In a blog I posted last week, I told you all about some of the changes in store for the festival formerly known as “White Christmas.”
In a nutshell, in addition to all of the features everyone has come to love about White Christmas — including Santa, carolers, the bell choir, the festival wagon and the Parade of Lights — the newly christened “Webster’s Winter Wonderland” on Saturday Dec. 3 has also taken on an around-the-world theme.
But here’s an extra special, really fun wrinkle in the festival that I didn’t mention before: the Ugly Sweater Spectacular! (I just made that name up, so don’t hold the village to it.)
Everyone who attends the Winter Wonderland activities, and especially the parade, is encouraged to wear an ugly sweater. Even if your group is marching in the parade, you can all wear ugly sweaters. You don’t even have to go out and buy one. (They’re often hard to find this time of year.) Just take an old sweater and hang stuff on it! There will be a photo booth set up on Main Street in front of Lala’s where you and your family members can get your photo taken with your creative attire.
Getting the whole village to dress up in ugly sweaters will be tons of fun, but there’s also an ulterior motive. The Webster Business Improvement District, who brings you this holiday celebration every year, is hoping that next year we can set a record for the largest gathering of ugly sweaters and launch our little village into the Guinness Book of World Records. The record right now is about 3,500. We can certainly beat that.
So start making those sweaters, and stay tuned for more details about Webster’s Winter Wonderland, scheduled for Sat. Dec. 3.
If you lived in Webster, say, 12 or 13 years ago, you might remember this unusual garden, complete with a mini-waterfall. It stood at the the village’s four corners, welcoming visitors to our main business corridor. It adorned the storefront of the Living Plumber at 2 West Main St., and it stood for as long as I can remember.
That is, until the Living Plumber’s owner passed away, the village cleared it away, Danny and Jessica Barry moved in, and committed to turning that corner into something really special: a friendly little Irish pub.
For a long time now, it’s been clear to all of us that the Barrys have done that and so much more. With Barry’s Old School Irish, they’ve created a super-friendly, welcoming pub for the whole family. A place where you can set up your computer in the middle of the day to work while listening to musicians jamming in the corner. Where everyone who comes in is immediately considered part of the family.
Barry’s Old School Irish has not only changed that corner for the better, it has changed our village.
This weekend, on Saturday Nov. 19, Danny and Jessica Barry will celebrate their little pub’s 11th anniversary. The party begins at 7 p.m. with live music by Irish rocker Billy Herring, Jameson Irish Whiskey reps will be on hand all night with samples and giveaways, dancers from the Jamieson Irish Dance school will perform, some bagpipers will be stopping by, and the Official Toast (always an epic event) takes place at 9:30.
I’m pleased and proud to say I’ve been an extended member of the Barry’s Pub family since before they even opened, when I popped in to interview the new owners for this blog and took that iconic picture of them holding the sign that would soon adorn the outside of their pub. There were no pictures on the walls, no musicians in the corner, no cheeseburgers on the grill or soup in the pot. Just two young kids with a dream which they continue to expand upon every single day.
If you STILL haven’t stopped by this little Irish corner of the world, at 2 West Main Street right smack in the middle of the village, you’re missing something special.
The Village of Webster held a brief, but well attended, Veterans Day ceremony this morning at Veterans Park on North Ave. It was actually so brief that when I arrived around 11:15, it had already concluded. But it was nice to see all of the veterans and their family members still hanging about, chatting, hugging, and clearly enjoying celebrating the warm and not-yet-rainy day with others.
After the ceremony, the veterans and their families were invited to drive around the back side of Village Hall and grab a lunch, catered by Brimont Bistro, handed to them through their car windows by Village employees.
Thank you, Village of Webster, for this kind gesture. But mostly, thank you veterans for your service.
The Village of Webster’sWhite Christmas celebration is taking on a new name and a new ’round-the-world theme this year.
The day-long event, scheduled for Saturday Dec. 3, has been re-christened “Webster’s Winter Wonderland.” The Webster Business Improvement District (BID), which organizes the festival every year, has been working hard with the Webster CSD and the Webster PTSA to add a multicultural flavor to the very popular annual event.
All of the best parts of White Christmas are still planned, including Santa, festival wagon rides, carolers, the bell choir, and of course, the Parade of Lights. Veterans Memorial Park will once again be transformed into Santa’s Workshop with cookies, hot cocoa, storytime, crafts, and the jolly old elf himself visiting with children at the gazebo.
The exciting new twist on the festival, the ’round-the-world activities, will take place on East and West Main streets, which will be closed for the afternoon and evening. The BID is inviting our local business owners to each represent a different country and set up displays (either inside our outside) highlighting their chosen country’s winter holiday traditions. The displays might just be informational, or they might include crafts, take-away items, and even ethnic cuisine.
Several businesses have signed up already. For example, Mozzeroni’s Pizza will be representing Italy, Barry’s Old School Irish has chosen (you guessed it) Ireland, and Finn’s Garage will be showcasing Japan.
Details are still being hammered out, so stay tuned for those. But definitely put this on your calendar right now, because it’s going to be one of the best festivals of the Webster year.
Webster’s Winter Wonderland will take place on Saturday Dec. 3 from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in the Village of Webster. The incredible Parade of Lights, hosted by the Webster Volunteer Fire Dept. (thank you WVFD!) begins at 6:30 p.m.
Do you still have some candy left over from Halloween? Consider trading it in at Webster Pediatric Dentistry’s Candy Buyback, happening through this Thursday Nov. 10.
Turn your candy in for a prize, and they’ll make a donation to the Webster Community Chest. You can also enter to win an Amazon gift card.
Webster Pediatric Dentistry is located at 39 West Main St. in the Village of Webster.
Two — count them, TWO — craft fairs are coming your way.
The first is this coming Saturday Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive.
More than 30 vendors will be there, and proceeds will benefit the Webster Association of Senior Program Supporters. Check out the flier below for more information.
The second craft fair is being held at Schlegel Elementary School on Saturday Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will benefit the Schlegel PTSA. More information on the flier below.
The Village of Webster will hold a Veteran’s Day ceremony this Friday Nov. 11 in Veterans Memorial Park on North Ave.
The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., after which the Village Board will host a free takeout lunch for all veterans, current military personnel and their families, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the parking lot behind 29 South Ave.
Absentee ballots are now available for the Webster Central School District Capital Project Vote on Dec. 13.
Qualified voters of the district who will be unable to attend the polls on the day of the vote, for reasons outlined on the absentee ballot application, may wish to use an absentee ballot. Voters must apply for the ballot in advance. Absentee ballot applications are available from District Clerk Cynthia Cushman, 119 South Ave., Webster.
All absentee ballot applications must be RECEIVED by the district clerk at least seven business days prior to the vote if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the vote if the ballot is to be picked up personally by or for the voter.
The Webster CSD Capital Project Vote takes place Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Webster Schroeder High School gymnasium, 875 Ridge Rd., Webster.
Here’s a look at what the Webster Public Library has going on this month:
Do you know about Naloxone? This is an emergency medication, a nasal spray, that can save the life of a suspected opioid/heroin overdose patient.
An upcoming FREE online Naloxone training session, hosted by the Webster Health & Education Network (WHEN), will teach local residents how to administer Naloxone. The class will be held via Zoom on Monday Nov. 14 from 6 to 7 p.m. You can get more information and register online here.
This wonderful grassroots organization has been bringing holiday joy to local families for nine years now. They started in 2014 helping just 13 families. Last year they brightened the lives of 375 families, providing winter gear, beds, bedding, household necessities, food and gifts.
But Making Spirits Bright needs community support to make all this happen. They’re looking for businesses, groups and individuals to adopt families’ lists (two family members or more). If you’re interested, or know someone else who might be, email thegoodnessinitiative@gmail.com. They’ll be happy to send more information.
If you can’t commit to adopting a family, here are a few other ways you can help:
They need beds. A LOT of beds. They’re collecting twin, full and queen-size mattresses, box springs and frames that are in GOOD condition. Email thegoodnessinitiative@gmail.com if you have a donation, and they’ll schedule a time with you to drop them off.
Adopt one person. You may be as specific as you’d like regarding age and gender identity. They can’t guarantee you’ll get an exact match, but they’ll try their best to accommodate wherever possible.
Organize a Drive. Host a donation drive to collect items like toiletries, cleaning supplies, wrapping paper, boxes, tags, gift cards and feminine hygiene items.
Purchase from the Community List. You can purhcase one item for one person or several items for numerous people. The list is typically posted on the Making Spirits Bright Facebook page by mid-November.
Make a monetary donation. The organization appreciates any monetary donations, large and small, which are used to ensure all the needs of the families are met. Contributions can be made via PayPal with a credit or debit card here (a PayPal account is not needed to make a donation).
The Village of Webster’s annual Bourbon Bash takes place this Saturday Nov. 5 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Harmony House, 58 E. Main St.
Sample bourbons and whiskey from local and national distilleries, complemented by food samples from local restaurants.
This very popular event is brought to you by the Webster Business Improvement District and Webster Wine and Spirits. Tickets are $25 and are limited. They might already be gone, but you can check here to see if there are any left.
Santa’s Garage Sale is happening this weekend as well, at St. Martin Lutheran Church on Thursday and Friday Nov. 3 and 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is all about Christmas and holiday decorations, which you can pick up at some really good prices. (Certainly better prices than you’ll find in the stores.) There will also be other holiday decorations and toys.
St. Martin Lutheran Church is located at 813 Bay Rd., Webster. Click here to read more about this great event.
Don’t forget about the Friends of Webster Trails’ Hot Cocoa Hike this Saturday Nov. 5.
This fun, free, self-guided hike will take place at Four Mile Creek Preserve (corner of Phillips and Lake roads), from 7 to 8:30 p.m. It’s about 1.5 miles long and will include a stop for hot cocoa. The trail will start at the parking lot and be marked by lights along the way.
Please leave your dog at home, bring a flashlight and your own travel mug.
In honor of Veterans Day, Spry Middle School will once again welcome One Webster veterans and active duty service members and their families to a free, in-person dinner in their honor.
On Thursday Nov. 10 from 4 to 6:30 p.m., students and other volunteers will serve up spaghetti, salad, bread, and dessert in the school’s cafetorium. Reservations are requested. Please call Spry Middle School at 216-0093.
The event is sponsored by Spry Middle School Builders Club, Webster-Fairport B.P.O. Elks #2396, Spry Middle School Student Council, Wegmans, Walmart, and Hegedorn’s in appreciation of the service of local veterans and active duty service members.
What a spectacular day it was yesterday for the Village of Webster’s annual Trick-or-Treat Trail! So many children and their adults came to town for the event that I do believe business owners were a bit overwhelmed, some of them running out of candy pretty early.
I tried to make three or four rounds of the streets and take pictures of many of the outstanding costumes. Sorry if I didn’t see you and your kids, but please feel free to send along your photos and I can add them to the gallery.
Usually it’s during the summer months that the special events pile up so fast I can barely mention them all. But summer’s got nothing on this coming weekend.
Things start off on Friday evening, Oct. 28, with a Community Food Truck Rodeo to benefit the Webster Montessori School. As you can see on the poster here, the trucks that you’ll find include Pop Up & Eats, Waffles R Wild, Al Dente Mobile Pasta, Marty’s Meats and Kona Ice.
The rodeo takes place at the school, 1310 Five Mile Line Rd. (next door to Bauman’s Farm Market) from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday.
It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful autumn day on Saturday, Oct. 29 for these next few events:
At 10 a.m., The Friends of Webster Trails is hosting a Cars Along the Creek Hike at Four Mile Creek Preserve, at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads.
The two-hour guided hike will introduce participants to the many abandoned cars you can see along the preserve’s trails. Apparently the land on which the preserve is now located was once used by the local youth as a makeshift racetrack in the early 1960s. Among the cars you’ll see are:
* 1951 Chevrolet Styleine Deluxe Bel Air * 1961 Ford 500 Galaxy Club Victoria * 1959 Nash Rambler * 1959 Chevy Bel Air * 1954 Plymouth Belvedere Suburban * 1949 Green Nash Airflyte
The hike is free, and begins at the parking lot on Phillips Rd.
One of the Village of Webster’s most popuar events, Halloween in the Village, returns this Saturday, beginning with a costume contest from 11 a.m. to noon at Village Hall.
The Trick-or-Treat Trail begins at 11:30 a.m., where children can stroll the village streets and trick-or-treat at dozens of village businesses. Look for the orange pumpkins in storefront windows to see which businesses are participating.
The Festival Wagon will be taking riders along Main Street, and don’t forget to get your pet involved in the fun; the Pet Costume Contest, complete with prizes, takes place on Main St. at 1 p.m. (Click here for a recap of last year’s Trick or Treat Trail, including lots of photos.)
While you’re in town for the Halloween festival, make sure to stop by the Webster Volunteer Fire Department during their open house. They’ll have candy, of course, but this is also a great opportunity for your kids to visit with real firefighters, climb into a fire truck, see some demonstrations, and get a fire hat.
The Fire Department is at 35 South Ave. Just look for the big red trucks in the driveway.
ALSO on Saturday during Halloween in the Village, take the short stroll down to 18 Lapham Park and stop into the Webster Museum. They’ve put together a scavenger hunt and a contest, and have some Halloween treats for everyone. Plus, there will be plenty of helpers there to give you a tour through the museum if you’d like one.
Then, after the village Halloween, how about taking in some great music at the New Horizons Combined Band Concert at Willink Middle School.
New Horizons is a really cool band which welcomes all adults, even those with no musical experience. These enthusiastic concert and symphonic band musicians will be performing their fall, combined concert at Willink, on Publisher’s Parkway, beginning at 4 p.m.
There’s no charge. Check back here in a day or two for a more complete blog about this great organization.
And here’s your Saturday evening entertainment:
The Webster Recreation Center’s Pumpkins on Parade is Saturday from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
This is a very fun, family-friendly event where young and old can take a leisurely walk along the Chiyoda Trail behind the Rec Center and view hundreds of creatively carved jack-o-lanterns. At the end of the trail, there’ll be music, a kids’ slide, a mini hay maze, a bonfire, free cider and donuts, a family photo area and kids’ activities. Plus, professional pumpkin carver Eric Jones, t
The festival is totally free. The Webster Recreation Center is on Chiyoda Drive, off of Phillips. Click here to read more about this great event.
…and if you get to all of these events on Friday and Saturday, plan on sleeping late on Sunday. You’ll need the rest.
BUT THERE’S MORE!
If you need to work off some of that candy and good food, the Webster Parks and Recreation Department has got you covered.
They’re hosting their third annual Halloween-themed fitness class sampler on Sunday from 9 to 10:30 a.m., which is absolutely free and open to the community. This year’s theme is disco, and the instructors will be handing out funky glasses and disco ball necklaces until supplies run out.
You might have noticed the recent “Bit of Webster History” feature I wrote for the Webster Museum when it was published in the Webster Herald and the weekly Town newsletter. It told the story of two houses, which now sit across from one another on Corning Park in the Village of Webster, and how they used to be one house.
I heard the story from my friend Karen a few years ago and it has fascinated me ever since. I knew it was going to be one of my first History Bit features when I took over the reins a few months ago.
The story reads:
Anyone who’s ever walked or driven down Corning Park in the Village of Webster probably hasn’t noticed anything unusual about the houses on that peaceful little street. However, two of those houses, which stand across the street from one another, do have a curious history: in the early 1900s, they used to be one house.
Around 1859, a spacious boarding house was built at 71 Corning Park, to serve students from the adjacent Webster Academy. The Academy and boarding house were discontinued in 1876 when the Union Free School was established, and for the next 50 years, 71 Corning Park remained a two-family dwelling. In 1928 it was purchased by Gordon Witmer and Amos Taylor, who divided it into two units. The larger portion remained at 71 Corning Park, and the smaller north wing was moved across the street to 76 Corning Park.
Unfortunately, no photos of the original boarding house have ever been found, but the two, now separate residences, still stand across the street from each other on Corning Park. Additions and renovations have changed their appearance significantly from when they were one house in the early 1900s. But if you look carefully and use your imagination, maybe you can picture what they looked like together.
For the sake of newsprint space, I try to keep these bits fairly short. But it was story that so intrigued me that I wanted to dive deeper into it for my blog. So several days ago sat down for coffee with Dave and Kathy Whitlock, longtime owners of 76 Corning Park, the smaller, former north wing of the house. They provided some interesting details I hadn’t come across in my earlier research.
Kathy first gave me a quick tour, explaining the many renovations and additions completed since they bought the home in 1965. I learned about the huge, 7-inch beam holding up the living room which still has bark on it, and how some of the original beams are charred, perhaps from a fire at the adjacent boarding house before the wing was moved. A few hand-wrought nails, found during a renovation, are displayed in a small shadowbox.
Dave and Kathy think they know why it was divided. When the two-family home was bought in 1928 by Gordon Witmer and Amos Taylor, Witmer — who was getting married — wanted a separate house for himself and his bride. So he divided it, moving the north wing directly across the street, so that the back of the house became the front, and the front the back. (Too bad no photos of that move have been found.) Witmer was going to move into that half, but as it turned out, the new, smaller, house sold first, so they moved into the larger half.
There’s a woman buried in the back yard of 76 Corning. The Williams family, who lived there decades ago, had a relative who would visit from England. At the time, the land was a huge apple orchard (The Corning Farm). The woman used to love sitting under an apple tree in the back yard and drinking beer, and asked to be buried there. The apple tree is gone, but her ashes are still there.
Dave also tells the story about how the man from whom they bought the house in 1965, a Mr. Jenkins, emphatically denied that it had once been connected to the house across the street. I would have thought that’d be a unique selling point for the property, but apparently he didn’t think so.
On a side note, I mentioned earlier that I heard about this story from my friend Karen. She remembers learning about the houses during a village tour her fourth grade class took decades ago. That tour has long been dropped from the elementary school curriculum, but maybe that decision should be reconsidered. After all, look at how much that little piece of Webster history interested that young person, and then me, and now you.
Two uber-fun Village of Webster events are happening at the same time Saturday afternoon and evening, filling West Main Street (and beyond) with music, beers and good friends.
The first is the Village of Webster Beer Walk, taking place 4 to 7 p.m. Participants will wander through the vlllage and pop into more than a dozen local businesses, which will be providing snacks and samples of craft beers, poured in your own personal mini pint glass. I did this last year with a bunch of friends and we had the most rollicking, wonderful, laugh-filled time, despite the cold, wet and windy weather.
This year promises to be much milder, so I’m really looking forward to getting together again with my crazy friends (and a few crazy daughters) for a delightful wander through the village.
Click here to read my account of last year’s event, and click here to order your tickets for the walk. They cost $20 and need to be purchased in advance.
BUT NOT ONLY THAT. The Village’s Oktoberfest and Family Games Night is also happening Saturday night, from 5:30 to 8:30 on West Main Street, featuring Rochester’s best-known Oktoberfest band, the Krazy Firemen.
What’s great about this timing is that Beer Walkers can roll right into the fun and music. Or, even if you’re not participating in the walk, you can come down with the whole family for games, food and drink. Dancing With Denise will be there again to get the kids dancing, too.
No charge for this event. So come on down and bring your friends and neighbors.
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
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