The Greater Rochester Peep Show returned to the Webster Recreation Center Saturday, live and in-person for the first time in three years, since COVID made them postpone, then ultimately cancel the show in 2020.
And I gotta say, it’s outstanding.
About 120 families, businesses and community agencies created displays for this year’s show, colorful and creative dioramas depicting everything from sports events and TV shows to schoolrooms and Broadway plays. I especially liked the ones which were made almost entirely of Peeps, like Marge Simpson pictured here.
In addition to the displays, there’s a children’s room, plenty of snacks for purchase, raffles and vendors, all spread through five rooms at the Rec Center. Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets to be used to vote for your favorite displays. All proceeds benefit the Webster Community Chest.
When I was there Saturday afternoon, I was surprised by how many people were there admiring the displays. It seems like everyone’s excited to get back out and do things like this again, and jumped at the chance to bring the family out for some free entertainment.
I’ve posted a slideshow here of many of the displays, but there are SO MANY MORE you’re going to want to see, and there’s still plenty of time. The Peep Show continues Sunday April 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive (just off of Phillips). There’s plenty of free parking.
And, I’m told that Coldstone Creamery is going to be there Sunday to hand out FREE ice cream!
One of our town’s most creative and fun FREE family events — the Great Rochester Peep Show — returns this weekend! For the last couple of years, the show was a shell of its former Peep self thanks to COVID, but it’s back big time for 2022.
If you’ve never heard about this really fun event, you’re going to want to keep reading, especially if you like eating those yellow (and now pink and purple and whatever other colors) marshmallow chicks and ducks.
I’ve never been a big fan of Peeps. I put them in the same category as those faux-orange circus peanuts. They squeak when you bite into them. But I LOVE the Peep Show. This is a two-day event at the Webster Recreation Center, where at least four entire rooms are filled with incredibly creative sculptures, dioramas, and various other works of art created with Peeps. It’s simply the cutest thing ever. (Click here for a small photo gallery from 2019.)
This year’s show is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday April 2 and 3 at the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive (right off of Phillips). In addition to the Peeps, several entertainers and community groups will be performing.
This is a must-see family event, folks, and it’s all free. Click here to find out more about the Greater Rochester Peep Show.
I anticipate writing longer blogs about a few of these events in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, here’s a tease so you can get them on your calendars.
One of our town’s most creative and fun FREE family events — the Great Rochester Peep Show — returns Saturday and Sunday April 2 and 3 to the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive (off of Phillips).
This fun, completely free, family-friendly event features at least four entire rooms filled with incredibly creative sculptures, dioramas, and various other works of art, all created with marshmallow Peeps candies. In addition to the displays, several entertainers and community groups will be performing.
Hours are 10 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, 10 to 4 on Sunday.
Community Arts Day returns the following weekend after a two-year COVID-induced hiatus.
This year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd. This very family-friendly festival showcases Webster CSD students’ creative talents and involves the entire community in a day to celebrate the arts.
Dozens of activities are planned throughout the day, including art displays, carnival games, sweet treats sale, plant sale, crafts, community group exhibits and more. Musical groups and demonstrators (dancers, gymnastics, etc.) perform free all day, and you can even grab lunch and snacks.
This is one of my favorite events of the whole year.
Webster’s next American Red Cross blood drive is coming up in just a few weeks. Here are the details:
Tuesday April 5, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church (813 Bay Rd.), 1 to 6 p.m. (Click here to make an appointment) Wednesday April 6, American Legion (8181 Ridge Rd.), noon to 5 p.m. (Click here for an appointment)
Anyone who donates at one of these drives will receive an exclusive Red Cross t-shirt, while supplies last.
The need right now is critical, so please consider donating!
The Webster Public Library, is hosting a meet-and-greet with new library director Adam Traub on Wednesday April 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. Snacks will be served!
And since we’re talking about the library, next time you’re there, make sure to check out the Webster Museum’s current display. It features square-dancing fashions provided by the Copy Cats Western Square Dance Club, currently celebrating their 50th anniversary. The group was started by Xerox employees.
At the museum itself, at 18 Lapham Park in the village, a new exhibit looks at women’s nineteenth century garments, occupations, voting and working rights efforts, and the story of the “Great Women’s Uprising” of 1910.
The museum is open 2:30 to 4:30 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
This is exciting news.
The Webster Business Improvement District (BID) is sponsoring a FREE Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday April 16 at the Webster Firemen’s Field on West Main St.
Our local merchants will be providing the eggs, filled with prizes and surprises. Children will be divided into three different age groupings for the hunt, and there will be an extra prize basket for the child in each group who finds the golden egg.
The hunt will begin at 10 a.m. More details to come!
This great event is just the first in a long line of special events the Webster BID is working on for this spring and summer, which include a Beer Walk, Bourbon Bash, Family Games Nights, the Trick or Treat Trail, Jazz Fest, Wine Walks and more. Watch for more details about these in an upcoming blog.
“Envision the Possibilities” will showcase approximately 250 quilts, plus special displays of quilts created for Breast Cancer Coalition, Quilts of Valor, Bivona Child Advocacy Center, Asbury Storehouse, and Meals on Wheels. Other activities include vendors, boutique table, and book and pattern sale. The guild will also be collecting non-perishable food items in support of the Webster Backpack Food program.
The show will be held April 23 and 24 at Holy Trinity Church, 146 Ridge Road. Tickets will be $5, available at the door.
If you and your kids haven’t had a chance to complete the Clovers and Clues Scavenger Hunt yet, there’s still plenty of time to win a great prize!
This family-friendly scavenger hunt is sponsored by Webster Parks and Recreation and the Webster Health and Education Network (WHEN). Through Thursday March 17, participants hunt for clues placed in 13 locations all around the Town of Webster. Each clue consists of different letters, and when all the letters are collected, you’ll use them to decode a final message prompting healthy choices.
Completed answers can be submitted to Webster Parks and Recreation for the chance to win a beautiful gift basket.
Visit the WHEN website to get your first clue. Collecting letters will take about an hour or two, can be done anytime and is a great activity for all ages. A smart phone is encouraged to help find clue locations and to scan QR codes.
This is a fun family adventure, a great way to get a little exercise and learn about healthy choices all at the same time. (And keep your eyes peeled for leprechauns; who knows where they might be hiding at this time of year!)
Get your leprechaun-hunting skills tuned up, because there are two great opportunities in March to go in search of these playful little sprites.
(OK, OK, neither of these events actually MENTIONS looking for leprechauns, but they ARE scavenger hunts, and since it’s St. Patrick’s Day season, I figure there’s a good chance some will turn up!)
What you WILL find with these two family-friendly scavenger hunts is some great exercise and good fun — and everyone might learn something new to boot.
The first is called the “Clovers and Clues” scavenger hunt, sponsored by Webster Parks and Recreation and the Webster Health and Education Network (WHEN). From March 1 through March 17, participants will hunt for clues placed in 13 locations all around the Town of Webster. Each clue consists of different letters, and when all the letters are collected, you’ll use them to decode a final message prompting healthy choices.
Completed answers can be submitted to Webster Parks and Recreation for the chance to win a prize.
Visit the WHEN website beginning March 1 to get your first clue. The hunt will run continuously through March 17. Collecting letters will take about an hour or two, can be done anytime and is a great activity for all ages. A smart phone is encouraged to help find clue locations and to scan QR codes.
This second Family Scavenger Hunt is also co-sponsored by the Webster Recreation Center in partnership with the Friends of Webster Trails.
This one-day event takes place on Sunday March 6 beginning at 10 a.m. at Gosnell Big Woods preserve on Vosburg Rd., rain or shine. Participants can sign in anytime between 10 and noon and receive an age-appropriate scavenger hunt answer key. Three skill levels will be provided for ages 2 to 12. Then just walk through the park gathering answers, submit your sheet when you’re done and get a prize.
Registration is $5 per person, and can be paid when you get there. All proceeds will benefit the Friends of Webster Trails and their efforts to maintain and improve our terrific trail system.
This is at least the third Family Scavenger Hunt the Friends have hosted, and they’ve all been very popular. These folks do a great job making sure that kids of all ages (and their adults) can participate and have fun.
So, you see, no mention of leprechauns. But if I were you, I’d keep my eye out for them anyway.
When you can’t beat the winter, join it! That’s the philosophy behind the Webster Parks and Recreation’s latest fun-in-the-snow event, the Polar Fun Run, scheduled for this Saturday Feb. 26.
This is a one-mile, untimed walk (or run if you’d like) around North Ponds Park. Everyone will enjoy hot chocolate and assorted other goodies afterwards. This is a great opportunity especially for families to get out together for a little exercise.
There’s no charge, but registration is required (after all, they need to know how much hot chocoloate to bring). Click here to register.
Here’s a preview of a few other fun events taking place in March which the Rec Center is helping pull together … not one, but TWO scavenger hunts!
Clovers & Clues runs from March 1 to 17, and will take participants all over town, collecting clues to complete a secret phrase. The Family Scavenger Hunt is a one-day event where families can explore Gosnell Big Woods. This is the third event like this which the Friends of Webster Trails has sponsored, and they’ve been very popular.
I’ll revisit both of these events in a future blog, but you might want to put them on your calendar now.
This is great news, because it means that spring is not far away. Organizers are still putting this 7th annual event together, but have put out the call for participants, performers and volunteers.
Sponsors are needed. Three different sponsorship levels are available, from $75 which includes voting tickets, an award and mention on the webpage; to $250 which includes a banner with your business’ name on it, a major show prize named after you, sponsorship of an individual table and more. Click here for more information.
They need entertainers and community groups — like dancers, musicians or martial artists — who would like to give a demo at the show. Click here for more info.
They need LOTS of volunteers, as greeters, kids’ room helpers, face-painters, poster distribution, set-up and clean-up and more. Contact the organizers for more information.
They need Peep display makers! It’s not too early to think about what your family or organization can put together this year. Get creative and have some fun. To enter a display or reserve a space, click here.
The 2022 Greater Rochester Peep Show will be held Saturday and Sunday April 2 and 3 at the Webster Community Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr. Here are a few images from last year’s show, which was held virtually. Click here to see more.
For all of you ice skating fans out there, here’s a phone number you’ll want to put up on your fridge:
585-872-7103 (option 3)
That’s the number to call for an update on the conditions at the Webster Parks and Recreation ice rink. I checked it yesterday and the good news is, thanks to the recent cold weather, the rink is finally open!
The community ice rink is located in front of the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive, off of Phillips Rd. just north of the village. It’s a nice size, 52 ft. by 104 ft., fully lined, and is totally FREE for anyone to use. You don’t even have to be a member of the Rec Center. There’s even a warming shed where you can sit to put on your skates. You’ll want to bring your own skates, though, because there rentals are not available.
Make sure you call that number before you go, however, to make sure that our capricious winter weather hasn’t turned the ice surface into mush.
Since we’re talking about Webster Parks and Recreation, here are a few other fun events they’re running which I wanted to pass along.
The first is the Four by Four Community Art Project. Basically this is a fun way to get your whole family crafting, and help decorate the Rec Center at the same time.
Here’s the deal: for $2 each, you pick up a 4×4″ canvas square anytime between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1. Take it home and design it any way you’d like. Once it’s complete, return your square to the Rec Center by Tuesday March 1, and all the squares will be hung side-by-side to create one huge art piece.
And this looks like something I’m going to want to try myself: the Clovers and Clues Scavenger Hunt.
From March 1 through March 17, families are encouraged to participate in a self-guided scavenger hunt, co-sponsored by the Webster Heath and Education Network (WHEN). Visit the WHEN website beginning March 1, and from there you’ll visit multiple spots throughout the Town of Webster, gathering letters at each location which will ultimately decode a final message promoting healthy choices.
Once decoded, the message can be submitted to Webster Parks and Recreation for a chance to win a prize.
As another challenging year comes to a close, I took a moment the other day to look back through all the blogs I wrote in 2021. It was a fun tour and I was a little surprised by the sheer number: 248. I really thought there’d be fewer than that, given that we were still dealing with the pandemic, schools were still ratcheting up from remote learning and many regularly-scheduled special events were scaled back or postponed entirely.
I spread positive news from our schools about the Webster Marching Band’s Autumn Fanfare and State Championship; the schools’ musicals and dramas, Plank North and Schlegel Elementary Schools’ Tour Around the Lakes; and the creative ways the PTSA found to help the Class of 2021 feel special.
Then there were all those blogs which I can only characterize as snippets from small-town life, the kinds of simple things and wonderful people that make living in Webster special.
I shared photos of many of our village’s beautiful gardens, charming village porches and Christmas decorations. I told stories about neighbors helping neighbors: the Curtice Park homeowner who hosted a COVID-friendly Easter scavenger hunt for kids; a porch concert on Park Ave.; and the kind person who’s created a wild animal sanctuary on the Hojack Trail. I especially liked giving shout-outs to kids doing great things, like the young artists who created a chalk garden on Baker Street, and the six-year old who sold lemonade on South Ave. to benefit St. Jude’s.
I’ve met many wonderful people through this blog, and shared many of their stories with you. Like “Webster’s Mrs. Claus,” Florence Kinney; Brandon Schafer, the “North Ave. Artist”; and the new director of the Webster Library, Adam Traub.
Finally, I shared some personal stories, and wrote others just for fun (like the recent one about the hit-and-run at the Irondequoit Rec Center).
I got a proclamation for outstanding community service from the Town of Webster in August, and displayed many of my blog photos at the Webster Public Library. I shared both of those accomplishments with you all. I introduced a new website, Afterthoughts, and a few enhancements to my Webster on the Web site, links to local services and a village directory.
I know a lot of you are still reading this blog, three or more page scrolls down from where it began. I know that because you are the folks who’ve been with me all year.
You’re the reason I write this blog. Because even though I enjoy doing this, it would get pretty old if I thought my words weren’t making a difference.
So thank you all for being faithful readers. I wish you all a very happy, healthy and successful 2022, and I look forward to continuing to spread good news from our hometown.
I’ll lead today’s mailbag with a tease of this weekend’s White Christmas in the Village celebration, which takes place this Saturday Dec. 4.
More details to come about this annual event, but suffice it to say, everyone is looking forward to the caroling and cookies, storytelling, visit with Santa (this year he’s in the gazebo), and of course, the parade. The festivities begin at 3 p.m., which means there’ll be plenty of time to do some shopping and sample all of the day’s special events before the parade kicks off at 6:30.
The annual Garden Club Holiday Sale is also returning this year after a one-year COVID-induced hiatus.
This very popular fundraiser, sponsored by the Country Gardeners of Webster and the Webster Arboretun Association, features fresh wreaths, centerpieces, gifts, arrangements and live plants. This is another great opportunity to pick up some unique and much appreciated Christmas gifts.
The sale will be held Saturday, Dec. 4 (same day as White Christmas) from 9 a.m. to noon at Webster Parks and Recreation, 1350 Chiyoda Drive (just off of Phillips Rd.). Admission is free. Get there early, because this event always sells out.
The Festival of Trees is up and running at the Webster Museum!
Before you head down to Main Street for White Christmas in the Village this Saturday, pop by the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park, to check out all of this year’s Festival of Trees competitors.
Twelve community-decorated trees have been placed throughout the museum, and await your vote for the best one. The winner will win $25, so your vote is very important!
Voting will take place this Saturday Dec. 4 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. If you happen to be there between 3 and 4:30, you’ll also be treated to some live music.
Voting continues at the museum every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 2 to 4:30 p.m., except for December 25.
You’ll have a chance to visit with Santa at White Christmas, but if you can’t make it there (or your kids were SO BAD that they need two shots at Santa this year), the Webster Recreation Center will welcome the jolly old elf on Saturday evening Dec. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The event is open to all ages, is absolutely free, and desserts and hot chocolate will be served! Keep up to date on the details and the evening’s schedule at the Webster Recreation Center webite.
Webster’s next two blood donation opportunities are coming up in just a few weeks.
On Tuesday Dec. 14, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church will sponsor a drive at the church, 813 Bay Rd., from 1 to 6 p.m.
Then the next day, Wednesday Dec. 15, a drive will be held at the Webster Firemen’s Building, 172 Sanford St. (at the south end of Firemen’s Field) from 1 to 7 p.m.
The Red Cross has a great promotion going on right now, too. Donate at either one of these drives and get a $10 Amazon gift card emailed to you. Click here to make an appointment.
The need right now is urgent. I just got this message from the Red Cross:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expecting a severe flu season this year, and that could have a negative impact on the nation’s already-struggling blood supply. The American Red Cross continues to address an emergency blood and platelet shortage, and donors of all blood types – especially type O – are needed to make an appointment now to help ensure it doesn’t get worse as we move into winter.
The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime.
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
