PEEP Show returns to Rec Center

5 Mar

peeps

I have said this before, but it bears repeating.  I don’t like Peeps.

You know, I’m talking about those yellow marshmallow chicks and every other iteration of Peepdom that has since been introduced. I kind of put them in the same category as those faux-orange circus peanuts. They squeak when you bite on them.

That being said, I definitely will be attending the third annual Greater Rochester Peep Show scheduled for March 17 and 18 at the Webster Recreation Center. It’s a fundraiser for the Webster Community Chest, and 20 other local nonprofit agencies, and it is the CUTEST THING EVER.

The show will feature more than individual works of art and dioramas made with multi-colored Peeps or based on the a Peeps theme. Some of my favorite creations at last year’s event were the train station created by the Heritage Square Museum and the baseball field, entry from Rochester Miracle Field. (Click here for a small photo gallery from last here.)

Organizers are still soliciting entries for this year’s event. Prizes will be awarded in several categories. Plus, there’s a brand new “Spring Bonnet Parade” category, in which  participants are encouraged to decorate a hat with at least one Peeps candy on it. Make it funny, silly, gorgeous — whatever you like!  This is a great project for families and community groups.

There’s no charge to enter and your artwork will be returned after the show if you want it back.

So check out the photos for ideas and START YOUR PEEPS! You can get a lot more information and details on the Greater Rochester Peep Show website.

The show will be held at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive, on Saturday March 17 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday March 18, noon to 4 p.m. Admission to the show is free.

 

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Webster Thomas Players present Pippin

4 Mar

pippinThere are still a few weeks to go before the Webster Thomas Players present this year’s spring musical, Pippin. But tickets are on sale now, and want to encourage you to get them now, while the best ones are still available. This production is going to be something special.

The show’s producers are calling this production of Pippin “a unique interpretation.”

The show chronicles the journey of a young teenage boy searching for happiness, glory, adventure, and fulfillment in life. He tries many different avenues and roads, some of which he realizes are not positive or healthy directions. Eventually, this young man concludes that joy and comfort can be found in the simple things. This show’s theme, discovering who you are as a teenager and the impact your life has on others as you search for contentment, has never been more relevant.

Director Brenda Nitsch wrote that the path from first rehearsal to opening night has been an enlightening one:

Last June when we announced to the students that the 2018 spring musical would be Pippin, our initial thoughts centered on a show that is entertaining, provides learning opportunities in dance, and is a fun and thought provoking artistic production. Little did we know, in the environment our students live in today, that this show would also serve as a vehicle for self-reflection and exploration. We have spent a lot of rehearsal time discussing the themes of Pippin and how we as performers not only have the privilege, but also an obligation, to make a statement about who we are and what is important.

Pippin will be presented at Webster Thomas High School, 800 Five Mile Line Road, at the following dates and times:

● Thursday, March 22, 2018, 7:30 PM
● Friday, March 23, 2018, 7:30 PM
● Saturday, March 24, 2018, 2:00 PM
● Saturday, March 24, 2018, 7:30 PM

Tickets are $12.00 and available online now at: websterthomasplayers.com/tickets. They will also be available at the door. For group discounts, email Jennaltobelli@gmail.com.

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Webster mailbag (redux)

1 Mar

It always happens.

I post a mailbag one day, and the next day I find out about — or am reminded  of — several other events which I should have included. So pardon the redundancy, but here is this week’s mailbag, part 2.

Start your Friday night with dinner

spaghettiBoy Scout Troop 110 will host a spaghetti dinner on Friday March 2 at 7 p.m. at the Webster Masonic Lodge, 30 Orchard Street.

Dinner will include salad, bread, spaghetti with meatballs, ice cream, coffee and water. Tickets are $9 each and will be available at the door.

Spry vs. Willink Basketball 

After dinner,  how about taking in a friendly basketball game?

The Webster Willink and Spry Middle School Student Councils are once again sponsoring the annual benefit basketball game between Willink and Spry students, staff, and new this year, special guests Rochester Wheels wheelchair basketball team.

The game will be held Friday March 2, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Webster Schroeder High School gymnasium. Tickets are $5 each and will be available at the door.  Refreshments and other concessions will be available for purchase.

This year the Spry Student Council will be donating their proceeds to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; and the Willink Student Council will be donating their proceeds to the Jack Foundation.

basketball

The evening will begin with three student games, featuring Spry vs. Willink 6th, 7th and 8th graders. After those, Spry and Willink faculty members will join forces to play the Rochester Wheels. It should be some great family-friendly fun.

Webster Schroeder High School is at 875 Ridge Road, Webster.

Need more basketball? 

The 5th annual Rumble on the Ridge, Webster Thomas faculty vs. Webster Schroeder faculty basketball game, will be held Saturday March 3 at Webster Schroeder, beginning at 6 p.m.

Cost is $5 per person at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Jack Foundation, Rochester Challenger Miracle Field and the Webster United Basketball Team.

Organizers promise that “it won’t be great basketball, but it will be entertaining.”

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Webster community mailbag

1 Mar

The brand new ROC & Soul Fitness studio in the village has a few fun events coming up this month.

roc & soul

The first is a St. Patrick’s Day special class on Saturday March 10. Katie, one of the studio’s barre instructors, will combine her love of barre and Irish dance to teach something she calls a Barre Jig. The class will begin at 8 a.m. and there’s no dance experience needed.

Next, the studio will host its first Open House/Wellness Day on Saturday, March 24 from 1 to 4 p.m.  It will bring together many Webster and Rochester businesses to give health tips and wellness inspiration to our community.

Some of the events that day include:

  • A FREE barre class
  • Lunch catered by CoreLife Eatery
  • Healthy treats from The Village Bakery
  • Two speakers (Sarah Ormsby- a mental health counselor and Sarah Goodenough who owns Kitchen-Verde and was featured in People Magazine).
  • Other local businesses including RSalon, Oils by Erin, Athleta, ​Lorraine Staunch Art, and Arbonne Shakes.

ROC & Soul Fitness is located at 43 East Main Street in Webster, in that little plaza behind the Prime.

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Hey parents: If one of your kids is thinking about college, this news is for you, brought to you by the Webster Central School District:

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) will host the Rochester National College Fair, on Sunday, March 18 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and Monday, March 19 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

Attendees can meet one-on-one with admission representatives from public and private colleges and universities, including some international institutions. Both two- and four-year schools will be featured. Gap-year programs have also been invited to exhibit.

Participants will receive tips on how to navigate the college selection process, and learn more about admission requirements, financial aid, course offerings, and campus life. Students and parents can also discuss individual needs with college experts at the fair’s counseling center.

Complete information about the fair, including free student registration, can be found at www.nacacfairs.org.

The event is free and open to the public.

WFD facebook

Finally, If you’ve ever wanted to get a peek behind the scenes at a working firehouse, it just got a lot easier.

The Webster Volunteer Fire Department’s Facebook page is enjoying a kind of rebirth. It’s recently come alive with news and photos from all aspects of the department’s day-to-day operations.

Just in the last few days, for example, there have been photos of the new recruit class and one from a training session, and a link to a TV news story about a local fire to which the WVFD responded.

That’s just the beginning. You’ll want to like the page to stay up to date on what’s happening with your local firefighters. I think you’ll be surprised how busy they are (even when they’re not out on call) and how connected they are with our community.

Check out the WVFD Facebook page here.

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Strike Back Martial Arts joins national registry

24 Feb

STRIKE+BACK+Logo+Extra+SmallCongratulations to my friends and colleagues at Strike Back Martial Arts, which has recently been accepted as a member of the Adaptive Martial Arts Association (AMAA).

The AMAA is a national organization which describes itself as

a resource for students and instructors to gather and share ideas, curriculum and other adaptive training information while promoting disabled inclusion and helping to break down martial arts training stereotypes associated with the disabled.

Strike Back, owned by Mike Palmer and Dave Nicchitta, is a perfect fit for the organization. In 2015 the jujitsu dojo introduced their Jujitsu Buddies class, designed for children with autism, and just last year began a brand new Strike Back Fitness program specifically designed for children and teens with Down syndrome. Both programs have been very well received and have grown since their introduction.

After they had established those programs, Nicchitta said,

We had been looking to align ourselves with organizations that coupled martial arts and special needs (adaptive) programs. This seemed to be exactly what we were looking for so I reached out to them regarding membership. …We received approval a few weeks later and as a result are listed on their national registry along with other schools across the country.

“We are the only Upstate NY martial arts school on their national registry,” he added.

Strike Back Martial Arts is located at 55 East Main Street in the village. For more information about these and other programs they dojo offers, visit their website or Facebook page.

You can also ask me — I am pleased and proud to say I am part of the Strike Back family, and help teach these exceptional young people.

 

strike back

I love my Saturday morning Jujitsu Buddies

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End break week with some great library programs

22 Feb

family_night

If your kids are beginning to get a little bored with having so much time on their hands this week, here are a few great kid and family-friendly library programs you’re gonna love.

Friday night Feb. 23, bring the family to the Webster Public Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for an after-hours evening of fun. Enjoy a family craft, retro video-gaming, minute-to-win-it challenges, live music by Bach to Rock and more. Snacks will be served.

Registration is required for this program, and there are only a few spots left, so make sure to log onto the library website to register ASAP.

On Saturday Feb. 24, your kids will help kickoff the spring season with the library’s IMG_5766“Seedy Saturday” program.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., both kids and adults can take part in a variety of spring gardening activities, including participating in a hands-on demonstration of worm composting; making plant labels out of a variety of materials; seeing an example of square foot gardening; making seed balls and seed starting containers; and learning how to start plants from seed.

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And here’s a heads-up about an important event hitting our town in April.

The second annual Challenger Miracle Field Fete has been scheduled for Friday April 13 at the Arbor Loft in downtown Rochester.

Anybody who’s anybody will be attending this festive, fancy celebration, which will feature food and drink, a live and silent auction, and entertainment. You’ll also hear a lot about what a great facility Miracle Field already is, and how your support can make it even better by helping build a pavilion, concession stand, accessible restrooms and a Play with Possibilities Playground.

I am pleased to also report that my close friends Jim, Mary and Katie Holleran are honorary chairs for the event.

Tickets are $100 each and can be reserved by clicking here.

Challenger Miracle Field is located in Ridge Park, behind Town Hall on Van Ingen Drive.  To read more about this tremendous facility, click here.

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She’s baaaaack!

22 Feb

You would think, with a week off of school, I would be taking advantage of all the free time I have to be writing up a storm.

Turns out, that has not quite been the case.

I did, indeed have a long list of things I wanted to accomplish this week. It included buy a dishwasher, buy a printer, clean off computer files, clean out crawl space, finish column, start new column, make gig bag, finish EPK, work on bowling program, buy socks…. and tucked somewhere in there was the word “blog.” In large part because the column was on deadline and the “clean off computer files” task took more than 3 days, I never quite got around to updating this blog in the last week.

Today I try to correct that oversight.

I’ve already blogged about Spry Middle School’s production of Bye Bye Birdie Jr., which will take the stage for three performances March 9 at 7:30, and March 10 at 2:30 and 7:30. Tickets are $7 each and will be available beginning Monday February 26 by clicking here.

Spry Middle School is at 119 South Avenue in the village of Webster.

Just a few weeks later, Webster Thomas High School will present their spring musical, Pippin.

pippinPippin is the story of a young prince, told by a traveling troupe of actors led by the cunning and charming Leading Player. The prince is heir to the throne, searching for his own “corner of the sky.” Pippin returns from university certain that he will find a fulfilling purpose in life. As encouraged by the Leading Player, Pippin dabbles in bloody battle, temptations of the flesh, and savvy political maneuvers, only to discover that true happiness is more complicated than he thought.

The show is peppered with infectious tunes by Stephen Schwartz and classic choreography from Bob Fosse, and promises to be a humorous, exciting adventure.

Pippin will be presented on Thursday March 22, Friday March 23 and Saturday March 24 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday.

Tickets are $12.00, available online now by clicking here. They’ll also be available at the door.

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Help out puppies in need next week

16 Feb

A couple of fun events coming up I want to throw out there today.

I just saw this notice on Facebook from Knucklehead Craft Brewing in West Webster:

Did you know Friday February 23 is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day? To celebrate, stop in to Knucklehead on Wednesday, 2/21/18 and bring a pre-packed dog biscuit treat for your chance to Spin The Wheel and win a prize. No cost needed other than your donation of a pre-packed dog biscuit treat. We will donate all packages to Lollypop Farm to share with their dogs!

Remember that you’ll only be able to spin the wheel if you bring in your dog biscuits on Wednesday February 21. But it’s OK if you want to bring them on International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day on Friday as well. I mean, you gotta celebrate, right? And I’m sure they’ll go to a good home.

Knucklehead Craft Brewing is located at 426 Ridge Road in West Webster (at the corner of Bay).

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IMG_1365

Some of the cast: (Front) Ryan Parody and Carenza Glastonbury. (Back) Anna Holley, Lizzy Clark, Cameron Stone, Madeleine Tischner, Analiesse Brown, and Lily Ippolito. 

Rock & roll comes to the Spry Middle School Stage on March 9 and 10 when the Spry Drama Club presents Bye Bye Birdie Jr.

Broadway audiences have been long familiar with this family-friendly, upbeat comedy about rock & roll idol Conrad Birdie and his star-struck fans. The dancing is fun, the music is infectious and the laughs are plentiful.

Bye Bye Birdie Jr. will be staged in three performances on Friday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 10 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the Spry Middle School Auditorium, 119 South Avenue.  Advance tickets are $7 each, and the shows are expected to sell out (it’s a small auditorium). Tickets go on sale February 26. Click here to get yours. If any remain, they will be sold at the door.

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Ping pong and basketball news

13 Feb

Thanks to Debbie Kazimer for sending me the following information about the ping pong tournament held at Thomas High School Tuesday afternoon.

The charity tournament was organized by National Honor Society seniors Ben Kazimer, Matt Hill, David Tomer and Will Johnson to benefit Honor Flight, Rochester.

Thirty-two players participated in the tournament, including Superintendent Carmen Gumina, who challenged Ben to a match. Ben won in two very close games. Gumina and Ben each bet $20, and Ben donated his winnings to Honor Flight.

Webster Thomas principal Glenn Widor and several teachers also played in the tournament.

The boys succeeded in raising $1,000 for Honor Flight, an amazing achievement which reflected the hard work they put into organizing the tournament. Not pictured here are all of the raffle donations they collected from local businesses; they even got the trophies donated.

Our young people in Webster are something special.

 

And now, BASKETBALL!

The annual benefit basketball game sponsored by the Willink and Spry middle school student councils returns this year, but with a twist.

Or maybe a roll.

The annual game, scheduled for Friday March 2, pits students against students and (usually) staff against staff. But this year there’s an exciting new feature:  special guests the Rochester Wheels wheelchair basketball team will be joining the fun.

The sixth graders start the competition with boys versus boys followed by girls versus girls. They’re followed by the seventh and eighth graders playing together, with the boys starting and the girls finishing.

Finally, the Spry and Willink staff will team up this year to take on Rochester Wheels. That game alone will be worth the price of admission.

The two middle school student councils have raised tens of thousands of dollars over the years for an array of worthy causes. This year Spry Student Council is donating its proceeds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Willink Student Council is donating its share to the Jack Foundation.

The game will be held on Friday, March 2 at 7 p.m. in the Webster Schroeder High School gym. Tickets are available for students to purchase during most lunches at both schools, and for all to buy at the door for a donation of $5 each. Refreshments and other concessions will be available for purchase. Additional donations of any amount are gladly accepted.

This is an awesome family-friendly, community event which will benefit some great community organizations. Everyone is invited to join in the fun.

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Stop the presses!

13 Feb

I only got this notification yesterday afternoon, but it sounds like a fun and worthwhile event which I need to pass along.

ping pong

Come to Webster Thomas High School on Feb 13th from 3 to 5 p.m. National Honor Society Seniors Ben Kazimer, Matt Hill, David Tomer and Will Johnson are hosting a Charity Ping Pong Tournament. All proceeds will go to Honor Flight, Rochester.

Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans and transports them to Washington DC to visit their Memorials free of charge. Superintendent Carm Gumina has challenged Ben to a 1-on-1 game. There will be multiple games at once and winners will receive trophies and gift cards donated by local businesses. Should be a fun time. Honor Flight reps will be on hand to help support this event.

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