrote about the one I attended in 2021.

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

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.

(posted 7/1/2023)

Webster community mailbag

22 Jun

Summer is officially upon us, and Webster has teed up a whole schedule of live music, festivals and special events.

But first, this important community event: The Webster Health Education Network (WHEN) is sponsoring a drug take-back event on Saturday June 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Webster Wastewater Treatment Facility , 226 Phillips Rd. This is your chance to safely dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medications. Only pills will be accepted; please no liquids or sharps.

Learn more at Whendfcc.org

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And since we’re talking about doing good things for our community, here’s Webster HOPE’s Home’s June Wish List:

  • canned pineapple
  • canned beets
  • dish soap
  • laundry detergent
  • cooking oil
  • ketchup, mayonnaise
  • shampoos and conditioner
  • diapers (size 4 and 5)

Webster HOPE is located at 1450 Ridge Rd., and open Monday from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.

Find out more at websternyhope.org.

***

Schutt’s Apple Mill‘s Summer Celebration returns on Saturday July 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.

This is a great family-friendly event complete with a food truck, ice cream, a bounce house, magic show, animals, face painting, wagon rides and lots more.

There’s a charge for some of the activities, but there’s lots of free stuff for everyone.

Schutt’s is located at 1063 Plank Rd.

***

The Summer Concert Series at Cherry Ridge is in full swing. The next concert is scheduled for Tuesday July 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., featuring Eight Days a Week. The concerts are held outside, and the grounds open up at 5 p.m. with food available for purchase. So bring your lawn chair and enjoy some beautiful music.

On August 8, the GateSwingers Big Band will perform, also beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Registration is requested. Click here to do so.

***

The Friday Night Gazebo Concert series in the Village of Webster is coming together. Here’s the schedule:

  • July 7: The Red Hot and Blue Band
  • July 21: Celtic Cross
  • July 28: Eight Days a Week

The concerts run from 7 to 9 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park on North Ave. in the village, and are free. Bring a lawn chair and blanket and a cooler if you’d like! Information about more concerts as they’re added can be found at websterbid.com

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The United Church of Christ’s Caring Community Concert series is returning this summer, beginning July 12.

These concerts benefit local nonprofit organizations through free-will donations. The first one will feature Allegro, and proceeds will benefit the Webster Hope Food Pantry. The rest of the summer features:

  • July 19: Ruby Shooz
  • July 26: Prime Time Brass
  • Aug. 2: Dady and Ryan
  • Aug. 9: 8 Days a Week

There’s no admission charge, but each week the church collects a free-will offering benefiting that week’s chosen non-profit organization.

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On July 22, mark your calendars for the Summer Splash Family Event from 3 to 5 p.m. at First Responders Splash Park, on Chiyoda Drive next door to the Rec Center. If you’ve never been to this spray park before, you owe your children a chance to check it out because it’s good for hours of water fun. The event will include a bubble foam machine and Rich the Magic Man, plus FREE Snowie Ice sponsored by Gleason Orthodontics.

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The 50th annual Waterfront Art Festival returns on Saturday and Sunday July 29 and 30 at Charles E. Sexton Park (formerly North Ponds). It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and features quality fine art and crafts stretching all along the park’s beautiful, shaded pathways.

There’s live music, food vendors, free alcohol tastings, dozens of local artisans and plenty of free parking. Admission is only $5, with children 12 and under free.

Click here for more information.

***

Looking ahead to August, mark your calendars for the Webster Jazz Fest, scheduled for Friday and Saturday August 18 and 19. More information to come about that, but you can check out details in the meantime as they’re posted at websterbid.com.

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

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.

(posted 6/22/2023)

Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market is back for the summer

18 Jun

One of the most colorful signs of summer in Webster is the return of the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market to Webster Towne Center Plaza on Holt Rd.

The market opened for the season on Saturday June 10, and will be set up every Saturday at the plaza from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October, rain or shine.

If you’ve never been to this market you should start making it a regular Saturday morning stop. Varying with the season, you’ll find baked goods, pies, meats, poultry, goat cheese and goat cheese products, flavored nuts, herbs, spice blends, honey, maple syrup, cider, soap and body care products, plants and cut flowers, jewelry, crafts and of course a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Occasionally there are special events scheduled as well, so make sure to stay on top of the latest news at the Joe Obbie Farmer’s Market website and Facebook page for details.

The very popular Evening in the Park Market will also return in July to Charles Sexton Park (formerly known as North Ponds) on Wednesday evenings.

Starting July 19, the market will be set up at the park from 4 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday through August 30. These events will also have food trucks and live entertainment, in addition to the vendors, so remember to pack your quad chairs!

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

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.

(posted 6/18/2023)

“30-days catch” now 100 days and counting

15 Jun

Back in March, I introduced you to Dave Tinnes, who had embarked on a personal challenge to play catch with someone (didn’t matter who) every day, for 30 days straight. It was a journey inspired by the story of Ethan Bryan, who had completed his own 365-day catch challenge. Dave’s goal was to forge personal connections with as many people as possible. (Click here to see that blog.)

I met Dave in March, when he was almost three weeks into his challenge. We met at the library, where I interviewed him for my blog (and of course played a game of catch). It was pretty clear even then that there was no way he was going to end his challenge after just 30 days.

As expected, Dave has not only blown past that 30-day goal, he’s extended it to more than 100 days — and there’s no sign the streak will be ending anytime soon.

Last week, I was honored to be Dave’s catch partner for day #100 of his journey. Our first impromptu catch session in front of the library was short, windy and cold. Last week was much better. We met at Charles Sexton Park; the weather was warmer and our catch session much longer. Our conversations ranged from my blog to his plans to do more writing, to the aggressive geese that kept chasing us off the path. And of course we talked about where his catch journey has taken him and what it has taught him.

He told me he hasn’t had much difficulty finding catch partners, many coming from social media and word of mouth. Friends recommend friends, and sometimes he even asks complete strangers (no one has declined his in-person invitations yet). There have been times when his scheduled catch partner hasn’t shown up, however. That’s when Dave turns to his “bullpen,” three or four people who are ready to play catch on a moment’s notice.

I asked him who some of his favorite catch partners have been. His list was a long one, but included Ike Walker (Negro League All Star catcher for Satchel Paige); Josh Rawitch (President of the Baseball Hall of Fame); his wife’s 101-year old grandmother; his wife, both of his kids and some close friends.

I asked him how the journey has changed his life in the last three months, to which he said,

I’m so much more intentional in the choices I’m making, which affects many areas of my life. I’m planning more, I’m becoming more organized. I’m learning to listen to people intently, which helps deepen my relationships in a more wonderful way.

He’s also realized that he wants to become a better writer, and perhaps even write a book about his personal catch journey.

What hasn’t changed, he added, is that every catch is unique and special, he still looks forward to playing catch every day, his wife has been very gracious and patient through the whole journey, and his son is his favorite catch partner. But most importantly, the journey is still all about connecting.

Now 106 days into his 30-day catch journey, Dave Tinnes has played catch 158 times. Some days there’s only one catch partner, other days two, occasionally three or more. But every single time is unique and every single connection significant.

He doesn’t see an end to the journey anytime soon, but instead is looking forward to where the journey might take him. In the months ahead, he hopes to do some more traveling, experience more unique venues, and play catch at different major league ballparks he and his son visit. And he really hopes he can have a game of catch with Mookie Wilson when he visits Rochester later this month.

Clearly this personal challenge has affected Dave Tinnes deeply. But what’s gone unsaid so far is how it’s also affected everyone he’s played catch with.

Dave wears his heart on his sleeve, and he exudes infectious positivity. He analyzes every moment in life for its lessons, and sincerely tries to listen — really listen — to everyone he meets. He lives every moment of his life, in the most complete meaning of the word. We could all learn from him and aspire to do the same.

If you’d like to schedule a time to play catch with Dave, he’d love to meet you. Drop him an email at Tbonedmt@yahoo.com.

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

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.

(posted 6/15/2023)

The spray parks are open!

8 Jun

Webster’s two spray parks are now open for the season, at Ridgecrest Park (off of Ebner Drive) and the beautiful, First Responders Spray Park near the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Dr.

The First Responders Park (pictured here) is especially fun for kids and families. It’s a firefighter-themed playground and splash pad, with a nearby pavilion. The splash pad has all sorts of water-fun features including a fire hydrant, a dalmatian fountain and fire truck slide.  

Ridgecrest’s spray park (pictured below) is a smaller facility, but is just a short walk from the center of the village. It also boasts an adjacent playground and skate park.

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

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.

(posted 6/8/2023)

Webster community mailbag

26 May

I’m starting off today’s mailbag with a Webster resident whose name is in the news. (Or at least in the press release I received from Centenary University.)

Equestrian Benjamin Hoban of Webster helped his Centenary University team take top honors at the 44th annual ANRC National Equitation Championships recently held in Aiken, SC. The team, which also included Caroline Mancini of Bradford, RI and Morgan Munz of Califon, NJ, won the title of National Collegiate Reserve Championship Team and the National Collegiate Individual Reserve Championship.

The competition for collegiate, junior, and adult amateur teams, sponsored by the American National Riding Commission, is judged and scored on equitation skills and sound horsemanship practices.

Centenary University’s main campus is in Hackettstown, NJ, with its equestrian facility in Washington Township.

From the Library

The Friends of the Webster Public Library have an exciting new offering for anyone who loves books. It’s their very first Vintage and Collectible Book Sale on Saturday June 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The event will offer more than 140 books in good or better condition at very attractive, fixed prices. There are lots of first editions or first printings, published anytime from the late 19th century to the previous decade of the 21st century. Books from authors in the Library of America series and from the NY Times Best Seller list will be displayed. You’ll find books about Rochester and upstate New York; a good-sized assortment of books about war and its weapons; a few Tolkien items; some juvenile fiction ranging from the Bobbsey Twins to Harry Potter; many, many books about music, art, popular culture, animals, health, business, history, biographies and more.

The sale will be held in the library’s Community Room, 980 Ridge Rd.

Also happening at the Webster Public Library is what should be a very interesting talk about the upcoming solar eclipse.

On Thursday June 1 from 6 to 8 p.m., Dan Schneiderman, the Eclipse Partnership Coordinator at the RSMC, will discuss the science and history of solar eclipses, and how to prepare for the total solar eclipse which we will experience her in Rochester on April 8, 2024.

This is going to be a very popular event, so registration is required. Click here to do so.

Time to clean out your garage

If you’re like me, you have a huge garbage bag or two of returnables hanging out in your garage, awaiting your motivation to take them back to the store. Well, the Webster Marching Band will be happy to take them off your hands.

The band’s next Bottle and Can Drive happens this Saturday June 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All you have to do is place those bags outside your house or at the end of the driveway, with a little note indicating they’re for the band, and they’ll be whisked away for a good cause.

Or, if you plan to be out and about on Saturday, you can drop them off at the collection site, Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Road, by 4 p.m.

OR, you can call the Bottle and Can Hotline (234-8684, option 1) ANYTIME to arrange a pickup at a time convenient for you.

The Market is Back!

Webster Joe Obbie’s Farmers’ Market returns for the summer on Saturday June 10, at Webster Towne Plaza, in front of Old Navy. It’ll be there every Saturday through the fall from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with fresh fruits, vegetables, specialty food items, flowers, plants, crafts and more.

Can’t make it on Saturday? Beginning Wednesday July 19, the market will also be set up at Charles Sexton Park (formerly North Ponds) from 4 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday.

I’ll post a more detailed blog soon about the market, but make a note on your calendar now.

Celebrate Summer

The Webster Recreation Center‘s annual Summer Celebration takes place Saturday June 10 from 4 to 10 p.m.

There’s live music, family fun, food trucks, and fireworks to end the evening. There’s no admission charge, so come on down for some great family time.

The Webster Recreation Center is located at 1350 Chiyoda Drive, and there’s plenty of parking.

Caring Community Concert series returns

Here’s another reminder that the United Church of Christ’s Caring Community Concert series is returning this summer, beginning July 12.

These concerts benefit local nonprofit organizations through free-will donations. The first one will feature Allegro, and proceeds will benefit the Webster Hope Food Pantry. The rest of the summer features:

  • July 19: Ruby Shooz
  • July 26: Prime Time Brass
  • Aug. 2: Dady and Ryan
  • Aug. 9: 8 Days a Week

There’s no admission charge, but each week the church collects a free-will offering benefiting that week’s chosen non-profit organization.

The UCC has been sponsoring these concerts for almost 20 years now, and through free-will offerings have raised tons of money for local non-profit organizations. People are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets and a picnic if they wish. There’s also a concession stand selling soda, hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork, and a weekly “special.”

The concerts all begin at 6:30 p.m., and food concessions begin at 6. The concerts are held on the United Church of Christ front lawn, at 570 Klem Rd. (In case of rain it’s moved indoors.) So put these concerts on your calendar now and plan to enjoy some great music for a good cause.

For more information about the concerts, click here.

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

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.

(posted 5/26/2023)