webster on the web

One of two incredible murals which grace the walls of Press On Main.

East Main Street is beginning to come alive again, at least a little bit, and Press On Main is leading the way — very colorfully, I might add.

The new screen print shop/artists’ corner, owned by Noah Calieri and Cory Ward,  opened in May in the old Singh Mart at 21 East Main Street. They even hosted a soft opening celebration on June 22, complete with food, live music and raffles.

But all of that actually happened so quietly that I didn’t even know about it until last week, when a friend of mine noticed the shop and told me about it.

But despite its low-key introduction to our village, I think Press On Main is going to make a splash very soon.

Walk into the new shop on the corner of East Main and Lapham Park and the first thing you notice is an explosion of color. Aside from a few t-shirt racks and Calieri’s desk, the front of the shop is still rather bare. The walls, on the other hand, are bursting with color from murals and art pieces. But you probably won’t recognize any of the artists’ signatures, and that’s by design.

Noah Calieri in his shop

Calieri says the main purpose of his shop is as a “showcase for the amateur artist, somebody that’s not already selling their art….It’s awesome that people just make art and nobody looks at a lot of it. I want that to be where the spotlight is.”

So he envisions having a lot of “little” art shows to highlight these occasional artists and help them celebrate their work. He’s even playing around with the adorable idea of having an art show for toddlers or maybe a stick-figure competition. He’d hang their “art” on the walls, and have all the kids come together for an art-themed play date.

But as much as Press On Main is about artists, it’s mostly about screen printing. Calieri is first and foremost a graphic designer and screen printer. His services are geared especially for businesses and organizations who need smaller lots of t-shirts, like for staff members or 5K races. But what he’s really hoping to do is use his screen-printing expertise to help artists recreate their art, duplicate it and display it on a variety of media.

“I’ll give (artists) a service to do posters, t-shirts, just about any media that we can put a print on,” even including things like canvas or wood. The options are really endless. Just check out the rainbow-colored cowboy hats in the front window.

Calieri is still finishing up some paperwork with the town, so he can’t sell anything from his storefront quite yet. And he doesn’t even have any regular hours; they’ll be established when he has his grand opening, tentatively planned for early August.

But when you see the front door propped open, make sure to stop in and say hi to Noah. Then keep an eye on this little shop, because I think it’s going to do big things for our village.

Press On Main is located at 21 East Main Street in the village of Webster. They’re not on Facebook or have a website yet, but you can connect with them on Instagram at 21EMainArt.

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Here’s a quick note about a nice event:

The Webster Fairport Elks Lodge #2396 observed Flag Day on Sunday June 10. They invited area Scouts to help them present the many flags that have been used in our great country.

Pictured are Scouts from Pack 363, Pack 463, Troop 110 and Troop 163, and Timothy Hill, Exalted Ruler of the Webster-Fairport Elks.

Thank you to Troop 110 Assistant Scoutmaster Amy Kniffin for sending this along.

What a gorgeous day for this year’s Memorial Day parade! We deserved it after the rainy year we had in 2017. Boy, it was warm, though (I really felt bad for the Webster Marching Band members who always have to march in full regalia for this parade).

Were you there? If not, I got a photo of pretty much every contingent in this year’s parade, and several from the ceremony at Webster Union Cemetery.

Thanks to all the kids who smiled sweetly for my camera, and to all the parents who let them!

Click here to see all my photos.

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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.

 These enthusiastic young ladies were a part of last year’s Memorial Day parade. 

Looks like Mother Nature is going to bless us with beautiful weather for the next several days, and it might even last through Memorial Day. If you’re anything like me, you’ve already got lots of plans to celebrate the holiday weekend with friends and family.

For me, taking time out to watch Webster’s Memorial Day parade is high on that list.

This is always a very nice parade, and the ceremony that follows it at Webster Rural Cemetery is always moving. I highly recommend bringing your children to see both the parade and the ceremony, so they might begin to understand the huge debt we owe our servicemen and women.

Here are the details of Webster’s Memorial Day parade and ceremony, held Monday May 28.

• 9:00 a.m.:  All groups participating in the parade will assemble at Spry Middle School on Sanford Street. All active duty and ex-service men and women are invited to take part in the parade. Any veterans who would like to ride in the bed of an Army truck are asked to be at Spry by 9 a.m.
• 9:30 a.m.:  Parade moves out from Spry, down South Avenue, turning west on Main Street and proceeding to Webster Rural Cemetery.
• 9:50 a.m. (approx.): Parade arrives at Webster Rural Cemetery.

This year’s ceremonies are dedicated in memory of the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, and to those who served and/or gave the ultimate sacrifice in that war.

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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 concert at Willink precedes the regular concert schedule, and will be something quite special. This from the press release:

On Thursday, May 10, the Webster Village Band will join students at Willink Middle School, 900 Publishers Parkway in Webster, at 7 p.m. to perform a side by side concert. It will be directed by Matt Osika from Willink Middle School, Village Band director Tom Indiano, and associate director Sue Siegmund.  Each band will perform a few selections individually, and will join together to play Star Wars Saga, music by John Williams.  Included in this rendition are the Main Theme from Star Wars, The Imperial March, Han Solo and the Princess, The Jedi Steps, Rey’s Theme, Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle, March of the Resistance, and The Throne Room (And End Title).

Admission to the concert is free.

In addition to all of these concerts, stay tuned for more information about the band’s annual appearance at the Joe Obbie Farm Market’s Christmas in July event.

The Webster Village Band is comprised of musicians who span several generations, from teens to octogenarians. They have one thing in common, though:  a passion to make music. The band is always looking for new members who want to join in the fun. If you’re interested, contact Harvey Cohen at hcohen@rochester.rr.com

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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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So, the corner of Five Mile Line and Ridge Road is a mess. I mean a REAL mess in all four directions. Like at most times of the day it’s best to find a completely other way around rather than drive through it.

I know that this is just a temporary situation and eventually the aggravation will be worth it. After all, we’ve been whining about Ridge Road improvements for a long time.

But frankly, I have some nagging doubts that all the work will alleviate the traffic problems. That’s mostly because when they upgraded the traffic lights at that intersection last year, they managed to make things worse by eliminating at least one of the right turn arrows that facilitated turns from Five Mile Line.

And the DOT in their infinite wisdom STILL doesn’t realize that pretty much every light on Ridge Road between the village and Hatch Road can afford to be on blinker after midnight. I can’t believe I’m the only one who’s been stuck waiting for all the traffic to come out of the Kmart plaza and CVS at 2 a.m.

I can’t wait until the construction moves to Hatch Road, which will really flummox my drive to work.

Enjoy spring and construction season, everyone! (Just stay off of Ridge.)

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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 sun was shining brightly (finally) and the temperatures were reasonable (finally) on Saturday, making it a perfect day for a celebration.

The occasion was the grand opening for Beyond Cuts Salon at 33 North Ave. The salon itself is well known in town — it’s been owned and operated in the village by Robyn Whittaker for ages. But after 15 years at a small location on West Main Street, Robyn finally was able to move up and out in January to her beautiful new location, directly across North Ave. from Gazebo Park and the Waffle Factory.

Dozens of well-wishers were on hand to take part in the official ribbon cutting, and afterwards enjoyed all sorts of snacks and beverages. Robin also had baskets of giveaways for both children and adults, and a raffle.

I had never been in the salon until Saturday, and I have to say it is a thing of beauty, and very sunny. It’s basically huge — at 1500 square feet, it’s five times bigger than the space she had before. All that extra space has allowed Robyn to add lots of services and amenities, including:

• a style station where people can try out curling irons and blow dryers while they wait
• a children’s play area
• a private body waxing room
• an expanded manicure area, and more
• and a huge bathroom (“the last one we had was about as large as this sink,” Robyn laughed.)

Even with all these new services and amenities, Robyn finds something else entirely most exciting: her on-site laundry room. “For 17 years I dragged the towels back and forth to  my house.” she said. “Now I can do them in the back room which is super exciting.”

Robyn also likes the history of the building, which used to be the old Webster Cleaners. .

“People come in here and say, ‘I used to bring my dry cleaning here.’ It’s kind of cool being in a building that people actually came to all the time.”

Check out the new Beyond Cuts Salon for yourself. You’ll find them online here and on Facebook here.

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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.