Tag Archives: Webster NY

History Bit: Rules for teachers, circa 1872

4 Sep

So I got a new job recently.

Beginning this month, I’ve taken over the job of writing the monthly “Bit of Webster History,” a short feature produced by the Webster Museum highlighting interesting historical tidbits from around our town.

For the last six years, these “Bits” have been researched and written by Webster Museum volunteer Kathy Taddeo. She’s a great writer and I always enjoyed seeing what gems she came up with every month. Needless to say, I have some big shoes to fill.

Here’s my first stab at it:

A Bit of Webster History — Rules for Teachers

In honor of the first week of school and our hard-working teachers, this month’s History Bit takes us back to a time when school was held for all grades in one room heated by a wood stove, writing was done on slates, and the drinking fountain was a metal pail and cup. 

The first school recorded within the township of Webster was a log cabin at the corner of Salt and State roads in 1813. In those days the school year was typically divided into summer and winter terms. Usually a woman would teach girls and young children in the summer, and a man would teach the older boys in the winter after they were released from farm work. 

It was a tough job with some pretty strict rules – and not just with regards to classroom management. Consider this list of Rules for Teachers from 1872:  

  1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys
  2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s session
  3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils. 
  4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly. 
  5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books. 
  6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed. 
  7. Every teacher should lay aside from his pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society. 
  8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
  9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of 25 cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves. 

See the list for yourself at the Webster Museum, where it’s posted just outside the museum’s classroom, which emulates how an actual one-room schoolhouse might have looked in the early 1900s.

The museum, located at 18 Lapham Park, is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website for more historical tidbits about our town’s schools and teachers.

(P.S. The photo above pictures one of the district’s earliest schools, the District No. 7 school on Schlegel Rd., circa 1846.)

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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.

(posted 9/4/2022)

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Dancing With Denise’s “Happy Feet Dance Crew” spreads joy to nursing homes

30 Aug

Denise Baller of Dancing With Denise has found a charming way to introduce kids to the joy of dancing, while at the same time helping their community.

Denise calls the program “Happy Feet.” It originated several years ago when Denise’s mother, “Miss Tina,” was living at Atria assisted living facility in Penfield. Denise wanted to give the residents a fun and entertaining intergenerational activity, so one evening she invited some of her students to meet at the facility for a “date night” with the residents. The evening was a great success, and the Happy Feet Dance Crew was born.

Since that first outing, “Miss Denise” has taken her students out once a month to visit different local facilities and dance. At the end of the night, the children always share a sweet treat with the residents. In 2019, the Happy Feet Crew grew into an annual summer dance camp, with the students traveling to a different location every morning.

Some of the places the Dance Crew has visited include Webster Comfort Care, where they also spent some time weeding the gardens, and Creekstone Memory Care. They also took a tour of Heritage Christian Stables, where the children cleaned riding equipment, groomed the miniature horses and even cleaned the pasture.

Connecting with the community is Denise’s way of teaching her students how they, and their dancing, can spread love and joy, while learning valuable life lessons. She said,

It’s important to share with the children that life is not perfect and sometimes the jobs we undertake are not things that we love to do. But if you can push through and get to the other side, it makes your heart happy, you become a better person, and most importantly you spread love and joy to make others happy.

If you’d like to meet Denise, learn more about Dancing With Denise and try out a class, stop by her open house on Wednesday Aug. 31 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the studio, 1077 Gravel Rd. Click here 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.

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.

(posted 8/30/2022)

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News from the museum: huge sale and shipwreck program redux

29 Aug

Two big museum-sponsored events are coming up in the next several weeks you’ll want to know about.

The first is the museum’s annual Barn Sale, scheduled for Sept. 15-17 at — well, a barn — at 394 Phillips Rd. It’s a huge barn, but already there have been so many donations that organizers know they’ll definitely be spilling out onto the lawns surrounding the barn, plus the carriage house and two additional adjacent barns.

Among the thousands of items you’ll find are glassware, crafts, ceramics, lamps, dolls and jewelry, holiday wares, outdoor and garden care, books, music, electronics, paintings, toys and games, sports equipment, furniture, bikes and trikes, auto, tools and hardware and more all at very low price points.

The sale will run Thursday and Friday Sept. 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please bring your own shopping bags!!!! All proceeds will benefit the all-volunteer Webster Museum.

Donations are still being accepted, by the way. You can just drop them off at the barn anytime before Labor Day.

Next month, the museum and Webster Public Library will feature a fascinating program by shipwreck explorer Jim Kennard, hosted at the library.

Kennard will take everyone along his personal journey and his underwater explorations of Lake Ontario, sharing stories he’s gathered while researching and locating the most historically significant shipwrecks of our Great Lakes. These include the 1780 British warship HMS Ontario and the sloop Washington lost in 1803.

Kennard has also authored a book, Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario: A Journey of Discovery, which can be borrowed from the library. He’s been featured in local publications as well as National Geographic, national and local news stations, the Discovery Channel and most recently National Geographic’s “Drain the Oceans” series on the American Revolution.

Kennard will share stories gathered over those 50 years while researching and locating the most historically significant shipwrecks in our Great Lakes. These include the 1780 British warship HMS Ontario and the sloop Washington lost in 1803.

The program will be held Saturday Sept. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Webster Public Library, 980 Ridge Rd.   Attendees must register for this event by calling the library at 585-872-7075 or by using the library’s program registration link here.

This program was originally scheduled for May at the Harmony House but had to be postponed.

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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.

(posted 8/29/2022)

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A perfect afternoon spent with friends on the trails

28 Aug

Every once in a while I’m reminded about how oustanding our local trail system is.

Sunday morning dawned so beautiful and cool, I thought it’d be a great day to go for a hike with my husband. And since it’s always more fun to hike with friends, I invited my friends Patty and Dave to join us. We met up at Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve.

For more than an hour, we explored several trails I’d never been on before, winding through grasslands and woodlands, across wooden bridges, up hills and down. We’d frequently stop to take a closer look at an unusual flower or plant, visit with a butterfly, or stare back at a deer who’d paused in the brush to stare at us. It was a delightful, peaceful afternoon filled with natural beauty and friendship.

Our experience was not unique. Thousands of people every year take advantage of our town’s beautiful trails. And there are plenty to choose from; almost four dozen distinct trails stretch from Rt. 104 north to the lake, and from Vosburg Rd. east to Salt Rd, each one well maintained and well marked with signs and trail maps.

We have the all-volunteer Friends of Webster Trails to thank for that. These volunteers put in thousands of hours every summer planning, creating and maintaining these trails. It’s really a thankless job, since only a small percentage of the people who use our trails actually sign up as members of the Friends.

If you’re not familiar with the trails, check out this map to see where they are. Then get out there with your family and friends and enjoy before the weather turns really nasty. And please consider becoming a member of the Friends of Webster Trails. (It really doesn’t cost much. Check out the membership page here.) Your donation will go a long way to helping these fine folks help US enjoy our town’s natural beauty for years to come.

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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.

(posted 8/28/2022)

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Webster community mailbag

25 Aug

Don’t forget that Friday night Aug. 26 is the next Family Games Night!

This month’s event is brought to you in part by the Webster PTSA, who’ll have a table there with some stuff to help your kids get ready for the upcoming school year.

There’s always tons of fun things to do for both kids and adults at these FREE, family-friendly events including sidewalk chalking, giant street games like Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four and cornhole. You can even grab dinner from Carl’s Pizza Kitchen while you’re there, plus there’ll be live music.

The Family Games Night happens on West Main St. in the Village of Webster from 6 to 9 p.m.

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UMC Webster, 169 East Main St., will be serving up a community pasta dinner on Saturday Aug. 27 in their Fellowship Center from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Children’s activities wil be provided.

There is no cost for the dinner, but donations will be accepted, and participants are being asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the church’s food pantry.

For more information, call 585-309-6510 or email pastorwendy@umcwebster.org.

The Webster Theatre Guild is holding auditions for thier upcoming production of Annie on Sunday Aug. 28 and Thursday Sept. 1.

Auditions will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 1130 Webster Rd. (Rt. 250) in Webster, from 5 to 7 pm for children, 7 to 9 p.m. for adults both days. You only have to attend one day of the auditions. Callbacks will be on Saturday Sept. 3 at 9 a.m.

Show dates are Oct. 14, 15, 21 and 22.

Click here for more information and to download your audition packet.

The Webster Hope, Inc. (formerly Hope Ministry) Garage Sale is back this year, scheduled for Wed. Sept. 14 through Sat. Sept. 17 at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Rd. Webster.

Donations will be accepted on Sunday Sept. 11 from 11 am. to 3 p.m. and Monday Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Murphy Hall at the church. Please no large donations. Items that cannot be accepted are listed here on the website.

Hours for the sale will be:

  • Wednesday Sept. 14, 6-8 p.m. (sneak peek night), admission $5 per person
  • Thursday Sept. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Friday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Saturday Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to noon (everything HALF PRICE)

For a preview of some of the items that will be for sale, check out the Webster Hope Facebook page. Proceeds from the sale will benefit low-income households in Webster.

Also coming up in September, the Schutts Apple Mill Fall Kickoff event on Saturday Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is a great family event with bounce houses, a petting zoo, a magic show, photo booth, live music, wagon rides, a cider demonstration, fried-cake eating contest and much more. It’s free to attend. Click here for more information.

Schutts Apple Mill is located at 1063 Plank Rd.

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And make sure to put this one on your calendar.

The Village of Webster’s September 11 Memorial Ceremony will take place on Sunday Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, North Ave. (Rt. 250).

This is always a very moving ceremony, and a great chance to remember those who lost their lives on this terrible day.

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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.

(posted 8/25/2022)

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Get ready to get muddy!

23 Aug

When I was taking a bike ride around the Webster Recreation Center the other day, I saw that preparations are well underway for the second annual Mud Run, scheduled for Sept. 17.

The Mud Run is a a non-competitive, untimed, one-mile run/walk, sometimes through water and mud, with some challenging obstacles. What’s really neat about it is that kids and their adults can do it together. It’s only $5 per person, and the organizers promise that there’ll be swag, fun and food.

And judging from what I saw, there’s going to be a LOT of mud.

I was out of town last year for this event, but am definitely going to make sure to sign up this year. It sounds like it’s going to be a blast. Here’s a little teaser video sent from the Rec Center to get you excited:

Click here to register. You can sign up for any 15-minute wave between 10 a.m. and noon. The Webster Recreation Center is located at 1350 Chiyoda Drive, off of Phillips Rd.

See you there!

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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.

(posted 8/23/2022)

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Beautiful night, beautiful music for Webster Jazz Fest

21 Aug

What a terrific few days we just had in the Village of Webster.

The 2022 Webster Jazz Festival is in the books, and it will certainly go down as one of the best ever. Six different bands kicked off the festivities Friday night with Jazz in the Pubs, this year made even better by the mini street fair, complete with vendors, a professional sidewalk chalk artist, a photo booth and more.

But that was just a teaser for the main event, Jazz in the Streets on Saturday. The music began at 4 p.m. on the big West Main Street stage and continued well into the evening.

In the many years I’ve attended the Jazz Fest, I can’t recall ever seeing so many people. When I got into town at about 6:45, the street, sidewalks, even alleyways and driveways were already packed with tables and chairs and coolers. I didn’t think it could get any busier. But as the evening went on, people kept coming, and by the time Prime Time Funk hit their first downbeat at 9 p.m., people had filled in pretty much every nook and cranny along West Main.

The Village of Webster always looks its most charming for the Jazz Fest, too. Twinkly lights stretching back and forth across West Main made the entire scene look like a musical fairyland. Food and drink vendors set up along the street, combined with spectacular weather, made the whole evening a great chance to reconnect with friends and neighbors, or just enjoy an inexpensive evening out with the whole family.

Kudos to the Webster Business Improvement District for another wildly successful Jazz Fest. You make the Village of Webster proud.

Here are just a few photos from Saturday night. Click here to see a gallery with many more.

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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.

(posted 8/21/2022)

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First-ever Jazz Fest Street Fair a success

20 Aug

West Main Street was hopping last night during the first annual (I hope) Webster Jazz Festival Street Fair.

There were perhaps a dozen or so vendors and street artistans set up, most of them enjoying brisk business from the hundreds of adults and children in attendance. Especialy fun was the photo booth sponsored by LaLa and Whimsies, and the Dancing With Denise table, where Denise was handing out tiaras, fairy wands and sparkly bows.

I know for a fact that the Webster Business Improvement District (BID) — and especially chairperson Elena Bernardi — organized the event on less than a month’s notice, to coincide with the first night of the Webster Jazz Festival. I’m sure Elena would’ve liked more vendors and artisans to participate, but it turned out to be a really nice event for its first year. I hope the BID considers doing it again next year. With more planning time, it should be even better.

By the way, don’t miss the main event, the Jazz Festival in the Street tonight! Check out my blog here for the schedule.

Here are a few photos I took from the event, and if you had your photo taken at the LaLas/Whimsies photo booth, click here to see that and all sorts of other goofy photo booth photos.

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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.

(posted 8/20/2022)

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Webster community mailbag

19 Aug

Yeee Haaaa!!! There’s a ro-DAY-o comin’ to town, and it’s gonna mean some SWELL eatin’!

For those of you who don’t know cowboy-speak, what I mean to say is that the Webster Marching Band’s annual Food Truck Rodeo is back this year on Tuesday Aug. 23 at a brand new location (because the Schroeder parking lot is kind of filled with school buses at the moment).

This year’s rodeo will be held at the Webster Firemen’s Field from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Among the trucks which will be there are:

  • Macarollin’
  • Tuscan Wood Fired Pizza
  • The Meatball Truck
  • Roc City Sammich
  • Rob’s Kabobs
  • Rob’s Sweet Tooth
  • Eat Greek
  • Effortlessly Healthy
  • Terry’s Tips and Beef
  • Melt Truck
  • Brusters

Proceeds from this delicious event will benefit our 2021 State Champion Webster Marching Band, so bring a big appetite.

I understand the Marching Band will actually be performing at this event, so bring some lawn chairs and make it a family night out. Admission is free.

The Village of Webster would like YOUR opinions on how the village can be improved.

The Webster Economic Development Alliance, in conjunction with the Webster Business Improvement District, is competing for $4.5 million from the NY Forward community revitalization program. As part of the competition process, Webster must submit an application on how we intend to spend $4.5 million in our community.

So the coalition is asking for community input. They’ve put together a short survey, hoping to gather thoughts about things like

• your vision for the downtown area
• where you’d like to see the money invested
• how projects should be prioritized

It’s a quick, 5-minutes or less survey. Click here to take it and to get more information.

The Webster Museum’s huge barn sale is fast approaching, and the donations are piling up. Word is that toys and games, puzzles and stuffed animals have taken over one whole corner of the donation barn at 394 Phillips Rd.

There’s still time for you to add your donations to the pile, but please do so by Sept. 5 (Labor Day). You can just drive by the barn and leave your donations inside. The museum welcomes household goods, tools, toys, pottery, collections, books, music, games, etc.  Think small and easy to lift. Please DO NOT leave large furniture, clothing, shoes, computers, exercise equipment or skis.

The sale itself will take place at the barn on Phillips Rd. from Sept. 15-17. More details to come about that.

Questions? Call Jan Naujokas 585-265-3268.

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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.

(posted 8/19/2022)

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Barry’s Old School Irish honored … AGAIN

18 Aug

Barry’s Old School Irish is making Webster proud again.

Our authentic little Irish pub, located smack dab in the middle of the Village of Webster, has already racked up numerous accolades from places like the Irish Post and TripAdvisor, which have both named Barry’s one of the best Irish pubs in the United States. Today, Danny and Jessica Barry can add yet another distinction to the list.

TastingTable.com, a New York City-based website focusing on good food and drink, has just published their ranking of the “Best Irish Pubs in America,” and of course our very own Barry’s Old School Irish is on that list.

Tasting Table’s list includes 22 pubs located in 14 states stretching from Hawaii to New York, North Dakota to Florida. Each listing gives a little background of the pub and what makes it special. Barry’s listing reads:

A few years ago, Jessica and Danny Barry were on their honeymoon in Ireland. After falling in love with the charming pubs throughout the Irish countryside, the Barrys aimed to bring back a taste of that charm to their hometown, and Barry’s Old School was born.

Though locals love this pub, it has also been recognized as one of the top 20 Irish pubs in the United States and one of the best in New York state. With the typical drink fare and great food, the menu features favorites like the Barry family’s homemade potato and herb soup and the Bunratty wrap. You’ll also find favorites like the Reuben and shepherd’s pie.

Each year, the pub also hosts its own Irish festival, complete with Guinness sponsorship. With activities in yoga, kids’ activities, music, beer trucks, food trucks, craft vendors, and even an Irish dance performance, this festival certainly succeeds in the Barry’s goal of bringing the life of an Irish pub home.

And as you can see from the photo above, the article is illustrated by just one of the special features that makes Barry’s Old School an AUTHENTIC Irish pub, the weekly traditional music session (every Saturday at 2 p.m. Don’t miss it.)

Congratulations, Danny and Jess Barry for this latest achievement.

Click here to read the entire article.

Barry’s Old School Irish is located at 2 West Main St. in the Village of Webster. Click here to see their webpage, and here for their Facebook page to learn more.

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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.

(posted 8/18/2022)

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