Jazz Festival returns to Webster Village this weekend

5 Jul

I hope this recent string of good weather keeps up for a few more days, because the Jazz Fest rolls back into town this Saturday.

This year’s featured entertainers include The Bill Tiberio Band, Paradigm Shift and contemporary jazz keyboardist Lao Tizer. You can click here for more details about the evening’s events, but here are the basics:

Everything happens on West Main Street in the village, where the street will be cordoned off, two stages set up, and there’ll be plenty of room to set up chairs and blankets for the evening. You can start setting up at 4:15, and the music begins at 5:30. Admission is free.

Here’s the schedule:

  • 5:30 pm: The Bill Tiberio Band on the East Stage (near the four corners)
  • 6:50 pm: Paradigm Shift on the West Stage (near Corning Park)
  • 8:30 pm: Lao Tizer plays two sets on the East Stage

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

Aside from a possible thunderstorm, the weather looks like it might cooperate. But if not, the rain plan is for Bill Tiberio to play at The Coach Sports Bar (23 West Main St.), Paradigm Shift at Hatter’s Pub (5 West Main St.), and Lao Tizer at The Coach.

This is always a wonderful event, and the whole town seems to come out for it. It’s a great chance to meet up with family and friends on a beautiful summer evening.

 

A fond farewell to “Miss A.”

4 Jul

When my kids were young, we all knew “Wheels on  the Bus” by heart. We’d sing it at all our preschool activity classes and mommy/child events, and it was one of our favorites for long car trips.  Back then, the bus had a driver, lights, a horn, doors and people.

Adrienne reads a story to the kids. (Click on any photo to see a gallery with more.)

Apparently, in the 15-plus years since I’ve heard this little ditty, the bus has become a “space bus” and has also picked up a llama and an alien in its travels.

At least that was the interpretation I heard yesterday from Jason Poole of the Webster Public Library.  The occasion was Stories in the Park, a half-hour story time hosted by the library every Tuesday in July at Ridge Park, featuring Jason and Children’s Librarian Adrienne Furness. The library has been hosting these story times for years, but yesterday’s was extra special, because it marked the last time that Adrienne — or “Miss A.,” as the kids know her — would be participating.

After ten years as the children’s librarian at Webster Public Library, Adrienne will be moving on to a position as Library Director of the Henrietta Public Library.

Adrienne has been with the Webster Public Library for a little more than ten years, starting just a few weeks before the new library

Jason gets the kids hopping. I think they’re being fountains.

opened in Webster Plaza. In that time she has become a beloved figure in the children’s room, making an already pleasant area even more inviting with her ever-present smile and welcoming personality.

Yesterday’s program was a good example of why Adrienne will be sorely missed. When I got there just before the program started, I was amazed to see how many kids and adults were squeezed into the Ridge Park gazebo.  There were more than 50 small children crowded onto two tarps on the ground, in their parents’ laps or on the picnic benches. And there were almost that many parents and grandparents. Plus, more families kept arriving even after the stories began. I’m sure a lot of them came for the playground but were pleased to find something  even better going on, so they just stood outside the gazebo and watched.

Jason started the program with a song, accompanying himself on a guitar. Then for the next half hour he and Adrienne tag-teamed with stories, movement games and children’s tunes, keeping all 50-plus kids jumping, laughing, smiling, singing, shouting, standing still as stones, wiggling, whispering, spinning and dancing.

And even better, when Adrienne was reading a story, every child’s eyes were glued to the book, their faces bright with wonder, their minds open to new information. It was a beautiful thing to see. At that moment, a BOOK was the most important thing in their lives. All I could think was that I was watching the next generation of readers become inspired. They were learning to love stories and books.

No children’s librarian could ever ask for a better legacy.  Thank you, Adrienne, and good luck.

(Click on any of the photos to see more from yesterday’s Stories in the Park.)

 

Check out the faces of the kids. They are totally involved in the book.

Some of Miss A’s many fans gather for a final photo after the program.

Webster Hots goes cold

2 Jul

Folks in and around the village of Webster now have another option when they get a craving for a cone. Webster Hots has just started offering ice cream at their East Main Street restaurant.

I actually found out about it on Sunday evening when owners Debbie and Pat Bush posted a notice on the Webster Hots Facebook page. I knew this was big news for the village and for all us ice cream fans. So I headed down there yesterday after dinner with my husband and daughter to check it out for myself. Purely for the sake of the blog, of course. (It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.)

Sure enough, when we walked into the restaurant we came upon a brand new ice cream counter and a pretty extensive Turkey Hill ice cream menu. Right now they have 17 different flavors which they plan to change up every once in a while. But Pat said they’d always have at least one frozen yogurt and one no-sugar added flavor.

It took us a little while to figure out what we wanted (I settled on the Junior Mints) and they were quick to offer free samples (and free sprinkles if we wanted them).  They also have milkshakes and sundaes with a variety of toppings, and the prices are very reasonable.  My small cone for $2.60 was plenty big. We sat out at the picnic tables on the patio and watched the town roll by while we ate.

What’s really neat about this new development is that later this summer Debbie and Pat hope to have a walk-up window installed on the west side of the building so ice cream cones and shakes and sundaes will be even that much easier to buy and enjoy.

Which,  on second thought, might not be such a good thing after all…..

My husband got Moose Tracks, rainbow sherbet for my daughter, and I went for the Junior Mints. Yum.

Stories in the Park to honor children’s librarian

30 Jun

I love my readers.

When I mentioned in my blog yesterday that I felt swamped by the grad party I’m having Sunday, I got two separate messages from people wanting to help out.  One was from Amy Weetman, a name you might recognize from a previous blog. Amy was kind enough to teach me how to hula hoop a few months ago.

Turns out that Amy is involved in a project which she’s trying to publicize. She sent me the following write-up, which I am pleased to repost here:

Jason Poole and Adrienne Furness

Stories in the Park, put on by the Webster Public Library, will begin again this summer on Tuesday, July 3 at 10:30 am.  It takes place at Ridge Park under the pavilion on every Tuesday of July, weather permitting. (Ridge Park is the one on Ridge Road behind the Town Hall.)

At the first Stories in the Park we will be celebrating our beloved Children’s Librarian, Miss Adrienne Furness’ last day in Webster.  She has accepted a new position as the Director of the Henrietta Public Library.  Jason and Miss A. have been together at the Webster Public Library for more than eight years and when they do a storytime together, something amazing happens.  We will all miss Miss Adrienne’s stories and finger plays, but are glad we got to have her for so long.

Jason Poole will continue along with a new Children’s Librarian.  Webster is very lucky to have such talented people in our midst entertaining our children and sharing a love of reading.

I am organizing snacks to follow the July 3 Stories in the Park.  Please contact me if you would like to contribute:  amyweetman@gmail.com  If you have any photographs of Story Times that you would like to share, I will be putting together a disc for Adrienne.  Thank you!

And thank you, Amy for being my guest blogger today!

 

Thumbs down to arsonists

30 Jun

The D&C Saturday morning posted a “thumbs down” in their opinion section to the mindless fools who torched the Bay View YMCA climbing tower a week ago.

It reads:

THUMBS DOWN for the mindless arsonist(s) who Monroe County Fire Bureau say brought on the destruction of a beloved 40-foot climbing tower at the Bay View Family YMCA on Bay Road. Before being reduced to ashes and rubble, this structure was integral to the Bay View Y’s fun, character-building summer camps. The YMCA is trying to raise $100,000 to replace the tower. If you are willing to contribute, please visit rochesterymca.org/donate or call (585) 341-4084.

Thanks so much to the editorial staff for recognizing what a blow this was to the Bay View campers.   I’m still hoping that someone hears something said by somebody, and the jerks who did this will be brought to justice.  So please keep your ears open.

The good news is, donations are coming in and plans are in the works for fund-raisers.  Stay tuned for more details.

* * *

On a different note, I’ve been a little out of commission these last few days as I try to pull together a graduation party on Sunday for my three children.  My eldest daughter just graduated with her Master’s degree from UB, my son with a music degree from Nazareth College and my youngest daughter from Schroeder High School. We figured one big graduation party would be easier and cheaper.

I wasn’t, however, counting on the stress.

So if I don’t post anything tomorrow morning, that means I’m knee-deep in party prep.  Have a wonderful, safe summer weekend.

Operation School Supplies 2012: An update

27 Jun

In the craziness of the last week, what with the end of school, graduation, that mess at Bay View, and the distraction of preparing for a three-child graduation party this weekend, I totally forgot to post an update on Operation School Supplies 2012.

In a word, it was awesome.

This is what school-supply central (the language lab) looked like at Thomas.

This was the fourth year in a row that students and staff members of Webster Thomas High School and Willink and Spry middle schools teamed up with the non-profit organization Greenseed Educational Supplies to collect new and gently used school supplies which might otherwise have been thrown away at the end of the school year.  And for the first time this year, the staff at Plank Road North Elementary School also joined the effort.

I’m not sure how much the middle schools were able to collect, but I do know that last week I carted 46 BOXES packed with supplies from Thomas High School to the school-supply command center (a spacious science classroom) at Eastridge High School.  They included (big breath here…) 465 three-ring binders, 230 2-pocket folders, 114 spiral notebooks, 66 composition notebooks, 17 cloth book covers, 16 packages of graph paper, 16 packages of index cards, 15 pencil cases, 13 trapper-keepers, 10 boxes of colored pencils, 3 big boxes of loose-leaf paper, plus hundreds of pens and pencils, glue sticks, locker accessories, crayons, markers, pocket dictionaries, string backpacks, sheet protectors, tab dividers, manila file folders, hanging files, and more.

Whew.

That’s definitely a lot more than we got last year, and that’s a credit to the people at Thomas High School.  Actually, the Webster school district in general has historically been one of effort’s biggest contributors.  According to Mitch Nellis, the mastermind behind this operation,

 Webster has been one of the most generous districts with regard to donating school supplies to our cause. Each year (Webster) schools continue to surprise us with how much they contribute.  We currently work with roughly 18 organizations including numerous city schools to provide supplies that students and teachers would otherwise have to go without.  With budgets being tightened everywhere, Webster Central School District is providing a very necessary charitable service.

Atta way, Webster!

Three of the young volunteers in the command center at Eastridge High. The bulk of the supplies had not yet arrived.

But the kids had everything organized and ready for action when the supplies did start rolling in.

This was the scene in the hallway literally three hours before the school representatives started arriving to choose supplies.

Just a few hours later everything was sorted into boxes and divvied up into separate rooms according to the kind of supplies.

Let the distribution begin!


 

 

Some tips on flag etiquette

27 Jun

As Independence Day fast approaches — our nation’s most flag waving-est holiday — the Village of Webster would like to remind everyone about flag etiquette.

Frankly, I think a lot of people could use a refresher course (when you drive around over the next week, count how many flags are hanging backwards off of porches).  But even if you think you’re pretty much up on all the proper regulations, check out the write-up on the village website anyway, because it makes for some interesting reading.

For example, this part of the Flag Code:

The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.

Now I’m going to be looking around all the time to see if this regulation is being followed.  And years ago, wasn’t it forbidden to work the flag into any piece of clothing?  That’s apparently not the case anymore, despite this part of the code which seems to address that:

The flag should not be used for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.

The website also tells you where to take your old flag to properly dispose of it.  Click here to find out how.

 

Somewhat happier news from Webster’s weekend

25 Jun

I really did plan to blog about happier things yesterday, but they went by the wayside when I found out the awful news about the Bay View YMCA climbing wall.  So today let’s get back to some more uplifting news.

The happy graduate

Both Webster high schools graduated on Sunday. Webster Schroeder had the early shift at the RIT Field House, and Webster Thomas followed that afternoon. I was there with my family in the morning to watch my youngest graduate. I have to say I was very impressed with the venue; it was very easy to get in and out, there was plenty of good seating, and the shuttle buses and golf carts that ran from the parking lots for elderly family members (and anyone else who didn’t want to bother walking) were very efficient.  The only thing I heard people griping about was about how cold it was in the field house. The place is overly air conditioned, to the point where people were going outside just to get warm.

The Schroeder ceremony was very nice, and the students’ speeches quite entertaining. (I’ll take the fifth in regards to the administrators’ speeches.)  I’m sure the Thomas graduation was equally enjoyable.  Congratulations to all the graduates this year, and be sure to remember the sage advice from the speeches you heard: Shoot for the stars while you journey to pursue your dreams, guided by strong values that will take you in positive directions, as long as you take the path less traveled, because as the the next generation of leaders you have incredible potential to change the world, because O the places you’ll go.

Or something like that.

* * *

There was a unique event Saturday afternoon at Barry’s Old School Irish that brought several fledgling fiddle players into the little pub/bakery.

It was a fiddle workshop hosted by Barry’s house band, Barry’s Crossing.  Beginning and intermediate fiddle players were invited to attend the free workshop and learn some basic fiddle techniques and a tune.  The event drew five young fiddle players, who in just a half hour, learned to play an entire fiddle tune from start to finish, to the delight of all the parents who stayed to watch.

Not having any musical talent myself, I found it amazing how these young musicians could just hear notes being played, remember what they were, play them back, and step-by-step put a whole tune together. But I guess that’s why they’re musicians and I’m not.

If you’re interested in seeing a bit of the workshop, click on the photo below to see a short video. It’s about 3 minutes long and takes you from the first notes to the final performance.

Click on the photo for a video from the fiddle workshop.

Fire claims Bay View YMCA climbing wall

25 Jun

D&C photo by Justin Murphy. Click to see the D&C article

I don’t know if you’ve heard the news yet out of the Bay View Family YMCA, but someone torched their climbing wall early Sunday morning. Oh, they’re not officially calling it arson yet, but it’s got to be arson; there was no electrical equipment in or around the tower that could have caused a fire.

When I heard the news Sunday afternoon, I just felt sick. I’ve worked at Camp Bay View for years, and I have seen the pure joy of achievement on campers’ faces when, after weeks of trying and trying again, they were finally able to scale that 40-foot wall.  It’s impossible to put a value on the self-confidence and pride that climbing wall has given countless kids.

And now it’s gone.

It also makes me angry to know that whoever did this is going to get away with it.  According to the D&C article I read about it, security cameras are no help, and no one saw anything.

So if we’re not going to be able to see anyone go to jail for this, the next best thing to do is thumb our noses at them and get that rock wall rebuilt as soon as possible. Apparently insurance won’t cover the cost of replacement, so it’s up to the Bay View YMCA community. And if I know anything about Webster, I know this is a community that pulls together when something needs to be done.

There are already rumblings about different fund-raising efforts in the works. As plans come together, I’ll let you all know the details. In the meantime, if you’re interested in making a donation to Bay View to get the ball rolling, you can click here.

 

It’s a beautiful day to celebrate summer in Webster

23 Jun

How did I forget about this?

Webster’s annual Summer Celebration takes place today at the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive.

This celebration started as a sort of the town’s Fourth of July party, and was held at the Firemen’s Field. But it’s outgrown that location, and even though it’s not THAT close to the 4th, it still offers plenty of free fun and entertainment for kids and adults.

It runs from 4-10 pm, and features music and food, and for the kids there’ll be inflatables, a climbing wall, games and crafts. Musical guests include the Brockport Community Band, the Empire Statesmen, and the Skycoasters, whose concert begin at 7:15 and ends with fireworks at 9:45.

Parking will be across the street in the xerox lot, and shuttle buses will be running all day.

Click here for more information.

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