News(letter) from the Town of Webster

5 Apr

I got my most recent Town of Webster newsletter emailed to me the other day, and in case you don’t yet get this in your email box, I wanted to pass along a few of the more interesting notices that it included.

The first is about a new “News and Information Survey” the Town has created to gauge how people are choosing to receive their news about Town political and social events — like email, local news (like the Herald), Facebook, maybe blogs…? The goal is to improve accessibility to important Town information.

The survey is only ten questions long and will take about five to ten minutes. It will be open through Monday, April 20. Click here to take the survey.

Community Office Hours

Supervisor Scialdone is continuing to host regular Community Office Hours, and now he’s invited Deputy Supervisor Hunter and Councilwoman Wright to do a few of them, too. These are your opportunities to let your Town representatives know what’s important to you.

The next office hours and who will be there are:

  • Supervisor Scialdone: Wednesday, April 8, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Curry Building at Webster Arboretum (1700 Schlegel Road)
  • Deputy Supervisor Hunter: Wednesday, April 15, 5 to 6 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center (1350 Chiyoda Drive)
  • Councilwoman Wright: Tuesday, April 21, 6 to 7 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center (1350 Chiyoda Drive)
  • Supervisor Scialdone: Tuesday, April 28, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Liberty Lodge at Finn Park (850 Maple Drive)

Note that there is no formal presentation at these events. It’s just your chance to hang out with our local Town representatives, ask your questions and present your concerns. You don’t have to register; just show up.

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This most recent newsletter also includes news about some upcoming events, including:

  • Singo BINGO at the Webster Recreation Center on April 17 for the 55+ crowd;
  • the Diverse Abilities Resource Fair at the Webster Public Library on April 18; and
  • the Friends of the Webster Public Library Spring Book Sale from April 22 to 25

So check out the newsletter for yourself to learn more about these, and click here if you’d like to sign up to get the newsletter emailed to you so you can stay in the know.

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(posted 3/5/2026)

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Community encouraged to join April’s “Mail Call Challenge”

4 Apr

So I’ve already posted a few times about this year’s Mail Call: Letters From Home challenge, which is returning this year. In earlier blogs I asked for donations of blank cards, and invited community members to start writing out notes in anticipation of the mailboxes being placed throughout Webster.

Well, “Mail Call” 2026 has officially begun, and this year’s Mail Call Challenge has become a real challenge in a couple of ways.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this amazing project, here’s some quick background:

Mail Call: Letters from Home is an initiative from Wreaths Across America Webster. First introduced last April, it was designed to bring some joy to our local service members stationed abroad. Community members were encouraged to write out cards, letters and notes for the troops, which would then be shipped overseas in care packages prepared by the Blue Star Mothers of Rochester. Mailboxes were set up in a dozen Town and Village of Webster businesses to collect the messages. Organizer Cherie Wood was hoping to get 1,000 cards. The community came through big time, ultimately filling out an amazing 1,558 cards and letters. It was an amazing outpouring of love from our Webster community, and Cherie was blown away by the response.

So of course she wants to do even better this year, and would love to see even more cards and letters filled out for the troops. Plus, the local businesses which are hosting the mailboxes have thrown down the gauntlet to see which business can collect the most cards. Perhaps you can help your favorite business come out on top by dropping your cards off at their mailbox. At the end of the month, the winning business will get a handsome certificate, major bragging rights, and will be highlighted in my blog.

Here are where the boxes are located this year:

  • American Legion Cottreall-Warner Post 942: 818 Ridge Rd (back entrance).
  • Jersey Mike’s Subs: 975 Ridge Rd.
  • Key Bank: 1848 Empire Blvd.
  • Key Bank: 980 Ridge Rd.
  • Lowes Home Improvement: 900 Five Mile Line Rd.
  • M.O. Pasta: 5 E. Main St.
  • Lala of Webster: 38 E. Main St.
  • Village Quilt Shoppe: 21 E. Main St.
  • Webster Recreation Center: 1350 Chiyoda Dr.
  • Webster Town Hall: 1000 Ridge Rd.
  • Kittelberger Florist: 263 North Ave.
  • The North Bee: 27 North Ave.

All of the cards and letters collected during this special month-long event will be placed in care packages sent out in June by the Blue Star Mothers.

So get your family, groups and neighbors together and start writing some thank you messages! Or when you see one of those mailboxes while you’re shopping, pause for a minute to fill out a card.

And by the way, Cherie says she’s “frightfully low” on blank cards, so if you have any you can spare, please drop them off in the basket next to one of the mailboxes.

*****

Here are some tips when you’re writing your messages:

  • The messages can be from adults and kids.
  • Cards and letters should be addressed: Dear Service Member.
  • Include words of encouragement, and how much you appreciate their service.
  • Include your first name and your town. The service members like to know where the cards come from.
  • Spread the word to the groups in your life: Scouts, businesses, schools, social groups, sports teams, churches, etc. This challenge will take all of us.

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(posted 4/4/2026)

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Local Girl Scouts need your help

3 Apr

Three young Webster Girl Scouts are asking the Webster community to help them complete their Bronze Award project.

Junior Scouts Julia Meyers, Penny Patterson and Lily Pettit from Troop 60344 — all fifth graders from Klem North Elementary School — are collecting games, puzzles, children’s books, colored pencils, crayons, markers and craft kits for children in need.

It’s a project that’s been in the works for several months. Plans started coming together last fall when they and several other members of their troop discussed possible projects they could work on for their Bronze Awards, which must be completed by September 30. At first, Julia, Penny and Lily thought about collecting books, but got stuck deciding where the books would be donated.

Then one of the den leaders came up with an idea to collect games for children in need. A lot of people have unused games in their attics or basements, she suggested, and they might appreciate a way to put them to good use. And now, when people are doing their spring cleaning, would be an especially good time to collect them.

The young Scouts latched onto the idea and ran with it. Before long, the wish list of items had expanded beyond just games to other entertaining items children would enjoy, like puzzles and crafts.

Julia, Lily and Penny are each required to commit at least 20 hours to the project, and they’re already well on their way to meeting that goal. They designed flyers to hang around town and post online, they arranged for the Webster School District to send a notice about the collection home to all of the district’s families, they filled out forms and wrote letters to get approval to place their five collection boxes, they made a promotional video and they’ve already booked a date in early May at the Gathering Place Webster to sort the donations and pack all the “entertainment kits.”

Once all of the kits are completed, they’ll be donated to Family Promise of Greater Rochester, an organization dedicated to keeping families together by preventing family homelessness.

Five donation bins have been set up around town: one at the Webster Public Library, another at St. Rita Church, a third at the Webster Recreation Center, and two at Klem North Elementary School. Items will be collected through April 30.

If you don’t have anything to donate but would still like to help, the girls have put together a brief Amazon.com wish list for drawstring backpacks and cloth shopping bags which they can use when they pack the kits. More items might be added to that list in the coming weeks, so keep tabs on it!

Here’s the video the gals have put together to tell you about their project:

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(posted 4/3/2026)

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

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The story behind the Village of Webster’s iconic signs

2 Apr
The old …
… and the new

A little more than a week ago, I posted a blog about the handsome new Village of Webster signs that have been installed along the approaches to the village. The reaction to that blog was mixed. Most people commented that they liked the signs, but several lamented the loss of the old ones.

Perhaps the most impassioned comment I got was from Jenna Urso, who wrote about how her father and grandfather had created the hand-carved signs almost 30 years ago, and how Webster wildlife artist Ray Easton painted the beautiful birds depicted on each one. I had two immediate thoughts when I read her comment. The first was, “Hmmm, that’s some interesting history,” followed immediately by “WHAT birds?”

I’ll sheepishly admit that I never once took note of the native birds adorning the center of each sign. But discovering that charming detail and being teased by a single scrap of the signs’ history sent me straight to a meeting with Jenna to uncover the rest of the story.

Jenna told me that her grandfather, Charlie Urso, was inspired by all of the charming village signs he saw on his travels through New England. He approached the Town Board in the late 1990s with his idea to create and donate some signs to make the village more attractive for business owners and shoppers. With help from his son Charles, they hand-carved two signs, painted them with gold leaf, then reached out to Easton to add the birds. Those first two were finished and erected in the summer of 1999. The Town loved them so much that the artistic team was asked to create two more.

Charlie Urso carving one of the signs
Ray Easton with the one of the first finished signs

The project was a labor of love for her grandfather, Jenna said.

My grandparents have been Webster residents since 1962, when they moved here to start a family. They loved the family-friendly feel and beautiful nature in Webster and knew it was the perfect place for them. It does not surprise me that my grandfather chose to donate his talents to the village; he has always been the most kind and generous person. He also has a genuine love for this town, choosing to stay here in his community year-round rather than spend half the year down south like many Upstate New Yorkers.

Learning more about the story behind the signs myself has been a joy, especially watching my father reminisce about the time he spent working on them with his dad.

Replacement of the old signs with the new also brought back fond memories for Ray Easton.

Charles … had a passion for his craft of hand-carved gold leafing. The part I played was painting a familiar, local or indigenous bird on each sign. An American Robin greeted people approaching from the west, where a Great Blue Heron stood on the eastern side. From the south you had three Canada geese, and from the north a Northern Cardinal. They were great signs for many years, with a warmth and sense of community, and I’m glad to have played a small part in the history of the great village of Webster.

There’s been some talk about perhaps displaying one of the old signs at the Webster Museum. They’re a cherished piece of Village history, so I hope someone can make that happen.

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(posted 4/2/2026)

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Easter fun at the museum

1 Apr

Elementary school-aged children are invited to get into the Easter spirit at the Webster Museum on Saturday, April 4. Mrs. Nesbitt, a retired Webster elementary school teacher, will lead a craft and a discussion about basket history, followed by a look at the Webster Museum’s Webster Basket Factory display. The activity will culminate with an Easter Egg hunt through the museum.

The event takes place this Saturday April 4 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the museum, 18 Lapham Park. Parents must remain in the museum during the activities. Please, please, please register here, and do so soon, because there’s only room for 20 children, so you’ll want to ensure your kids have a spot.

The medical time-traveler’s guide to Webster

On Saturday, April 19 at 2 p.m., the Webster Museum will present a fascinating talk about the history of medicine in Webster.

Webster Museum volunteer and local historian Dr. Colin Scott will talk about historic medical devices and the lives of Webster practitioners in the 19th century.

Step into a 19th-century time machine and rediscover a forgotten global empire. Witness the raw evolution of Webster from untamed woodlands to an international agricultural Mecca, told through the gripping lives and changing medicine of three legendary local physicians. Join us to uncover how the fame of Webster fueled the world and paved the way for the suburb we call home today.

No registration is necessary. Refreshments will be served.

Look for the Museum!

Make sure to stop by the Webster Museum’s table at this year’s Community Arts Day. coming up on Saturday, April 11 (look for more details about this event in a few days). They’ve always got a fun table filled with old-tyme games and historical oddities (like a dial telephone). It’s a delight for the children and entertaining to watch them try to figure out how to work the telephone.

Community Arts Day will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School.

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(posted 4/1/2026)

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

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Celebrate our nation’s birthday at the Arboretum

31 Mar

The USA is celebrating a BIG birthday this year — 250 years — and for sure there are going to be a lot of special events planned to commemorate the occasion. But this one at the Webster Arboretum recently crossed my email box, and it looks such such a don’t-miss event that I needed to let you know about it wayyyyy ahead of time so you can get it on your calendars.

The Arboretum is planning a huge Anniversary in the Gardens event for Wednesday, June 24, beginning at 3 p.m. and stretching into the evening. There’s going to be lots of patriotic music, story times, historical talks, a dance party, ice cream, even ducks. So basically, something for everyone of all ages.

I’ll be writing more about this as the event nears, but here’s the run-down so far:

  • 3:00: VFW Patriot Guard
  • 3:30: Father Night Out Band
    • 3:30: Story time with Ganondagan
    • 3:30: Striking Strings dulcimer group
    • 3:30: Uncle Bucks Food Truck (until 6:30 p.m.)
  • ​4:00: Life of the Senecas with Ganondagan
  • 4:30: Dance Party with Dancing with Denise
    • 4:30: Story time with The Webster Museum
    • 4:30: Guided Poetry Trail and Arboretum tours (through 6:30 p.m.)
  • 5:30: Story time with the Webster Public Library
    • 5:30: Webster Village Band
    • 5:30: Scoops Ice Cream Truck (through 7 p.m.)
  • 6:00: Duck Derby- purchase a duck and race them in the pond
    • 6:00: Chorus of the Genesee

Looks like a ton of fun, right? I’ll be revisiting this later with more details, but get it on your calendars now. The Webster Arboretum is located at 1700 Schlegel Rd.

* * *

And while we’re talking about the Arboretum, they sent me this piece of news the other day:

The Webster Arboretum is proud to announce that they have been granted National Accreditation through ArbNet, the world’s only international accreditation program specific to arboreta. Accreditation is based on an arboretum’s self-assessment and documentation of its level of achievement of specific standards. The standards address planning, governance, the number of different taxa (species, subspecies, cultivars, varieties, etc.) of trees and woody plants in the collection, staff or volunteer support, education and public programming, and, for some levels, tree science and conservation efforts.

We are proud of this accomplishment and will continue to improve our collections, our standard and our commitment to  upholding professional standards.

In case you needed any more proof that the Webster Arboretum is an outstanding resource and a real Webster treasure.

* * *

(posted 3/31/2026)

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

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Hear ye, hear ye! Never-ending happy hour receives proclamation

30 Mar

This is kinda fun.

At least three times now, I’ve written about the fun-loving, close-knit Brooksboro Drive neighbors. Beginning March 22, 2020 (at the height of COVID), they began meeting at the end of Jack Turan’s driveway for a kind of “happy hour,” sharing a beverage, conversation and a few laughs. 

They were dubbed “Yak With Jack” happy hours, and the last time I featured them in the blog was last September, when the neighbors marked their 2,000th straight happy hour. That’s more than five years when at least two neighbors (and usually more), grabbed a beverage and met at Jack’s house, every night, regardless of the weather.

If you read that blog, you’ll see that the plan was to finally call an end to the happy hours. But we all know how difficult it is to bring something with that much momentum to a hard stop. So of course, despite Jack’s best intentions, the happy hours continued.

So now here’s the fun part of this story. Last Sunday, March 22, the happy hours reached their six-year milestone. And this time they didn’t just have a party; the accomplishment was officially recognized by Webster Town Supervisor Alex Scialdone — a regular happy hour participant — who presented Jack Turan and the assembled neighbors with an official proclamation.

The text of the proclamation read:

Proclamation in Recognition of Yakville

WHEREAS, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic caused schools to close, businesses to shutter, and social establishments to lock their doors. It was a time of isolation for millions of Americans who might otherwise seek camaraderie and their or beverage of choice at a local establishment; and

WHEREAS, during a period of intense social seclusion and inspired by the approach of some towns in Italy to maintain some semblance of community, “Yakville” was born. The end of a driveway became the daily designated gathering spot for a community that missed its “village”; and

WHEREAS, 2026 marks six years since Jack Turan established the inaugural Happy Hour in the Brooksboro community. The practice continues as long as at least two people gather together for at least fifteen minutes. Upwards of eight families now participate with the desire to socialize with neighbors and friends who have become family over these many years; and

WHEREAS, while the end of this tradition has been teased, it continues today. It has survived inclement weather, mourned the loss of family and friends, and celebrated countless special occasions; and

WHEREAS, the community and relationships built through this daily gathering will endure long after the final happy hour draws to a close; and

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, on this 22nd day of March in the year 2026, on behalf of the Webster Town Supervisor’s office and the Webster community, we recognize an incredible group that came together during one of the most challenging times in our history and has sustained an inspirational sense of community through the years.

Congratulations, “Yakville” and long may you gather.

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(posted 3/30/2026)

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Local TV stations recognize Garritano, Groff for community service

29 Mar

Two of Webster’s own recently received some well-deserved recognition on our local TV stations.

Images courtesy Plank North Elementary

Last Wednesday, Plank Rd. North Elementary School teacher Peggy Garritano was surprised in her classroom by Katrina Irwin from WROC Channel 8, who presented the long-time kindergarten teacher with a Golden Apple Award.

Garritano’s teaching colleague Theresa Dupont and her son Tyler nominated her for the award to honor her 46 years of teaching. They thought it would be a fitting tribute as Garritano plans to retire at the end of this school year.

The Channel 8 Golden Apple Award is a WROC-TV program that recognizes outstanding teachers and administrators in the Rochester area. It honors educators who make a significant impact on their students, fostering positive learning environments and demonstrating dedication to their school communities. 

Click here to see the piece that aired that evening on Channel 8.

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Webster Comfort Care Home Director Julianne Groff was honored a few weeks ago as the Channel 13 WHAM Bright Spot.

On Friday, Feb. 27, at the Webster Chamber of Commerce’s regular monthly breakfast meeting, Julianne was named the Chamber’s Business Person of the Year. It was that recognition which Channel 13 picked up on for their Bright Spot Segment, which aired on March 17.

Click here to see the whole segment, and click here if you’d like to see the blog I wrote about Julianne’s honor.

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(posted 3/29/2026)

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A positive look at all those &%$*@! potholes

28 Mar

Everyone pretty much agrees: the potholes this year are AWFUL — worse than we can remember seeing in a long time. We can thank the extra harsh winter we had this year, complete with its repetitive freezing-then-thawing-then-freezing again cycles. But knowing why it happens doesn’t mean we’re not going to gripe about it. Especially when one of those huge holes takes out a tire or ball joint.

So until the Town and Village and New York State have a chance to get out and fill all those holes, we have to look for the positives in the pothole situation. Like how serpentining around them makes you feel like you’re the main character in Mario Kart. Or how you can have fun playing “Count the Potholes” with your kids as you drive them to school.

Photo by J. Thomas

But here’s something neat that two of my readers actually alerted me to: the potholes on Main Street by Golden Boys are so deep that you can actually see down to the original brick pavers.

I reached out to Webster Town Historian Lynn Barton to see if she could provide some historical details, like how long ago it was that Main Street was paved with bricks. She believes the bricks were laid sometime in the 1920s, perhaps when the Blue Line Trolley was rumbling through town, but she can’t be certain. So those potholes could be revealing a hundred years of history.

If you get the Webster Herald, you’ll want to check it out next week; Lynn will be submitting a “brick” photo dated 1937. She also sent along the photo below, taken in 2015 in front of Barry’s Old School Irish when the Village was doing some work there. “Every time they need to dig up the road, we lose bricks,” she said.

You never know how and when local history will enrich our lives. We just have to look for it and appreciate it.

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(posted 3/28/2026)

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“Mail Call” is back and needs your blank cards

27 Mar

Chances are good you’ll remember the first-ever Mail Call: Letters from Home initiative last April, designed to bring some joy to our local service members stationed abroad. Community members were encouraged to write out cards, letters and notes for the troops, which would then be shipped overseas in care packages prepared by the Blue Star Mothers of Rochester. Mailboxes were set up in a dozen Town and Village of Webster businesses to collect the messages.

Thanks to the amazing Webster community, it was an extremely successful effort. Children and adults alike embraced the challenge from day one, and by the end of the month, an amazing 1,558 cards and letters had been written.

Well, Mail Call is back again this year, and the mail boxes will all be installed very soon. But first off, Cherie needs to start collecting blank cards — a LOT of blank cards — so that we can make this year’s Mail Call effort even more successful than last year.

So check around your house, in the attic, in your storage chests, for any blank cards you might have lying around. They don’t even need to have envelopes — the messages will be shipped without envelopes so save on weight and room in the packages. You can drop them off in the mailboxes you’ll find at Town Hall (1000 Ridge Rd.) or the Webster Recreation Center (1350 Chiyoda Dr.).

Then stay tuned for more details about this year’s Mail Call: Letters From Home initiative!

* * *

(posted 3/27/2026)

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

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