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An anniversary party to remember

30 Oct

The Barry’s gang, all dressed up for the occasion.

The Village of Webster came together in a big way Saturday night to congratulate Danny and Jessica Barry on a very successful first year of business for Barry’s Old School Irish.

The little pub on the village’s four corners was standing-room only all evening as friends old and new came to lift a pint and help celebrate. Several special guests were also in the crowd, including Mayor Elder and his wife Pam, board member Jude Lancy and “Village Focus” writer Carol Klem.

The reason everyone wanted to be there was simple: Barry’s Old School Irish has done wonders to revitalize this village. Danny and Jessica Barry are not only two of the nicest people I’ve ever met, they have created a place where anyone who comes through the door feels like family. My friend Chris summed it up perfectly when he said, “Coming here has always felt like coming to somebody’s house; somebody’s living room, kitchen.”

Halfway through the evening, several patrons accepted the invitation to come up and tell the Danny and Jessica – and the assembled crowd – what Barry’s has meant to them. After that, the entire pub serenaded the young couple with a song written especially for them.

You can check out videos from both events by clicking on the images below.

Jess and Danny Barry listen as pub patrons tell them exactly what they think of their little pub. (Click on the photo for a video)

Barry’s Crossing performs “The Ballad of Barry’s.” (Click on the photo for a video)

Photos from Halloween in the Village

30 Oct

 

Click here to see a gallery of photos from Halloween in the Village

The worst of yesterday’s weather held off until the afternoon, allowing hundreds — perhaps thousands — of children and their parents to enjoy Webster’s annual Halloween in the Village event. When things got started around 11:30, there were so many people it was hard to even walk down the sidewalks.  Even the spitting rain which began around 1 pm didn’t keep kids from their candy rounds.

What’s so great about this event is not only that it’s a great thing for the kids, but it’s also a great reason for people to come into town, see what the village has to offer and meet some of the business owners.  It’s too bad the weather wasn’t better, but I was pleased to see that it was a success nonetheless.

I’ve posted a few photos here. Click on any one of them or the link above to redirect to a Facebook gallery of many more.

 

 

Barry’s Old School Irish celebrates a year of good food, good drink and great friends

27 Oct

My friends Tom and Jill were among the big Friday crowd at Barry’s last night.

This evening, Barry’s Old School Irish Pub and Bakery on Webster’s 4-corners will celebrate its one year anniversary. In anticipation of that happy event, I sat at my computer last night, poised to craft the perfect blog about what has become my very favorite Webster hangout.

Fingers at the ready, I started to think. What exactly IS it about Barry’s that makes the place so special? The beer?  The to-die-for Guinness chocolate cake?  The live music?  There are just so many things about Barry’s that make it a pleasant place to be. But what is it that makes Barry’s unique?

It took me a little while, but finally it dawned on me. I realized why I go back there every Friday night. And some Saturdays and Wednesdays. And the occasional Sunday afternoon. It’s Mary Jane and Mike. Tim, Jerry and Robyn. Debbie, Sarah, Chris and Julie. Ken and Kim, Mac and Maura, Brendan and Gordon. These are the people of Barry’s, and every single one of them has become part of my extended family.

Funny thing about these extended family members, though, is that I couldn’t tell your most of their last names. Plus, I didn’t know ANY of them a year ago. But thanks to Barry’s, I’m now closer to these people than to most of my “regular” extended family members.

You see, any Irish pub can serve a Guinness. Any restaurant/bakery can serve up great dinners and desserts. But there aren’t many places where you can walk in and immediately feel like family.

Danny and Jessica Barry on the weekend they opened.

But that’s the way it is at Barry’s. The feeling in this little place is just … different. It’s like everyone there is only a stranger because you haven’t met them yet — but by the end of the night you probably will.  I’ve heard people refer to it as a “family bar,” which is a really weird phrase, but sums up the atmosphere perfectly. Just like the pubs in ol’ Ireland, Barry’s Old school Irish has become a community gathering place, in the mornings for coffee, scones or breakfast buffet (bring the kids!), lunchtime for some incredible Shepherd’s Pie, and evening for a pint and some live music.

Which is why I’m going to be there tonight, and I’ll probably get there early for dinner and to get a good seat for the performance by Barry’s Crossing** (featuring my son on fiddle, just so you know).  There’s going to be some good food, good drink, and great friends, plus a few surprises Danny and Jessica don’t even know about yet.

Oh, yeah, totally forgot to mention the momma and papa of this extended family of mine. Danny and Jessica Barry own this little slice of Ireland in the middle of the village. If you ask me, when they moved in and transformed what used to be a very ugly and embarrassing “Living Waters” property, they transformed the village of Webster as well. I am blessed to be able to call them friends. Tonight I will not be toasting their success as much as thanking them for being a part of our lives.

**Sarah and Sean of Barry’s Crossing got their start in the pub, so when they officially formed their duo, they named it after Barry’s Old School Irish. It’s kind of an interesting story. You can read it on their website here.

 

Tuesday Webster Mailbag

15 Oct

There are so many things happening in the next week or two, I’m afraid they’re going to start falling through the cracks. So here’s an unusually early mailbag.

The Webster Town Board will hold a public hearing on the 2013 budget this Thursday night October 18.  Residents are encouraged to attend to ask questions about the budget, published in its entirety last week in the Webster Herald.  There will be time to comment on any line item and department. The meeting begins at 7:30 pm at the Webster Town Hall, 1000 Ridge Road.

* * *

Check out Operation BLUE this Saturday October 20, a full day of events sponsored by the Webster Marching Band at Webster Schroeder High School.  Operation BLUE 2012 is an open house and clinic held in the stadium from 2-4 pm. This clinic is free of charge and is offered to any Webster School District student in grades 4-12 interested in color guard, dance, percussion, woodwinds or brass. Interested musicians should bring their own instruments. A parent information session will also be held.

That evening is the band’s annual Autumn Fanfare, a field band competition featuring eight bands from across New York State. The event starts at 6 pm and tickets are available at the door for $6. Students participating in events earlier in the day will receive one free ticket.

* * *

Webster’s second Cash Mob also takes place Saturday, from 1-3 pm. This month’s target is the Art Stop, 10 North Avenue, just steps from the village’s four corners.  Stop by, drop a few bucks, and help give a small business an economic jolt.  Cash mobbers will meet afterwards at Barry’s Old School Irish for a pint and a scone.

* * *

Weather permitting, the Webster Highway Department will begin its autumn leaf collection on Monday October 22. Trucks will pass through town every week through Monday November 26, when they make one final west-side-to-east-side sweep. If you have any specific questions, contact the Highway Department at 872-1443, Monday through Friday between 7 am and 3:30 pm.

* * *

The Music at Immanuel Concert Series will feature Warner Iverson performing on Baroque Guitar on Friday October 26, beginning at 7 pm.

Warner Iversen is a multi-instrumentalist currently pursuing a doctoral degree with a double major in classical guitar and early music from the Eastman School of Music. Mr. Iversen has performed as a guest artist at the Juilliard School of Music, NYC and at DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana. He recently made his debut as a musical director in a production of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis.

The concert is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow. A free will offering to benefit the Music at Immanuel Concert Series will be received.  Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church is located at 131 West Main Street, Webster, at the corner of Daniel Drive. Parking is available behind the church. For more information, go to http://www.immanuelwebster.org.

* * *

Make sure to make time a Saturday, October 27 to celebrate Halloween in the Village and Trick or Treat Trail.  You can click here for details, but briefly, you can look forward to donuts & cider, the annual costume contest, the scarecrow contest, a pet costume contest and parade, pumpkin painting, and of course trick-or treating all through the village.

The Webster Museum will also have some special events that day, from 11:30 am -4 pm. You can solve some mysteries and get some candy.  So make sure you stop by — 18 Lapham Park. More information at http://www.webstermuseum.org.

If you’re planning to make a scarecrow for the contest, time is running out. Check out the details here and get working!

* * *

That evening, Webster’s favorite little Irish Pub, Barry’s Old School Irish, will celebrate its one-year anniversary.  Everybody who’s anybody in the village will be there.  Actually, I think they’re planning special events all week to celebrate, but make sure you’re there on Saturday night to celebrate with an entire village.

Photos from the Homecoming Parade

14 Oct

What a spectacular morning it was yesterday for the second annual Homecoming Parade in the Village of Webster.  It’s worth saying again — what a great opportunity it was for the community to come out and celebrate BOTH schools’ accomplishments, to remind ourselves we are ONE community and not divided by what others have chosen as high school boundaries.

Three readers so far have answered my call for photos. Thank you to Jodie, Elizabeth Cameron and my friend Christine Reynolds for sending theirs along yesterday.  I’ve posted a few here and the rest on a Facebook gallery which you can access by clicking here or any of the photos.

I’d love to get even more photos to add to the gallery. Please send me your favorites at missyblog@gmail.com, and tell me what you thought about the parade this year.

Making a village scarecrow? Here are some more details

8 Oct

I got an email from Webster Village Mayor Peter Elder today, which provided some more details about the Scarecrow Contest which the village has opened up to the community this year. (See my previous blog.)

Mayor Elder wrote,

The Village is pleased to be organizing the Scarecrow Contest this year. Village businesses are encouraged to make one, but this year community groups are welcome to create scarecrows as well. Scarecrows should be created as soon as possible, but no later than the 19th. The sooner they are up, the more votes they can collect. When they are created, I will need to be contact to give guidance of where they will be placed (they can also be dropped off at Village Hall).

Awards will be given first through third prizes.

Sky’s the limit on creativity (no gross, profane or lewd scarecrows), but each one must have a clear, legible label of which organization is sponsoring it so that people can vote. Ballot boxes are located at Mark’s Pizzeria, Hatters, Village Hall, the Webster Museum.  Anyone with questions can just call me at 662-9906.

Once the scarecrows are placed around the village, community members will be encouraged to vote for their favorite. The winners will be announced during the Halloween in the Village event on Saturday October 27.

Get your group together and scare a village

8 Oct

One of last year’s scarecrow entries.

The Village of Webster will host its second Scarecrow Contest this fall, to coincide with the annual Halloween in the Village events scheduled for Saturday October 27.   Last year the contest was only open to businesses, but this year community groups are also invited to participate.

So that means Cub Scout and Girl Scout troops, church groups and service organizations can create their own scarecrows.  The details are a bit sketchy right now, but for sure your creation shouldn’t be gory or profane, and ideally it should tie to the theme of your organization. There’s no cost, and prizes will be awarded for the top three entries. Right now the best way to get more details is to email Mayor Elder at pelder@villageofwebster.com.

Then make sure to be in town on Saturday the 27th for the annual Halloween in the Village celebration when the winner of the Scarecrow Contest will be announced.  Click here to get a whole rundown of the day’s events.

Village Days, rain or shine

22 Sep

Courtesy weather.com

So the weather doesn’t look really promising this morning, but Village Days will take over Main Street today, rain or shine. With any luck, the worst of the rains will move off by mid-morning, and we’ll just have cloudy and cool weather this afternoon.

In any case, I will most certainly be there, snapping pictures of all the people and action, so stay tuned for one of my patented Facebook galleries.  (Maybe you’ll be in it?)

 

Village Days hits town this weekend

17 Sep

Village Days has returned.

Some young aviators ready their planes before last year’s Model Plane Flying Contest.

The event, which has in years past been scheduled in mid-August, took a skip-step this year and has landed on a brand new weekend, this Friday and Saturday September 21 and 22.  The village decided to move the festival to get away from what has traditionally been a VERY busy summer weekend for vendors.  Being up against five other festivals that weekend made attracting vendors to Webster a difficult proposition.  It was also always really, really hot.

So what used to be a celebration of summer is now a celebration to welcome autumn, with even more vendors and more entertainment than ever before.  They’re also combining Saturday’s sidewalk sale activities with the Main Street Farmer’s Market.

The fun starts Friday night with an Octoberfest theme, featuring a Super Food Court and a concert by The Krazy Firemen at the gazebo. On Saturday, Main Street will be closed for a street festival from 9:30-4, including lots of food, kids’ activities and live music. Here are some details:

Friday September 21:

Super Food Court from 5-10 pm, featuring German specialties from Nancy’s, Joe’s Push Cart, Hatter’s Pub, Coach Sports Bar and Brimont Catering.  The Krazy Firemen, “Rochester’s original Octoberfest band,”  plays in the gazebo from 6:30-9:30 pm.

Saturday September 22:

Street Festival from 9:30 – 4, featuring craft and food vendors, bounce house and slides for the kids, face painting and live music. Performance Hobbies will hold their annual Model Plane Flying Contest at 1 pm at the gazebo.  The Super Food Court will once again be in full swing, and live music at the gazebo begins at 4 pm.

Hope to see you there.

 

 

Tuesday in the village: Mobs and memories

11 Sep

R.J. Short did billboard duty, trying to attract cash mobbers.

I had the pleasure of attending two very worthwhile events in the village last night.

The first was the inaugural Webster Cash Mob, an event which was meant to encourage shoppers to descend en masse on one local business during one very short window of time, therein giving that small business owner an economic boost.  The target of this first cash mob was Yesterday’s Muse Bookstore on West Main Street.

Unfortunately, the number of people who actually “descended” on Yesterday’s Muse was far less than a mass. It was more like 15-20. I think the mob organizer, Renee Short, was a little disappointed by the turnout, but undeterred.  She was already planning a second mob for sometime in October.

When that one happens, I challenge this village to overwhelm the place.

My next stop was Veterans Park, where the village held its annual 9/11 memorial ceremony. While this year’s event paled somewhat to last year’s tenth-anniversary observance, it was still moving.

The 30-minute ceremony featured speeches by Mayor Peter Elder, Senator Michael Nozzolio and Assemblyman Mark Johns, and some beautiful music by the Chorus of the Genesee and village piper Jack Jacob Jarosinski.  It concluded with Taps, beautifully performed from the hilltop by a lone bugler.  Always makes me want to cry.

Webster is only one of a handful of Rochester-area towns still commemorating the events of 9/11/01.  I asked Mayor Elder about that, to which he responded, “If we don’t remember the heroes of 9/11, we’ll forget the sacrifices they made. We need to keep those memories alive.”

And how many more years does he expect Webster to continue the tradition?

“As long as we possibly can. It’s very important.”

Click here or on the photo to redirect to a small gallery of photos from the ceremony.

 

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