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Photos from the Kiddie Parade!

11 Jul

The rains threatened but never arrived for last night’s Kiddie Parade in Webster. It was, once again, an adorable and entertaining event, made better this year by the participation of the Webster High School Marching Band Kidets, who did a great job on their inaugural march.

I’m not going to say much about the parade itself, except that maybe next year I’ll FINALLY figure out what the parade route is and make sure it’s correct in my blog.  If you’d really like to see a story about the event, check out today’s D&C; they sent a reporter and a photographer last night. Click here to see the article.

But I will rely on my gallery of almost 80 photos to tell the story for me.  Click here or on any of the photos on this page to see the gallery.

 

Webster Kidets join this year’s Kiddie Parade

9 Jul

Director Brian Wilt leads his Kidets on a march around the Schroeder parking lot.

Our little village has its share of parades, but I think my favorite of them all is the Kiddie Parade. This adorable event is Webster’s smallest parade, which takes place every year the evening before Webster’s biggest parade, the Firemen’s Parade.

Compared to the Firemen’s Parade, which marches down Main Street for a full mile and lasts about two hours, The Kiddie Parade winds through south-side neighborhood streets, and lasts maybe 15 minutes.

But it’s the cutest thing EVER.

The Kiddie Parade gives children young and old (read: “adults”) perhaps the only chance they’ll ever have to march in a real parade. Entire families gussy up their wagons and scooters with streamers and signs and dress in coordinated costumes, and just have a blast. Many of the kids even get into true parade spirit and whip candy at the assembled crowds as they march.

This year’s Kiddie Parade, which takes place this Wednesday beginning at 7:00 pm, will be better than most because there’s going to be a special guest of sorts. This year marks the very first appearance of the Webster Kidets, a performance group introduced this year to give younger musicians a chance to see what being in a marching band is like.

The Kidets are comprised of about 20 fifth and sixth-grade musicians and four color guard members, all of whom have been practicing on and off for the last few months under the tutelage of Webster Marching Band Director Brian Wilt and a whole host of Marching Band student and adult assistants. In that short time these kids have learned a brand new piece of music and learned to march as a unit. Sort of.

I stopped by the band’s final practice last night at Webster Schroeder High School and came away very impressed by how far this band has come in such a short time. Sure, the performance wasn’t as tight as you’d expect from a polished marching band; the instrumentation was rather rough and the marching not particularly coordinated. But in step or not, these kids marched with poise and pride, befitting the fact they are a Webster marching band.

I can’t wait to see — and hear — them in the Kiddie Parade tomorrow night.

The Webster Kiddie Parade begins at 7:00 pm on Wednesday July 10 at Spry Middle School on South Avenue. It marches north on South Avenue, turns east onto Dunning, then heading down Sanford Street to the Firemen’s Field to officially open the carnival.

I took a bunch of photos at last night’s rehearsal. Click here or on any one of these to go to a gallery.

 

 

Where, o where are the story ideas?

5 Jul

Yesterday, a friend of mine was talking with me about my blog, and mentioned that she noticed I haven’t been posting as often as I used to. Naturally, she thought that was because it was summer and perhaps I kind of took a holiday of sorts from blogging.

Well, she was partly right.  As soon as school’s over, anything resembling a daily schedule in my life totally disintegrates.  On hot summer days I’m much more likely to feel like NOT doing anything at any particular moment, including blogging.

But that’s only part of the story. In the summer, the incoming blog ideas tend to slow down to a crawl.  I know there must be a lot of things going on out there, but too often I don’t hear about them until too late — or not at all.

So folks, if your organization has an event coming up, let me know about it and I’ll help spread the word.

Like the notice I just got from Jonathan Smalter at Yesterday’s Muse Books, who tells me that he has just begun a new blog of his own, which can be found at http://musebooks.wordpress.com.  It’s going to be a very good way to keep up on what’s happening at the shop, and will keep true bibliophiles happy with some interesting posts that delve into the beauty of books and literature (like his recent posts about early imprints and first editions).

Yesterday’s Muse will also be holding a sidewalk sale every Friday and Saturday this summer, so you can check out some of their special deals yourself.  Books will be $1 each or $8 a bag.

So what’s going on in your neighborhood?

 

Thursday mailbag

20 Jun

I’ve got pages and pages of events to tell you about.

Wait. This is digital. It’s all one page.  OK, I have one verrrrrry long page of events to tell you about, so get your calendars.

Webster’s first Helping Hands in the Village promotion is going on right now, and runs through Saturday the 22nd.  During this event, participating retailers donate a portion of their sales the the whole week to a selected local charity.

This week the following businesses are participating:  Yesterday’s Muse Books, The Coach Sports Bar, Metro Sports Brokers, Webster Gourmet, Professional Nutrition Services, Finns Garage, Beyond Cuts Salon and The Goodie Shop.

The selected charities include Webster Hope House, Webster Monarch House, The Webster Museum, Relay for Life to Fight Cancer, Webster Comfort Care Home and the Webster Assoc. of Senior Program Support.

* * *

Fourth of July fireworks come a little early this summer to Webster.

The Summer Celebration will be held on Saturday June 22 from 4-10 pm at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive. This is a terrific family event with hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage, pizza, ice cream. games and crafts, land inflatables, a zip line, laser tag, and lots more.

Entertainers will keep the event hopping all afternoon and evening, headlined by the Empire Statesmen at 5:30, the West View Project at 6:15, and the Skycoasters at 7:15. And of course, there’ll be fireworks, beginning at 9:45.

Bring a blanket and some lawn chairs and have some summertime fun with friends and family.

* * *

Webster Thomas’ Cross Country team will host its third annual 12-hour relay to raise money for Reece’s Rainbow, an organization that facilitates international adoptions for children with Down syndrome. This year’s event will be held Saturday June 22, from 9 am to 9 pm at the Webster Thomas track. This year’s event, dubbed the “Run for Edik,” will support the adoption fund for Edik, a Ukrainian infant adopted by the Braithwaite family of Victor and awaiting his homecoming to the United States.

Current, future, and former Webster Thomas Cross Country runners and their friends will converge on the Thomas track for the relay Run for Edik. Teams of 10 runners will send one member of their team at a time to run one mile around the track before passing a baton off to a teammate. It is anticipated that each runner will have completed a total of between 7-10 miles by the end of the 12-hour relay.

Prior to the event, participating runners will solicit tax-deductible donations to Reece’s Rainbow to support Edik’s adoption fund. Donors may also contribute by visiting http://lightingourseps.blogspot.com.

* * *

A walk-a-thon scheduled for next week will raise money to send teens to summer camp.

The Walk-A-Thon for Young Life will be held at North Ponds Park on Tuesday June 25, starting at 6 pm (rain date June 27). Money raised will help send teens to Saranac Camp this summer. A portion will also help pay for buses to transport them.  Cold Stone Creamery will be on hand, and will be donating a portion of their profits to help pay for the buses as well.

Young Life is a Christian outreach to high school and middle school teens. The group’s goal is to develop friendships with teens and share the good news of God’s love for them. For more details on Young Life in Rochester East please visit our site Youngliferoc.com.

* * *

Also on Tuesday June 25, Cherry Ridge will host a free concert as part of their “Under the Stars” summer concert series.

The Gateswingers Big Band will perform from 6:30-8 pm on the Cherry Ridge Lawn. Cherry Ridge is located on Ridge Road in Webster, across from Webster Schroeder High School.

The community at large is invited to attend this free event and attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair. The Gateswingers Big Band is an exciting 15 piece band featuring swing sounds of the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and present day. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be held indoors at the Cherry Ridge Community Center.

* * *

The Webster High School Marching Band is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and hope to celebrate with a trip to Philadelphia for the National Championships.

To raise money for that trip, he band will hold a fund-raiser at Hank’s on Wednesday June 26. Hank’s Ice Cream & Roast Beef on North Avenue will donate to the band a portion of their sales from 5-8 pm that evening.

So plan on taking the family out for dinner and ice cream at Hank’s next Wednesday, and help out a great local organization.

* * *

Citizens Against Teen Suicide…& bullying abuse!-C.A.T.S., is sponsoring a Community Forum on Bullying and Cyberbullying at the Webster Public Library on Thursday June 27 from 6-8 pm. The forum is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served compliments of the Red Wings.

* * *

And finally…. This is not an event but instead, news of a proud achievement.

Maplewood Nursing & Rehabilitation skilled nursing facility in Webster recently announced that Physical Therapy Aide Ann Shanders has been named as CNA of the Year for District 9 of New York State Health Facilities Association (NYSHFA).

The award was given by NYSHFA’s Clinical & Quality Services Committee as part of the Association’s 2013 Employee Recognition Awards Program held in May. The program honors individuals for their outstanding contributions to skilled nursing facilities. Ann was nominated by a group including Maplewood administration, fellow employees, and residents’ family members.

Congratulations, Ann!

 

 

 

Tuesday mailbag

10 Jun

News items about summer events are starting to come in fast and furious, so you might be seeing these “mailbags” a bit more often. If your organization has a special event coming up, make sure to let me know about it so I can help spread the word!

Hope for Pets 5th Annual Dog Walk

On Saturday June 15, the greater Rochester community will come together to help pet owners in need at Rochester Hope for Pets’ 5th Annual Dog Walk & Pet Education Expo. The event will take place in Ellison Park’s Orchard Grove Shelter. Registration begins at 9 am and the walk begins at 10.

This year’s event will include adoptable animals from local shelters and pet health education stations featuring information about pet first aid, dog and cat wellness tips, common household foods and substances that are toxic to a pet, and careers in veterinary medicine. There will also be demonstrations by K-9 teams from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Rochester Police Department and Town of Greece. Joyce Palumbo, Crime Stoppers board member and media spokesperson, believes supporting the K-9 units is a logical extension of helping law enforcement.

For more information, visit http://RochesterHopeforPets.org/events.php or contact Beth Zogby at Rochester Hope for Pets at (585) 271-2733 ext. 26 or hopeforpetszogby@gmail.com.

Benefit Music Festival

Also on Saturday June 15 is the Sarah Anne Bryan Charity Music & Arts Festival, from 12-8 pm at the gazebo in Veterans Memorial Park, North Ave. in the village of Webster.

The festival will feature entertainment for the kids, raffles, and a “Taste of Webster” restaurant tour featuring The Coach Sports Bar, Marvin Mozzeroni’s, the Vino Wine Lounge, Hatters Pub, Brimont Bistro and BC’s Chicken Coop. Donations will benefit DePaul Community Services and the West Webster Volunteer Firemen’s Association.

For more information, visit facebook.com/sarahannebryanbenefit.

Schlegel Road Reunion

The annual Schlegel Road Elementary School Reunion Trip is back.  This year’s event will be at Seabreeze on Friday, June 21. Tickets cost $14.50 for students (less for adults), and must be reserved by June 19 so they can all be purchased together.

Interested alumni can reserve their tickets by calling Jill Sicke at 749-8914 or by email at Jill_Sicke@websterschools.org.

Schroeder student chosen by Red Sox

Congratulations to Webster Schroeder sophomore Oliver Pena, who recently received a phone call from the Boston Red Sox, informing him that he was selected as one of the ten participants for the team’s Lindos Sueños program in the Dominican Republic.

Oliver was selected from a nationwide search of thousands of applicants, and has been going through a rigorous interview process for several months.  This summer he’ll be working with the people of the Dominican Republic to help improve their lives. But he’ll also be playing baseball and receiving training from Boston Red Sox players and coaches.

 

 

Volunteers needed for Webster Folk Festival

9 Jun

Organizers of the village’s new Webster Folk Festival have put out a call for volunteers.

The festival is scheduled for Saturday from 1-8 pm at the gazebo in Veteran’s Memorial Park on North Avenue in the village. Seven different bands will take to the stage for 45-minute sets, and in between each headliner, small acoustic folk groups or individual musicians will perform in front of the stage. So that means the music will be flowing for seven straight hours. Among the bands already booked are Gone Fishin, Everheart,  Sweet T and Johnny B and Barry’s Crossing.

A large tent will be set up in the park (“in case of sun,” the organizers quip) and families will be encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets for seating. Details are still being finalized, but there’s talk of craft and food vendors, an “instrument petting zoo,” a workshop tent, and a jam tent.

Admission will be free, though t-shirts and programs will be sold.

Volunteers are needed for several tasks, including selling programs, assisting musicians, set-up and clean-up, parking, hanging posters, and more.  If you’re interested in helping out, email volunteer@websterfolkfestival.org with an idea of what kind of time you have available and what you might like to do.

For more information about the Webster Folk Festival, click here for the Facebook page or click here for the website.

 

Photos from yesterday’s Memorial Day Parade and ceremony

28 May

The weather couldn’t have been better for yesterday’s Memorial Day Parade and ceremony, and a big crowd lined Main Street to watch as the parade made its way to the Webster Rural Cemetery.  The day’s events were dedicated to all of Webster’s first responders who put their lives on the line for us every day. “Chip” Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka were posthumously named honorary Parade Grand Marshals.

Click on the photo or click here to go to a Facebook gallery of photos from the morning.

 

 

Brand new Webster Folk Festival joins summer scene

22 May

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending an organizational meeting for Webster’s newest festival, the Webster Folk Festival, scheduled for Saturday August 3 in Veterans Memorial Park on North Avenue.

In my recent blog about the summer village events sponsored by the Business Improvement District, I put the Folk Festival on the accompanying calendar, but neglected to provide any details. Mostly because I didn’t have any.

Well, now I do.

The Webster Folk Festival will run from 1-8 pm on Saturday August 3.  It will feature seven headlining bands performing on the gazebo stage — most of them home-grown Webster musicians — each playing a 45-minute set. In between each headliner, small acoustic folk groups or individual musicians will perform in front of the stage. So that means the music will be flowing for seven straight hours.

Three bands have already committed: Barry’s Crossing, Sweet T and Johnny B, and Everheart. Organizers are also hoping to attract several vendors, and food and beverages will be available for purchase.  A large tent will be set up in case of rain, and a “jam” tent where any musician who’s packing an instrument will be invited in to sit and jam.

Cost of admission is still a little up in the air, but the promise is that it will be very “family-friendly.”

“The idea for the Webster Folk Festival came about only a few months ago, as friends Tracy Holley and Gordon Clarke were chatting at a school concert.

Fellow organizer Dave Wyble explained, they got to talking about how “there doesn’t seem to be anything like an outdoor family fun thing” like a folk festival.  The atmosphere at folk festivals is so unlike anything else, even Webster’s very popular Jazz Festival. “We love folk music and we wanted to promote the feeling you get from a festival like this.”

So now Wyble, Clarke and Holley are scurrying to pull all of the necessary details together to build the festival from scratch. This first year, they’re keeping their expectations realistic and setting their sights low, with just a one-day festival. But if it’s successful, and it looks like people like what they see, they’re hoping to expand next year to two days, invite more musicians, and offer a more interactive music and folk experience, including storytellers and a “instrument petting zoo.”

More details to come. In the meantime, stay up to date on the plans by checking out the Webster Folk Festival website at websterfolkfestival.org, and “like” their Facebook page.

If you’re interested in becoming a vendor, email info@websterfolkfestival.org.

Webster BID announces summer schedule

16 May

The Village’s Business Improvement District (BID) has announced its summer lineup of special events, and this year they’ve added some exciting new ones.

So go grab your calendars. I’ll wait.

…..

OK, here we go.  First let’s talk about the events you’re already familiar with.

This summer’s Friday Night Concerts in the Gazebo begin on June 14, with a performance by Keys to the Cady.  Here’s the whole schedule:

* June 14: Keys to the Cady 
* June 21: Dang
* June 28:  Electro Kings
* July 19: Bill Tibero Jazz
* July 26: An Evening of Acapella
* August 16: Rochester Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
* August 23: Johnny B and the MVPs

All of the concerts begin at 7 pm at the gazebo in Veterans Memorial Park on North Avenue.

The Tuesday night Movies in the Park series begins on July 9 with a showing of Rise of the Guardian. This year the BID has also partnered with the Webster Public Library to help keep kids entertained with a story hour before a few of the movies. Those two are indicated below along with another special event sponsored by Barnes & Noble.

* July 9: Rise of the Guardian and Webster Library Story Hour
* July 16: Thunderstruck and Webster Library Story Hour
* July 23: Wall-E
* August 6: Cool Runnings
* August 13: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
* August 20: The Lorax, and Barnes & Noble Dr. Seuss Night

The very popular Webster Jazz Festival returns on Saturday July 20, and Village Days returns in August for not just one, but TWO weekends. The Village Days Music Fest will take place on August 9 and 10, and the Street Festival on Saturday August 17.

Now here’s where things get exciting.

The BID is introducing two brand new events this summer which not only will bring people into the village, but will help our community at the same time.

The first is called Helping Hands, a week-long promotion from June 14-22.

Here’s how it works: Participating businesses choose one of six charities, and donate a percentage of their revenues for the entire week to that charity.

Business owners will choose from the following charities: Holy Trinity Hope House, Webster Monarch House, The Webster Museum, Relay for Life Village Team, Webster Comfort Care Home and Webster Association for Senior Program Support.

Watch for more details and advertising from individual businesses about this great effort.

The second new event is called Eat in the Village.  The dates for this are still up in the air, but it’s tentatively scheduled for every Wednesday night from mid-July to mid-August.  On these evenings, participating village restaurants will offer patrons a 10% discount on food from 4:30 pm till close.

Keep an eye on the BID website for updates on all of these events as plans come together.

I’ve put all of these events on a handy dandy calendar below which you can click on, print off and paste to your refrigerator. It looks like a wicked fun summer ahead for the village of Webster.

On a side note, I learned about all of these events from BID president Tom Spoonhower, who announced them at the last Village Board meeting. If you haven’t attended one of these meetings recently or watched them on TV, you’re missing out.  They’ve actually been very entertaining in a small-town drama sort of way.  Frankly, though, a little less drama would be in the village’s best interests.

Village Board meetings are held the second and fourth Thursday of the month in the Community Meeting Hall, 29 South Avenue. Access is off the parking lot in the back. If you’d like to catch up on some of the recent action, click here to watch video of the meetings. (The videos take a while to post, so check back regularly.)

 

An exciting opportunity for your musicians

12 May

Several days ago when I was driving through town I noticed a group of young people and adults picking up trash along Ridge Road. My first thought was, “Huh. I’ll bet that’s folks from the Webster High School Marching Band. I think this is the stretch of highway they adopted.”  That was immediately followed by my next thought, “I wonder why they didn’t tell me they were going to be doing this so I could come out and take photos?”

Ah, well. Maybe next year. But seeing them did remind me of the great new program for young musicians which the Marching Band has introduced this year.  I’ve mentioned it before, but it deserves much more attention. It’s THAT great an idea.

It’s called the Webster Kidets Marching Band, and it’s designed for 5th and 6th graders in the Webster School District who’d like to see what it’s like to be part of a real live marching band.

To participate, a student should already be playing a musical instrument in school; chorus and orchestra students are encouraged to learn a percussion instrument to play with the group.The colorguard section is open to any student.

The band will hold four practices on June 3, June 24, June 26 and July 8, and then march in the huge Firemen’s Parade on July 10.  Brass, woodwind and percussion musicians are invited to sign up, as well as students interested in performing with the Kidets colorguard.

Registration is $30 per student, which includes a parade uniform (t-shirt) which the student can keep. The program can provide drums, mellophones, euphoniums and colorguard flags.  Flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets and trombones must be provided by the students.

What a wonderful opportunity this is for young musicians to get a taste of the excitement and pride that comes with being part of a marching band.

For more details, including rehearsal times, log onto the Webster Kidets webpage.

 

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