Archive | May, 2013

Relay for Life is less than a month away!

8 May

The scene in the track infield during the 2011 event. Click on the photo to see a 2011 photo gallery.

It seems like the whole town is gearing up to go big at the annual Relay for Life. As the date draws near, I’ve been hearing about it from the schools, the town and from readers.

You know all about this terrific fund-raising event, right?  If not, here’s a great explanation from the American Cancer Society:

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

This year’s event is scheduled from 6 pm Saturday June 1 through 6 am Sunday June 2, at the Webster Thomas High School track.  The first order of business are opening ceremonies, then a Survivors Lap, reserved for those who have fought cancer and won, or who are still doing battle.  Then everyone takes to the track and the event begins in earnest.

An enthusiastic walker from the 2011 event. Click on the photo to redirect to a 2011 gallery.

If you’ve never been to Relay for Life, you will not believe the happy carnival atmosphere that pervades the event. I attended for the first time a few years ago and was changed forever. I wrote the next day,

I attended one of the most inspirational events of my life last night. It was called the Relay For Life, and it can only be described as … well, a celebration of life….

…It wasn’t just people walking around a track. It was people skipping arm-in-arm around the track. It was people dressed in silly costumes, pushing strollers, walking backwards.  Entire families walking together, old and young alike. Friends from school and work dancing to the music being piped onto the field.  There was a band, a children’s chorus, and a magician. There were balloons and banners, flags and streamers. Everyone was smiling and laughing and enjoying the company of friends and family.

It’s yet another great example of how the Webster community comes together when there’s a need.

That even includes Webster residents who can’t make it over to the track.

On the day of the Relay, residents at The Maplewood in the village of Webster will stage a two-hour “mini relay” at the facility, beginning at 10:30 am.  Gary Sacco, The Maplewood’s Director of Recreation, explains that “The object is to keep the laps going continuously for the entire two hours. This is a nice way to warm up for the full event later in the day at Webster Thomas.” Donations will be accepted to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Walkers and volunteers who’d like to accompany the residents at the event, or who’d like to help work the mini-relay track, are welcome to attend.   Call Sacco at (585) 872-1800 x4017 or email him at GSacco@visitmaplewood.com if you’re interested.

Want to find out more? Click here for more details about the American Cancer Society’s Annual Relay for Life. Consider creating a team. Join a team. Or just come by and do a lap in memory of a loved one. And while you’re there you can buy a t-shirt to show your support.

The hammocks helped!

7 May

Some of you may remember a blog I posted last July about a small business that Webster Thomas grad Colin Johnson had just begun, called Hammocks that Help. The idea was simple: Colin would purchase hammocks from a craftsman in Nicaragua, sell them here in the states, and then return half of his profits to an organization called the 4 Walls Project, which builds homes for families in rural Nicaragua.

For every 100 hammocks sold, one complete new home can be built.  The first one was planned for a young couple, Felix and Margarita, and their one-year old daughter Seyling.

I got an email the other day from Colin, reporting some happy news. I am pleased to pass the message along:

To friends/family and customers,

Thank you all for supporting Hammocks That Help. Each of you has played a part in creating a new home for Felix, Margarita, and Seyling. Their house is finally finished and this family can now sleep a little easier tonight thanks to all of you. I hope all of you are enjoying your hammock and the satisfaction you get from helping out a family in need. Every one of you has really made a difference in Felix, Margarita, Seyling’s life and they could not be more grateful or happier about their new home.

Upon completion of the home Felix said, “You can see I could never build a house like this for my family. I have no money. Please tell the Americans who have helped us that this is such a great blessing to us and we thank them all and thanks be to god also.”

Scroll down to see some photos of the new home, the young family and some of the volunteers who helped build the home.

Colin has now set his sights on the next project, a second home for a family in need. If you’re interested in purchasing a hammock to help with the effort, or would just like to find out more about Hammocks That Help, log onto hammocksthathelp.com, email info@hammocksthathelp.com or call 585-831-0702.

 

At left, Felix and Margarita (holding Seyling) stand outside their new home with some of the volunteers.

We Webster folks really know how to throw stuff out

5 May

On Saturday morning, I took advantage of the electronics recycling event held at Webster Schroeder High School. It was hosted by the Webster Health and Education Network as a fund-raiser. They were asking for $5 from everybody who came by, and you didn’t have to donate, but I was more than happy to do so. Not only is WHEN very deserving of our support, but I consider $5 a paltry sum to pay to get rid of a car-load of old laptops, televisions, phones, charger cords, alarm clocks, and other electronic whatnots that have been cluttering up my house for too long. And I also like the idea that they’ll all be disposed of properly and not wind up in landfills.

As I drove through the collection area, I was happy to see that the tractor trailer belonging to Maven Technologies (the business who will be disposing of the electronics) was already piled high with donations — mostly huge computer monitors. That was great news for both WHEN and our environment.

It reminded me of Supervisor Nesbitt’s recent column, which noted that the town’s recent pharmaceutical collection event, held on April 27, was also a huge success.

Supervisor Nesbitt wrote that the event drew more than 380 participants, who contributed more than 613 pounds of outdated drugs to be destroyed. Too often these expired prescription drugs are flushed down the drain, and when they reach Lake Ontario, they can affect not only the immediate lake environment, but also our own health.

The town has already planned another pharmaceutical collection for sometime in October, so if you missed this one, start saving up your old drugs for the fall.

In the same vein, the Town Hall has received a lot of phone calls about when the town’s next shredding event might be.  The Town Clerk’s office is working on a date to have an event sometime in late summer or early fall.  Check the Town of Webster website for details and dates.

I think it’s great that we in Webster have all of these opportunities — plus the regular hazardous materials disposal events — to do the right thing for our environment. Kudos to the Town for recognizing the importance of such things.

 

Friday mailbag

3 May

Hey Webster, you’ve got a busy couple of weeks ahead.

Tomorrow — Saturday May 4 — the Webster Nursery School is hosting a garage sale fundraiser from 9 am to 3 pm.  This is a multi-family sale with “many great items all families can use,” including toys, books, games, children’s clothing and household items. From 2-3 pm you’ll find reduced prices on everything.  Baked goods will also be available for purchase.

The sale will take place in the parking lot behind the Webster Baptist Church, 59 South Ave.

 * * *

The Friends of the Webster Public Library will hold their annual spring used book sale, next Tuesday through Saturday.

Members of the Friends are invited to a sneak peek on Tuesday from 5-8:30 pm, a perfect chance to get the best bargains right off the bat. (If you want in on that action, you’ll be able to purchase a membership that evening.)

The rest of the book-loving public can shop on Wednesday and Thursday May 8 and 9 from 10-8:30, Thursday and Friday from 10-5, and Saturday May 11 from 10-1.

And before we leave the library, here’s a fun little invitation I saw on their newly revamped website (it’s next to the photo of a cat reading a book).

 Which type of pet reads the most? Send us a picture of your pet reading a book. Whichever pet type has the most pictures reading will win and be the best reader! Send pictures to Jenny Paxson and we’ll post them on the Webster Library Facebook page and they will also go on display at the library.

Sounds like fun. But my cats only read romance novels, and that would just be embarrassing.

* * *

Have a little history with your tea on Wednesday May 8, with the Webster Museum’s History and a Cup program. Bring a sandwich — the museum will provide the coffee or tea — and hear some stories about growing up in Webster.

History and a Cup begins at noon on Wednesday, at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the village.

* * *

The Schroeder Varsity Girls Lacrosse team needs shoes!

No, not for themselves. They’re collecting black shoes (sizes 12 to 7-8) for students at Brown’s Hall Primary School (K-6) in Jamaica. Students are in need of black gently work or new shoes to wear to school (preferably closed-toed).

Donations are being accepted through May 10, and can be dropped off in the box near the front desk just inside Schroeder’s front door.

* * *

Dahlia season is upon us. Early spring is the best time to plant the tubers so they’ll bloom in late summer and early fall, when most of the other flowering plants are fading.

The members of the Rochester Dahlia Society and other gardening groups will be selling dahlia tubers and more mature plants at the Webster Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Road, on Saturday, May 11 from 8-12.  Other sales will be held May 12 and 26 at the Rochester Public Market and May 25 at the Rochester Civic Garden Center.

* * *

My friends at Yesterday’s Muse book store recently sent this announcement about a local author:

Now available, the recently published memoir of a Rochester soldier who fought in World War II: A Long Way from Home: The Memoir of John Cipolla, 101st Airborne Division, 1942-1945, by Matt Fox.

The recent release of The Battle in Common, another locally-focused account of World War II, enjoyed a huge response. Fox’s work chronicles some of the same events, but from the perspective of one soldier. From the back cover:

“In 1942, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, John Cipolla saw a recruiting poster for the airborne infantry outside of the recruiting office in his Rochester, NY neighborhood and signed up. After months of grueling training, he shipped out for Europe with the newly-formed 101st Airborne Division. The year he spent in Europe would be the most momentous year of his life. He took part in Operation Overlord, parachuting into Normandy the night before troops hit the beaches, and parachuted into Holland for Operation Market Garden. He was with the 101st at Bastogne, when they shivered in the snow and fought desperately to keep the Germans who surrounded them at bay. This book is John’s story, told from his perspective as a private in C Company of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.”

The book was written over a period of nearly seven years, during which time Fox interviewed Mr. Cipolla extensively, and performed exhaustive research to fill in gaps of chronology and verify facts. It was published last year by Mr. Fox through Amazon’s CreateSpace publishing service.

The book costs $10, and is available for purchase at Yesterday’s Muse Books, 32 W Main St in Webster, NY. Inquiries by phone or e-mail are welcome: 585-265-9295; yesterdays.muse@gmail.com.

Hey honey, let’s have the neighbors over for dinner!

3 May

Webster’s new community website, WeAreWebster.com, has just come up with a great idea.  

It’s called “Invite Your Neighbor to Dinner,” and it’s just what it says.  The idea is to ask a neighbor over for dinner sometime during the month of May, enjoy a fine evening with friends, then take a picture of the occasion and post it to WeAreWebster.com.

It’s a simple concept, and on the face of it a no-brainer. But unless you regularly join your neighbors for dinner parties, how often do we really do this?

Joe Harmon, the website’s creator, tells me he’d like to sponsor a new community event like this every month.  He’s already got some ideas in the works, but will be asking the Webster community for ideas as well.

Check out this new program and the other great information by visiting WeAreWebster.com .

To find out more about this new community website, click here to read my earlier blog.

Now you see it, now you don’t

1 May

This is what was left of the Mobil station at around 4 pm yesterday

If you drove down Ridge Road today, you might have noticed a big change at the corner of Ridge and Five Mile Line. That long-defunct Mobil gas station is being dismantled. Between 7 am when I went to work and 3:30 pm when I was coming home, it had been almost completely removed.

The construction doesn’t come as a surprise. We knew back in January that the corner has a new owner, who is planning to replace the station with an Express Mart, including at Tim Horton’s.

Thank you to my friend Sarah King for snapping the photo for me.

 

 

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