Tag Archives: Village of Webster

Rochester Rhapsody delivers Valentine’s Day in song

24 Jan

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Got a sweetheart you really want to impress this Valentine’s Day? The Rochester Rhapsody Chorus has got you covered.

The Webster-based Rochester Rhapsody Chorus is an organization of female a cappella singers specializing in the barbershop harmony style. They’ll be offering Singing Valentines on Valentines Day to local community members whose admirers are looking to deliver messages of love and friendship in a special way.

Vocal ensembles will travel throughout the greater Rochester area to deliver Singing Valentines to sweethearts, co-workers, family members and friends at various locations, including assisted living facilities, workplaces, schools, hospitals and restaurants.

Recipients will be treated to Valentine music in four-part a cappella harmony delivered by an ensemble in Valentine’s Day attire, along with a rose and card with the sender’s personalized message.  “Ringing Telegrams” (telephone singing valentines) are also available for recipients who live out of town.

Members of the chorus will deliver pre-ordered Singing Valentines on Wednesday, February 14 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Valentines must be pre-ordered and scheduled by calling (585) 414-7243 or emailing rhapsodysingingtelegrams@yahoo.com. Special prices will be offered for ordering early, or ordering more than one Singing Valentine.

All proceeds from the Singing Valentine fundraiser go to benefit women’s vocal and performance education for the non-profit chorus.

Rochester Rhapsody meets every Monday evening at the Harmony House, 58 East Main Street, Webster. For more information about how to get involved, visit their website or email info@rochesterrhapsody.com.

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An(other) update on the Filling Station

20 Jan

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The sign has been installed on the front of the building, the decorations and photographs are hung on the walls, and all of the video games and furniture pieces are ready to be pushed into place.

But if you were to stop into the new Filling Station Pub and Grill, which is (slowly) moving into the old Burger King/Original Mac and Cheez building at 77 East Main Street, you’d see that things are still in disarray, and you wouldn’t believe the owners were planning to open anytime soon.

When I visited last week, I was assured that even though things look amazingly disorganized, by Monday, everything will be assembled, installed, cleaned and looking beautiful. The only thing they’ll still have left to do is paperwork.

Even though making sure all the “i”s are dotted and “t”s are crossed has been a struggle at times, they’re hopeful that everything will finally be in place to open by the end of January. You’ll know when you see all the neon signs in the front window click on — including the big one that says “OPEN”!

I’ll also let you know through this blog, so stay tuned.

 

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Chip off the old blog

19 Jan

IMG_20180119_070716225There’s a new columnist in town, and it’s a proud mommy moment for me.

My daughter Erin has officially become a new columnist for the Webster Herald. Her column, which she is calling the “Village Beat,” will be published every two weeks in the Herald, and on the village website.

Erin is taking the reins from long-time Webster Herald columnist Carol Klem, who wrote the very popular “Village Focus” column for 12 years.  Knowing that there is really no way to replace Carol Klem, Erin explained in her first column, published on January 3, that she’ll be approaching the piece a bit differently.

She wrote,

I don’t live in the village like Carol does; I’m a Webster native, but I’m a few miles away from the center of town. For me, village life isn’t something I’ve spent my time surrounded by, at least not until the last few years. Still, that doesn’t mean I haven’t felt at home out on Main Street. The village is a place I go in order to meet with friends, spend time with family, have a pint. It’s where I go for experiences that are new and familiar at the same time. Every day is a different experience out there, but no less rewarding. Now I just have the privilege of being able to write down and share those experiences with you.

Now that the Village Beat is column is up and running (her second installment was published this week), Erin needs your help.

She’s going to need your press releases and emails, letting her know what’s going on in the village.  She’s going to want to know about your special events, important anniversaries, heartwarming village stories about village people and places. Let’s start flooding her email box with ideas for future columns, and help her share with everyone else all the things we love about the Village of Webster.

Email your news to webstervillagebeat@gmail.com.

And remember to check out the new column in the Webster Herald and online.

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

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ROC & Soul Fitness opens this weekend

11 Jan

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Webster’s newest business, ROC & Soul Fitness, is slated to open on Saturday, and the community is invited to check it out for free.

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Malena and Joe Guadagnino (E. Rosenberry)

Owners Joe and Malena Guadagnino call ROC & Soul a “boutique fitness studio,” offering barre, yoga, and other classes in their sparkling new studio at 43 East Main Street. You’ll find it tucked down in the new little “Shops at Main Street” plaza behind Prime, kind of where the OTB and Rubino’s once were.

Joe and Malena plan to start offering classes on Saturday (hopefully the weather isn’t too nasty). The first, Vinyasa Flow, is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., followed by a SOUL Barre class at 9 a.m. Four other Vinyasa and Barre classes are scheduled throughout the rest of the weekend. And every one of them is free, in  honor of their grand opening.

To register for the classes, and more information about their drop-in and package fitness class rates, visit their website and Facebook page.

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Here’s an important program update from the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.

Thanks to the winter storm that’s headed our way, Saturday’s comedy hypnotist show at Webster Schroeder has been cancelled. The diocese hopes to be able to reschedule the event this summer sometime.

Eventbrite.com is issuing refunds for all tickets purchased through their website. Check there for more information.

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

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Webster’s new Ploty’s Tavern strives for hometown feeling

29 Dec

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There’s a new tavern in town, and from the looks of it, its going to be a pretty popular place.

It’s called Ploty’s Hometown Tavern, and it’s located at 27 West Main Street, where the Vino Lounge used to be, in the lower level of shops behind The Coach and Mozzeroni’s.

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New tavern owners Kourtney and Eric Plotzker

The unusual name is derived from the last name of the new owners, Eric and Kourtney Plotzker.  Both are Webster natives, and are excited about the opportunity to become an integral part of their hometown.

Kourtney said that owning a bar has been a long-time dream for Eric, who is stepping into the role after working for 11 years in the beverage industry with Pepsi. 

“Every year he’s been saying he’d like to do his own thing,” she said. “He’d always wanted to have his own local bar … in Webster. We have a lot of family and friends here.” 

They’d been looking around for about three months for just the right place, when one day a friend told them that the Vino location had been listed.

That’s when “the stars aligned,” Eric said. It was a great location, a nice size, and it came furnished. It was a done deal. 

Those who frequented the old Vino Lounge will see that Eric and Kourtney have pretty much changed everything to make the new tavern their own.

Everything is much brighter and …well, homier. The wall of dark curtains has been replaced with a hand-built wainscoting made from pallets. The new paint job throughout features pastel colors, and new lighting makes it easier for patrons to see each other while they chat.

True to its name, Ploty’s Hometown Tavern also has much more of a bar feel than the Vino. There are two dart boards and seven TVs, mostly featuring sporting events. There’s also a wall-mounted “Touch Tunes” digital juke box.

And of course there’s beer; 10 rotating taps hosting a variety of domestics and imports, lots of bottle beers and IPAs, and a wall filled with whiskey and spirits.

But as much as Ploty’s is a bar, Eric and Kourtney have made great efforts through the decor to give the place a hometown, rustic feel, in ways to help it create its own identity separate from Burke’s, The Coach and Barry’s.

“I wanted it to be a very comfortable place,” Kourtney said. “We wanted to be local and hometown and familiar. You come in and feel like you know people (and) feel at home.”  

Ploty’s Hometown Tavern will celebrate its official grand opening this weekend with three days of special events and special drink prices.

On Saturday December 30, Matthew Stephens, lead guitarist from the Zac Brown Tribute Band will play beginning at 9:30 p.m., and patrons will enjoy $2 Genny Lite bottles, $2.50 well drinks and $3 drafts, plus free appetizers.

Sunday will be their New Year’s Eve Hometown Bash with drinks and free appetizers from 5 to 8 p.m., a special cocktail menu featuring whiskeys and martinis, and a champagne toast at midnight.

Monday is NCAA Bowl Game Day. Bloody Marys and mimosas will be served beginning at noon, pitchers will be just $6 and pizza and wings will be served.

You can read more about Ploty’s and get more details about their grand opening weekend festivities at their Facebook page and website.

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

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News from the Village Band and Filling Station

13 Dec

Just a few quick notes on this very snowy and cold this morning.

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The Webster Village Band hosted its 50th annual holiday concert at Webster Thomas High School on Saturday, capping off another wonderful season of music for our dedicated village musicians.

In the photo, band director Tom Indiano stands with associate director Sue Siegmund (L) and manager Marcia Naukum (R), each with 45 years of dedicated service. Missing from this photo are Mary Crockett and Ralph Zimmer, who both have 50 years of continuing service.  Congratulations to all!

Band rehearsals for next season resume in March. The  band meets on Thursday evenings from 7-9, with venues at various Webster Central Schools per availability.

The band is always looking for more community members to join their musical family.  All interested musicians are invited to be a par of the band’s next 50 years. Interested persons may contact Harvey Cohen at hcohen@rochester.rr.com or by phone at 585-738-6980.

Update on the Filling Station

I was notified the other day that the schedule for opening the new Filling Station Pub and Grill at 77 East Main Street has been delayed a bit. They’re still hoping to get everything finished by the end of the year, but now it might not be until January.

The wait will definitely be worth it, however. Front-end manager Wendy Antes has been sending me photos of some of the installations. Here’s one of the incredibly beautiful bar.

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Stay tuned!

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

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The new Filling Station nears completion

9 Dec

filling station

I have been negligent.

Back in October I wrote a teaser blog about the fact that the Filling Station Pub & Grill is moving into town from East Ridge Road into the old Burger King/Original Mac and Cheez restaurant on East Main Street. I promised a follow-up blog not long afterwards. But it has been a long-time coming.

Better late than never, let me tell you about this great new addition to the village

The Filling Station, if you’re not familiar with it, used to be located at 1839 Ridge Road, almost as far east as Wayne County. It’s long been a favorite gathering place for its casual atmosphere and extensive food and drink menus (especially the wings).

The family owned-and-operated Filling Station has been around for years, and if you’re not familiar with it, that’s probably because it was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. In a few weeks, though, that’s going to change. By the end of this month — hopefully sometime the week of December 18, actually — the doors will officially open to the new Filling Station at 77 East Main Street in the village of Webster.

Back in October, I spoke with front-end manager Wendy Antes, who told me that one of the main reasons for the move was so they could expand.

“It’s 1200 square feet bigger,” she said. “We’re going to be able to offer more booth seating, which people have been asking for. There will be one booth, actually, that fits 12 to 15 people.”

The new location will offer about 30 more seats than the current pub has, and doubles the bar seating. All in all, that means seating for about 120 people.

Finding the right place in Webster was also a big goal.

“We grew up in Webster,” Wendy said. “I’ve lived in Webster my whole life. We wanted to expand but still stay small. We looked at a lot of different spaces, including one other place in Webster and a few east of town.”

But when she and her brother Alan saw the old Burger King, they knew it was perfect. “It was like, we could envision everything. We could envision exactly where we wanted to put everything.”

When it’s finally open, the new restaurant will sport a beautiful L-shaped bar, with 20 taps — eight more than they have now — dispensing local and regional craft brews. The kids will enjoy an old fashioned game room, and their own “kids eat free” night. The decor will still favor New York sports teams, and a lot of the memorabilia will be moving with them to the new location. And there will still be a lot of TVs so diners can enjoy anything from weather reports to sports to newscasts.

Most importantly, though, the Filling Station’s menu will be coming to the new place as well.

“All of our wonderful specials will follow from the other Filling Station to this Filling Station,” Wendy promised. “The menu will stay the same, and we’ll have a lot of new specials on top of our regular menu.”   

And they’re already looking to the future. Eventually they hope to add a deck in front for outdoor seating, and another small deck out back. Perhaps next winter there might even be an enclosed area where the drive through is, complete with fireplaces.  

There’s still quite a bit of work to be done, but the week of December 18th still seems like a reasonable goal. (Right now both places are closed; the last day at the old restaurant was November 29.) You can keep tabs on the progress on the Filling Station website and Facebook page. In the meantime, take a look at some of these photos, which Wendy was kind enough to send along. 

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

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Tuesday Webster Mailbag

5 Dec

I’d like to start off today’s mailbag with a few events happening at the Webster Public Library.

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All this month, the library is hosting a photography exhibit, Photographers in our Midst, in the main area of the library. The exhibit will run through December 28 and feature the talent of outstanding Webster photographers.

Stop in anytime the library is open to enjoy the images that have been captured by our own neighbors.

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Harry Potter fans, take note: The Webster Public Library is planning a Hogwarts Yule Ball right at the library.

Witches, wizards and muggles are all invited to the library on Friday December 29 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. for an evening of magical fun in the Great Hall. Enjoy tasty refreshments, music and dancing. Don’t forget to wear your formal wear or finest dress robes to attend the ball, and make sure to visit Hogwart’s classrooms for fun crafts and activities!

Some of the activities include: House Badges & Personalized Hogwarts Acceptance Letters; Potions making in Potions Class; Wand making in Defense Against the Dark Arts; Spell Books in History of Magic; Golden Snitch Ornaments in Charms; Music and Dancing; Quidditch Matches; Scavenger Hunts; Costume Contest, refreshments, a photo booth and more.

Tickets are $2 per person and will be available for purchase in-person ONLY (at the Webster Public Library) through December 15. Tickets are limited, so register early. Call 585-872-7075 if you have any questions.

Ticket price covers all activities, but there will be additional items for available for purchase.

American St. Nick to Visit the Webster Museum

On Saturday December 9 at 2 p.m., Richard Brookins will visit the Webster Museum during the museum’s open house, to share a story of kindness from WWII.

It was December 1944 in Wiltz, Luxembourg during WWII, Brookins was assigned to the small town of Wiltz for a brief respite. The town had recently been liberated by Allied forces after four long years of German occupation.

It didn’t take long before Corporal Harry Stutz discovered that the children of Wiltz had not been allowed to celebrate St. Nicholas Day during the occupation. Over the next few days the American soldiers organized a party, complete with a St. Nicklaus — Pittsford (and former Webster) resident Richard Brookins.

The story does not end there, despite the town being overrun only days later. You can hear the very happy ending at Brookins’ presentation on December 9 at 2 p.m. at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park. Admission is free.

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photo courtesy WWII Foundation

Santa and Pancakes

The First Baptist Church of Penfield’s next Flapjack Saturday Community Fundraiser is going to be so much fun that Santa will be joining you!

On Saturday December 16 from 8 to 10 a.m., enjoy pancakes, pure maple syrup, scrambled eggs, sausage — and a visit with Santa — all for just $5.00 per person.

December proceeds will go directly to help support Cameron Community Ministries.  Their mission is to provide hope to our community through emergency services, engagement, education and empowerment, offering after-school and summer programs, meals, an emergency pantry, and a clothing house.

The First Baptist Church of Penfield is located at 1862 Penfield Rd. 585-586-2876

Webster Central Schools to run early dismissal drill

On Friday December 22 — the last day before the holiday break — all WCSD students will be dismissed early as part of the district’s annual emergency preparedness early release drill.

The drill is a yearly requirement designed to test the district’s plan for the early dismissal of students.

Parents need to be prepared for their students to be dismissed early and arrive home by bus early on December 22. Please note the times listed below are the dismissal time (in parenthesis) and the bus departure time, and are effective for Friday, December 22 ONLY.

  • Webster Schroeder and Thomas high schools: (2:10) 2:20
  • Spry Middle School: (2:15) 2:25
  • Willink Middle School: (2:25) 2:35
  • Dewitt Road, State Road, Plank North, Schlegel Road and Klem South elementary schools:  (3:15) 3:25
  • Klem North and Plank South elementary schools: (3:05) 3:15

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

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Webster sparkled for White Christmas in the Village

3 Dec
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The Electric Parade, photo courtesy Sarah Rosenberry

For, like, the third year in a row, there wasn’t much “white” about Webster’s White Christmas in the Village celebration on Saturday.  Temperatures were unseasonably warm, so the village’s beautiful new streetlight decorations were the only snowflakes anyone saw that afternoon and evening.

However, things did look very Christmas-y. The shop windows were all decorated and sparkling, carolers strolled the streets singing holiday favorites, and hundreds of people took the opportunity to wear their Santa hats and reindeer antlers, and drape themselves in colored lights.

As usual for this event, things got off to slow start. But anyone who got there early got first crack at visiting with Santa at the Village Hall and taking a ride on the horse-drawn festival wagon. As dusk fell, though, Main Street started to fill with holiday cheer as thousands began to line Main Street in anticipation of the always popular Electric Parade.

There was plenty to do in the meantime. Kids enjoyed a bounce house, adults enjoyed sampling and voting in the chili cook-off (and later in the evening could get samples of Root Stock cider). The ladies of Rochester Rhapsody delighted everyone with original and classic Christmas carols. Barry’s Old School Irish was pouring free cups of hot cider and hot chocolate (and even though it was pretty warm out, they had a long line). There was cookie decorating, storytelling, and one of my favorites, the Good Shepherd Chime Bell Choir.

Basically, if you weren’t there, you missed a great time. Make sure to put it on your calendar NOW for next year.

The lighting was tough, but I tried my best to get a nice bunch of pictures. Click here to see the whole gallery.

And thank you to the members of the Webster Business Improvement District for sponsoring this delightful event.

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Santa has arrived in Webster

2 Dec

 

Santa arrived in Webster last night! I got a chance to visit with him, and nabbed a cookie to boot.

He had come to St. Martin Lutheran Church for their holiday event, where he took lots and lots of photos with children and sat with them for a Christmas story.  Kids also could make their own Christmas cookies, play board games, do some caroling and even write a letter to Santa which they could deliver in person. Plus, everyone enjoyed free pizza all night long.

As a bonus, the “cost” of admission was a food item to be donated to a food cupboard, and by the time I arrived, a whole cartload of food had been collected.

On that same note, St. Martin Lutheran is introducing a fun new idea this year: a reverse Advent calendar.

The way it works is this: Instead of getting a calendar and opening a little door every day this month, get a box (one from the liquor store works best), and every day this month put a can of food INTO it. By Christmas Day, you’ll have a box filled with food, which you can then deliver to the church for them to pass along to a worthy agency.

What an easy and fun way to spread the love and joy of the season.

St. Martin Lutheran Church is located at 813 Bay Road in Webster.

Your next chances to meet with Webster’s Santa are today (Saturday Dec. 2) at the Harmony House (East Main Street) for Breakfast With Santa until 11 a.m.; at Towne Center Plaza (Target Plaza) from 12-3:30; then at Webster Village Hall (West Main Street) from 3:30 to 6 p.m. for the village’s White Christmas event.

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

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