Tag Archives: Village of Webster

Photos from Webster’s Trick or Treat Trail (LOTS of them)

28 Oct

The 2017 edition of Webster’s Trick or Treat Trail is in the books, and despite the cold rain that moved in toward the end of the event, I think the village can consider it another success.

Hundreds of kids, their parents and grandparents filled the sidewalks, popping into business after business to collect candy. A big thank you to the village for closing East and West Main streets, making the whole day a lot safer for everyone. (And an even bigger thank you to Webster’s Special Police for manning the North Ave/Main Street intersection all day.)

The Webster Volunteer Fire Department’s open house was also mobbed most of the afternoon as kids enjoyed refreshments, free fire hats and balloons, and explored several different emergency vehicles. The Webster Museum also had a lot of traffic, as visitors were encouraged to take part in a scavenger hunt.

I took more than 200 photos. The best of them are in a Facebook gallery which you can access here.

It was a fun day for everyone, and I’m already looking forward to next year.

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Autumn fun in the village for kids AND adults

26 Oct

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It looks like the weather is going to be a little spotty this weekend, but it should stay nice enough for the kids to enjoy the village’s Trick or Treat Trail this Saturday.

The fun starts with a costume contest in the Community Room on South Avenue. Participants are asked to gather around 11, and judging will take place at 11:30. Prizes will be awarded for individual and team costumes. Immediately afterwards, the kids can hit the streets and trick-or-treat at lots of village merchants from noon to 3 p.m. New this year: both East and West Main streets will be closed from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for added safety.

And don’t forget to stop by the museum on Lapham Park, where the folks always have an activity for the kids, and swing by the Webster Volunteer Fire Department Open House.

This is always a fun time and a great way to meet our village merchants and learn more about their businesses.

Adults, mark your calendars for the village’s first-ever Bourbon Bash at the Harmony House on Saturday November 18.

Webster Wine and Spirits is teaming up with the Webster Business Improvement District to host this one-of-a-kind event with bourbon and food sampling. BBQ Blues band will take the stage from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to provide a New Orleans-style blues sounds for the evening.

Space is limited so make sure you get your tickets soon. More info and the link for the tickets can be found at www.websterbid.com.

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The new Filling Station just weeks away

24 Oct
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This empty restaurant will soon be the new Filling Station Pub & Grill. 

Have you heard this exciting news from East Main Street? The Filling Station Pub & Grill will soon be moving from their current location on Ridge Road (near County Line) to the old Burger King/Original Mac and Cheez restaurant.

I spoke with the restaurant’s front-end manager Wendy Antes a short time ago, who didn’t give me a lot of details yet, but I do know they hope to open by the end of November. In the meantime, work is proceeding apace. It doesn’t look like much right now, but when it’s done it’s going to be a very popular addition to our village.

Stay tuned for a more complete blog about this exciting development.

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It doesn’t look like much yet, but workers are in there pretty much every day transforming the space.

WVFD blood drive is this week

23 Oct

webster FD blood drive

Your next opportunity to be a blood-donor is later this week, when our Webster Volunteer Fire Department hosts its first-ever donation drive this Thursday at the Community Meeting Room, 35 South Avenue.

The drive is being coordinated by Webster volunteer firefighter — and Red Cross staff member — Jacky Ingrassio. She wants to encourage a friendly competition between Webster Fire Department and West Webster Fire Department to see which can donate the most units.

But of course they’re also hoping that all elegible donors in our community will come out and “answer the call,” and give blood in honor of our everyday heroes.

Zoom in on the poster to see how you can make an appointment, but of course walk-ins are always welcome.

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Tuesday Webster mailbag

16 Oct

Today’s mailbag begins with a follow-up on a blog I wrote several days ago about our neighbors from the Webster Presbyterian Church and Penfield Presbyterian Church.  Ten church members are right now in New Jersey, preparing to assist help with continuing efforts to rebuild after Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the area five years ago.

Today I received a photo of most of the group members, taken just before they left town. Two other members will be meeting them in NJ.

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The missionaries expect to be working on a home in Brigantine, NJ, where they will be installing flooring, hanging interior doors, installing trim, painting and possibly hanging kitchen cabinets. Then they’ll head to Atlantic City, where they will help repair a deck, finish some drywall and do some painting.

They’ll be returning to Webster on October 21.

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There will be a pharmaceutical waste pickup at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, 226 Phillips Road, on Saturday, October 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Any unused, unwanted or expired prescription and/or over the counter medications will be accepted for disposal. No appointment is necessary.

If you don’t feel comfortable with your personal information on the bottles, you can remove the pills and put them in a plastic bag for disposal.

The event is part of the DEA’s 14th annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This is a great opportunity to rid yourselves of those old pills, especially since the drop box normally located at Town Hall is inaccessible while the building is being remodeled.

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The Town of Webster Highway Department will start the annual Leaf Pick-Up on Monday, October 23, weather permitting. Every effort will be made to pick up leaves on a weekly basis until the week of Monday, December 4th. At that time, a final pass will be conducted throughout the town, starting from the west side to the east side.

If anyone has any questions regarding the annual Leaf Pick-up, please contact the Highway Department at 872-1443, Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

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WVFD open houseI’ll be posting more about this event next week, but here’s a preview of a fun activity for the kids.

The Webster Volunteer Fire Department will hold their annual open house on Saturday October 28 during the Village of Webster’s Trick or Treat Trail.

The fire house at 35 South Avenue will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with giveaways, refreshments, fire equipment and safety displays, demonstrations, and special activities for children of all ages.

Special events and activities will include: free doughnuts, cider and coffee for the adults; lots of fire trucks and emergency vehicles for the kids to check out and sit in; helmets and coloring books for the kids (while supplies last); the “burning house,” which kids can “put out” using a real fire hose; and lots of opportunities to chat with our local first responders.

And of course, firefighters will be handing out candy for all the trick-or-treaters.

For more information, visit the WVFD Facebook page.

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Webster Village Band concludes season with banquet

14 Oct

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Our friends in the Webster Village Band celebrated the completion of their successful 50th anniversary season several days ago at their annual banquet.

In addition to the catered dinner, band members brought along snacks and libations for a cocktail hour and dessert after dinner.  They also had a beautifully decorated cake celebrating the big anniversary, and lots of “50th”-themed decorations.

Band member Sylvia Hungerford wrote about the event,

The banquet truly gives us the opportunity to get acquainted with fellow band members which is difficult during rehearsals….For example, during rehearsals, if you sit in the front row, you rarely have the opportunity to interact with those behind you or other band sections.

We are thankful for the support from the village of Webster. The commemorative plaque and proclamation (received at a recent Village Board meeting) were displayed for all (band) members and spouses to see. It was a special night with great food and camaraderie among kindred spirits of music!

The Webster Village Band is truly a village treasure. Congratulations on 50 years of making beautiful music, and here’s hoping for many, many more.

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Bookshop tour encourages readers to “fall into books”

30 Sep

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I know that everyone who’s reading this right now will be interested in today’s blog, because … well, you obviously like to read.

This October, our very own Yesterday’s Muse bookstore on West Main Street in the village is participating in a new program called “Fall Into Books — a Bookshop Tour.”  This is a really neat idea which encourages lovers of books and bookish items to explore independent bookshops in the Greater Rochester area.

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One of the two gift baskets tour participants could win.

All of the 13 participating stores are located within an hour and a half of Rochester. You can hit up a few a day, or spread your travels through the entire month. But you’ll want to visit as many as possible, because there are prizes to be had.

Here’s how it works: Bookshop “tourists” first pick up a passport at any of the participating shops. The passport will be stamped at each stop you make, and for every store you visit, you get one entry to win one of two gift baskets packed with books, gift certificates, and other bookish items. Each one is worth about $150. Plus, you’ll get a 10% discount off your entire purchase at each shop.

Participating bookstores include:

  • Lift Bridge Book Shop, Brockport
  • The Paperback Place, Canandaigua
  • Explore! The Bookstore, Clifton Springs
  • Stomping Grounds, Geneva
  • Boots, Etc., Macedon
  • The Dog Eared Book, Palmyra
  • Village Bookmarket, Palmyra
  • The Books Landing, Penn Yan
  • The Book Centre, Spencerport
  • Greenwood Books, Rochester
  • Mood Makers Books, Rochester
  • Small World Books, Rochester
  • Yesterday’s Muse Books, Webster

You read a lot these days about the demise of small retail stores, especially bookstores. These 13 bookstores are out to show that they’re here to stay. Show your support by taking the tour, and at the same time discover how unique each of these shops is, with books and products not available in those big-box stores.

Read more about the tour at www.fallintobookstour.com and visit the Facebook event page by clicking here.

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Halloween in Webster Village

25 Sep

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I was working on my next Our Towns column this evening, which is a round-up of several east-side Halloween and autumn-themed events taking place in October. I’ll be mentioning Webster’s Trick-or-Treat Trail in that column, so I was looking through all the photos I took last year to find a few good ones for the column.

I found myself procrastinating on the task at hand and just enjoying all of the photos I took. There were little kids and big kids, dressed as dinosaurs, witches, Pokemon characters and firefighters. There were lots of families whose parents AND children had all dressed as a theme. Even dogs, and infants being pushed in strollers or carried in front packs were in costume.

And everyone was smiling and having a wonderful time.

Webster’s Trick-or-Treat Trail is probably my favorite village event. This is an annual event organized by the Webster Business Improvement District, the group responsible for all of the special things that happen in the village every year. It’s very popular, drawing hundreds of adults and children to the village. There’s trick-or-treating, of course, but there’s also so much more. The Webster Volunteer Fire Department always has an open house, the Webster Museum always has some special thing going on, there’s a costume contest and free rides on the BID’s Festival Wagon.

Plus, it’s a lot warmer than during White Christmas in the Village.

Basically it’s the perfect family event. This year it takes place on Saturday October 28. The costume contest begins at 11 a.m., and trick-or-treating runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more details, visit the Webster BID website. And if you’d also like to revisit last year’s gallery of photos, click here.

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Webster remembers

12 Sep

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The Village of Webster gathered Monday night to pay honor to the men and women who lost their lives during the horrific events of September 11, 2001. About 100 residents convened in Veterans Memorial Park for the 50-minute ceremony, joined by more than 30 Webster fire fighters and first responders, Village Mayor Darrell Byerts, a handful of other state, town and village representatives, and the Chorus of the Genesee.

Mayor Byerts acted as emcee, sharing the podium with many of those representatives who added their thoughts and personal recollections from the day.  Many of those comments were directed at the ranks of first responders who stood proudly near the edge of the park. And those were the comments I considered most meaningful.

We must never forget what happened that day and the brave people who lost their lives. But it’s also important to appreciate those who still keep up safe every day.

Mayor Byerts was the first to sound that call. He asked us to remember what it was like in the hours and days after 9/11. We were a country united, helping strangers in the street, showing our patriotism by flying flags from every pole we could find. We mourned the loss of 2,977 innocent lives. Among them were 412 emergency workers, including 343 FDNY firefighters.  We publicly thanked them for their efforts.

The same thing happened when Webster suffered the loss of two of our own firefighters at the hand of a madman on December 24, 2012. We came together again as one, and showed how much we love and respect our local firefighters.

But, as Byerts noted, that public outpouring of emotion didn’t last.

“As time passes, memories fade and those appointed to protect us are forgotten,” he said. “The words ‘thank you’ are rarely spoken.”

Syed Ahmed Mustafa, president of Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support, further reminded us that “People don’t become heroes because of what they do one day, but because of what they do every day.”

Those are powerful thoughts. What I took from them was this:

We must never forget September 11 and keep those who lost their lives close to our hearts. But one of the best way to honor them is to appreciate those who continue to race to the scene of a horrific accident or run into burning buildings, not knowing what exactly they’re going to find.

Or, by the way, WHO they’re going to find. Because, as Ahmed said, what 9/11 taught us is that “no matter where we work, pray or play, we are all American.”

Here are several more photos from the evening:

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How ’bout we bring the scarecrow contest back?

10 Sep

IMG_20170910_093342790Hubby and I took a bike ride Sunday morning into the village, and stopped by Dunkin’ for coffee. I found this handsome fellow welcoming customers at the side door. (His name tag identified him as “Dave.”)

It made me think about the time not too many years ago when the village hosted a scarecrow contest.  I dug back into my blog archives and the latest reference I found for such an event was in 2013.

According to that blog, both business owners and community groups were invited to create scarecrows, which were then displayed along Main Street (or in front of the appropriate business). Residents could then vote for their favorite, and ballot boxes were placed all over town. First, second and third prizes were awarded.

I kind of liked that contest. It was fun to see all the creative scarecrows, and the decorated the village streets quite nicely for autumn and Halloween.

It would be neat if the village would consider doing that again. (Maybe they already are…?)

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