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Hot on the heels of a very busy and very entertaining summer activities schedule, the Village of Webster has announced its next round of events.

Beer Walk

Coming up on Saturday Sept. 14 is the next Beer Walk, sponsored by the Coach Sports Bar. From 4 to 7 p.m. you can stop into several bars and restaurants in town and sample a variety of brews.  Word on the street is that JoJo’s Bistro and Wine Bar will be open in time to participate, so you’re definitely going to want to check that out.

The walk will begin at the Coach on West Main St. Tickets are $12 and are available online here. Check there also for more details, including which venues will be participating in the walk.

Trick or Treat Trail

The 2019 Village of Webster Trick or Treat Trail takes place Saturday Oct. 26, beginning with a costume contest at 11, followed by the trail through the village from noon to 3 p.m. Stay tuned here for more details as that date approaches.

Bourbon Bash

Bourbon lovers are not forgotten. The next Bourbon Bash will be held on Saturday Nov. 16 at the Harmony House, from 6 to 9 p.m. Local and regional distillers will be on hand for you to taste their finest bourbons and whiskeys along with food sampling from the local restaurants. Tickets will be available in October for that event.

White Christmas in the Village

Capping off the year is one of my favorite village festivals, White Christmas in the Village. This year it is scheduled for Saturday Dec. 7 from 3 to 6 p.m., followed — of course — by the very popular Electric Parade at 6:30. More details to come about that event as well.

For more information about these events, visit www.websterbid.com

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Heritage Christian Stables, on Salt Rd. in Webster, has sent out a call for volunteers.

Heritage Christian Stables is a therapeutic riding program for children and adults with physical, social or developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism and spina bifida. Horseback riding is great therapy for all of these conditions, providing social, emotional and physical benefits.

The need is great in our area for programs like these, but without enough volunteers, it’s hard to serve that need.

In a release I recently received from Heritage, Volunteer Coordinator Niki Whilden goes on to explain that,

therapeutic horsemanship impacts a person’s physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual well being. The horse’s walk mimics the three dimensional movement of the human walk, offering riders the rhythmic movement and opportunities for improvement in balance, symmetry, and muscle strengthening. Participants are provided with cognitive tasks to improve following directions, sequencing, and meeting educational goals. Psychologically, it’s empowering for the rider to be able to control a 1,000-pound animal and develop a bond with a horse that positively affects the participant’s self-esteem and confidence.

Therapeutic horsemanship allows people to strengthen their bodies and minds, freeing their spirit to do the things they never thought possible. And best of all, it’s fun!

The continued success of the therapeutic horsemanship program relies heavily on volunteers, which help to run lessons year-round. Riders may require as many as three people to assist them – one “side walker” on each side of the horse and one “horse leader” responsible for guiding the equine. Experience is not required, and all necessary training is provided.

Heritage’s fall session begins Sept. 9, and they’ll need approximately 80 volunteers to help approximately 60 individuals ride horses during lessons offered  six days a week and varying times of the day.

For more information on how you can help, call (585) 872-2540 or email volunteerhcs@gmail.com.

“At Heritage Christian Stables,” Whilden added, “we believe the special bond between a rider and their horse can help people of all abilities reach beyond their limitations to achieve their dreams.”

Heritage Christian Stables is located at 1103 Salt Rd. If you’d like to read more about the great programs they offer, visit their website here. I also wrote a column about them several years ago, which you can find here.

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Each one of these notices, which I received via email this week, is worthy of a blog all to itself. But I thought I’d toss them in all together just to get them out there as soon as possible.

The Rochester Garlic Festival — formerly the Webster Garlic Festival — will be returning to the Webster Recreation Center in September. The event took last year off to regroup and is coming back bigger and stronger than ever. Organizers tell me there will be more than 100 vendors of all kinds (not just garlic), food trucks, beer, a children’s area, and an awesome entertainment lineup.

But they need your help to make sure it’s awesome. There are a lot of jobs, big and little, you can help with. Most won’t take much time, and then you can enjoy the festival! Click here for more information about what jobs are available and to sign up.

Are you a lady who loves to sing? Read on for a great opportunity.

Rochester Rhapsody, the Rochester chapter of Harmony, Incorporated, an international organization of female a cappella singers specializing in the barbershop harmony style, will spread their love of music during the summer season with open rehearsals for women of all ages.

Female guests can attend Rochester Rhapsody’s “Summer SINGsation” at Harmony House, 58 E. Main St. in the Village of Webster on August 19 and 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. during their open rehearsals. The two-week event will culminate in a concert performed for the local community on August 26 at Harmony House at 7:30 p.m. The event is free but donations for the concert are gratefully accepted.

Women of all ages can participate in vocal warm-ups and exercises in a relaxed environment, learn new songs, meet with other women, and enjoy an evening of singing and camaraderie. The chorus is currently working on a variety of songs, learning new music, and getting ready for an International Competition. Even if you’ve never sung a cappella or haven’t sung in a while, you’re welcome to join the fun.

For more information about “Summer SINGsation,” or more information about Rochester Rhapsody chorus, click here, email info@rochesterrhapsody.com or call 585-865-2731.

One of our area’s best-known and favorite restaurant chains is marking a pretty big anniversary.

Family-owned Charlie’s Restaurants is turning 50 years old this year, and is inviting the whole community to help them celebrate. They’re basically throwing a big party on Sunday, August 25, with live music, a “throwback” food menu, and fun and games for the whole family.

It all will take place at Charlie’s Webster location,  1843 Empire Blvd.; the Ontario location will actually be closed for the day so the staff there can enjoy the festivities in Webster.

For a look at Charlie’s full menu, visit charliesrestaurants.com.

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For those of you who might be wondering what the latest news is about possibly getting bike racks in the village, here’s an update. And the news is good.

The village, as we know, has purchased four bike racks, two with the Village of Webster logo and two with the bike logo. Jake Swingly, Superintendent of Public Works, has told me that the racks should be delivered to the village the week of August 20.

Based on the survey results which I presented to the Village Board, the racks will be installed 1) near Barry’s Old School Irish, 2) in front of Village Hall, 3) at Veterans’ Memorial Park, and 4) near the Village Bakery.

There’s no indication yet exactly WHEN the racks will be installed, but hopefully it will not be too long after delivery.

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East Main Street in the village just keeps getting better, and the latest new business to take up residence is making a lot of people very excited.

The Village Quilt Shoppe has quickly been taking shape in 21 E. Main Street, the former Mac 5 Bike Shop at the corner of Lapham Park. It’s owned and operated by Monique Liberti and Vanetta Parshall, two long-time friends who’ve been talking about opening a quilt shop for a while.

“We’ve been quilting together for several years, and been talking for several years about owning our own quilt shop,” Monique said. The idea became especially focused when Cafe Sewciety, on Empire Blvd., closed a few years ago.

Turns out that shop’s owner wasn’t interested in selling, and the idea took a back burner for a little while as life got in the way. But last November, the friends decided the time was right to rekindle their passion. They started looking in earnest for a location, and found the corner location in Webster, “which we thought was perfect,” Monique said.

A small army of family and friends has been helping the friends pull the shop together in what seems like record time — they only signed the lease in mid-June. Their efforts, and more than a little bit of money, have transformed the once-shabby shop into something beautiful.

The 1100-square foot storefront will be well stocked with a wide variety of fabrics (featuring eight or nine different designers) and notions, and includes space in the back for a quilters’ classroom accommodating up to 12 people. Some of their products won’t even be available in any other quilt shops in the area — or even New York State — like Cherrywood hand dyed fabrics, known for their suede-like look and vibrant colors.

But even more important than the products on the shelves, The Village Quilt Shoppe will offer a warm, relaxing atmosphere, complete with comfortable couches and chairs, where visitors will feel welcomed the moment they step through the door, whether they’re planning to buy something or not.

Monique and Vanetta hope to open The Village Quilt Shoppe this Friday Aug. 9, with a grand opening planned for Sept. 13 and 14, complete with raffles and fun activities. Stay tuned for more information about that. But in the meantime, stop by on Friday and welcome them to the neighborhood!

To read more about The Village Quilt Shoppe, click here.

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Tommy Gallatin with this new display case.

The next time you’re in the Webster Public Library, head on over to the reference desk and check out the new display case that’s just to its right. It was recently completed by Eagle Scout candidate Tommy Gallatin, in honor of hometown hero Don Holleder.

Holleder was a Webster resident who served in Vietnam as Operations Officer for the 28th Infantry Regiment, the Black Lions. On Tuesday October 17, 1967, he was killed by a sniper as he ran to the rescue of several soldiers trapped during the Battle of Ong Thanh. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on April 27, 2012. (Click here to read more about Holleder.)

The new display case includes a variety of information about Holleder, from college and military photographs to a rubbing of his name from the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.

Tommy explaoned why he decided to tackle this particular project:

Don shows that he dedicates his life of someone who always put other people over himself. He also had some relations to me because he played football and I currently play football right now and he was in the military and my dad Richard Gallatin was in the army as well.

The things that I decided to include in the display are a lot of pictures from Don’s football career. I even included a popular Sports illustrated magazine with Don Holleder on the cover of the magazine.

And what did he learn about Holleder from the project?

“He was an example of what a leader should be,” Tommy said, “because he puts other before him, and he does anything in his power to give a helping hand.”

Tommy is a Scout in Webster Troop 262, and will be entering his senior year at Webster Thomas High School this fall. His Eagle Scout board of review is later this month, and he hopes to celebrate his Eagle Scout ceremony shortly thereafter.

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Enjoying our wine on the newly updated patio space at Ploty’s, one of the stops on the Wine Walk.

I had a blast last night, wandering the village with a gaggle of girlfriends during the Webster Wine Walk. Perhaps a dozen businesses participated, offering up not just wine, but snacks, BBQ samples (at Good Smoke), even entire cold cut trays to make sandwiches (Furnari Jewelers). All the food was very much appreciated, by the way, ’cause we were drinking quite a bit of wine.

The only downer about last night was that the event didn’t appear to be as well attended as previous wine walks. And I don’t think that was because people were doing other things or just didn’t want to come. I say that based on the two times we were stopped by people driving by, asking us what we all were doing. One dad even said, “I would have done it, but I didn’t know about it!” So clearly the BID has to get the word out a lot better about this great event so more people can have as much fun as we did.

One of the extra benefits (for me, at least) to these regular wine walks is that I get to touch base with business owners old and new, and get an update on village happenings. Here are a newsy tidbits I came away with last night:

• There’s a new realtor in town, Cornerstone Realty, which as moved into the old Papa Reggio’s trophy shop at 17 W. Main Street. (Papa Reggio has moved to a much bigger location at the back of that building off the parking lot near the gazebo.) The location is so new that the business card that agent Tim Tobin gave me still has a Williamson address. Pop in sometime and welcome them to the village.
• ROC & Soul Fitness has expanded, and now has a dedicated cycling room. ROC & Soul was kind enough to host last night’s wine walk, and offered up some very nice snacks along with their wins (including Girl Scout cookies, thank you very much).
• JoJo Bistro and Wine Bar finally erected a sign on the back of their building, which indicates they’re still making progress on moving into the old Prime. I’ve learned from another source that they’re projected open date is now sometime in September, so stay tuned.
• Eric at Ploty’s Hometown Tavern is working on improving his front patio space, adding some extra seating with building some padded benches. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s to come.
• You may have noticed the sign in the window at 21 E. Main Street (the former Mac 5 Bikes) announcing the impending arrival of The Village Quilt Shoppe. We noticed some folks working in there when we walked by last night, so I invited myself in and met the new owner, Monique. She told me that they hope to open this coming Friday. I’ll be talking with her again shortly and will post more information later this week!

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BACK ROW: Coaches Tony Condello, Paul Hicks and Paul Ferruzza. MIDDLE ROW: Maddie Hicks, Rylei Altmire, Maddie Throumoulos, Meredith Holland and Lauren Currey. FRONT ROW: Laney Flynn, Maya Podzorof, Eliya Hagan and Ava West. LYING DOWN: Bizzie Baglieri and Sarah Ferruzza.

As promised, here’s some more details on the amazing season just completed by Webster Girls Softball WAA Xtreme Fastpitch Travel Team, which ended its season with its 5th championship win.

Thank you to coach Tony Condello for this write-up:

The 2006 Birth Year WAA Xtreme Fastpitch Travel Team finished its season on a very high note. It captured the 12U CAN-AM Softball tournament title late in the evening Sunday July 28th at Watertown, NY. The ’06 Xtreme went undefeated for the tournament while facing some of the best competition in Upstate NY.

This victory capped a very successful season for the Xtreme girls who finished with an overall record of 64-6-1. The team also won the Perry, Webster and Victor 12U Tournaments as well as the Webster Travel League championships earlier in the season.

Condello added, “These young ladies never give up no matter who the opponent or what the score. They fight to the end, each finding a way to contribute to the win.”

Congratulations, ladies! You make Webster proud.

Here’s a slide show with some more photos, courtesy Maureen Throumoulos:

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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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Just a quick note to tell you about a huge “yard sale” happening today in Webster just around the corner from me.

It’s hosted by the Webster Baptist Church, 59 South Ave. in the village. I happened to have some stuff left over from my recent move which I took over as donations for the sale, and was amazed by the incredible variety of items they have. (Check out some of my photos below from when they were setting up.)

The sale runs today (Friday) from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Word is that tomorrow is half-price day, so make sure go over today for the best selection, then again tomorrow for some more great deals!

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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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The village was looking beautiful last night, strung with twinkly lights from one side of West Main St. to the other. It was steamy and humid, but that didn’t keep thousands from coming downtown to enjoy some sweet, cool jazz.

I didn’t get photos of all the action, but you can click here to see a small gallery of the crowds and a few of the bands.

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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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