Tag Archives: Village of Webster

Third Family Games Night a success despite the cold

25 Oct

It wasn’t 65 degrees and sunny like the first Family Games Night back in July. And certainly not in the high 70s like the second one in September. But chilly autumn breezes and overcast skies didn’t deter hundreds of adults and children who braved the cold last Saturday evening to enjoy German music, German food and giant games set up on West Main Street. 

Saturday’s event was the last of three Family Games Night/Beer Gardens sponsored by the Webster Business Improvement District (BID) this summer and fall. This most recent block party featured an Oktoberfest theme, complete with three full hours of rousing entertainment from premier Oktoberfest band The Krazy Firemen, and plenty of bratwurst and knackwurst on the grills.

And beer, of course. 

The event almost didn’t happen. It had originally been scheduled for Saturday Oct. 16, but was rained out. The darkening skies didn’t look a whole lot more promising this time around, but aside from a few sprinkles early on, the weather held. 

Still, promptly at 5 p.m., when the Krazy Firemen sounded their siren and launched into their first traditional Oompah tune, they played to a completely empty street. Organizers began to fear that people didn’t realize the event had been rescheduled.  

But they needn’t have worried. By 5:30, West Main St. had begun to fill up with festival-goers. Children of all ages were playing with the games and chalking in the street. Denise Baller from Dancing With Denise had a whole knot of kids up and dancing to the band. Many older folks were just content to get a brat, sit at a table and enjoy the authentic German music. By the end of the evening, several hundred people had come into town to enjoy the Oktoberfest with family and friends. 

The chilly weather might have kept some people home, of course. But Clayton LaClair, who was there with his young family, spoke for many when he said, ”I don’t care about the cold. It’s German food and beer!” 

“And a kids’ night,” added his wife Mindy. 

BID chair Elena Bernardi said, “I’m excited to bring all this stuff to Main Street for families to come out and just have fun.” She added that given the success of the Game Nights, the BID will definitely plan to do them again next year — but maybe schedule the last one a little earlier in the season. 

Check out some more photoss here:

  • Denise Baller of Dancing With Denise kept young dancers especially entertained
  • Clayton LaClair and his son Sebastian
  • Dani Estabrook practices her cornhole skills

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , ,

Second annual Pumpkins on Parade a spooky fun time

24 Oct

The Webster Recreation Center hosted its second annual Pumpkins on Parade Saturday the 23rd, and it was even bigger and better than last year.

For more than an hour and a half after dark, thousands of people strolled along the mile-long Chiyoda Trail winding behind the Rec Center, which was lined with hundreds of extremely creative, illuminated jack-o-lanterns. The designs ran the gamut from traditional and whimsical to spooky and just plain weird. I saw Olaf and Ernie, the Lego man, spiders, ghosts, unicorns, and lots of toothy grins. For added enjoyment, two of the homeowners whose houses back up to the Rec Center property were playing spooky music for the families that strolled by.

This year the Rec Center also created a separate, much shorter path for seniors and small children, which wrapped around the back of the Rec Center for about 200 yards.

Recreation Director Chris Bilow estimated that about 500 pumpkins had been placed along the two paths, about 100 more than last year. They included 200 or so created by community members, which is also more than they received last year.

That was a pleasant surprise, Bilow added, because by Saturday morning they still hadn’t received too many. “I was a little concerned,” he said. “But then today they started (dropping off) around 11:30 and it was a solid line of cars.”

Like last year, at the end of the pumpkin parade everyone was treated to donuts and cider, served in the Rec Center’s expansive playing fields.

Pumpkins on Parade 2020 was designed as a Covid-friendly outdoor event for families itching for SOMETHING to get them out of the house at the height of the pandemic. After this year’s success, it’s clear the event has already become tremendously popular, pandemic or not, and I’m sure I’m not the only one hoping that the Webster Recreation Center brings it back every year.

Click here to see many more photos from the evening, including many especially cool jack-o-lanterns.

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , , , ,

Webster Village business news: two new shops

22 Oct

I’m excited to tell everyone a little bit about two brand new Village shops, one which recently opened and one which will be having its grand opening very soon.

First, the one that’s not open — quite yet. It’s called Whimsies, which is going into the the former Chandeliers Boutique at 32 East Main St. It’s right next door to Lala of Webster, which is not coincidental, because Whimsies is going to sort of be an extension of Lala’s. Or as owner Lisa Schlonski describes it, a gift shop operating under the Lala umbrella.

There’s not much to tell you about the shop yet; the 2,700-foot space is still being renovated, as you might have noticed if you’ve driven down Main Street recently. But Lisa did tell me the shop will be stocked with many of the more whimsical and “snarky” items that you can find right now at Lala’s, but — and this is going to be awesome — there’s also going to be a wide selection of vintage and “penny” candy.

Lisa hopes to have the shop up and running before Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for more details about that.

* * *

Next, here’s just a sneak peek at a new boutique which recently opened at 7 West Main in the village.

It’s called Crafty Christy’s Boutique. I’m going to be chatting with the owner later today to get more information, but for now, on her website she describes her little shop as,

a veteran-owned business that reached out for folks looking for a pleasant place to shop, create and make new friends. (A) boutique for the flower child at heart. Beautiful jewelry, artfully decorated items, craft therapy, guest artist, and more.

I’ll be posting a more complete blog soon, but in the meantime, you can check out her website here, or even stop by and say hi. You’ll find her off the lower parking lot behind the W. Main Street shops, near the gazebo. She’s open Monday-Thursdday 3:30 to 7:30, Friday 3 to 5 and Saturday 11 to 5.

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Tailgate at Lala’s!

21 Oct

Lala of Webster, that adorable gift shop and boutique at 38 E. Main St. in the village, has organized a fun family event for this Saturday afternoon, especially for sports fans.

It’s a Family Tailgate Party, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the parking lot behind Lala’s on East Main St. (the same parking lot where you’ll find the Village Bakery and Roc and Soul Fitness).

Plans for the afternoon include tailgate food, custom Bills products for sale, a live broadcast by Big Dog Radio, and lots of games for the kids. Football players from both Webster Thomas and Webster Schroeder will be there, and there’ll be a 50/50 raffle, with proceeds donated to the Webster Football Boosters.

The event is being held in conjunction with several other fine village businesses: Jojo’s Bistro, Polar Freeze, Roc Dance, Roc and Soul Fitness and the Village Bakery and Café.

Sounds like a blast. I’ll be there with my camera, so come on down!

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , , , ,

Webster community mailbag

19 Oct

Get your flu shot HERE! TODAY!

The Webster Public Library is hosting a flu shot clinic TODAY, Tuesday Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the library, 980 Ridge Rd. All vaccinations will be administered by a registered nurse, and no appointment is necessary. Please remember to bring your insurance card!

Registration is not necessary.

Pumpkins on Parade is this weekend!

The Webster Recreation Center’s second annual Pumpkins on Parade is this Saturday night.

This is an amazing, family-friendly Halloween-time event, when the Chiyoda Trail is lined with creative, scary, and downright funny Jack-o-lanterns. Community members and businesses are invited — no, encouraged — to carve up some pumpkins, and then bring the family that evening after dark to look for them along the mile-long trail which winds around the Rec Center. Afterwards, everyone gets free donuts and cider.

Community members are invited to come and walk the trail from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This year there’s also a shortened path option for seniors and small children.

There’s still time to carve a pumpkin (or several pumpkins) for the trail. The more the merrier! Drop your finished creations off at the Rec Center Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or Saturday between noon and 2 p.m. For every pumpkin you deliver, you get a raffle ticket for a chance to win a fun prize.

The Rec Center is at 1350 Chiyoda Drive (right off of Phillips Rd.).

UPK-5 Parent-Teacher Conferences to Span Four Days

A reminder to parents that Webster’s UPK to grade 5 students will have parent-teacher conferences this week and next.

All seven elementary schools will host conferences over four days: Thursday Oct. 21, Friday Oct. 22, Thursday Oct. 28 and Friday Oct. 29. This means a half-day schedule for UPK-5 students. Students in grades 6-12 have their normal, full-day schedule.

Elementary parents/guardians, please watch your school newsletters for the bus schedules. UPK families, individual schedules will be communicated by your child’s teacher.

Got drugs?

It’s time to clean out your medicine cabinet and get rid of all of those expired and unused pharmaceuticals that have been hanging around for years. You especially want to do this if you still have children at home; the statistics about children abusing prescription drugs and overdosing are frightening, and much of that is happening because they can often easily find these drugs in their own bathrooms.

WHEN, the Webster Health and Education Network, is joining forces with the Webster Police Dept. to sponsor an event this weekend to make it easy for you to clean out your cabinets. It’s the Fall Drug Drop-off on Saturday Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Webster Wastewater Treatment Facility, 226 Phillips Rd.

Please note that needles, sharps, syringes, and biohazards CANNOT be accepted; only pills, liquids, and ointments. No appointment is necessary. Registration is not required, but it will allow the organizers to email you a reminder in advance of the event.

To sign up, click here.

And remember, there’s a pharmaceutical drop-box at Town Hall, 1000 Ridge Rd., just inside the doors to the police station, where you can drop off your unused pharmaceuticals any weekday during regular business hours.   

Visit the Village Quilt Shoppe yet?

If not, here’s a great excuse to do so.

The Village Quilt Shoppe, 21 E. Main St. in the Village of Webster, has announced they’ll be hosting their Holiday Open House on Friday Nov. 12. They’ll be demonstrating how to craft a quick and easy holiday ornament, will have their famous Hot Chocolate Bar set up, and have cookies and gift ideas for all.

The Open House will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the demo will take place on the hour, every hour.

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Webster’s very own corner of Ireland is turning 10

18 Oct

Ten years ago this month, a brand new pub opened at the Village of Webster’s four corners.

On Oct. 9, 2011, Barry’s Old School Irish held its grand opening, complete with a ribbon cutting, Irish dancers, an Irish music jam session, and coffee and desserts served up for all who entered.

The celebration was very well attended. For months, village residents had watched with great interest as the former plumbing business transformed into what the sign in the front window called an “Irish pub and bakery.” This was their chance to finally check out the new place. What they found was a cozy “public house” with two young owners who welcomed everyone with genuine smiles and open hearts.

No one realized on that day what a tremendous effect Barry’s would have on the Village of Webster.

In the last ten years, Barry’s Old School Irish has become much more than just a pub. It’s become more like … Webster’s community living room, where families and friends meet for dinner and pints, birthday celebrations and engagement parties, gather to enjoy some real Irish tunes, or just find a quiet corner to have a cup of coffee and send some emails.

After honeymooning in Ireland, Danny and Jessica Barry dreamed of bringing small-town Ireland to small-town Webster. Anyone who’s been in a real Irish pub knows they’ve accomplished that. The dark woods. The walls crowded with photos and posters. Weekly traditional Irish music sessions. The kind of authentic atmosphere that attracts all of Rochester’s best Irish musicians.

Basically, Danny and Jessica Barry have turned their little corner of Webster into a little piece of Ireland. And along the way, they’ve created a place where everyone who walks in immediately becomes a part of the extended Barry’s family.

On Saturday Nov. 6, Danny and Jess will invite all those family members back to celebrate their little pub’s 10th anniversary, four (or more) hours of live Irish music, Irish dancers, free Irish whiskey and giveaways, a bagpiper, perfectly poured pints and more. More details and a complete schedule can be found at the Barry’s Old School Irish Facebook page.

This is not just a great party — although it most definitely is a GREAT party. This is also a chance for all of Webster to stop by and give a rousing thanks to Danny and Jessica Barry for everything their little pub has done for our village.

Barry’s Old School Irish is located at 2 West Main St. in the Village of Webster.

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , , ,

Town and village leaf collections begin soon

15 Oct

There are so many things to love about living in Webster. Two years ago, just months after moving into our new house in the village, I wrote an entire blog about one of the best of those things: I DON’T HAVE TO BAG ANY LEAVES.

You see, I moved into Webster from Penfield, where they still require residents to bag their leaves and leave them for the waste haulers. Given that there were a LOT of trees on my property, that meant hours and hours with a rake every weekend during the fall. So I love that the Village will pick up our leaves, and I just have to rake them to the curtb. It’s so much easier!

Here are the details about both Village and Town leaf collection services, taken from their websites:

Webster Village

This service begins when the autumn leaves begin to accumulate on the ground and will be on a daily basis until the beginning of December, or until the first heavy snowfall, whichever comes first. The Public Works Department will traverse each Village street once a week to remove leaves from the curb. To help make leaf pickup easier for yourself and our DPW staff, we request you follow some simple guidelines:

-Do not place brush, rocks, pumpkins, wood, plastic, or other foreign material with your leaves
-Do not bag your leaves for Village curbside pickup
-Do not place leaves in roadway, or on top of drainage structures, concrete, in gutters, or drainage ditches

The village also provides brush removal every month. For more details about that, visit the Village of Webster website.

Town of Webster

We start on the west side of town heading east and will make as many passes through town as possible during the leaf pick-up operation, weather permitting. There is no set schedule for particular streets throughout the town. Leaf season typically runs six weeks and start and finish dates vary based on actual leaf drop.

Please be patient with us during this process, as leaves do not all fall at once, and we never know what to expect for our weather conditions.
– Make sure leaves are on the edge of the road and not in the road or gutter
– Rake only leaves (and not twigs or branches) to the road’s edge
– Placing leaves in the road or gutter significantly slows down the entire operation. It is against the law to place leaves or any debris in the road.

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , ,

Webster community mailbag

14 Oct

Some news from the Webster Public Library to start out this week’s mailbag.

The Artist’s Wall display this month highlights the Greater Rochester Peep Show, an annual fund-raising event which benefits the Webster Community Chest and other participating charities.

The event features hundreds of whimsical and creative works of art made almost entirely of Peeps marshmallow candies. Next time you’re at the library, stop by the wall to read more about the event and see photos of some of the entries from previous years.

Two very interesting programs are coming up just for adults:

On Tuesday Oct. 19, Webster resident Rosemarie Cook-Manley will present a travelogue from her recent trip to Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks. The program will run from 2 to 3 p.m. Click here to register.

Then on Wednesday Oct. 20 from 3 to 4 p.m., Webster Museum president Tom Pellett will present a program on Civil War Veterans of the Five Webster Cemeteries. Click here to register for that one. Space is limited.

Other events coming up this month at the library:

  • Monday Oct. 18: Make it Monday, from 6 to 7 p.m., a craft night for adults and kids grades 4 and up. This month’s craft is a DIY Sharpie mug.
  • Tuesday Oct. 26: Spooky Storytime from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Feel free to wear your Halloween costume.
  • Friday Oct. 29: After-hours Halloween Party for grades 4 to 12, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Features snacks, crafts, games, a costume contest and more.
  • Sunday Oct, 31: Library Trick-or Treat Night, for the whole family. Slots are available between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to trick-or-treat through the library.

For more information about all the programs and to register, visit the “Library Events” tab at the library website. The Webster Public Library is located at 980 Ridge Rd., at the back side of the plaza.

One last reminder about this Saturday’s Webster Village Family Games Night/Beer Garden.

This time the evening will have an Oktoberfest theme, featuring The Krazy Firemen Oktoberfest band. The event begins at 5 p.m. on West Main, with the live music all evening, street games, a dance party with Dancing With Denise, crafts, food and games, and more. It should be a great night to get together with family and friends. There’ll be something for everyone.

St. Martin Lutheran Church on Bay Rd. will host a pulled pork drive-through BBQ on Saturday Oct. 23, from 4:30 until they sell out.

The take-out dinner includes pulled pork, roll, salt potatoes, cole slaw and cookie for just $10. Proceeds will support the church’s annual Christmas Stocking Project reaching over 500 children and teens in Monroe and Wayne counties.

Pull into the parking lot, place your order using exact payment, and the dinner will be delivered to you as you drive up in your car.

St. Martin Lutheran Church is located at 813 Bay Rd.

Here’s a fun note that came from the schools.

Last Friday, Webster Thomas High School Assistant Principal Jeremy McBride and students Jacob Loveland and Jacob Bieg went “Bald for Bucks.” The trio had their heads shaved tor raise money to fight cancer.

Each of the newly bald men has had at least one person they care about affected by cancer, so they decided to raise funds in the fight to eradicate the disease. The donations they collected will be donated to 13thirty Cancer of Rochester and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Here’s a sneak peek at at few things I’m working on (stay tuned!):

  • Yoga at the greehouse
  • Pumpkins on the path
  • A very Irish anniversary
  • Ghouls in the streets
  • Leaves at the curbs

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , , , , ,

Webster community mailbag

6 Oct

The Village of Webster is hosting its third Family Game Night/Beer Garden on Saturday Oct. 16, and this one will be extra fun — it’s going to be an Oktoberfest, complete with a top-notch Oktoberfest band, the Krazy Firemen.

Activities start at 5 p.m. with lots of street games, food and drink. Dancing with Denise will be on hand to get the whole family up and dancing, there’ll be crafts for the kids and lots more. The Krazy Firemen will provide live music from 5 to 8 p.m.

This is a great chance to gather with friends and neighbors in a family atmosphere with something for all ages.

The Friends of the Public Library’s Fall Book Sale is returning next week.

This is one of the library’s biggest book sales, held over three days, Oct. 14 through 16. Not only will there be TONS of books to choose from, the Friends will have two special raffles to celebrate the return of this bigger book sale: one for a gorgeous handmade quilt and another for a pink Apple Watch SE. Tickets will be $5.

Click on the flyer for details about hours and specials.

Shoppers are asked to follow CDC guidelines while at the library sale, including masks and social distancing.

You definitely want to get your flu shot during these Covid times, and here’s an easy way to do it.

The Webster Public Library is hosting a flu shot clinic on Thursday Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the library, 980 Ridge Rd. All vaccinations will be administered by a registered nurse, and no appointment is necessary.

Please remember to bring your insurance card!

The biannual Webster community blood drive returns next week.

The two-day drive will be held Wednesday Oct. 13 and Thursday Oct. 14, from noon to 7 p.m., both days at the Firemen’s Exempt Building, 172 Sanford St.

Appointments for this drive usually fill up pretty quickly, in large part because this is the Bruster’s drive; every presenting donor will get a coupon for a free ice cream cone at Bruster’s. Every donor will also get a $5 Amazon e-gift card.

Appointments are required to assure social distancing, so Click here to set one up, or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767).

You’ll also want to mark your calendars for Oct. 16, when Webster’s very own Rochester Challenger Miracle Field will be featured in a half-hour program on Channel 8 at 7:30 p.m.

The special, which will feature highlights of Miracle Field, their programs, and many of the players and families, will double as a fundraiser. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting event.  

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , , ,

DVD and VHS fans still have a shop to call their own: Village Mall Video

2 Oct

Tucked away on the second floor of an old church at the west end of the Village of Webster is a relic of days past; a time before Netflix and Hulu, when choosing a movie to watch on Friday or Saturday night actually meant leaving the house to rent one at Blockbuster or Wegmans.

It’s Village Mall Video, in The Old Church Mall at 75 W. Main. Like most of us, I’ve walked and driven by this little shop thousands of times in the years I’ve lived in and near Webster. And many of those times, I’ve crinkled my brow and wondered, “How can a video store still be in business?”

Last week I decided to take the plunge and get an answer to that question. I stopped in and had a very nice conversation with Karen Fideor, who’s been managing the store since the day it opened 40 years ago.

As its name implies, The Old Church Mall was originally a Methodist church, dedicated in 1860 and active for more than a century. In the 1970s, following the merger of three local congregations, the church was vacated and the top floor — the former church sanctuary — morphed into a discoteque. The former classrooms on the lower floor became a “street of shops” which to this day has hosted a rotating series of offices and independent businesses.

It was about 1980 when Karen’s husband Bob and his brother purchased the building and opened the video store. It’s been there ever since.

It’s that longevity that intrigued me and motivated me to see what was behind that church door and all those signs I’d driven by so many times. What I found when I climbed the stairs to the second-floor store was a bright, good-sized shop lined with movie posters and filled with shelves stacked top-to-bottom with DVDs. And from behind the counter, Karen Fideor welcomed me.

Apparently there are still a lot of people who still like to rent movies. “Pretty much they’re all regulars,” Karen said, “people who don’t want to pay money to watch a movie on their TV so they come and rent.” Even with streaming services, you often have to pay a steep premium to get some of the classics or older popular titles. But at Village Mall Video, you can rent a DVD for just $3.50, and keep it for a whole week.

And VHS tapes? They’re still very popular with collectors, who often come in to check out her extensive collection. Some customers are also suprised to find out that many movies aren’t even available on DVD, but are often on VHS (VHS tapes only cost $2.50 for the week, by the way). Karen still actually has more VHS tapes than DVDs in stock.

So Village Mall Video is still in business because, well, people still love their movies. But a lot has changed in the last 40 years. When she opened the shop, Karen started with only 500 titles, offering each title in VHS and Beta. At one time, she also rented video games and had several different gaming systems set up to try them on.

The computer games have been phased out, and DVDs have replaced Beta cassettes (although the Betas are all upstairs, if you really want one). Karen’s not sure how many titles she has now, but estimates it’s in the tens of thousands.

What hasn’t changed is the personalized service. When you ask for a specific title, if it’s in the shop, Karen will usually know exactly where it is. When she doesn’t, she’ll look it up in her old-fashioned card catalog. And the prices are hard to beat.

So, how about a movie night tonight?

Village Mall Video is located at 75 West Main St., in the Village of Webster. Hours are Thursday and Friday 1 to 7, and Saturday 11 to 7. For more information, call 585-872-0140.

Here are some photos from inside the shop and the “street of shops” downstairs:

  • Many of the stained glass windows from the old church are still there
  • These stairs lead up to the video store on the second floor
  • The “street of shops” these days includes some offices and a tattoo parlor.
  • Another stained glass window, this one downstairs in the street of shops.

* * *

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

Tags: , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →