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The Rochester Irish music scene suffered a devastating loss on Saturday with the passing of Joe Dady.

I had the pleasure and honor to call Joe Dady a friend. Our history began more than 20 years ago. Like many, my husband Jack and I knew of the Dady brothers from their frequent appearances around town and their reputation as one of Rochester’s top Irish duos. But we really got to know Joe and his brother John when we worked together creating the original Rochester Irish Festival in the mid-1990s, and worked side-by-side for several years to pull the annual festival together. Joe played a leadership role in that effort, because he was passionate about performing Irish music, and his desire to share it with as many people as possible.

Joe Dady was an inspiration, and I don’t use that word lightly. Back in the days of the Irish Festival, as at any performance the Dady Brothers played, when Joe took the stage and started playing his fiddle, everyone stopped to listen. One of those fans was my young son Sean, then only 5 years old.

I often tell the story about how little Sean would stand at the edge of the stage, looking up at Joe Dady as he performed, fascinated by what he was seeing. It was the beginning of a lifelong passion for Irish music and Irish fiddling.

As Sean grew, he would listen to Dady Brothers’ cassette tapes so often he would wear them out. When it came time to choose an instrument at school, naturally he chose the violin — the fiddle — because he wanted to play like Joe Dady.

Sean is now a music teacher, professional musician, and outstanding fiddler. I firmly believe Joe Dady’s influence helped create the incredible young man he is today.

Until a few years ago, the Dady Brothers would regularly play at Barry’s Old School Irish. We would always make sure to stop by when they did, to reconnect and watch our old friends perform. It was always a nice evening, but one stands out among them all.

It was a little more than five years ago when John and Joe were playing for the first time at the pub. Joe at this point knew very well that Sean had become an accomplished fiddle player. At the beginning of their second set, he called Sean up to the microphone and handed him his own fiddle. For 20 minutes, Sean joined the Dady Brothers for a handful of traditional fiddle tunes and Dady Brothers standards, playing side-by-side with the man who inspired his musical career. (You can see video from that evening here.)

It was a magical evening and one I will never forget. Thank you, Joe Dady, for everything.

Click here to read the D&C story about Joe’s passing.

Joe Dady playing with my son Sean at Barry’s Old School Irish. Click here to see video.

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Some welcoming local families are needed to host several Spanish exchange students this summer.

Fifteen students, ages 13 to 18, will be visiting from Spain for four weeks this coming July as part of the Global Friendships academic program. Many host families are still needed.

There’s really not much commitment involved. The students, who all speak fluent English, will be attending classes in the Webster area for 2 hours every week, and will be going on field trips and after-school activities, so families won’t have to entertain their guests 24/7. Most of the family time is typically spent on their long weekends off from school.

If your family has a vacation or camping trip scheduled, your student can tag along, and they’ll have plenty of cash to cover all their expenses.

Host families are asked to provide meals and a bed. The student can even share a room with a child of the same gender.

This is a volunteer program, so no stipend is provided. But it’s a short program and a great opportunity to expose your family to a new language and culture, while helping make the world a more welcoming place. Click on the flyer for more details, and visit globalfriendships.com for more information about the program.

If you can help out or have any questions, contact Dave Kramer, Exchange Program Coordinator, at davekramer85@gmail.com.

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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.

Wouldn’t it be great if every single student in our district could be handed a free book?

The Webster Teachers Association (WTA) wanted that, too. So they signed on to the First Book program and recently received a truckload (literally) of books — 25,000 of them — which they hope to distribute to schools by the end of the year.

But unloading, unpacking, sorting and repacking them for the schools is a monumental undertaking. Knowing that many hands make light work, the WTA is partnering with the Webster Central PTSA to recruit volunteers to help out.

The goal is to get at least two adults from each school in the district to sign up to help for a few hours on Saturday May 18 from 8 a.m. to noon in the Webster Thomas High School Field House.  It should be fun work and the time will pass quickly. The WTA will even provide light refreshments.

Signing up is easy. Click here to see what slots still need to be filled. And thank you in advance for taking the time to support our students.

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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.

OK all you Village of Webster residents — or more importantly, all you folks who like to ride your bikes to the village — we have some thinking to do.

Several weeks ago I received the happy news that the Village Board has approved the purchase of four new bike racks!

It was just about a year ago when some of my fellow Barry’s Runners and I were enjoying a post-run pint at Barry’s Old School Irish, and discussing the need for bike racks in the village. The recently created bike lanes on Main Street and North Ave. invite cyclists to visit, but aside from one small rack hidden in a garden at the corner of Lapham Park and East Main, there’s really no place to lock them up when you’re in a restaurant or the bookstore … or pub.

Shortly after that conversation, I presented the idea to the Village Board, whose members were very receptive. Kudos to them for doing the research and deciding it was worth the investment. 

Jake Swingly, the village’s Superintendent of Public Works, did most of the legwork during this process, and reports that the new bike racks will come in two different designs. Two will be a hoop type with “Village of Webster Est. 1905” engraved into it, and the other two will be like the blue rack below, with the bicycle. All four new racks will be green.

Now the Board just has to figure out where to install them. And that’s where you come in. They said it would be great if I threw the question out to my readers. So I’ve created a little survey. I’ll collect the thoughts and comments of anyone who would like to weigh in on the issue, and them present them to the Board in a few weeks.

In the survey, I’ve suggested nine different installation spots for the racks. They should, of course, be centrally located to village locations people are likely to visit, but there are also a few other things to consider. For example, should all four be distributed individually throughout the village, or perhaps should two of them be side by side to accommodate more bikes?

Ultimately, the Village Board will decide where they will be placed, especially considering that the big planters will be returning to the sidewalks soon. But if we can give them some feedback to help guide their decision, I’m sure they’d appreciate it.

Here are nine locations to consider (if you have other suggestions, there’s a place in the survey to include those):

1. In front of Village Hall, 28 W. Main Street
2. In front of Barry’s Old School Irish/The Garage Sale Store, 2-8 W. Main Street
3. In front of Smith Insurance, 4 East Main Street (northeast corner of the village’s four corners) 
4. Nestled into the small natural area just east of Smith Insurance (see photo below)
5. In front of the Webster Museum (18 Lapham Park)
6. In front of Harmony House, 58 East Main Street
7. Near Village Bakery (44 East Main St.) or in that lower parking lot somewhere
8. In Gazebo Park
9. Somewhere north of 104, perhaps near Pub 235, at 235 North Ave.

This is that natural area adjacent to Smith Insurance

If you have other ideas as to where they should go, the survey will give you a place to include them as well.

Click here to go to the survey. It should only take a minute!

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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.

There’s a lot of news out of Knucklehead Craft Brewing lately, and it’s all good.

For starters, Len Dummer tells me that plans are on track for the Knuckleheads to purchase the building, at which point they’ll be installing a full kitchen, AND a beer garden AND make more improvements to the parking lot!

Whew. All this should be happening within the next few months, so stay tuned for updates.

If you haven’t been to Knucklehead yet — which by the way is Webster’s first and only micro-brewery/brew-pub — they’ve got a few great events coming up which would be a great time to check them out.

The first is the pub’s second annual event Island Party from 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday May 11. Alfred St. John’s Trinidad & Tobago Steel-Drum Band will provide the island music, and everyone is encouraged to get creative with their island-themed attire (grass skirts more than welcome). Knucklehead”s talented chefs will be preparing a tropical-themed menu.

Click here for more details.

The second event is a charity fundraiser, the second annual Pints For a Purpose.

In consideration of one of Knucklehead’s employees who has cystic fibrosis, this year’s event will benefit the Just Breathe Foundation, a local charity that directly helps patients with CF who are struggling financially.

Tickets are $50, which includes a free pint (from a total tap takeover of more than 10 local breweries), a plate of food provided by Heintzelmann’s BBQ Pit, five raffle tickets and entertainment by Marty Roberts and Donny C.

Only 100 tickets will be sold, and are available (cash only) at Knucklehead only during regular business hours.

Click here for more details.

If you can’t make it either of these events remember that the Knuckleheads usually have new release parties at least every other week, live music every Friday, trivia every Monday and an amazing kitchen.

Knucklehead Craft Brewing is located at 426 Ridge Road in West Webster, at the corner of Bay. Check out their webpage here and their Facebook page 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.