webster on the web

Barry’s Old School Irish hosted another epic party last night, this time in honor of the little pub’s 6th anniversary.

As the Barry’s pub family has grown, it’s become commonplace for these occasions to be rather well attended, and last night was no exception. Even before Barry’s Crossing took to the stage (er, corner) at 7:30, the place was shoulder-to-shoulder with well-wishers, and it pretty much stayed that way until I left around 11:30.

Add Jack the bagpiper, some Jamieson Irish dancers, free whiskey, and a bizarre green man into the mix, and it made for a terrific evening.

Here are a few photos from the evening, and you can click here to see many more.

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Webster Village Band members George “Skip” Mayo, Sylvia Farnand, Barbara Midura, and Sylvia Hungerford listen as Mayor Darrell Byerts reads the proclamation.

Can I see a show of hands? How many people reading this right now know that the Village of Webster has a Village Band?

I’m hoping there are a lot of hands up out there. Because believe it or not, this year marks the 50th anniversary of our Webster Village Band, a fact that was recognized Thursday night at the Webster Village Board meeting.

Just about every Thursday during the summer, the band presents outdoor concerts at the band shell at Harmony Park on Phillips Road. Add to that several special performances at events like the Farmer’s Market and their annual Christmas concert, and that adds up to more than 600 concerts in the band’s long career.

Band member Barbara Midura with the plaque.

That’s pretty impressive for a group that started out with just 10 members in 1967. Today that number has grown to about 60, and the band has become a treasured village asset.

The proclamation presented on Thursday recognized all of this, plus its humble beginnings on a stage in a converted school bus.  Several Village Band members were on hand to accept the recognition, which also included a congratulatory plaque.

You can read a little more about the Village Band in an Our Towns East Extra column I wrote about them in July, 2015.

The summer concert schedule has concluded, but there’s still one more chance this year to check out the band, at their annual Christmas concert. The date for this hasn’t been announced yet, but I’ll post it here when I find out, or you can keep checking the Village Band website.

Mayor Byerts mentioned that he was able to attend the band’s last concert of the summer, where he made several video recordings. He’s hoping to put them up on the village website, so stay tuned.

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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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Today, I share a short story about community.

My husband Jack and I were riding along the 104 bike path early Wednesday evening. We were headed east near Five Mile Line Road when we came upon a small car in the ditch. The driver, a 30-ish woman, had swerved to avoid another car which had cut her off, and ended up going off the side of the road. The tracks in the mud indicated her car traveled a good 100 feet or more before it stopped.

Being first on the scene, we immediately parked our bikes and ran to check on the passengers, which also included a young girl and a 3-month old baby.  Everyone was all right, although Mom was understandable pretty shaky. We chatted with the driver and I called 911.

Before we knew it, another three cars had stopped by the side of the road and four more people joined us. Everyone immediately fell into a different role.

One woman knelt down near the driver-side door for what seemed like forever, patiently comforting the driver and eventually convincing her to get out of the car and stand up on the bike path.

One man guided the young girl and her little brother up to the path, while another helped the driver contact her boyfriend to come pick her up.

Jack helped coordinate, I held the baby and kept the kids company on the bike path.

Before long, a young West Webster firefighter showed up. He and the other men worked together to pull the car out of the mud and drive it up to the side of the road. A NYS Trooper who had joined us suggested to the driver that we get her car off the highway while they waited for her boyfriend to arrive. So I slipped into the driver seat and drove the family to Lowe’s.

In the end, everything turned out OK. No one was hurt and the car had only suffered a scratch. The real story here is how caring people are.

Everyone who rushed to help came as strangers, and left as strangers. But for 45 minutes of our lives, we were one community — one family — simply helping someone who needed help.

Because that’s what good people do.

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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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WROC-TV Channel 8 will be concluding their 2017 Summer Tour of Rochester tonight when they visit Webster’s First Responders Park.

John Kucko will broadcast live from the park from 5 to 6:30 p.m. There will be giveaways and free ice cream for the first 30 people. The Webster Fire Department will be on hand with firefighters, freebies for the kids and trucks for them to explore.

Channel 8 is also teaming up with Kicks for Kids to collect shoes for students in need just in time for the new school year. When you come tonight, make sure to bring a pair of new of gently used shoes to donate.

First Responders Park is right next to the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive, just north of the village.

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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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It’s hard to find civility on the internet these days. Negativity threatens to overwhelm kindness, understanding and tolerance more and more each day. So when a bright light shines through the gloom, I feel it’s important to recognize it so that others can take hope.

It’s a Facebook page called Webster, Where Life is Worth Living  (WWLIWL). Unlike another well-traveled Webster Facebook page, there is no negativity whatsoever on this one. Bob Blind, the site’s administrator, simply will not allow it.

That admonition is actually the first thing you’ll see when you click into the site. Tacked to the top of the page is this welcoming post:

I wish to welcome all of the new people who have joined this group in recent weeks. Thanks for being here! The original “mission statement” for this group remains the same. Our goal is to have the most helpful and respectful Webster, NY group without all of the drama, sniping, bad language, flaming, and outright nastiness that is on display elsewhere.

As a result, Webster, Where Life is Worth Living is a friendly site where users are actually cordial to one another, and — more to the point — extremely helpful.

Need a recommendation for a roofer or electrician? WWLIWL is the place to go. Want to know about special events coming up in town? They’re posted there all the time. There are beauty shots of Webster and the surrounding area. There’s useful information about all sorts of topics, historical recollections, and so much more.

And it’s all positive.

The site is easy to join; all you have to do is ask. Check it out here and become part of the conversation. Because true to its name, Webster, Where Life is Worth Living is dedicated to highlighting all the good things about our town. And these days, we need to hear about the good things as often as possible.

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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 small group of gardeners descended on Schlegel Elementary School Wednesday morning to weed the school’s courtyard.

Webster Schlegel Elementary School’s beautiful courtyard got a face lift Wednesday morning, courtesy a handful of staff members and students, and one dedicated parent.

The courtyard, circumscribed by classrooms and hallways near the middle of the school, is a peaceful spot with a little stream, a pond with fish, a turtle and at least one frog, wildflowers, roses, a step-stone path and some benches.

And very often, lots and lots of weeds.

Schlegel kindergarten teacher Sarah Paprocki has taken the lead in trying to keep the landscaping manicured and the weeds at bay. Wednesday’s effort was part of that, and the small group of gardeners made great strides in cleaning up the area. As the school year progresses, she’s thinking about trying to get the entire student body involved in its upkeep by assigning different portions of the area to different classes.

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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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If you haven’t been down to Webster’s Joe Obbie’s Farmer’s Market yet, this would be a good weekend to check it out, especially if you have kids.

The Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday through October from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm in the Webster Towne Center Plaza (Target plaza) near the gazebo. Regional growers provide locally-grown veggies and fruits, baked goods, plants, maple syrup, honey, meats, and hand-crafted items.

And this Saturday, they’ll be helping kids go back to school by handing out gift bags to the first 50 children, ages 4 to 10, who attend.

That’s just part of the fun, however. The Webster Fire Department will be on hand with fire hats and coloring books for the kids, and a fire truck which the kids can climb into and explore. The Girl Scouts will host a KIDZ Korner at the gazebo with crafts and activities, and Walt Crum will be creating balloon art.

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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.