I’m very excited about the news that came across my email box a few days ago: the Village of Webster is thinking seriously about putting together a country music festival.
I think this is a great idea. I mean, the Webster Jazz Fest has been a tremendous success every year, so why not dip into another musical genre, and a very popular one at that?
The event is being organized by the fine business owners who comprise the Webster Business Improvement District (BID). Plans are in their very early stages, but BID chair Elena Bernardi was able to tell me that they’re picturing an event similar to the Jazz Fest, but on a smaller scale, perhaps featuring three or four bands. It would probably be scheduled for sometime late summer.
Right now the organizing committee is looking for interested business owners and community members who’d like to be part of the planning process. They need ideas and definitely could use some sponsors to help get the new festival up and running.
If you’d like to add your two cents and help plan this exciting new village festival, email the Webster BID at info@websterbid.com.
For this month’s Webster History Bit, I want to introduce you to one of the Webster Museum’s best friends.
Just steps inside the front door of the Webster Museum sits one of the museum’s most faithful greeters, a life-sized white dog made from papier-mache. His head cocked slightly to one side, he seems to be patiently and carefully listening for when the front door opens and he can welcome the museum’s next visitor.
His name is “Nipper,” and if you’re of a certain age, you’ll recognize him as the mascot of RCA Victor, one of the most famous trademarks of the 20th century.
Nipper has been part of the museum’s collection – and presumably welcoming museum patrons – for almost 40 years. But he had some interesting travels before then.
When exactly Nipper came to Webster has been lost to history but it’s believed that around the late 40s and early 50s, he was a feature on East Main St. in the village, where he sat in the front window of Mayor Roy Hawley’s hardware store, watching the world go by. After many years he was removed from the shop and relegated to Mayor Hawley’s garage.
Sometime after the death of the Mayor, his widow gave Nipper to her neighbor Dick Batzing, who at the time was a teacher at Bay Rd. Elementary School, and Town Historian. For a few years, Nipper resided in the school’s music room. When the room had to be converted to classroom use, Nipper was moved into a hallway, where he became a beloved landmark, helping students locate their rooms and receiving regular pats on the head as classes passed.
Nipper did have a very scary experience during his school days, however. In September 1974, vandals broke into the school and chopped him to pieces. Fortunately, a generous benefactor came to his aid several weeks later. Roberta Kappel, an art teacher and mother of a former Bay Rd. student, successfully reconstructed Nipper, and he was returned to the school, to the delight of students and staff members alike.
When Bay Rd. Elementary closed in 1983, Batzing brought Nipper to the Webster Museum, where he continues to delight visitors, both young and old.
Meet Nipper yourself at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website at webstermuseum.org to learn more.
I’m going to lead today’s mailbag with some good food.
To thank the community for supporting their missions throughout the year, St. Martin Lutheran Church, 813 Bay Rd., will host a free Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday Feb. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m.
The menu will include sausage and applesauce, unlimited pancakes and syrup. Beads will be handed out, and you can even make your own masks. You’re invited to come dressed in Mardi Gras style, too.
This is an event for the whole family, and while the dinner is free to all, a free-will offering to support the church’s Little Free Pantry can be made, or bring boxed and canned goods.
The Village of Webster Historic Preservation Commission needs you
The Village of Webster Historic Preservation Commission is looking for new members to help further their mission to identify, register and protect the historic resources in the Village of Webster.
Among their responsibilities, commission members
highlight homes, business and sites by recognizing them as a Site of the Month
protect buildings
conduct historic-related programs
oversee the Edna Struck Memorial on Lapham Park and the Pioneer Cemetery on East Main
Meetings are held once a month, so the time commitment isn’t even that onerous.
If you’re a Village of Webster resident and are interested in joining the Historic Preservation Commission or would like to find out more, call 585-265-0671 or email VWHPC1905@gmail.com .
Kindergarten Registration is open
Webster CSD kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 school year is open.
Families that currently have other children attending Webster CSD are asked to register via the Infinite Campus Parent & Student Portal by selecting More, then Student Registration and completing the 2023-24 registration completely online. All registrations completed via the portal are streamlined by accessing the current information on file.
Families registering their first child with Webster CSD are asked to go to the Student Registration web page to fill out an online registration form. Families that do not have access to a computer may call Student Registration at (585) 216-0029.
It’s important to register kindergartners as soon as possible to help the district properly plan for the incoming students. It will also help assure that your child can attend your neighborhood school. If there’s not enough space for a child to enroll at their home elementary school, registrations will be processed in the order in which they are received.
For more information and to register online, click here.
Learn more about the Webster Highway Facility Project
If you’d like to hear more about the plans to renovate the Webster Highway Facility, here’s a great opportunity:
On Thursday, February 9 at 7 p.m., Highway Superintendent Pat Stephens will give a presentation on the estimated costs and timeline for the proposed new highway facility. You can attend the presentation in person at the Town Board Meeting Room, 1002 Ridge Rd., or watch the event live on Spectrum Channel 1303, the town website or the town Facebook page.
This is not a public hearing. Residents will be able to offer comments at future meetings, as well as use the online comment form at any time. You can also learn more about the project, sign up for an in-person tour, view a virtual tour and view meeting presentations on the website here.
I took the tour a few weeks ago. You can read about my experience here.
Healthy Eating on a Budget, Thursday Feb. 9, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (via ZOOM) for adults. Learn how to make good choices and plan for your trip to the grocery store so you can get organized, save money and choose healthy options. Registration is required.
Scrapbooking Fun, Friday Feb. 10, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Paper and tools will be provided and as much inspiration as you want. Bring something you’re working on, and spend an afternoon crafting and sharing ideas. Registration is required.
“Pal”entine’s Day Celebration, Tuesday February 14, 6 to 7 p.m. celebrating Valentine’s Day and the love you have for all your friends. For grades 4 through 12. Registration is required.
Picturing Loss: Art and Bereavement, Wednesday Feb. 15, 3 to 4 p.m. (via ZOOM) for adults. Joyce Raimondo presents how she and famous artists express grief through painting. Registration is required.
String Pull Painting Art, Friday Feb. 24, 11 a.m. to noon, for grades 4 to 12. Make some beautiful string pull painting art. Registration is required.
And make sure to check out the Webster Public Library website for information about all of their outstanding February Break programs and events designed to keep your kids busy and their minds active.
The Village of Webster’s Fall in Love With Webster month-long community celebration has begun! All month, residents and visitors will enjoy merchant discounts and special events, all embracing the theme of love.
The goal is to promote a fun way to unify the village residents and business owners. But it’s also all about helping community members get to know our village a little better, find out more about our many fine businesses, and encourage everyone to get more involved in all of the activities found here.
Here’s what’s coming up this week. Check back next weekend to see what’s scheduled for week 3. And for a whole list of the month’s events, visit the Fall in Love With Webster Facebook page.
Kick off your Fall in Love With Webster experience this week by stopping by the Village Hall, 28 West Main, to reach into their “Random Acts of Kindness” jar and select a slip of paper suggesting a random act of kindness you can do this week. And while you’re there, check out information about the wide variety of services the Village Hall offers.
Come into Yesterday’s Muse bookshop anytime this month and choose a mystery book — wrapped in brown paper — for just $5. Each has a description on the front hinting at what the book is about. All you have to do is find your perfect match, unrap the book and enjoy your blind date! This was a hugely popular Fall in Love With Webster event last year.
A monthly club for you to use those scraps making small projects. The projects are from the book Little Handfulls of Scraps by Edita Sitar. The instructor is Debbie Lester.
Perplexed by paper piecing? Join this beginner class! You’ll learn foundation paper piecing with this low-pressure project, designed specifically for The Village Quilt Shop. The instructor will provide the foundations in the class kit, included with your class fee. You bring your sewing supplies, and we’ll have a positively pleasant time paper piecing. You’ll leave with a finished block that you can finish as a potholder on your own. The instructor is Jane Beamish.
Join singer/songwriter Marty Roberts, along with percussionist/conga player Donny, at Cobblestone on Main restaurant for a few hours of music from this dynamic duo. Cobblestone on Main is located at 109 West Main Street.
Do you have a project that you are stuck on, or one you’ve never started because the pattern is written in gibberish? Or, do you just need some help? Then Technical Thursday is for you. Michelle has the ability to decipher just about any pattern she’s come across. If the project that you need assistance with is not a pattern the shop sells please bring it in a week ahead of time to give Michelle time to review. Class size will be limited to four students to allow individual instruction. Instructor is Michelle Coon.
Serenity Life Creative Arts Therapy is “Falling in Love” with their new location AND excited to offer a class called Love Yourself Art Reflection. You’ll work with an art therapist to create a piece of art signifying self-love, at their new location, the Dean House at 93 West Main St.
More details about all these events and what’s coming up the rest of the month at the Fall in Love With Webster Facebook page. Make sure to “like” the page to get regular updates, because new events are being added every day.
After 13 years anchoring the northwest corner of the Village of Webster’s four-corners downtown business district, Heart to Heart Bride is preparing to move to a much larger building.
The beautiful bridal shop will be relocating into the former Rochester Linoleum storefront at 1170 Ridge Rd. With 13,000 square feet of floor space, the new location will be more than four times the size of her current shop, allowing for additional inventory (including mothers’ dresses), larger and reconfigured fitting rooms, a large private fitting room, and more.
Owner Sarah Ashworth says that she hopes to have all of the renovations completed and be ready to open by April 1. Stay tuned for more details about the move and opening date.
What’s going on at Empire Lanes?
If you’ve wondered about all the activity happening at Empire Lanes lately, I have your answer, courtesy Barry Howard, President of the Webster Chamber of Commerce. He wrote,
Bowlero Corporation operates Bowlmor Lanes, a chain of bowling centers. Bowlero acquired all the AMF bowling centers in 2013, essentially saving them (AMF) from bankruptcy. My latest information is that they are remodeling the Empire Blvd location and rebranding the AMF name to the Bowlmor name.
Ruff Day Resort is on the move
Ruff Day Resort, the dog boarding and daycare business at 1999 Empire Blvd. will be expanding this spring to a much larger facility on Gravel Rd.
Owner Amy Holtz wrote that the decision to expand was driven largely by the fact they’ve been at capacity for overnight stays, training and daycare. Their new location at 1085 Gravel Rd. will double the outdoor space they now have. They’ll also be adding turf which “will be fabulous during the mud season.”
Three new training rooms will accommodate larger classes and private lessons during the day, evenings and weekends. Luxury boarding suites will be available, plus lots of fun spaces for the smaller pups who want to play separate from the big dogs.
Amy hopes to be able to open the new location by May 1, provided all construction goes as planned. Stay tuned for more information as the move is finalized.
Serenity Life has expanded in the village
Serenity Life Creative Arts Therapy, which for a year and a half has operated out of a cozy little house at 98 North Ave., has just opened a second office, dedicated to providing services for young children.
The new offices are located in the historic cobblestone Dean House at 93 West Main St. in the Village of Webster. Since the beginning, Serenity Life has served patients of all ages, beginning even at 2 years old, with counseling and creative arts therapies. But in the time they’ve been open, owner Mattye McKibben says she and her staff members have noticed there’s a lot of need to support younger children — which they affectionately call their “littles” — but there are limited options.
So they’ve renovated the new location specifically to serve patients ages 10 and under, especially focusing on providing art and play therapy. Adults and teenagers will still be seen at the original North Ave. location.
The Village of Webster’s second annual Fall in Love With Webster month-long community celebration begins Wednesday, Feb. 1, featuring four weeks of merchant discounts and special events, all embracing the theme of love.
Almost three dozen business owners are participating, offering discounts or hosting special events all month, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Village Hall has even gotten into the act, lighting up the gazebo at North Ave. and 104 with red twinkly lights.
The idea is to promote a fun way to unify village residents and business owners. But it’s also all about helping community members get to know our village a little better, find out more about our many fine businesses, and encourage everyone to get more involved in all of the activities found here.
Here’s what’s coming up this week. Check back this weekend to see what’s scheduled for week 2, and get ready to Fall in Love With Webster!
Kick off your Fall in Love With Webster experience this week by stopping by the Village Hall, 28 West Main, to reach into their “Random Acts of Kindness” jar and select a slip of paper suggesting a random act of kindness you can do this week. And while you’re there, check out information about the wide variety of services the Village Hall offers.
SEWcial Day is the perfect day to come hang out with your friends. Bring your sewing projects and use this time to get caught up without home distractions. Snacks will be available. Sign up is required due to limited space. Vanetta and Monique will be available for help and encouragement.
Knight Patrol is rocking The Coach Sports Bar on Saturday, February 4 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Performing all of your favorite 80’s high energy rock hits including Journey, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Bryan Adams, Van Halen, Bon Jovi and many more. Visit The Coach website or call 585-872-2910 for more information.
More details about all these events and what’s coming up the rest of the month at the Fall in Love With Webster Facebook page. Make sure to “like” the page to get regular updates, because new events are being added every day.
Despite the fact that we really haven’t had much in the way of winter, we’re definitely not anywhere near spring yet. But planning has already begun for a very busy spring and summer in the Village of Webster.
At their most recent meeting, members of the Webster Business Improvement District (BID) started sketching out the long list of special events our local merchants are planning this year. The BID is the organization, remember, that sponsors the very popular Trick or Treat Trail, Winter Wonderland, Friday Night Gazebo Concerts,Wine Walks and others. Those events are definitely returning this year, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Just about every month this summer, beginning in April, the BID has scheduled at least one entertaining, family-friendly event, and sometimes two or three or more.
Things kick off around Easter with the return of the very popular Easter Egg Hunt. More than 500 kids and their parents participated in last year’s first-ever event, which was successful in part because of the incredible support from local businesses. (Click here to read the blog I wrote about it.)
Later in the spring and summer, these events will also be returning (although dates have still not been finalized):
Friday night concerts at the gazebo
Two Wine Walks
Webster Jazz Fest
Two Family Games Nights
Beer Walk
Bourbon Bash
Trick or Treat Trail
Webster’s Winter Wonderland
There was even some talk about perhaps adding a scarecrow contest to the mix. And who knows what other events the BID might pull out of their sleeves in the coming week.
And make sure not to forget about the month-long Fall in Love With Webster event, which will kick off on Feb. 1. I’ll be providing lots more details about this soon, so stay tuned.
One of the things I really love about our Webster Museum is how hard the volunteers work to keep their exhibits interesting and topical. They’re always changing things out for the season, or simply to highlight something new and different, always with the express purpose to educate and inform.
The Museum’s current exhibit is a good example.
They’ve very appropriately called the exhibit “What is it?” and what they’ve done is pulled together many of the especially unusual … things … they’ve discovered in the museum’s nooks and crannies and grandma’s-house-like attic spaces.
Most of the strange items have been identified, like a bread crumber, a niddy noddy, a glove stretcher and a lard press. But several still remain a mystery, and they’d love to have help identifying them.
So if that challenge has whet your interest, check out these photos of several of the items. See if you can figure out what they are, and then make sure to stop by the Webster Museum to see more of these odd — but once regularly used — items.
And while you’re there, check out the new musical instrument exhibit, especially if you’ve never seen a ukelin or a melodica.
The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
Leading today’s mailbag is the exciting news that Woof’s Canine Club and Indoor Dog Park will be hosting its grand opening celebration this Saturday Jan. 21 from 1 to 6 p.m.
Woofs Canine Club is located at 187 West Main Street, at the corner of Barrett Dr., in the former World Gym. Like all good dog parks, it’s BIG (5,000 sq. ft), has separate areas for large and small dogs, and lots of agility equipment. But it has the added benefit of actually being INSIDE, on artificial turf, out of the rain, snow and cold typical of our Upstate New York winters.
But unlike your average dog park, Woofs will also offer a social component for owners, including a cafe, pool table and dart board, and even a small workout area. Visit this blog I wrote back in November to learn more.
Pups and their people are welcome to visit anytime between 1 and 6 p.m. Leashes will be required for this one-time only open house walk-through, and canine vaccinations will be required to enter. Proof of vaccinations can be submitted to forms@woofscc.com. A full list of required vaccinations can be found at WoofsCC.com.
Regular hours of operation for off-leash playtime will begin Wednesday, January 25. Find out more at the Woofs Canine Club Facebook page and website.
Rochester Challenger Miracle Field hosts Valentine’s prom
Challenger Miracle Field‘s annual Valentine’s Day dance has been scheduled for Friday Feb. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Webster Golf Club, 440 Salt Rd.
The Night to Shine Valentine’s Prom, open to Challenger participants, will include a DJ, dinner, dancing and a photo booth. Suggested donation at the door is $10. One chaperone per participant, please.
RSVP by Feb. 3 to secure a spot, and include the names of those who will be attending and any special diet requests. Email lindab@rochestermiraclefield.org.
Fall in Love With Webster returns
Do you remember last year’s Fall in Love With Webster event? The month-long community celebration, sponsored by the Webster Business Improvement District, featured daily discounts and special events at businesses all through the Village of Webster, all embracing the theme of love.
The goal was to promote a fun way to unify the village residents and business owners. But it was also all about helping community members get to know our village a little better, find out more about our many fine businesses, and encourage everyone to get more involved in all of the activities found here.
Basically, it encouraged people to … well, fall in love with Webster.
Last year’s Fall in Love with Webster event was so hugely popular, the BID will be doing it again, kicking off a month’s worth of special events and savings on Feb. 1. I’ll be posting weekly blogs here highlighting all of the fun things happening, but you can keep tabs on all the plans by “liking” the Fall in Love with Webster Facebook page, which will be regularly updated.
If you know the Village of Webster even a little, then you’re probably familiar with the Webster Baptist Church. This beautiful cobblestone church on South Avenue, with its stately bell tower, has stood proudly in our village since the mid-1800s.
What you probably didn’t know is that the Webster Baptist Church is actually famous for precisely the reason it’s so beautiful: it’s the only cobblestone building in the country that’s still being used for its original purpose.
According to Webster Through the Years by Esther Dunn (1971), the church was originally established in 1832, in a frame meeting house built on the site of the current church. In 1855 the old frame building was moved to Corning Park and used as the Webster Academy until it was destroyed by fire in 1872.
The new cobblestone building was built on the same site and dedicated on Jan. 1, 1857. Most of the field stones were donated by citizens of the community, and the cobblestones were gathered by members of the congregation along the shores of Lake Ontario. Each was passed through a hole in a board to make sure it was of a certain shape and size.
In recognition of its rich history, the Webster Baptist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. That designation alone illustrates how important this building, and its history, are to our village.
Now, it needs our help.
It’s been a long time since the Webster Baptist Church has seen any major renovations, and it’s really beginning to show its age. The stained glass windows all need repairing, to the tune of $8,000 to $10,000 each. In many places, the cobblestone facade needs some professional attention. And the church entrance has to be updated with a ramp or new sidewalk to accommodate handicapped parishioners. And all of these expenses are piled on top of the regular costs for upkeep and utilities.
To help raise money, the Webster Baptist Church is holding a year-long fundraiser. Community members are invited to purchase individual bricks to show their support for this historic church. Bricks cost $150 each (but larger donations are more than welcome) and they can be personally inscribed. The bricks for now will be placed near the front of the building in a small area currently filled with white stones. If enough bricks are purchased, the hope is to use them to build a new sidewalk leading to the front door. It’s estimated that would take about 1,500 bricks.
Church Moderator Diana Marchner hopes that the entire community — individuals as well as businesses — will pull together to help save the church by purchasing bricks, or just donating any amount they’d like.
“(The church) is historical,” she said. “It should be important to the Town of Webster and the Village as well as just our church.” “We need everyone’s commitment to make this possible.”
Ultimately, Marchner added, the goal is to “get to a point where we don’t have to worry about the money, just worry about the people.”
“I don’t want to get people to church because we need their money. I want them to come to church because we love them.”
Click here for more information and a form to fill out to buy a brick or donate any amount to the Webster Baptist Church. You can also visit this GoFundMe page to donate online.
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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