Tag Archives: Missy Rosenberry

Webster Public Library’s mitten tree — and other library news

11 Dec

Count on the Webster Public Library to really get revved up for the holidays. Everytime I go to their Facebook page I see they’ve added something new and fun.

Let’s start with the “mitten tree.” It’s in the main lobby, awaiting donations of mittens and other cold-weather gear to donate to Hope House.

Donations will be accepted through Jan. 13, and everything will remain in our community, shared with Webster residents.

The Friends of the Library have also set up their holiday book sale, and when I saw it, I was floored by the selection and how downrigth PRETTY the display is.

Hardcover books cover a variety of topics including art, history, travel, cooking, sports, science, performing arts and more, and are just $2 to 4.

Now, let’s talk MUSIC. Two great family-pleasing, live musical performances are on tap. The first features the Roc City Ringers, performing today, Saturday Dec. 11 from 2 to 3 p.m. Then, the following Thursday Dec. 16, the Webster Thomas Select Choir takes to the risers for a beautiful vocal concert from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m.

Neither of these events requires pre-registration, but please remember to mask up!

Finally, when you’re at the library for the book sale, concerts, or to drop off your donations to the mitten tree, maake sure to stop by the Artist’s Wall, where this month’s installation features the Arbor Creek Photo Group.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@missyblog)

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Webster community mailbag

9 Dec

Some of these “mailbag” items today didn’t actually come through the mail. I found out about them by scrolling through webpages or just saw them when I was out and about in the village.

Take this donation opportunity, for example, which I especially want to point out to patrons of Barry’s Old School Irish. A couple of regular patrons thre are very involved with the Father Laurence Tracy Advocacy Center on North Clinton Ave., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing advocacy services for the residents of the North Clinton neighborhood.

The box propped up on the windowsill in Barry’s musicians’ corner (“Kenny’s Corner,” for those of you REALLY regular customers). Patrons are invited to donate warm socks, hats, gloves, mittens and handwarmers for distribution to those the Father Tracy Center serves.

I’m told that last year the donation box was set up at Mama Lor’s, and it was overflowing. Let’s show them how our Barry’s Family and Webster Village community can do that as well.

Barry’s — and the box — are located at 2 West Main St.

Do you know a great teacher who deserves to get some extra special recognition? How about nominating him or her for an Oak Tree Award?

Co-Sponsored by the Webster Teachers’ Association and the Webster Central PTSA, the Oak Tree Award recognition program is an annual award designed to recognize teacher excellence in Webster CSD schools by honoring an educator from the elementary and the secondary levels. 

Any Webster resident or district employee, current or former student, parent, teacher, or administrative colleague may nominate a teacher for the Elementary or Secondary Teacher of the Year Oak Tree Award. Educators include: UPK-12 teachers, special educators, literacy specialists, school counselors, librarians/media specialists, school psychologists, school social workers, speech and language teachers, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. 

Award nominees must meet the following criteria:

  • Currently teaching in a full-time position in Webster Central School
  • Have a minimum of 5 years teaching experience in Webster Central Schools
  • Plan to continue to teach the next school year in, or retire from Webster Central Schools
  • Be a member of both the Webster Central PTSA and the Webster Teachers’ Association

Nominations are due by February 1, 2022. Click here For more information and a link to the nomination form.  

Webster’s next two blood donation opportunities are coming up next week.

On Tuesday Dec. 14, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church will sponsor a drive at the church, 813 Bay Rd., from 1 to 6 p.m.

Then the next day, Wednesday Dec. 15, a drive will be held at the Webster Firemen’s Building, 172 Sanford St. (at the south end of Firemen’s Field) from 1 to 7 p.m.

The Red Cross has a great promotion going on right now, too. Donate at either one of these drives and get a $10 Amazon gift card emailed to you. Click here to make an appointment.

A few notes from the musical guys of the Chorus of the Genesee. They’ll be performing at Eastview Mall in front of J C. Penney’s on Tuesday Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. This would be a fun time to get some Christmas shopping done.

I can’t make it to that, but I will definitely be taking part in the Chorus’ annual Soup and Caroling Night on Tuesday Dec. 21, beginning at 7 p.m.

For those of you not familiar with this event, here’s what I wrote about my experience a few years ago:

The Chorus has been hosting this evening of caroling for at least 24 years. There were also a whole lot more people at this event. I counted about 60 men, women, children and dogs. I was told that it was more than double what the Chorus usually draws. It helped, I think, that the weather was pretty pleasant.

Everyone gathered at the Harmony House, enjoying coffee and cookies, sheets of music and Santa hats were handed out, and when 7 p.m. rolled around, everyone filed out into the street.

The first stop, as it has been every year, was Webster Eyecare Associates, which is pretty much across the street from the Harmony House. The folks there have come to expect this annual visit by the Chorus carolers, and this year — for the first time — had donut holes and hot chocolate for the chilly singers.

I’m really looking forward to this, as I always do. I can’t say that I did a great job singing last time, but no one could hear me because the Chorus’ beautiful voices pretty much took center stage. But I did have some delicious soup and the company was grand.

This is the kind of thing that really makes our village special, and I encourage everyone to come out and enjoy.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@missyblog)

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Meet Adam Traub, the Webster Public Library’s new director

7 Dec

As the Webster Public Library welcomes the new year, it will also welcome a brand new director.

On January 3, Adam Traub will officially take over as director for Terri Bennett, who’s retiring after more than 40 years of service.

Traub is currently Associate Director of the Monroe County Library System (MCLS), where he manages the operations of the county’s 20-member library system. Before joining the MCLS, he worked for several years in academia, managing digital and technology services at the University of Rochester and RIT libraries.

A graduate of Nazareth College, Traub didn’t originally plan to pursue a career in the library sciences.

“I was initially going to teach English at the collegiate or high school level,” he said. But then when a snafu at the college postponed his student teaching placements, he saw it as an opportunity to explore a different direction.

“I’d been working in the library (work study) for the past three years, and I really liked it,” he said. “So I decided to get my master’s in library science. I’ll get that, and when I’m done, I’ll see what jobs are available.”

Plus, he added, “I didn’t have to grade, which was very attractive.”

He headed to the University of Buffalo for his MLS and never looked back.

“I have no regrets,” he said. “I’ve found a way to make a living giving things away. … It’s amazing.” 

In accepting the position at the Webster Public Library, Traub is basically coming home. He grew up in Webster, graduated from Webster High School in 1999, and still has family here in town. He and his wife Rachel recently moved to Williamson from the South Wedge and are expecting their first child in March.

Traub hasn’t met all of the staff members yet, but is pretty impressed by what he’s seen so far. He said,

The thing that comes through the first time you walk in this building is the creativity of the staff. When I started my current position (with the MCLS) I visited every single public library location in Monroe County. Staff across the county are amazing. But the creativity here…

When I started, when I came to Webster, they were just putting up their hallway decorations. And right there, there was a giant tree made of paper, it went all the way up. … That’s like a professional level exhibit type thing and I was just floored. …When you go to library school, you don’t get taught any of that. That’s someone’s interest and skill and passion coming out. 

I see really cool things happening with tech, I see really creative use of space which is a whole other skill set. Obviously they’re doing something right. They’re one of the busiest suburban libraries in the county, and not the biggest by population.

I think in some ways, Webster’s swinging above its weight class. 

Fans of the library have nothing to fear; Traub isn’t planning to make a whole lot of sweeping changes right away. His first priority is to get the lay of the land.

I would feel awfully arrogant if I said I had big plans for the library to change. There will be change but right now I think it’s figuring out, what do the staff and the patrons love? What should keep going? Because I find that those cultural touchstones are the most important things for us to keep. 

So my first little bit is getting to know what needs to stay before we start thinking about what needs to change. I think having a healthy amount of humility is important to know what’s important to people and make sure what needs to stay stays, and then figure out what’s not working. 

To that end, Adam hopes to set up a public meet-and-greet before the end of the year. “Terri’s done such an amazing job here, I’m sure people want to know the library’s in good hands.”

Stay tuned for more information about that.

The Webster Public Library is located at 980 Ridge Rd., at the back of Webster Plaza.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@missyblog)

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Check out Santa’s new home at White Christmas

1 Dec

I do hope Santa will be packing some longjohns when he visits Webster this Saturday afternoon for White Christmas, because it will definitely be cold — although not as snowy as he’s used to at the North Pole.

He’s going to need those thermal undergarments when he settles into his Santa chair, which for the first time will be set up in the gazebo at Veterans Memorial Park. The park will be transformed into Santa’s beloved North Pole, complete with twinkly lights, lots of holiday decorations and plenty of elves.

Mrs. Claus will be there, too, as Santa welcomes good little boys and girls to visit him from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Make sure they bring their wish lists, which can be handed right to Santa or deposited in his personal mailbox.

Following your visit with Santa, there’ll be plenty to do, beginning right at 3 p.m., including:

  • caroling
  • Toy Land, where visitors are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped toys
  • storytime with Jason Poole from the Webster Public Library at Yesterday’s Muse 5 p.m.
  • cookie decorating
  • carriage rides through the village
  • hot cocoa
  • a candy cane scavenger hunt
  • Festival of Trees voting at the Webster Museum
  • live music at the Webster Museum from 3 to 4:30
  • special events and treats at the Harmony House
  • free 20-minute infrared sauna sessions at ROC &Soul Fitness from 3 to 6 p.m. (Click here to register)
  • great shopping at our small businesses
  • the Parade of Lights begins at 6:30 p.m. and travels west from Kircher Park down Main Street to Pierce St.

There’s more stuff, too, but basically it’s going to be a really fun time for the whole family. And I’ll be out there taking my hundreds of photos, as always.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@missyblog)

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Webster community mailbag

30 Nov

I’ll lead today’s mailbag with a tease of this weekend’s White Christmas in the Village celebration, which takes place this Saturday Dec. 4.

More details to come about this annual event, but suffice it to say, everyone is looking forward to the caroling and cookies, storytelling, visit with Santa (this year he’s in the gazebo), and of course, the parade. The festivities begin at 3 p.m., which means there’ll be plenty of time to do some shopping and sample all of the day’s special events before the parade kicks off at 6:30.

The annual Garden Club Holiday Sale is also returning this year after a one-year COVID-induced hiatus.

This very popular fundraiser, sponsored by the Country Gardeners of Webster and the Webster Arboretun Association, features fresh wreaths, centerpieces, gifts, arrangements and live plants. This is another great opportunity to pick up some unique and much appreciated Christmas gifts.

The sale will be held Saturday, Dec. 4 (same day as White Christmas) from 9 a.m. to noon at Webster Parks and Recreation, 1350 Chiyoda Drive (just off of Phillips Rd.). Admission is free. Get there early, because this event always sells out.

The Festival of Trees is up and running at the Webster Museum!

Before you head down to Main Street for White Christmas in the Village this Saturday, pop by the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park, to check out all of this year’s Festival of Trees competitors.

Twelve community-decorated trees have been placed throughout the museum, and await your vote for the best one. The winner will win $25, so your vote is very important!

Voting will take place this Saturday Dec. 4 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. If you happen to be there between 3 and 4:30, you’ll also be treated to some live music.

Voting continues at the museum every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 2 to 4:30 p.m., except for December 25.

You’ll have a chance to visit with Santa at White Christmas, but if you can’t make it there (or your kids were SO BAD that they need two shots at Santa this year), the Webster Recreation Center will welcome the jolly old elf on Saturday evening Dec. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The event is open to all ages, is absolutely free, and desserts and hot chocolate will be served! Keep up to date on the details and the evening’s schedule at the Webster Recreation Center webite.

Webster’s next two blood donation opportunities are coming up in just a few weeks.

On Tuesday Dec. 14, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church will sponsor a drive at the church, 813 Bay Rd., from 1 to 6 p.m.

Then the next day, Wednesday Dec. 15, a drive will be held at the Webster Firemen’s Building, 172 Sanford St. (at the south end of Firemen’s Field) from 1 to 7 p.m.

The Red Cross has a great promotion going on right now, too. Donate at either one of these drives and get a $10 Amazon gift card emailed to you. Click here to make an appointment.

The need right now is urgent. I just got this message from the Red Cross:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expecting a severe flu season this year, and that could have a negative impact on the nation’s already-struggling blood supply. The American Red Cross continues to address an emergency blood and platelet shortage, and donors of all blood types – especially type O – are needed to make an appointment now to help ensure it doesn’t get worse as we move into winter.

The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

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New village store embraces the whimsical side of shopping

27 Nov

Today is Small Business Saturday, and there are so many cool things happening with our village merchants, you’re going to want to block off most of your day to check them all out.

The most exciting is that a brand new business, Whimsies, has opened on East Main Street. Whimsies doesn’t have a sign outside yet, but you’ll find it right next door to Lala of Webster, at 32 East Main St. (in the former Chandeliers Boutique). Whimsies is actually kind of an extension of Lala’s; or as owner Lisa Schlonski describes it, a gift shop operating under the Lala umbrella.

Lisa is still unpacking and organizing her merchandise, but really wanted to open her doors by Small Business Saturday. When everything is in place, the new store will be stocked with some of the more whimsical and “snarky” items that you can find right now at Lala’s, and will also feature a wide selection of vintage and “penny” candy.

The new shop already looks great, even though it’s not where Lisa would like it to be quite yet. You’ll definitely want to check it out today, because everything in the store (and in Lala’s) is 20% off.

Checking out the new Whimsies is just one good reason to head into the village today. Not that anyone should NEED an excuse to support the Village of Webster’s small businesses, but in honor of Small Business Saturday, you’ll find that pretty much everyone has specials going on. Here’s a sampling, from some of my favorite village shops:

Crafty Christy’s Boutique is our village’s newest small business (aside from Whimsies). At 7 West Main St., it’s kind of hidden down in the back parking lot across from the gazebo, but is getting a lot of attention. Anyone who wanders down there to check it out today will find some extra special surprises.

Christina Barnum is offering shoppers buy one/get one free Christmas earrings, and the chance to sign up for three craft classes for the price of two. Christina is also also accepting clothing donations for HOPE House, and will give a free gift to anyone who makes a donation. (Click here to see the current HOPE House wish list).

The North Bee, at 27 North Ave., is actually celebrating its 3rd anniversary today. In honor of the anniversary, you can get buy one/get one free CBD products and check the Facebook page for a 30% coupon good in store for any one item.

Village HandWorks is another fairly new business. It opened in September at 19 East Main St., next door to the Village Quilt Shoppe. Owner Jenn Ratcliffe has so many percentage-off specials that I can’t really include them here, but suffice it to say, if you’re looking for gifts for someone in your life who loves to knit or weave or appreciates hand-crafted winter-wear, you’ll want to spend some time at Village HandWorks.

Jenn, by the way, is super-dedicated to supporting — and giving back to — our town and world community. Not only does she offer products from local artisans, but she also stocks items from companies like FAZL. Their mittens, hats and socks are crafted by women in India and 30% of the profits will benefit Indian orphanages.

PLUS, if you buy anything at Village HandWorks or Nest Things (right down Main Street), you can wrap it for free at Village HandWorks.

I also heard recently from the Village Quilt Shoppe, 21 East Main, where Vanetta and Monique are offering 30% off all full-priced merchandise, and a few very tempting gift certificate specials. And Jonathan at Yesterday’s Muse bookstore, 32 West Main, emailed to tell me all about his shop’s brand new website and coupon offerings. You can see them for yourself here.

Whew. That was a lot of information, and it was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the great small businesses we have here in town that deserve our support, today and every day.

I hope you noticed — for EVERY ONE one of those businesses I wrote about today, I was able to tell you the owners’ names. That’s because the folks who choose to open businesses here in Webster are not just merchants. They are Webster residents and our neighbors. They help make up the fabric of our community. They participate in our holiday events, support our sports teams and feature products from local artisans. They do things like give back a portion of their proceeds to Indian orphanages.

You won’t find those things in any big box store.

Please show your love to small businesses today. They’re great places to find unique gifts and stocking stuffers.

As for me, I don’t know for sure how much shopping I’m going to do today, but I did stop at the bank yesterday to prepare ….

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

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Santa’s visit to Bella’s Bumbas workshop: a follow-up

26 Nov

You may remember a few weeks ago reading a blog about how Santa himself visited the Bella’s Bumbas workshop here in Webster to help build a Bumba for one very lucky child in Connecticut.

During his visit, Santa was assisted by several young elves, who showed him how to craft one of Bella’s Bumbas’ miniature wheelchairs from the wheels up.

I’m happy to report that the special Santa-built Bumba has been received by Tate, the young man for whom it was being built. Check out the photo below; it’s easy to see how delighted Tate is with his newfound mobility. What you can’t see is how Santa and all his elves signed it underneath the seat.

Click here to read the blog I wrote about Santa’s visit to the workshop.

Santa working on the Bumba
Tate with his Santa-built Bella’s Bumba

While Santa was there, he also signed another Bumba, specially built for young Josué in Mexico. Josué has also received his autographed Bumba.

Josué in his Santa-autographed chair

Bella’s Bumbas is run by Webster residents Marty Parzynski and Rebecca Orr, dedicated to building miniature wheelchairs for children with a wide variety of mobility issues. In the four years since Marty built the first Bumba for their niece Bella, they’ve shipped close to 2000 chairs to children in more than 50 countries, often adapting the chairs for each child’s individual needs, and charging the parents only for shipping.

Their efforts are changing young lives all over the world.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

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Giving back on this Thanksgiving Day

25 Nov

A reader messaged me the other day, asking where she might find a neighborhood food pantry where her family could make a food donation. It got me thinking that many people out there could benefit from that information, especially at this time of year when we’re feeling so thankful for what we have, and want to help those in our community who are not so fortunate.

HOPE Ministry, housed at Holy Trinity Church, is the largest food pantry currently operating in town. The ministry has an extensive pantry, complete with fresh produce, and is open four days a week for any Webster resident who needs assistance.

Donations of food, hygiene and cleaning products are accepted during their open hours (but please no household donations). Hours are Monday 5 to 7 p.m.; Tuesday 10 a.m. to noon; Wednesday 3 to 5 p.m.; and Thursday 5 to 7 p.m.

Their current wish list includes:

  • chunky soup
  • canned cannellini beans
  • canned mixed vegetables
  • canned pineapple
  • body wash
  • aluminum foil

HOPE Ministry also has two floors of clothing for all ages and in all sizes. They’re always in need of gently used children’s clothing, toddler underwear and socks, and right now would love to get more hats and gloves (especially men’s).

HOPE Ministry is located at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Rd., and there’s a cart outside for “contactless” donations.

Webster is also home to four “little free food pantries.” These are small, stand-alone pantries filled with non-perishable food items, where the concept is “take what you need, leave what you can.”

The pantries are hosted by the congregations of four local churches and can be found in the church parking lots. They’re at the Webster Baptist Church on South Ave, Immanuel Lutheran Church on West Main St., the United Church of Christ on Klem Rd., and St. Martin’s Church on Bay Rd.

Donations can be made at any time; just drive up, open the pantry and put in your donations. So maybe next time you head to Wegmans you pick up an extra half dozen cans of veggies, a few boxes of cereal, maybe some extra spaghetti, and swing by one of these pantries on the way home.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends. May your day be filled with family and the blessings that life brings.

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In memory of a village treasure

21 Nov

On March 3, 2018, the Village of Webster lost one of its most precious people, Carol Klem.

I had known Carol for less than 10 years, but we shared a passion for local journalism, and a love for the village. When we first met — I don’t remember when or where it was, but it was probably at some village event — we immediately hit it off.  Aside from bonding over our love of writing and journalism, we recognized in each other the same determination to live life fully, not take life too seriously, and never completely grow up.

For more than ten years, Carol penned the Village Focus column in the Webster Herald, and was basically the village’s biggest cheerleader. On November 21, 2017, the Webster Village Board returned the favor. To show Carol how much her efforts were appreciated, they presented her with a proclamation and named the day after her. Every year hence, November 21 would officially be Carol Klem Day in the Village of Webster.

Given that today is Carol Klem Day 2021, I wanted to post something in memory of my friend. What follows is an article I wrote for the Webster Herald which ran the week before the proclamation.

If you’ve lived in the Village of Webster for any length of time, chances are very good you know Carol Klem — or at least know about her.

It helps that for the last 12 years, as Village Focus columnist, Carol’s smiling face has appeared every two weeks on the village website and in the Webster Herald.

But even if you don’t regularly read her column, you’ve almost certainly seen Carol around town, chatting with fellow journalists at Barry’s Old School Irish or at Golden Boys, visiting with local business owners, or darting back and forth during parades, festivals and other special events, snapping photos for her column.

Basically, the name Carol Klem has become synonymous with all things good about the Village of Webster. For years, she’s been the eyes and ears of Webster, like a town crier, using her column to cheer accomplishments both big and small. She has introduced us to new businesses and old businesses. She has written tender obituaries, announced births and anniversaries. She has told us about upcoming special events and charmed us with personal musings about small-town life. And every Christmas she has delighted us all with her epic holiday poem.

Carol was born in Rochester in 1938, the oldest of three children, and lived with her family in the Beechwood section of the city. While she was attending high school at Nazareth Academy, her parents decided to move to Webster, in a home they built on Basket Road.

At that time, Webster was very rural, and was really considered the “boondocks.” Moving from the city to farm country was a big adjustment, but it gave Carol lots of handy excuses for being late for school. One of them, her daughter Mary Kay remembers, was “the Schreiber cows were loose on Basket Road.”

Carol attended Nazareth College, where she studied English and music, and was hired at Holy Trinity School, where she taught first through third grades.

Carol was the school’s first lay teacher. “It was mom and all the nuns,” Mary Kay said. “It was really quite funny. I think she was very different from the nuns. I can’t imagine a bunch of nuns and my mom!”

It was while she was teaching at Holy Trinity that she met Gene, her husband of 57 years. They were introduced by then-pastor Fr. William Kalb in 1959, married the following year, and immediately started a family. Mary Kay was born in 1961, followed closely by Tom, Greg and Doug. Many years later, in 1978, little sister Meg joined the family.

Carol worked through her first pregnancy, then became a stay-at-home mom. It was only after all the kids had all grown and moved on that she re-entered the workforce, finding part-time work with the Webster Post, writing wedding announcements and obituaries.

At 47 years old, Carol Klem the journalist was born.

“I remember her starting with a portable typewriter,” Mary Kay said. “I couldn’t imagine she would ever be computer-literate, and Word proficient. Although she still has a knack for losing files.”

In 2005 Carol left the Post and was asked to join the Webster Herald as the Village Focus columnist. She had finally found her true calling: writing about the village she loves so dearly.

And she does love Webster dearly. In September 2015, in an interview she recorded for the non-profit Webster Together organization, Carol called the village “the heart of Webster.”

“I just love our town. I love the people in it, and I love the spirit,” she said. “I’d love to see the village definitely take off. I think that whatever happens, we have the right people to make the decisions.”

I think Carol would be happy with the direction the village is going. She’d be sad to see long-standing businesses like The Music Store close, but happy about all of the new shops that have moved into the village. And given the social butterfly she was, this COVID stuff would have driven her up a wall. I don’t think it would have slowed her down too much, though. I can picture her in a mask, swinging her little digital camera as she chronicled life getting back to normal.

I miss her ever-present smile, boundless energy and joie de vivre. I’ll be raising a glass to her today.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

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The holidays in Webster Village: beer, shopping, Santa and a parade!

18 Nov

It’s getting cold out, but the holiday season in Webster is heating up, with a cool NEW event and some great improvements on an old favorite.

For starters, the village’s brand new “Hops and Stops” beer tasting event invites participants to not only enjoy some great craft brews, while also visiting many of our small businesses for some early Christmas shopping.

Hops and Stops will be Saturday Nov. 27 (not coincidentally Small Business Saturday). Glass pickup is at Finns Automotive, 44 East Main St, beginning at 2:45 p.m. Cost is $20 (tickets here). Please bring proper ID and you can’t pick up anyone else’s glass since they’ll also need to show an ID.

The beer walk itself runs from 3 to 6 p.m. There will be craft beer at some stops and food at others. These businesses will be participating:

  • Bernardi & Co. CPA
  • Webster Interiors
  • Woodland Silkscreen and Embroidery
  • OHHH, LORDEE! Everything Sauce
  • Village Vape or Smoke
  • The Modified Collective
  • Carl’s Pizza Kitchen
  • Crafty Christy’s Boutique
  • Dunkin’ Donuts
  • The Coach
  • BC’s Chicken Coop
  • The Cobblestone on Main
  • Barry’s Old School Irish
  • Lattimore Physical Therapy
  • Filling Station Pub & Grill

Kudos to the Webster BID for coming up with this great idea to get people out and shopping on Small Business Saturday!

Click here for more information and to get tickets.

White Christmas is Back!

Last year’s “reverse” Holiday Parade of Lights was fun, but I think everyone is excited to know that the REAL Parade of Lights will be returning the evening of Saturday Dec. 4. The parade is the highlight of a whole afternoon of holiday entertainment and activities planned during the Village of Webster’s White Christmas celebration.

This year’s event will feature something really fun: the gazebo in Veterans Park will be transformed into the North Pole for the day, complete with twinkling lights, elves, candy canes and much more. Santa will be there to greet the kids from 3 to 5 p.m. Kids can bring their letters and give them right to Santa or deposit them in his North Pole mailbox.

The Parade of Lights will begin at 6:30 p.m., winding its way from Phillips Rd. west down Main Street.

All of your White Christmas favorites will also be back this year, including carriage rides, hot cocoa, cookie decorating, storytime with Jason Poole from the Webster Public Library, caroling, and much more, including a “Toy Land,” for which everyone is encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate.

Put this one on your calendar, folks. (Maybe we’ll actually get some snow this year.)

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