OK folks, it’s finally here. Election Day. We’ve been looking forward to this day more than Christmas. Our gifts after all this is done: Fewer phone calls. Fewer strangers knocking on our front doors. A LOT less mail.
Come to think about it, that sounds like a very lonely existence. Maybe we should do this again in a few months….
Perhaps you were lucky enough to be in the audience last year when the Working Class Theatre Company performed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — Abridged at the gazebo. If so, I’m sure you were as impressed as I was with the talent this little company brings to the stage.
So you’ll be interested in this news: the Working Class Theatre Company has returned with a brand new play, which they’ll present in five shows this coming weekend at the Harmony House.
The production is called What’s the Capital of Bolivia?, and it’s directed by Sander Nagar, who also directed last summer’s hilarious Shakespeare parody.
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this performance. For starters (and this one’s obvious), it means that live theater is returning to the village. And there’s nothing like a good play to invigorate a town’s night life.
Secondly, this particular play is a world premier. It’s written by local playwright Robert G. Barone and has never been produced anywhere else before.
Jimmy Johnson and Scott Ellsworth play brothers home for their mother’s funeral. Tony Perri plays their father.
The last really neat thing about this performance is the way it’s being performed. The entire set has been plopped down not on the stage, but in the middle of the Harmony House floor. Taped lines outline the acting area, so in some places the actors will be only a few feet from the front row of the audience. It’s kind of like theater-in-the-round (except it’s a 
square). Nagar explained that the decision to perform on the floor was a deliberate attempt to deeply engage the audience. “While you’re watching,” he said, “you feel like you’re a fly on the wall.”
The theater company is hoping that this weekend’s production will be just the first of many appearances at the Harmony House, Nagar said. For a while now, he’s been working closely with the Chorus of the Genesee, who own the facility, and is pleased that to have “finally gotten a foot in the door.”
“We’ve always considered Webster our home,” Nagar said. Ultimately, he added, the Working Class Theatre Company would like to set up their own space in Webster, and settle into a three-play season: one show in the fall, one in the spring, and a summer production at the gazebo. Then maybe also sprinkle some staged readings throughout the rest of the year.
This view from the Harmony House stage shows how the performance area is set up on the floor.
It looks to me like they’ve got a real good start.
I’ve had a few readers write me in the last several weeks about the mysterious artwork which has appeared on the Route 104 bridge at Phillips Road. Somebody — or many somebodies — have been decorating the underpinnings of the bridge with graffiti art.
The reviews I’ve heard have been mixed. The first person who brought it to my attention called it “methodical, neat and weird.” Another asked if the “art work” was an “approved and funded project.” Which is not to say that she actually likes it.
The town’s official position on the artwork, however, is clear.
For starters, it is most certainly not an approved art project. “We don’t know who is doing this,” Supervisor Ron Nesbitt wrote in an email, and noted, “It looks terrible.” He added that the Webster Police are closely watching the area every evening in an attempt to catch the perpetrators. But so far the artists — whoever they may be — have proved slippery.
I’m playing catch-up again today.
The photo below was taken at an event which I attended last Saturday at the invitation of the Friends of Webster Trails. It was the Friends’ annual Volunteer Recognition gathering and Open House, held at the Whiting Road Nature Preserve. Its purpose was to celebrate and thank all the volunteers and youth groups who contributed about 3000 hours of hard labor to build and maintain the trails this year.
The photo represents only a fraction of the dedicated volunteers who provide thousands of hours of hard labor every summer creating and maintaining the miles upon miles of beautiful trails that wind through our town. We owe these folks and all the others not pictured a huge debt of thanks.
(L-R) Rich Morrill, Ron Happ, Buzz Weetman, Larry Yost, Craig Pratt, Dennis Kuhn, Sharon Galbraith, Hal Harris and Judy Harris
This year the Friends opened the second phase of the Green Trail in the northern section of Whiting Road Nature Preserve. They also oversaw the opening of the Hojack Trail extension through the village. And thanks in large part to some invaluable assistance from the Scouts, the Friends also made tremendous strides in creating and extending the brand new trail system at Four Mile Creek Preserve at Phillips and Lake roads. Not only that, within the next few weeks the Town Highway Department should be creating a new parking lot at Four Mile Creek, with help from several local contractors who will be donating their services. The lot will allow access to the trail-head for a .8-mile loop trail and for fishing access to Four Mile Creek.
A special shout-out to these Scouts who contributed greatly to this summer’s efforts:
From Troop 262:
Graham Price built a 20′ bridge and did trail work at Four Mile Creek Preserve
Sam Lewis built three benches, two tables and did trail work at Four Mile Creek Preserve
Andrew Fulkerson built a bench and 24-foot boardwalk, and did trail work at Whiting Road Nature Preserve.
Christopher Peffley built a 40-foot boardwalk and did habitat and trail work at John Ungar Nature Trail
Michael Hohl built three benches and a 16-foot boardwalk, and did trail work at Gosnell Park Big Woods
From Troop 108:
Peter Armbruster, built an 8-foot split-rail fence and did trail work at Whiting Road Nature Preserve
Wes Britton built a kiosk at Gosnell Park Big Woods
From Troop 163: David Brunette built a bench and table and did some weed whacking at Four Mile Creek Preserve
From Troop 363: Will Cobb built a table and did some gravel work at Bird Sanctuary Trail
CHECK OUT THE TRAILS FOR YOURSELF
This weekend is the perfect opportunity for you to check out some of this fine trail work for yourself.
The Friends are hosting a Hike Around Webster Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. And literally, that’s what’s going to happen. The hike will begin at 10 am at Vosburg Hollow Nature Trail parking lot and for the next 4-5 hours will meander through the Friends’ extensive interconnected trail system.
Wear comfortable foot gear and hiking clothes (layers are good). Bring water and a lunch, Homemade cookies will be provided mid-hike at the lunch break. For details about where the hike will go, and to RSVP, click here.
It looks like we might actually see some sun on Sunday, to celebrate with a great autumn hike!
I’ve been meaning for a while now to give a Webster Blog shout-out to one of our community’s greatest assets.
The Webster Community Chest is in the middle of its annual fund-raising drive. You probably received a solicitation in the mail not long ago, and I hope you didn’t toss it in the garbage, because this is an organization which really needs and deserves our support. And that’s because every penny we put into it comes back to our local community, in so many ways.
Last year, for example, the Webster Community Chest provided emergency food 132 times for families in crisis; distributed 221 holiday food baskets to families who would otherwise have had little to eat; provided 60 children with Christmas gifts; sent 32 children to summer camp; assisted families with rent, RG&E bills, medication and car repairs; and more.
It’s hard to imagine how important these services are if you don’t need them yourself. But needless to say, the Webster Community Chest is a critical lifeline for so many families in our community who have fallen on hard times.
There are several ways you can help. Slip a check into that envelope you received and give a generous monetary donation. Designate the Community Chest (agency #1469) as a recipient for your United Way contribution, donate new clothes or toys for Christmas gifts, or volunteer you time.
If you tossed that envelope, here’s the address:
Webster Community Chest
1000 Ridge Road
Webster, NY 14580
For more information about how you can help, call (585) 671-2060. Neighbors helping neighbors. That’s what community is all about.
You know it’s a pretty cool high school when the staff members there are encouraged to dress up for Halloween.
Webster Thomas principal Glenn Widor not only encouraged staff participation, he suggested a theme — zombies — which is why the Thomas hallways were filled with the walking dead today. The administrators in particular really got into it, so much so it was disturbing having to talk with them face-to-face.
Believe it or not, these zombies are Assistant Principal Mike Smith, AP Mary Kidd, Principal Glenn Widor, AP Sue Clark and AP Brian Weller.
But Thomas was certainly not the only school where the staff got into the act. My friend Sarah King at Plank North sent me these photos of some of the teachers over there:
Mr. Heveron is a tall penguin.
Mrs. Weinmann the pirate.
Principal Dave Peter was the game “Operation,” complete with a pair of tongs.
Mr. Schoff is … one scary dude.
Mrs. Fuss is “Smarty Pants.” Clever.
Mrs. Pawluk as candy corn.
Ms. King the witch.
Downed trees block Five Mile Line Road in Penfield. (Screen capture from D&C video by Jamie Germano.)
It could have been much worse. And I dare say, I think we were all expecting Sandy to hit us harder than she did. But fortunately — as is often the case — the predictions of gloom and doom were not completely fulfilled.
Not to say things aren’t bad out there this morning, for thousands of Webster residents. Especially along the lake shore, there’s water in basements, trees are down, lines are down, and thousands are without power. And since the problem is so widespread, it may take a long time for everyone to get it back again.
But for most of us away from the lake, aside from some extra detritus in the yard and a leaky roof or two, we fared pretty well. After all, I got a day off of school, most of the leaves are down from the trees now, which will allow me to finish up my yard work weeks ahead of time, and the outlet bridge got swung into place a few bonus days ahead of schedule (boy, did THAT little bit of news light up my blog!). We’re also pretty fortunate that this all blew through last night and not Wednesday night. And thank goodness it wasn’t snow. Yikes.
Still, take care when you’re out on the roads today, because several of them are closed and more branches may yet come down. Here’s an update from the D&C of the roads that are closed this morning:
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the following roads are closed: Stone Road, between Castleford and Willis in Greece; Latta Road, between Silver Fox Lane and Castle Creek in Greece; 5 Mile Line Road, between Whalen and Route 286 in Penfield; Lake Road, between Pellet and Baker in Webster; Holt Road, between Nestwood and Shoemaker in Webster; East Avenue, between Anita and Sweden Walker Road in Sweden; Roosevelt Highway, between Route 260 and Hamlin Parma Town Line Road in Hamlin; and, True Hickory Drive, off of Hemlock Woods Lane in Greece.
The Webster Recreation Center is also closed to the public today, as it has been designated an emergency shelter. The Webster Lunch 60 Program will also no run today.
How did you and yours survive the storm? Did you have any significant damage to your home? Feel free to comment and share your stories, and send along some photos for my blog if you’d like.
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)
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.
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.
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
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