Cheap entertainment at the gas station

16 Sep

If you tend to get a bit bored while pumping your gas, I recommend you take a closer look at the warning sticker on the pump for entertainment. I had occasion to do that yesterday as I was gassing up at Delta Sonic. The grammar nerd in me could only laugh at some of the things it said. Here are the two worst:

“Turn off cell phones or other electronic devices while fueling. Leaving them in your vehicle.”

and

“Do not fill a containers that is inside or on a vehicle.”

There’s a lesson here: Kids, learn proper grammar in school. You’ll need it for pretty much every job — even a job writing stickers.

* * *

I was also at BayTowne Plaza yesterday, and noticed that they finally put some blacktop down on the north side of the plaza in front of the old Tops store.  That finally allowed them to re-line that area, greatly improving the very confusing and contradictory mess of driving lane markings that was there.  Even so, the lane configuration they have chosen still defies explanation, and from what I saw, people are still ignoring the lines and driving wherever they please.

Do you think the people who designed this lane configuration were the same people who painted the lines at Plank and Empire?

 

Trucks for the Tower a success, despite the rain

16 Sep

Rodeo volunteers doubled as canopy-holders to keep the tents from flying away in the winds. (Click on the photo to see more.)

If you were one of the thousands of people who came out to the Trucks for the Tower Food Truck Rodeo on Friday evening, thank you! If you didn’t… well, I don’t blame you for a second.

Mother Nature chose to play a very cruel trick on the event, sending gale-force winds, pounding rains, and even a threat of hail Friday night, all of which arrived — coincidentally — right when the rodeo was scheduled to begin, and ended — coincidentally — right when the the rodeo was scheduled to end.  As a result, a good percentage of the event’s very well-laid plans never happened. The bounce house and obstacle course the YMCA brought for the kids could not be used. The hundreds of chairs neatly set up in the dining area were never sat on.  Volunteers originally scheduled to man ticket tables, sell concessions and pick up trash were reassigned to hold down the pop-up canopies so the wind wouldn’t turn them into big blue kites.

Not rain nor wind nor dark of night could keep these young ladies from having a good time in the dining room. (Click on the photo to see more.)

When it became clear that it wouldn’t simply be a matter of waiting the storm out, as many activities as possible were moved inside the Shriner Center, including the raffles, concessions, entertainment and dining.  And so the festival continued.

And thanks to this incredible community, the event did very well, despite the weather. The parking lot was filled, the dining room was packed most of the night, and even though people looked like wet rats when they came into the building, they were smiling and having fun.

And the Shriners.  What a wonderful bunch of people they are.  Without blinking an eye, they allowed us to invade their facility at a moment’s notice. If they had not been so accommodating, the Trucks for the Tower fund-raiser would have been a huge failure.

So thank you again to everyone who helped pull this event together. To the individuals and businesses who donated services and prizes. To the Shriners for their hospitality. And to the Webster community as a whole for your unwavering support.  Thanks to you, we’ll have the Bay View YMCA climbing tower rebuilt before the start of next year’s summer camp.

Click here to see more photos from the event.

Parking problems at the preserve

14 Sep

The Friends of Webster Trails have made some amazing progress in the last year in creating a brand new set of trails at the Four Mile Creek Preserve, corner of Phlllips and Lake roads.   Thanks in large part to help from some Eagle Scout bridge-building projects, the preserve’s west-side trails will be ready later this fall.

Now the Friends would like to create a parking area at the trail head/fishing access point on Phillips Road. Problem is, the Town of Webster does not have the funds this year to accomplish that.

As a result, the Friends are looking for someone who knows someone who would be willing to donate some bulldozer work at cost. The work would involve clearing tree stumps and top soil, boxing out the lot and grading the millings which will be supplied by the highway department.

If you know anyone, email Hal Harris at halmharris@ gmail.com.

 

All the most important phone numbers in one place

13 Sep

Do you remember in the movie The Jerk, the scene where Steve Martin jumps around with great excitement, exclaiming, “The new phone book is here! The new phone book is here!”  Well, that’s how I feel whenever that little local Webster phone book appears in my mailbox, as it did yesterday.

I just love this little phone book. Not only is it a much easier size to manage, the listings don’t bother including anybody I don’t want to call anyway.  It saves me a lot of time when I want to look up someone or some business here in Webster, without having to sift through  a thousand pages and hundreds of thousands of names.  Cute and to-the-point.

It’s also nice to have a Webster/Penfield pull-out map at my fingertips, and the directories of municipal phone numbers and school information are very convenient.

I mean, let’s face it. Webster is the center of our universe. This is a great publication to use when you need to find you way around. If you didn’t get one, they’re usually available at several local businesses, so keep an eye out for them.

Tuesday in the village: Mobs and memories

11 Sep

R.J. Short did billboard duty, trying to attract cash mobbers.

I had the pleasure of attending two very worthwhile events in the village last night.

The first was the inaugural Webster Cash Mob, an event which was meant to encourage shoppers to descend en masse on one local business during one very short window of time, therein giving that small business owner an economic boost.  The target of this first cash mob was Yesterday’s Muse Bookstore on West Main Street.

Unfortunately, the number of people who actually “descended” on Yesterday’s Muse was far less than a mass. It was more like 15-20. I think the mob organizer, Renee Short, was a little disappointed by the turnout, but undeterred.  She was already planning a second mob for sometime in October.

When that one happens, I challenge this village to overwhelm the place.

My next stop was Veterans Park, where the village held its annual 9/11 memorial ceremony. While this year’s event paled somewhat to last year’s tenth-anniversary observance, it was still moving.

The 30-minute ceremony featured speeches by Mayor Peter Elder, Senator Michael Nozzolio and Assemblyman Mark Johns, and some beautiful music by the Chorus of the Genesee and village piper Jack Jacob Jarosinski.  It concluded with Taps, beautifully performed from the hilltop by a lone bugler.  Always makes me want to cry.

Webster is only one of a handful of Rochester-area towns still commemorating the events of 9/11/01.  I asked Mayor Elder about that, to which he responded, “If we don’t remember the heroes of 9/11, we’ll forget the sacrifices they made. We need to keep those memories alive.”

And how many more years does he expect Webster to continue the tradition?

“As long as we possibly can. It’s very important.”

Click here or on the photo to redirect to a small gallery of photos from the ceremony.

 

Webster remembers

11 Sep

The Village of Webster remembers the tragic events of 9/11/01 this evening with a memorial service at Veterans Memorial Park on North Avenue.

Last year’s ceremony was a very memorable event, which began with a solemn procession of first responders from the Webster Fire Department’s Enterline Station on South Ave to the park. It was followed by addresses from local officials, a presentation of the flag by the Cub Scouts, and some very moving music. I expect this year’s ceremony to be just as nice. Click here to see a Facebook gallery of photos from last year.

The ceremony begins at 7 pm at the gazebo, and the weather looks great.

 

So which have been your favorite blogs?

10 Sep

I’ve been writing this blog for more than four years now. It has taken me that long to realize a funny truth: The amount of time I put into researching and writing a particular blog is inversely proportional to the that blog’s popularity.

Case in point: A few years ago I wrote a three-part series on Baywinde resident Buddy Gorman, who was the last surviving member of The Bowery Boys, a group of actors who starred in a popular series of films in the ’40s and ’50s.  I spent several hours in conversation with Buddy and many more hours writing the series.

I think maybe a dozen people read all three. (If you want to be #13, click here.)

In contrast, about six weeks ago I posted a blog about hanging laundry.  The idea came to me while I was … well, outside hanging laundry. I spent literally 30 seconds planning it (“OK,” I said to me, “what am I going to blog about tomorrow? Hm, how about hanging laundry?”)  It took me another 5 minutes to actually write it.

It was what I consider a throwaway blog, little more than a placeholder created on the spur of the moment.  Yet it became one of my most popular posts. The D&C chose to publish it in the print edition. Readers posted comments (which doesn’t happen very often). Three separate people have stopped me to tell me how much they liked it.

I’ve always been a little hesitant to post personal blogs like that one. I kind of consider them cop-outs, when I don’t have what I would consider a “good story” in the pipeline. But I might have to reconsider that perspective, because my readers really seem to like them.

Which leads me to another idea I had, which I pull directly from Ann Landers: Do you have a favorite Webster blog? Something that maybe you have hanging on your fridge or on the wall of your business?  Is there one in particular which made you laugh or cry?  If I get some responses, perhaps I’ll re-post some of your favorites.

Or is that a cop-out?

 

Checking in with some newer Webster businesses

9 Sep

A look at Cafe Sewciety’s new classroom.

Not long ago I got an e-newsletter from my friend Judy Merritt at Café Sewciety Quilts, in which she announced that her little shop was celebrating its first year anniversary.  That’s quite an achievement. It’s tough for new small businesses to make a go of it, especially in today’s economy.  Witness the recent closing of A Barker’s  Dozen after only about 16 months.

It got me to thinking about some other young businesses in town, many of which I wrote about when they opened. I thought it might be fun to check in and see how they’re doing.

First, let’s go back to Café Sewciety.  When Judy bought the little house on Ridge Road a little more than a year ago, it was in dire need of redecorating and remodeling.  She and her husband worked tirelessly to turn its two main rooms into a charming little quilter’s shop and classroom with a small but diverse selection of quilting and sewing supplies.

In the year since, Judy has quadrupled her inventory and turned the garage area into a dedicated classroom. Plus she’s also upgraded her website to offer online purchases.

Read my original blog about Café Sewciety Quilts here.

Danny and Jessica Barry transformed Webster’s Four Corners.

* * *

A year ago September 23, Danny and Jessica Barry officially opened the doors to Barry’s Old School Irish Pub and Bakery, transforming the village’s Four Corners.  They transformed a corner which had been an eyesore for years and created a business which which is so much more than just an Irish a pub — Barry’s is more like a community meeting hall, where friends meet over scones, co-workers raise a Guinness together, and where onetime strangers have come to feel like family.

Barry’s is still going strong, and is already planning its one-year Grand Opening anniversary in October.  In this first year they have greatly expanded their menu and beer offerings, and instituted weekly special events including Wednesday night Trivia Night and a Sunday morning brunch.

Read my original blog about Barry’s Old School Irish here.

* * *

Take a short stroll from Barry’s down East Main Street and you’ll come across Webster Hots, now owned by Debbie and Pat Bush. Debbie and Pat didn’t start their business from scratch, but they did take it over from the previous owners back in January, and have been doing very well since. This summer they solidified their position as a favorite summer meal stop when they added ice cream to their menu.

Check out the first blog I wrote about Webster Hots here.

* * *

Walter Scott at his new East Main Street location.

Cross the street from Webster Hots and you’ll see Webster Gourmet. The first time I wrote about Webster Gourmet was about two years ago, not long after Walter Scott opened the specialty foods shop on West Main Street.  Last January I had occasion to write about it again, to announce that Walter had moved to his current location on East Main Street. The move meant more space for the fledgling business, allowing Walter to expand his inventory and regularly bring in new products.  As a result, the business continues to attract new customers and is thriving in its new location.

Next time you’re in the village, you might see Walter sitting outside his shop watching the world go by. Make sure to stop for a chat. The teapot is always on.

See my most recent blog about Webster Gourmet here.

* * *

When BC’s Chicken Coop moved into Webster Village, I immediately had a new favorite chicken place.

The Chicken Coop is kind of hidden off the beaten path on South Ave., but this little restaurant has developed a loyal and steadily growing clientele in the more than two years it’s been in business.  Owners Brandie Rauber and Christina Wasson have significantly expanded their menu since they opened, and starting this week, will be open for lunch Wednesday-Friday.

The Chicken Coop, by the way, recently was recognized as one of Rochesterians’ favorite restaurants on urbanspoon.com.

Check out my original blog about BC’s Chicken Coop here.

 

 

Food Truck Rodeo will help Bay View Family YMCA rebuild the climbing tower

8 Sep

Have you heard yet about the Trucks for the Tower Food Truck Rodeo planned for this coming Friday evening? If not, you haven’t been reading my blog lately.  This is an event that is near and dear to my heart, and I’m on the committee that’s pulling it together. So basically, today’s blog is an ad for the rodeo. You can stop reading here and check out all the cute photos of kittens on Facebook, or read on and find out more about this great family event that benefits a great cause — rebuilding the Bay View YMCA climbing wall.

Here’s the background:

On June 24, the day before summer camp began, the 45-foot climbing tower at the Bay View Family YMCA was set on fire by arsonists. The entire tower was destroyed, including much of the climbing equipment and zip line. It was a devastating blow to the YMCA community. (If you’d like more information, check out my previous blog here.)

The YMCA has pledged to replace the tower before summer camp begins next year, which is pretty exciting. But even more exciting is that the new “climbing complex” will include two zip lines (so a parent and child could zip at the same time, for example), a bouldering wall, and I think they mentioned a high-ropes component as well. And even MORE exciting? Everything will be handicap-accessible.

The YMCA has taken a two-pronged approach to raising the $100,000 necessary to fund this ambitious plan. The first is to solicit larger businesses for corporate donations. This has been pretty successful so far; a recent email from Bay View YMCA Executive Director Mike Stevens announced that those efforts have already raised almost $25,000.

But there are a lot of Bay View YMCA friends out there who would like to help out on a smaller scale.  That’s where the Trucks for the Tower Food Truck Rodeo comes in. If you’ve never heard about these things (I hadn’t), a Food Truck Rodeo is when a whole bunch of food trucks descend on one place at one time. It’s kind of like a mini State Fair, with all kinds of great dinner and dessert items at your fingertips.

But we’ll also have live music, kids’ activities (like a bounce house, gaga court, dunk tank and face painting), and lots of raffle prizes (scroll down for photos of a few of them).

These are the trucks who have confirmed their participation so far (more to come):

The Dough Boys * Tuscan Pizza * Frozen Delights * Marty’s Meat * Chowder UP Seafood * Wraps on Wheels * Caspers Street Dogs * Cheesed & Confused * Fett Svin BBQ * Snow Daze

Plus, we’ve got more than 50 raffle prizes donated from about 30 Webster and Greater Rochester merchants, including wine, two Kodak pocket video cameras, a Sabres jersey, a Thirty-one tote bag, and lots and lots of restaurant and retail store gift certificates. (We’re still collecting raffle prizes if your business would like to donate. Email me!)

Here are the details:

Trucks for the Tower Food Truck Rodeo and Family Festival

Friday, September 14, 5-9 pm
Damascus Shrine Center, 979 Bay Road, Webster, NY
Lots of food, desserts and beverages; live music by Webster-based Irish duo Barry’s Crossing; kids’ activities; raffles

Check out the event’s Facebook page for more details and updates as the event approaches.

Bay Bridge is closed — and other news of note

7 Sep

For the third time this summer, half of the Bay Bridge will be closed to traffic this weekend.

Beginning tonight (Friday) at 8 pm, all EASTBOUND lanes over the bridge will be closed, and will not reopen until Sunday around noon.

Detour signs will be posted, directing eastbound traffic south on 590, onto Empire Blvd. to Bay, then north on Bay Rd. back to Rt.104 east.  It will probably be a really good idea to avoid Empire Blvd. entirely this weekend and try to get around via Browncroft/Atlantic  or Blossom Road. Even these routes will probably be busy, so plan ahead.

Going westbound over the bridge won’t be much easier; that will also be reduced to two lanes during the same period.

* * *

As I was driving through the village recently, I noticed with some sadness that Barker’s Dozen Gourmet Dog Treats has closed up its North Avenue shop. The little bakery only opened up a year ago April.  I always thought it was a clever idea and knew a lot of people who were big fans (including 499 of them who “like” the Facebook page).  But perhaps store owner Gabriella Martinez … ummm … bit off more than she could chew when she tried to move her home-based business to a storefront.

On her Facebook page, Gabriella does explain to her fans that, “We are just switching it back to an online storefront so I can focus more of my time on Pup Culture.”  This, apparently, is a digital magazine about dogs, “focused on furthering our human-dog relationship.”  Check out the Pup Culture website here.

* * *

You may have seen a mention in my blog a little while ago that a local “cash mob” was in the works. In a cash mob, a large group of people gather at a local business at a specified time and spend money — generally around $10-$20 —  giving that business an economic jolt. What a great way to support small businesses.

Well, the details have been finalized. The very first Webster cash mob will take this coming Tuesday September 11, from 5-7 pm at Yesterday’s Muse Books on Main Street in the village.  To participate, just show up and buy some books! Afterwards, the mob will be meeting across the street at Hatter’s Pub (another local business worth supporting) for a post-mob celebration.

The Webster Cash Mob folks plan to pick a new local business each month to mob. So this is just the beginning. You can follow the group’s Facebook page to stay updated.

* * *

You might also consider stopping by Veteran’s Park after the mob, where the Village will hold its annual 9/11 Memorial Service, beginning at 7 pm.  The gathering pays tribute to the thousands of fire fighters, policemen, EMT’s, and airline personnel, and private citizens who were killed in the line of duty on that awful day.

Last year’s ceremony was very moving and very meaningful. Definitely worth taking the time to attend.

 

 

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