Waterfront Art Festival returns this weekend

26 Jul

art fest

The Waterfront Art Festival returns to North Ponds Park this weekend, July 28 and 29.

This popular festival features artists from all over Monroe County, who line North Ponds’ scenic and shaded walkways, displaying an incredible variety of hand-made craft items in all price ranges.

What’s really nice about this particular festival is that all of the artisans’ work is juried beforehand, which is why it is all so different and so high-quality. I remember picking up several unique Christmas gifts last year.

Plus there are food trucks live entertainment, demonstrations and a wine, beer and cider-tasting tent. There’s plenty of free parking right on the grounds, and an expanded handicapped parking area.

The festival runs from 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday at North Ponds Park, off of Rt. 104 between Rt. 250 and Holt Road (you’ll wan to take the Rt. 250 exit off of Rt. 104).  Admission is $3, no charge for kids 12 and under. For more information, click here for the Waterfront Art Festival website.

 

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So many things happening in the village

24 Jul

This time of year is packed with so many village events, it’s hard to keep up with them. But here’s a quick run-down:

Movies

toystoryTONIGHT (weather permitting) is the next family-friendly Movies in the Park, featuring the classic favorite (can we call it a classic yet?) Toy Story. Tonight’s movie will begin around 8:45 in Gazebo Park on North Ave. Hegedorn’s will be on hand to provide free popcorn, but feel free to bring your own picnic baskets, and don’t forget chairs and blankets. You can get up-to-the-hour weather updates here.

The upcoming movie schedule includes Early Man on July 31, Cars 3 on August 7, Coco on August 14, and Disney’s Big Friendly Giant on August 21.

Music

The Friday Night Concert Series heats up again this weekend when The Industrial Blues Band takes to the gazebo stage this Friday July 27 beginning at 7 p.m., with their mix of contemporary blues and classic rock.

Upcoming concerts feature Escape Terrain on August 3, the Rochester Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra on August 10, and Travis Fitch on August 17. PLUS there’s a bonus concert on August 9, when Kittleberger Florist hosts Rochester Brass and Electric to help celebrate their 90th anniversary.

Wine Walk

The last Village Wine Walk of the summer takes place on Saturday August 11 from 4 to 7 p.m.

These are really fun events. For $15 you get a wine glass and a map, and enjoy an evening with friends strolling through the village, sampling wines at lots of local businesses.

New venues have been added for this final summer walk, and after it’s done, hang around and enjoy some fireworks, hosted at Kittelberger Florist to celebrate their 90 years in business.

Wine not your thing? The village’s second Beer Walk is scheduled for September 15, and a Bourbon Bash on November 10. More details to come about those.

village band

More Music

Finally, don’t forget about the Webster Village Band! They host concerts almost every Thursday during the summer at the band shell on Phillips Road.

The concerts begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Feel free to bring a lawn chair and blanket and some snacks and beverages.

The next concerts are scheduled for this Thursday, July 26, then August 2, 16 and 23. In the event of rain, concerts are moved to Cherry Ridge Senior Center, across the street from Webster Schroeder High School on Ridge Road.

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Construction and deconstruction in the village

23 Jul
gateway

WHAT is going on at the intersection of North Ave. and 104?

If you’ve driven by the intersection of North Ave. and Rt. 104 lately, perhaps when you came into town Saturday for the Jazz Fest, you noticed there’s quite a bit of construction going on along North Ave., especially at the intersection with 104.

It’s all part of the North Ave. revitalization project, which will mean a little bit of a mess for a while, but in the end will make our village’s primary access point much more attractive.

A big part of that project is the gazebo and sign-like thing going up at the bottom of the 104 east exit ramp. That’s all part of what the village is calling the North Ave. Gateway Project. Photos of what the finished project will look like are posted below.

 

According to Village Mayor Darrell Byerts, “The land was given to the village by the state and will be a park and rest stop along the bike trail.”

Specifically, it appears from the drawings that drivers and pedestrians who approach Webster will encounter a handsome gazebo, water fountain, and a sign welcoming them to the village. The electronic billboard that was down there at the intersection for a while announcing upcoming events will be replaced by something less tacky, but equally informational.

While I was at Village Hall taking photos of these drawings, I popped into the office of Superintendent of Public Works Jake Swingly and asked him if there’s been any movement in plans to purchase and install bike racks in the village. (Click here to read more on that issue.)

He was able to tell me that they’ve come up with a tentative design (which he wasn’t able to share with me yet), and it sounded like the village is considering purchasing four custom-designed racks.

Mayor Byerts added in another email that “Some ideas regarding the bike racks have been put forward. How to pay, since they were not in the budget for this year, is the question.”

Hopefully the village will discover that they’re not too pricey. As long as we’re spiffing up the village and trying to make it pedestrian and bike-friendly, they would be a natural addition and well worth the cost.

water tower

The deconstruction to which I referred in the headline is the dismantling of one of the two water towers just south of the village on South Ave.

Mayor Byerts told me in an email that,

The little tower, “Top Hat,” is not needed by the MCWA. When we removed the cell antennas, they were ready to take it down. The remaining large tower is all they need as a reserve. MCWA will be scraping and painting the outside with a MCWA and Village of Webster logo as well as relining the inside of the tank. This would have been a huge expense for the village a few years ago.

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2018 Webster Jazz Fest: Music, dancing, and rain

22 Jul

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Well, we’ve had better weather for the annual Webster Jazz Fest, but we definitely have had much, much worse.

For most of the afternoon and evening on Saturday for Jazz in the Streets, cloudy weather remained just that: cloudy.  But just about when Bill Tiberio was finishing his set and Prime Time Funk was setting up, the thousands of music lovers who packed the streets and sidewalks started feeling some sprinkles. Most were undeterred.

That is, until the rain got a little heavier about an hour later. That’s when people started packing up their quad chairs and umbrellas were raised. And Prime Time Funk played on, his drum-beats heard even beyond Phillips Road (This is actually true. Someone who lives down there told me so.)

By all accounts, the 2018 Webster Jazz Fest was another rip-roaring success, and the rain really didn’t do much to dampen that. My daughter Erin (who, as you know, writes for the Webster Herald) and I were out there taking photos, which I have compiled into a gallery which you can see here.

If you didn’t make it this year, you missed out on something special. Put it on your calendar right now for 2019, because it WILL be back.

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Photos from the Firemen’s Parade

21 Jul

parade01

It took me a while to get around to this, but I wanted to make sure to post this gallery of photos from last week’s Webster Firemen’s Parade.

I was actually out of town and tasked my daughter Erin to take photos for me that evening, and she did a wonderful job. Sorry it took so long for me to share them all.

Here are a few of her shots. Click here to see more.

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Christmas in July at the market

21 Jul

IMG_8994

So it was, like, 80 degrees outside this morning, and people were out in their tank tops and shorts. Still, it looked like Christmas at Webster’s Joe Obbie Farmers Market, held every Saturday at Webster Towne Center Plaza.

It was the market’s annual Christmas in July celebration. Today, in addition to the market’s normal assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, cheeses, baked goods and more, shoppers found the sales tents draped with sparkling garland; the farmers and crafters wearing Santa hats and antlers; snowmen (albeit made of wood) and even a big reindeer (also made of wood). And at the far end of it all, Santa sat in his big chair to welcome children, offering them the chance to get their gift requests in early.

The Webster Village Band was scheduled to play some holiday tunes; I wasn’t able to get there early  enough to see them, so if anyone has a photo of that, please send it along!

Here, in the meantime, is a small gallery of photos from the day.

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Work means play at the elementary schools

20 Jul
plank north 2

A view of the work happening at Plank North Elementary (photo courtesy H. Balsamo) 

School’s out, the teachers are taking a much-needed break, and students are spending their days riding bikes, traveling and hitting the pool.

Nevertheless, there’s exciting stuff happening at the elementary schools.

If you drive by your school in the next few weeks, chances are you’ll see a lot of work going on near one of the playgrounds. Each one of the district’s seven elementary schools is getting new equipment this summer.

At Plank North, principal Craig Bodensteiner said the installation should take only about two weeks. “It’s been so long since we provided our ‘wish list’ of the additional equipment, I’m not sure of all the details,” he said, but he thinks the project includes some additional swings and “green/gold fun stations for our kiddos.”

Bodensteiner added that each of the seven buildings asked for different equipment to add some variety throughout the community.

Click here to see several more photos from the Plank North and Plank South work.

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Webster community mailbag

20 Jul

Well, folks, I’m back in town after a 10-day trip with my daughter through Spain (with a side trip to Lisbon, Portugal thrown in for good measure). I tried my best to auto-post some blogs while I was gone, but finally I’m back at the keyboard to blog live and in person.

And to wade through about two dozen new emails I got in my absence.

First order of business, then, is a mailbag to pass along all that news that people passed along to me while I was in sunny Spain.

First off, don’t forget about the Webster Jazz Fest, which begins tonight (Friday) with Jazz in the Pubs, and continues Saturday night with Jazz in the Streets. This event features an incredible variety of great music, and I consider it one of the best events of the entire summer. Pretty much everyone in Webster comes out.

For more details about the Fest, including who is playing and when, click here.

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santa

Also tomorrow (Saturday) July 21, grab your kids and make your way down to the Joe Obbie Farmers Market for their annual Christmas in July event, featuring (of course) Santa Claus.

The Webster Village Band will be there playing holiday music and the entire market will be decked out in holiday splendor with special treats for the kids.

The Joe Obbie Market runs every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Webster Towne Center Plaza (Kohl’s/Target Plaza) at the corner of Ridge and Holt roads.

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This is most definitely not Webster news, but it’s a great cause and you golfers out there will want to know about it.

The 23rd annual Leatherneck Open will take place on Monday July 23 at Greystone Golf Club in Walworth. Veterans, active duty and civilians are all welcome to participate in the event, which helps support Marines all across Western New York.

The event begins at 11 a.m. with a presentation of the colors in front of the Greystone club house, followed by a shotgun start. It’s not too late to register; for that matter, they’ll be taking registrations that morning at the event.

For more information, click here.

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Next weekend, July 28 and 29, the annual Waterfront Art Festival returns to North Ponds Park.

The event features artisans from all over Monroe County, who line the sidewalks with their tents, selling high-quality art and craft items. Food trucks and live entertainment will add to the fun.

Hours are Saturday July 28 and Sunday July 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is $3, with children 12 and under free. North Ponds Park is located on the Rt. 104 access road between Holt Road and Rt. 250 (use the Rt. 250 exit).

For more information click here.

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More news from the village:

The last Webster Wine Walk of the year is Saturday August 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. You’ll want to be at this one for sure, even if you’ve participated in these wine walks before, because there are different venues included this time around.

At 9 p.m. Kittelbergers Florists invites everyone down to their shop for fireworks to celebrate their 90th anniversary.

For tickets to the wine walk click here.

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Finally, this is news from the Town of Webster for folks who live on or near Gravel Road.’

Beginning the week of July 23, workers will be milling and paving Gravel Road between Regina Drive and Klem Road.

According to the press release from the Town,

During construction, traffic will be maintained with daily lane closures as needed. Flaggers will be used to guide traffic around the work areas. Continuous access to driveways and side streets will be maintained, except when work is occurring directly in front of these access points. In these situations, the delay will only be for a brief time until construction personnel indicate that it is safe to cross the work zone.

The work will progress rapidly and is expected to be completed by mid August. All work will be performed during the day.

For more information and a map, click here.

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Jazz Fest returns this weekend

18 Jul

This summer has already been a hot one, but it’s gonna heat up even more this weekend when the annual Webster Jazz Festival rolls back into town.

The fun starts this Friday night July 20 with “Jazz in the Pubs,” an opportunity to hop from one pub to another, sampling great drinks and great music.

The schedule Friday night looks like this:

  • 6:15: Carlton Wilcox at Sweet Wood BBQ
  • 6:30: El Rojo Jazz at The Coach Sportsbar
  • 7:00: Higher Ground at Barry’s Old School Irish
  • 7:00: Marco Amadio at the Brimont Bistro
  • 7:30: Paradigm Shift at Ploty’s Hometown Tavern
  • 8:00: Amanda Ashley at Pub 235

Then on Saturday night July 21, everything moves into the street. West Main Street will be cordoned off, a huge stage set up, with plenty of room left over for lawn chairs and snack tables.

Here’s the schedule for Saturday:

  • 6:00 to 7:15: The Klick
  • 7:30 to 8:45: The Bill Tiberio Band
  • 9:15 to 11:00: Prime Time Funk

Bring your own picnic fixings and beverages or you can buy something from one of many food vendors set up along the street.

Admission to all of this great entertainment, indoors and out, is free. If you’d like to check out a gallery of photos from last year, click here.

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My thoughts on the proposed new school start times

15 Jul

clockI’ve been giving some thought recently about discussions the Webster school district has been having about changing our schools’ start times.

I have to admit (rather sheepishly) that I haven’t really been paying very close attention to the process. I didn’t attend any meetings, didn’t follow the reports posted to the district website. Because the main focus seems to be on the secondary schools (based on adolescent sleep needs), I guess I really didn’t think it would affect me much, since I work in elementary.

That was my bad. It will definitely affect a lot of people, and as the blogger I should have followed it all more closely.

But not long ago a Plank North colleague of mine pointed out that the proposed changes will definitely affect us — and every elementary school — as well.

Allow me to back up a bit and fill in some long overdue details.

Based on the results from study groups and a community forum, a recommendation has been placed on the table that the board consider changing the district’s school start times to approximately 8:45 for secondary schools and 7:45 for elementary schools.

My colleague, and others, believe that this radical change in the start time for elementary students (whose school day now starts around 9 a.m.) will pose some challenges, especially with day care, after-school programs, breakfast programs and very early busing concerns.

There’s also some question about how well these young students will be able to adapt to the much earlier time, as they haven’t quite developed the self-management skills to stay focused and engaged that early.

There’s a lot to think about. I don’t know the answer, and I trust that the smart minds who are working on it are considering all the angles. It’s definitely a sticky problem, the solution to which will not make everyone happy. But I hope that the district plans another community forum in the near future, specifically to address some of these concerns from elementary school parents and teachers.

You can find a lot more information about this issue including a video from the June 5 community forum at this link.

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