Archive | May, 2018

WFD hosts blood drive

30 May

CaptureYour next opportunity to be a blood donor is later this week, when our Webster Volunteer Fire Department hosts a donation drive this Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Community Meeting Room, 35 South Avenue.

The drive is being co-hosted by the North East Joint Fire District and is coordinated by Webster volunteer firefighter Jacky Ingrassio. She’s encouraging 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 eligible donors in our community will come out and “answer the call,” and give blood in honor of our everyday heroes.

This drive is especially important as the Red Cross is experiencing an urgent need for blood, a situation which will only get worse as the summer progresses.

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

Can’t make Thursday’s drive? Stay tuned for news about next week’s bi-annual Webster Community Blood Drive. (That’s the one with the raffles.) The big white signs should be going up this weekend.

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Webster community mailbag

29 May

mailbagGot a few unusual events for your reading pleasure today.

Rochester radio legend Jack Palvino and media scholar Tom Proietti will discuss the history of radio in Rochester in the “Rochester Radio Roadshow” on Thursday, May 31, from 2 to 3 p.m. at St. Ann’s Community at Cherry Ridge in Webster.

The “Roadshow” takes the form of a lively conversation between Jack and Tom on Rochester’s radio broadcasting history. It will also focus on Jack’s esteemed career in local radio including stations WBBF and WVOR and his role in shaping the media landscape in Rochester.

Jack Palvino is a legendary broadcaster known as both a beloved on-air personality and a successful station executive and owner. Tom Proietti is the Resident Scholar in Media at St. John Fisher College and Professor Emeritus of Communication at MCC. A commentator on media issues for WXXI, he is well known for his expertise and insights on mass media, broadcasting, and popular culture.

The event is FREE and open to the public. Reservations are requested. Call (585) 697-6701. For more information, check out the Facebook event here.

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The entire community is invited to Challenger Miracle Field’s Opening Celebration on Sunday June 3 from 1 to 4 p.m.

If you haven’t seen this field yet, you really have to make the time to do so. This brand new facility was specifically designed for individuals with physical and or cognitive challenges and fully wheelchair accessible. The idea was to give people with developmental, physical or intellectual disabilities a barrier-free, safe, accessible place to experience the health benefits and joy of play through baseball, other team sports, and adaptive recreational equipment.

This weekend’s celebration is even more special as it marks the first full year the field will be in play (so to speak).

Opening Day festivities will include lots of stuff for kids, including a glitter tattoo artist, face painter, balloon animal artist,  an appearance by Spikes (the Rochester Red Wings mascot), a bounce house, carnival games, a dunk tank, popcorn machine, sno cone machine, cotton candy, vendors, refreshments and a raffle.

And don’t worry about the sun; there’s going to be a huge tent with plenty of tables and seating.

Everything happens at Challenger Miracle Field, in Ridge Park, behind Town Hall on Ridge Road, rain or shine.

Click here to find out more about this great organization.

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Puppies and yoga. This appears to be a new thing, so it’s natural that Webster’s newest fitness studio will be trying it out.

ROC & Soul Fitness will be offering a Puppy Yoga class on Sunday, June 10 at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.  Adorable puppies will roam throughout the room as you practice an all level Vinyasa Flow class. Participants can hold and pet the puppies as they practice yoga. Many of the puppies will be available for purchase and are looking to go to a good home.

This from the press release I received:

We all know that yoga is good for the mind, body, and soul. Puppies & Yoga has added health benefits. Pet therapy combined with yoga can provide physical and mental benefits. It is widely known that positive interactions with gentle, friendly pets can lower blood pressure, release endorphins for an overall calming effect, lift spirts and lesson depression, decrease anxiety, reduce loneliness, and much more. Man’s best friend not only makes this class a delight, but can leave behind some positive health effects.

To reserve a spot in class, you can purchase a pass on the ROC & Soul Fitness website or on the MindBody APP for $18 to non-members and $9 to members.

ROC & Soul Fitness is located at 43 East Main Street, one of the new businesses which is helping to revitalize the village of Webster.  They offer barre, yoga, fusion classes, and more.

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This looks like fun.

On Wednesday June 13, three local craft breweries — WhichCraft Brews, Knucklehead Craft Brewing, and K2 Bros. Brewing — will come together to host a “Webfield Beer Crawl.”

A limo bus shuttle service will be provided from 5 to 1 p.m. on a 15-min loop between all three locations. Each brewery will be producing a special release one-off double dry hopped beer in a style of their choosing for the event.

Each brewery will have a passport package available for sale BEFORE the event. It costs $15 and gets you a commemorative pint glass with all three breweries printed on the glass as well as a free pour of the special release DDH beer from each location!

If you’re driving, parking is encouraged at Baytowne Plaza.

Check out the breweries’ websites 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

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Webster’s Memorial Day 2018 in photos

28 May

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What a gorgeous day for this year’s Memorial Day parade! We deserved it after the rainy year we had in 2017. Boy, it was warm, though (I really felt bad for the Webster Marching Band members who always have to march in full regalia for this parade).

Were you there? If not, I got a photo of pretty much every contingent in this year’s parade, and several from the ceremony at Webster Union Cemetery.

Thanks to all the kids who smiled sweetly for my camera, and to all the parents who let them!

Click here to see all my photos.

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

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Webster’s Memorial Day parade details

23 May
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 These enthusiastic young ladies were a part of last year’s Memorial Day parade. 

Looks like Mother Nature is going to bless us with beautiful weather for the next several days, and it might even last through Memorial Day. If you’re anything like me, you’ve already got lots of plans to celebrate the holiday weekend with friends and family.

For me, taking time out to watch Webster’s Memorial Day parade is high on that list.

This is always a very nice parade, and the ceremony that follows it at Webster Rural Cemetery is always moving. I highly recommend bringing your children to see both the parade and the ceremony, so they might begin to understand the huge debt we owe our servicemen and women.

Here are the details of Webster’s Memorial Day parade and ceremony, held Monday May 28.

  • 9:00 a.m.:  All groups participating in the parade will assemble at Spry Middle School on Sanford Street. All active duty and ex-service men and women are invited to take part in the parade. Any veterans who would like to ride in the bed of an Army truck are asked to be at Spry by 9 a.m.
  • 9:30 a.m.:  Parade moves out from Spry, down South Avenue, turning west on Main Street and proceeding to Webster Rural Cemetery.
  • 9:50 a.m. (approx.): Parade arrives at Webster Rural Cemetery.

This year’s ceremonies are dedicated in memory of the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, and to those who served and/or gave the ultimate sacrifice in that war.

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Plank North students are published

23 May
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Pictured are (left to right) Lucas Hill, Adrianna Fitzharris, Aubrey Hoagland, Colin Raspudic, Max Bolzner, Gabby Fallone, Jimmaly Ortega, Chase Failing, Sabrina Cady, Oktober Haak

Many people dream of becoming published authors. Several students at Plank Road North Elementary School are already there.

Earlier this year, about 15 students in Marcia Napolitano’s fourth grade class entered a creative writing contest sponsored by the Boston-based Young Writers publishing company. The company hosts such contests regularly to boost students’ confidence and showcase talent.

IMG_20180522_111647827Napolitano’s students participated in Young Writers’ “Crazy Creatures” competition, in which they were asked to create a creature of their own invention and then write a story about it using just 100 words.

Ten of the entries were chosen for publication and are now part of a very handsome “Crazy Creatures” book. The published authors all autographed the book, and it’s now on the shelf of the school library for all Plank North staff students and staff members to enjoy.

 

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

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Damascus Cruise Nights return

21 May

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Classic car enthusiasts will love this news:  the Damascus Center Cruise Nights are back for the summer.

There are lots of cruisin’ options around Rochester throughout the summer, but this one is historically one of the biggest — and I have to say one of the best. Run annually since 2008, it attracts up to 300 classic and vintage cars, kit cars, muscle cars, trucks and motorcycles every summer Friday night, and as many as 1,000 spectators.

There’s always plenty of parking, great food (the fish fry is legendary), raffles, indoor and outdoor seating, clean restrooms (always a plus), and an incredible view of Irondequoit Bay which no other cruise night can offer.

The family-friendly Damascus Shrine Cruise Nights take place at the Shrine Center, 979 Bay Road, beginning June 1. The fun starts at 5 p.m.

For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page here.

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A surprise thank-you for a super volunteer

18 May

There was a happy event at the Webster Arboretum on Thursday.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend, but I got the lowdown and a few photos courtesy Julie Schilacci.

It was a surprise party for Bud Johnston, who is retiring as president from the Webster Recreation Center’s W.A.S.P.S. organization.

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Bud Johnston with Faith Bell. 

The not-for-profit Webster Association of Senior Program Supporters (W.A.S.P.S) provides transportation for residents 60 and over and/or disabled retirees who live within the Webster School District. Volunteers drive seniors to various appointments and health-related shopping errands. WASPS also provides wheelchair service if needed.

Bud, along with Faith Bell, began the organization 11 years ago.

He might be retiring, but as is often the case for long-time volunteers of any organization, Bud won’t be riding off quietly into the sunset; he’ll be staying on the board of directors as an adviser.

If you or someone you know could benefit from the services that W.A.S.P.S provides, call 585-216-7829, log onto http://websterwasps.com, or email websterwasp@gmail.com for more information.

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An update on Bella’s Bumbas

18 May
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Bella, who has spina bifida, was the inspiration for the Webster-based Bella’s Bumbas. 

Many of you have been following my occasional columns and blogs about Bella’s Bumbas, the amazing local nonprofit organization which is changing lives for children with significant physical challenges.

Run by Webster residents Rebecca Orr and her husband Marty Parzynski, Bella’s Bumbas is dedicated to building miniature wheelchairs for children with a wide variety of mobility issues. They started the operation only a little more than a year ago and have already shipped more than 300 of these of these chairs around the world, often adapting individual chairs for the children’s individual needs.

What’s especially neat is that Marty and Rebecca charge families only for shipping. To pay for that, and to get all the parts they need, they rely entirely on donations from businesses and individuals.

This week, they got a huge boost in their fundraising efforts.

The folks from GoFundMe, on which Bella’s Bumbas hosts a fundraising page,  recently singled out the organization for some special attention. They contacted Marty and Rebecca and asked for permission to make a video about the organization, featuring their niece Bella — the original inspiration for Bella’s Bumbas — and some of the families which have benefited from their generosity.

GoFundMe posted the completed video Thursday morning. The response was immediate and overwhelming. When Rebecca texted me at 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon, they had already received an additional $21,000 in donations.

The incredible kindness of people — all total strangers — has touched Rebecca and Marty deeply.

“I just love some of the comments people make when they donate, and TOTALLY love the fact that some of the donations are $5-$10 saying they wish they could send more,” Rebecca said. “Those are the most heartfelt to me.”

Rebecca and Marty continue to improve on their Bumbas, most recently shipping a new design for bigger children, which requires the larger 16″ tires. They call this particular version the “Kyden” in honor of the child for whom it was built. They even added shoulder straps, because Kyden needed them.

Check out the video for yourself. It’s only about three and a half minutes long, and does a nice job explaining how Bella’s Bumbas started and how it it changing children’s lives in amazing ways.

If you would like to donate, you can do so right there on the page, or send a check directly to Bella’s Bumbas, 1170 Ridge Road, PMB 208, Webster, NY 14580.

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Back on the blogwagon and heading to a FIESTA!

17 May

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I knew that being Internet-less would not be easy. But being unable to log onto my home computer for five straight days (thank you Frontier) really messed with my mojo a whole lot more than I expected.

I was able to hobble through though, in large part by using my phone’s 4G and friendly Internet hotspots in the village, but it was hard keeping up on my email and blogging.

But I’m back, thanks to a sparkling new Spectrum modem and a higher-speed Internet cable feed. Good thing, because now that summer is approaching, the events are going to come fast and furious.

Let’s start today with a preview of the 64th annual St. Rita Festival, which hits town again Friday and Saturday June 1 and 2.

I love this festival. It’s like a harbinger of summer, and a great inexpensive night out, with the added benefit of supporting a good cause.

Festival highlights include live music by Ruby Shooz and the Breakfast Club, inflatable and adventure rides for the kids, carnival games, a food truck rodeo, gift basket raffles, a book sale, plant sale, and more. And of course you can get into the raffle for $10,000 cash or a one-year lease on a car from Vision Automotive.  Five second chance winners will also go home with Wegmans gift certificates.

Here are some details:

  • Ruby Shooz will play on Friday night from 7 to 10 p.m. and the Breakfast Club on Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. Blankets and chairs are welcome.
  • The festival will introduce a new Car Show and Shine classic car show this year, from 3 to 6 p.m. There’s no charge to register a car or to attend the event.
  • In addition to the food truck rodeo, St. Rita’s famous Friday fish fry and Saturday chicken barbecue dinners will be back. They sell out every year, so get there early.

Admission to the Fiesta is free and parking is onsite, with handicap and shuttle options. For more information about the Fiesta, or to pre-order your discounted passes for unlimited access to the bounce houses, zip lines, and bungee trampoline, click here.

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The Knuckleheads get ANOTHER award

14 May

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And the kudos keep rolling in for the Knuckleheads.

Last week Len Dummer and George Cline, owners of Knucklehad Craft Brewing in Webster, were presented with an award by Destination Finger Lakes for being voted 2018 Beer of the Year.

DestinationFLX’s annual “Final Pour” contest seeks to promote Finger Lakes breweries through an online beer bracket in which beer enthusiasts could vote for their favorite breweries. The contest was divided into two categories: “New School” (breweries less than three-years-old); and “OG” (four years and older).

First round voting for the 32 participating breweries started on April 14, followed by a second round, quarter finals, then finals.

In the finals, Knucklehead competed against Hopshire Farm and Brewery in Freeville (near Ithaca), winning by a wide margin, 884 votes to 106 votes.

Such a convincing win says a lot about Knucklehead’s loyal customers.

“We were very pleased to have won this competition,” Len said. “This is a blessing to us and we truly appreciate the support of our customers and loyal Knucklehead fans.”

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

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