Archive | December, 2022

Looking back at the year in blogs

30 Dec

As I like to do at the end of the year, a few days ago I took a stroll back through all of the blogs I wrote in 2022. It’s always a fun exercise, as I’m reminded of all of the events, business openings and closings, people and places that I found to share with you all. It’s a nice reminder of the rich and close-knit community we have here in Webster.

In the last 12 months I posted a whopping 276 blogs, which I credit in part to having more time to research and write now that I’m retired. Most of those were about special events. They began in February with the month-long Fall in Love With Webster, which highlighted our village businesses, restaurants and pubs. In April, we welcomed the return of Community Arts Day and the Greater Rochester Peep Show, and a brand new event, the Webster BID Easter Egg Hunt. Also in April, I reported on the official renaming of North Ponds Park to Charles E. Sexton Park in honor of the town’s first recreation director.

Later in the spring and summer I posted photos from the Memorial Day Parade and Firemen’s Parade, the Jazz Festival and a special Thank You Celebration honoring Revolutionary War patriots, the military and first responders. In September I dragged myself through the mud to tell you about the Webster Recreation Center’s annual Mud Run. October brought the Beer Walk and Village Oktoberfest, the Pumpkin Parade and the Trick-or-Treat Trail. And in December, I wrote about the newly christened Webster’s Winter Wonderland and Wreaths Across America Day at Webster Union Cemetery.

Businesses were also a frequent blog topic. I wrote about new businesses including M/Body Fitness, My Roommates Closet, the new Mama Lor’s on Lake Rd., Curated, Woodland Silk Screening, Woof’s Indoor Dog Park, Chad Cassano Studios and Crafty Christy’s. I also shared news from many existing businesses, like when Cobblestone on Main presented a huge check to Miracle Field, when Amy at the North Bee was selling hand-made beeswax ornaments to benefit the Ukraine, when Barry’s Old School Irish celebrated their 11th anniversary, Serenity Life celebrated its first, and some cute stories about Goat Yoga and Happy Feet Dancers.

I also shared positive news from our schools, like the Webster Marching Band’s annual Autumn Fanfare, the OWL Cafe at Schlegel Elementary School, the fairy trail behind State Rd. Elementary, and the beautiful murals decorating the halls of Webster Thomas High School.

I was there when Webster Thomas presented a mock DWI crash scenario before prom, and wrote about a moving exhibit on race at the library created by Schlegel Rd. fifth graders. I followed the class of 2022 as they paraded through their former elementary schools, and as they strolled through a luminary walk in their honor along the Chiyoda Trail.

Some of my favorite blogs were about the people who make up the fabric of our community. Like Jim Lockwood, Webster’s very own Santa Claus; Florence Kinney, “Mrs. Claus,” who reached her goal this year of donating 100,000 holiday gifts to children; Mike Fitzsimmons, the only known person with spina bifida to ever run an ultra marathon; Webster lacrosse standout Dr. Steve Cochi; and Cadet Nurse Corps veteran Marie Gyles. I also remembered two well-loved Websterites we lost this year, Lee Burgess and Pat Copeland.

I introduced you all to some organizations you might not have heard much about — or even known about — before: the Webster Chamber of Commerce, Heroes on the Water, the Senior Singers, Heritage Christian Stables, the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market and the medical equipment loan closet. I also shared some good deeds from our local Girl Scouts.

Whenever I could, I tried highlight what I considered snippets of small-town life, like my neighborhood lemonade entrepreneur, stories about the kindness of strangers, how Covid brought one bunch of neighbors together.

And on the 10th anniversary of the Christmas Eve shooting in West Webster, I pulled together a publication with several stories showing how that tragedy truly brought our community together.

I often indulged in my love of history. Encouraged by my new role as author of the Webster Museum’s monthly History Bit feature, I wrote about the beautiful, hand-carved Burkhardt Family Creche; found out more about the two houses on Corning Park which used to be one; and shared some “Rules for teachers” from 1872 that proved that teaching has always been a labor of love.

I even got to be a part of Webster’s history myself when I portrayed Martha Cottreall during the West Webster Cemetery’s history tour. There were even a few history mysteries, like when I tried to learn more about John S. Gerling, Milton R. Case and the Webster Women’s Hall of Fame, and helped return an old photo album to its family.

Occasionally (usually when I needed something to post during a dry spell) I’d dredge up a “bygone blog.” Among those were the parental stupidity index, my diaper bag theory of motherhood, the psychology of dinner dishes, the resort town of Webster, NY, and a letter to my son as he moved out of town.

Finally, there were many times when I asked your indulgence, dear readers, as I wrote about some things happening in my life. These were sometimes funny, but mostly thrown out there for my own enjoyment.

Among my favorites were: admitting that I have a word problem; reflecting on hikes I took through Four Mile Creek in the fall and winter, and Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve; thoughts on my first week of school post-retirement; my magnet collection; the Tale of the Wandering Box Spring (I was the fairy, BTW, if you didn’t figure it out); looking like a terrorist when I run in the winter; my annual barefoot snow walk tradition; and recollections from my old neighborhood.

And I started the year with the most personal story of all, titled The Power of Words, where I revealed the four simple words that sparked my career in writing.

Whew. That was really long and complicated. And it didn’t even come close to touching on all of the blogs I wrote this year.

But I know lot of you are still reading, because you are the folks who’ve been with me all year. And you’re the reason I write this blog. I’ve said it before and it’s worth repeating: 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 2023, and I look forward to continuing to spread good news from our hometown.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/30/2022)

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Webster Union Cemetery named business of the month

28 Dec

I would be remiss to let any more days pass before congratulating Webster Union Cemetery on being named December’s Business of the Month by the Webster Chamber of Commerce.

You’ve been hearing a lot about Webster Union Cemetery recently in my blog. Just a few weeks ago, it played host to Webster’s very first Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 17, when hundreds of folks gathered to lay wreaths at the gravestone of every veteran who rests there.

It’s a beautiful cemetery, made even more so by the additional 650 wreaths which were placed that day. Hosting that ceremony might have been one of the reasons it was chosen as Business of the Month. But there were others as well.

The cemetery has a long and rich history, for starters.

Farmland was donated for the first known burial in 1817, when a Webster child needed a place to rest. It was originally called The Burial Ground, Lakeside, Union Cemetery of Webster. Since this caused some confusion between other areas near Webster, especially Union Hill Cemetery, the name was officially changed to Webster Union Cemetery in April 1954.

In 1859, Webster’s first settler, Abram Foster, was buried there at the age of 90. He was the first of many prominent families to come, including the Burnetts, Curtices, Fosters, Pelletts, Woodhulls, Whitings, and Wrights. Veterans from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War are buried there as well. Consequently, Webster Union Cemetery is one of the richest historical sites in Webster.

The cemetery is also stunningly beautiful. In 2008 it was awarded the Historic Landscape Award from the Landmark Society of Western New York, and was listed on the National List of Historic Places in 2022. In July 2022, Webster Union Cemetery hosted a ceremony where two Revolutionary War soldiers were honored with bronze plaques placed on boulders at their gravesite. First responders and our military members were also honored, and two World War II veterans received plaques.

Webster Union Cemetery has been an active burial ground for 198 years. In addition to being an active member in the Webster Chamber of Commerce, they support Wreaths Across America, work with Blue and Gold Star Families, support Boy and Girl Scout ventures, work with the Veteran Headstone Preservation Project, and many other community projects. 

Congratulations to Webster Union Cemetery President George Baker and his staff members for this well-deserved honor, and thank you for being such a valued part of our community.

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

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(posted 12/28/2022)

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New Webster fitness studio strives to make you, and our community, stronger

26 Dec

A funny thing happened when I went to visit the new M/Body studio in the Village of Webster the other day.

M/Body Webster moved into the former Roc & Soul Fitness studio at 44 E. Main St. in November. Curious to find out more about the new studio, I sat and chatted with owner Molly Flaherty for almost an hour. Our conversation ranged all over the map, but after I left I realized that in all that time, we hadn’t once talked about the studio’s workout spaces, equipment, classes, or instructors.

So I had to send her an email a few days later so she could fill me in about all that. About the 3500-feet of studio space, high-energy instructors, three different kinds of cycle classes, and all sorts of challenging programs like the Pilates and ballet-inspired M/BodyBarre; M/BodyHIIT for cardio and strength conditioning; M/BodySculpt light-weight workout; DanceFusion, Pilates and yoga.

But all of the beautiful equipment, experienced instructors and wide variety of classes are really just part of the greater purpose Molly Flaherty has in mind for her new studio. THAT is mostly what we talked about — her personal commitment to community, and her vision of how she wants her business to become an integral part of our town.

M/Body Webster is actually the studio’s second location in our area. The first, M/Body Rochester, is located on Clinton Ave., having moved there just a few months ago after operating for many years on University Ave. The city-based studio has long been known for its welcoming, inclusive atmosphere, and its close alliances with the city of Rochester.

“I’ve always been a cheerleader to create a strong city,” Molly said, so she’s helped create free, community-based programs like Yoga for a Good Hood and the Roc Free Fitness Initiative to encourage city residents to get out and get fit. The studio also frequently teams up with other fitness studios for special community-wide events.

Molly wants to bring that community-based focus to Webster, and has already begun to get involved in Village events, partnering with her business neighbors, and even her competitors.

As soon as she knew she’d be opening a studio in Webster, she said, “The first thing I (did) is simply introduce myself to competing entities like Burn Bootcamp and Element Yoga…. I’m not looking to poach, I’m looking to enhance. The more options, the fitter the community, the better it is for everybody.”

Then she introduced herself to her business neighbors in the village. “I tell them what we’re doing, what we’re for, get any concerns they may have. We build relationships and potential collaboration.”

“It’s always about working together, not against,” she added. “Community over competition.”

Expanding to a second location really wasn’t even on Molly’s radar, especially immediately after relocating her city studio. But when she found out that the Roc & Soul studio was becoming available, the timing just seemed right. Plus, Webster is Molly’s hometown, and where she opened her first studio many years ago. So expanding to a location in the village, she said, “seems like coming home.”

“I would not have done this for any other location, not this soon after that massive move,” she said. “This is home. I just love the familiar faces I’m seeing. … It seems like it’s all culminating, how everything worked out as it should have worked out.” 

Molly knows, of course, that customers come through her door to take her fitness classes. But she’s committed to making sure they also feel like they’re part of a larger community, because community and fitness are integral partners. She said,

Our whole goal is always to be the most inclusive, welcoming, albeit challenging, environment in which everybody can come in and define themselves. … What’s right for you might not be right for someone else, so let’s find what works. It’s all about making sure people are taking care of themselves, in a long-term way that fits them.

If we’re truly in it to make sure people are healthy and well, especially post-Covid, then we really have a responsibility. It’s not just about making a ton of money. It’s not about us. I’ve felt that from my toes forever. If what M/Body offers isn’t right for somebody, I’d like to help them find what is.

M/Body Webster is located at 44 E. Main Street in the Village of Webster, in the lower parking lot. Click here to see their website for more information and a full schedule of classes.  

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/26/2022)

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A very Webster Christmas tree

24 Dec

As we near the end of the year, here’s a festive look back at many of the stories I covered in my blog in 2022. Perhaps you’ll remember a few of them.

Merry Christmas my friends. I hope you’re able to spend the holidays with family and close friends.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/24/2022)

Remembering 12-24-12

23 Dec

This Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, marks ten years since the tragic events on Christmas Eve 2012 when a crazed gunman took the lives of two West Webster firefighters, Tomasz Kaczowka and Lt. Mike Chiapperini, and injured three others as they were responding to a house fire on Lake Rd.

Despite the passage of many years, the details are still fresh in our minds. The story has been told and retold countless times, especially as we’ve commemorated the anniversaries of that terrible morning. This Christmas Eve, on the tenth anniversary, everywhere we look, we’ll all be reminded once again of what happened.

But another, equally important story hasn’t been told as often: how, following the shootings, the Webster community immediately stepped up and came together as one, offering emotional and monetary support to the firefighters’ families and to the West Webster Fire Department as a whole.

For five straight days, I wrote about nothing but the tragedy in my blog. I passed along information about memorial events, took photos, made videos. It was my way of contributing and helping the community work through its grief.

As it turned out, the blogs also helped chronicle exactly HOW our community stepped up, and how the people of Webster became more than just a community; we became a family.

I’ve pulled together a handful of those blogs, and with some other supporting materials (and lots of design help from my husband Jack), have created the publication pictured above, which you may enjoy reading as we commemorate this solemn anniversary.

Click here to see the online .pdf, and feel free to print the entire publication if you’d rather.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/23/2022)

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1000 days, many new friends

21 Dec

For the last few years, Covid has done a really good job of keeping families and friends apart. But here’s a nice story about how the pandemic actually brought a group of neighbors TOGETHER, and helped forge new friendships.

The story begins more than two and a half years ago, in March 2020, at the height of the pandemic. The country had just entered shut-down mode. The kids weren’t going to school, many of us couldn’t go to work, we couldn’t eat out with friends or even go grocery shopping without fear of getting sick.

Basically, we were all forced into our own personal, anti-social bubbles, and it was awful.

Jack Turan decided to do something about it. He heard on the news one morning how, in small towns all across Italy, residents were opening their shutters, sitting in their windows with their glasses of wine, and singing. The story gave him an idea. When he got home after work, he saw his neighbor Jamie, and told him to grab a beverage and meet him at the end of his driveway later that night. Then he went over to tell another neighbor, and a third.

That was the evening of March 22, 2020, and the beginning of a nightly tradition in one north Webster neighborhood that has continued every day since.

Last Saturday, Dec. 17, the gathering, fondly known as “Yack With Jack,” marked a very special achievement: 1000 straight days on which at least two neighbors have met at the end of Jack Turan’s driveway every night at 5 p.m. to share a beverage, and just hang around and chat.

Donna Fonda, who first told me about this happy group, said that the daily meetings have been a way to “check in” with the neighbors and get some actual real-person-not-Zoom time with other human beings, something we all craved especially during the height of the pandemic.

“During this 1000 days we’ve really gotten to know each other,” Donna wrote, “and enjoyed each family’s joys like births, engagements, anniversaries and retirements.” The friends have also been able to “hold each other up through health issues, deaths of loved ones and of course the isolation that Covid brought,” she added.

The meetings might be as short as 25 or 30 minutes, or as long as an hour and a half, depending on what’s going in peoples’ lives that night. There might be two people, there might be four, there might be 14. Most of the participants are Turan’s immediate neighbors, but a few come from farther down the street, and even a street over.

The neighbors marked both the first and second anniversaries with parties. The 1000-day celebration, however, was something else. More than 20 people were there, including their young children and dogs. There were snacks and crock pots filled with soup. There was a fire pit. There was a trivia contest complete with musical clues. And Deb Ford even made up some custom-designed drink cups, reading “Yack Anniversary, 1000 Days — 12/17/22.”

1000-day commemorative cups
Alex Scialdone hosted trivia

For this group of Webster neighbors, the “Yack With Jack” gatherings have taken the idea of “neighborhood” to an entirely new level.

Sure, we all wave to the neighbors before and after work, or when we’re out mowing the lawn. More often than not, though, we don’t have the time to do much more. Drive down this street any night of the week, however, and you’ll see a bunch of folks standing at the end of a driveway, beverages in hand, who’ve discovered the awesome result of making that time.

According to Jack Turan, that is: “We got to know each other, and we got to be friends, actually friends.” 

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/21/2022)

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Webster community mailbag

19 Dec

End-of-year events and notices are winding down, but I do have a few things for your consideration this morning.

This first note is from Cherie Wood, my friend and ultra-amazing organizer of the recent Wreaths Across America event at Webster Union Cemetery. The day of the ceremony, she was being pulled in a hundred different directions, so never really had a chance to get out into the grounds herself to place a wreath or see others do so.

On Sunday, she went back to take a look. She wrote,

After church this morning, I drove into the cemetery to see the wreaths. I had to get in line. Everyone was slowly driving by, on all the cemetery roads. It was like driving around, looking at Christmas lights. I suspect most of them were with us yesterday.

That little story is a touching illustration of how much this event meant to our community. And while I agree with Cherie that a lot of those people had probably participated in Wreath Day on Saturday, I also think that many of them were people who couldn’t make the event, but wanted to be a part of it anyway, and to pay their respects.

The Webster Museum reminds everyone that if you want a chance to vote for your favorite decorated mini-Christmas tree, time is running out.

A lot of people have already cast their votes, and the race is tight, so head on down and share some holiday cheer! The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. The last date to vote for your favorite tree is December 29.

The museum will be closed December 24 and 25 and open for visiting and voting 2 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 22, 27 and 29. You can also see all the trees and vote for them on the museum website.

Here are a few examples of what you’ll find:

If you like to dance, you might want to check out the weekly contra dance events at the Harmony House, sponsored by the Country Dancers of Rochester.

Contra dancing is a kind of folk dance characterized by long lines of dancers. It’s a lot of fun, great exercise and it’s a great group of people. Dances are held on Thursdays beginning at 7:30 p.m. They even offer introductory lessons beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, check out the flyer below.

The Harmony House is on 58 East Main St. in the Village of Webster.

Now THIS is a good idea.

The Webster Police Department has set up a Safe Zone just outside their front door at 1000 Ridge Rd., where you can meet customers with whom you’re doing online business.

If you need to meet someone to receive payment or a product, you can arrange to meet them in the Safe Zone, a part of the parking lot which is under video surveillance. Check the flyer above for more information about this great opportunity.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/19/2022)

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The Webster community came together for Wreaths Across America Day

17 Dec

Earlier this year, when it was first suggested that Webster participate in Wreaths Across America, organizers knew it would be asking a lot from the community.

After all, Webster Union Cemetery, chosen for the first-ever ceremony, is one of the larger cemeteries in town. It’s the resting place for about 650 veterans, so decorating each of their graves would require that many wreaths, costing $15 each. Still, organizers knew that Webster is a generous town, and they had high hopes the community would support the effort.

No one, however, expected the overwhelming outpouring of community support they received.

Not only did businesses and local residents sponsor more than 650 wreaths, on Wreath Day — Saturday Dec. 17 — more than 300 adults and children gathered at the official Wreaths Across America ceremony at Webster Union Cemetery to help lay the wreaths. Many first responders, veterans and active service members also participated.

The ceremony was the culmination of months of organizing, fundraising and publicity efforts led by Cherie Wood, Wreaths Across America Location Coordinator for Webster Union Cemetery, and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Canandaigua Chapter. She was delighted and touched by the incredible community response.

“Our first responders, VFW, American Legion, Blue and Gold Star families, and active duty service members have been amazing,” she said. “There’s no end to who made this a reality.”

“I’m awed how the community of Webster came together and embraced this project. Most of our wreaths were sponsored one at a time. People who simply wanted to honor our fallen heroes. It’s rare that a cemetery is 100% sponsored their first year. Our community hit this one out of the park.”

Wood especially credited L3Harris, Jersey Mike’s Subs and Mission BBQ for their incredible business support.

The ceremony began promptly at noon. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem and a moment of prayer, Wood explained how Wreath Day is not just a local occurrence, saying,

Today, December 17, is National Wreaths Across America Day. In over 3,700 cemeteries across the country, and in foreign American battlefields, about 2.7 million people are meeting at noon, just as we are. This year over 3 million wreaths will be placed on veteran graves. 

Because of the generosity of the Webster community … we have a wreath  for every veteran in Webster Union Cemetery. Webster pulled together and embraced this project  in a way that has received national attention. This should give us amazing pride in our community.     

Wood encouraged each participant to say the veteran’s name out loud before placing the wreath, and take a moment to thank him or her for their service.

“It’s a small act that goes a long way toward keeping the memory of our veterans alive,” she explained. “Wreaths Across America has a saying: A person dies twice. Once when they take their last breath, then again when their name is said for the very last time. Many of our veterans no longer have family to remember them. Today, we the Webster community will become their family.”

Following Wood’s remarks, representatives from each of our nation’s armed services placed ceremonial wreaths in memory of those who served, and those who are still listed as Prisoners of War or MIA. Lt. Nguyen of the U.S. Navy, Purple Heart Recipient Chief Max Elia and Gold Star Mother Dorothy Reid also spoke.

Family members of veterans who are resting at Webster Union Cemetery were invited to enter the grounds first to place wreaths on their loved one’s graves, followed a few minutes later by the rest of the volunteers.

Webster Union Cemetery is one of 600 first-time cemeteries to participate in the Wreaths Across America ceremony this year. Based in large part on the tremendous support Wood saw from the Webster community this year, she’s already hoping to expand the effort next year.

“It’ll grow in this area,” she said. “Next year, we hope to add more cemeteries, and keep adding in coming years, until all five cemeteries are covered. That’s about 3,000 fallen veterans.”

Click here to see a whole gallery of photos.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/17/2022)

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Webster welcomes the Wreaths Across America truck

16 Dec

If you happened to see an 18-wheeler making its way along 250 this morning, escorted by two Webster police cars with lights flashing, you saw the Wreaths Across America truck! It was delivering our 650 wreaths, which will be placed on veterans’ graves at Webster Union Cemetery tomorrow afternoon.

My regular blog readers know the story about how Webster is participating in Wreaths Across America for the first time this year, but in case you need some background, click here.

WPD officers met the truck at the North East Joint Fire District Station #2 at Plank and Salt roads and escorted it up 250, through the village, and all the way to Webster Union Cemetery, where our 75 boxes of fresh wreaths were unloaded in preparation for tomorrow’s ceremony. I don’t know if anyone was able to get outside and cheer the truck on as it went through the village, but we had several people welcoming it at the cemetery.

Pat, the truck driver, was pleasantly surprised — and a bit taken aback — by the fanfare. As plans for the escort were coming together, he even asked Location Coordinator Cherie Wood why the police were coming. He said that the welcome was the best he’s experienced in the two years he’s been driving for Wreaths Across America. He did add, however, that the Location Coordinator in Speculator gave him a gift bag “that was so heavy the handles broke.”

Pat did have a little trouble with the weather as he headed south and west from Maine on his deliveries. “I barely made it up the driveway in Utica.” he said. “It’s like this, and they didn’t have it scraped out.” He added that it would be great if Webster could sponsor so many wreaths next year that he could just “fill the entire truck and I would just have to stop here.”

Arriving at the cemetery
Unloading our 75 cartons
Cherie (R) and me with Pat the driver

After leaving Webster, Pat had three more stops, in Chili, Walworth and Pembroke.

About 300 people have already signed up to help lay the wreaths tomorrow at the Wreath Ceremony, which begins at noon at Webster Union Cemetery at the corner of Rt. 250 and Woodhull. We’re going to need a lot more help (especially if the weather is yucky and people decide to stay home.) There’s still time to sign up. Click here to do so. Parking may be an issue, so stay tuned to my Facebook page for updates on plans for that and other important details.

Many photos and videos were taken this morning. Click here for a full gallery, which I will also be adding to later. (Many thanks to Rogina Davis for most of these photos.)

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I leave you with this touching story:

A Wreaths Across America Location Coordinator in Texas said a tornado went through their little town on Tuesday. It toppled headstones, took down trees and bent the flagpole in half.

But Wreath Day will go on. The town turned out to clean everything up in time for Saturday’s ceremony. They said they needed Wreath Day more than ever this year, and weren’t going to let a tornado stop them.

That really kind of sums up the significance of this event. Please consider signing up to become a part of it.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/16/2022)

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WWFD releases details of remembrance ceremonies

15 Dec

The West Webster Fire Department, together with the entire Town of Webster, is recognizing a very sad anniversary this December.

December 24, 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the tragic Christmas Eve shootings on Lake Rd. which took the lives of West Webster firefighters Tomasz Kaczowka and Lt. Mike Chiapperini, and seriously injured firefighters Joseph Hofsetter and Theodore Scardino.

The WWFD has announced plans for remembrance ceremonies, which they hope will not only commemorate the line of duty deaths and honor the fallen firefighters, but also educate the department’s members and the public about the events of the day, and the assistance the department received that week.

According to 12/24 Remembrance Coordinator Jack Gligora, the ceremonies will consist of a remembrance room, located behind Station #1 at 1051 Gravel Road where photos, videos and items of the department’s four line of duty deaths will be on display. The room will be open to first responders, the public and the media on Friday Dec. 23 from noon to 8 p.m., and Saturday Dec. 24 from 7 to 10 a.m.

Also on Saturday, at 6:45 a.m., a memorial prayer will be said at the West Webster Firehouse Memorial, located behind the station.

For anyone attending the events at Station #1 please park in the rear of the station to keep the front apron open for the department’s members should an emergency arise.

Note that construction on Lake Rd. has limited travel and parking in the area surrounding the memorial, so no formal public events will be held on Lake Rd.

(The photo above was taken at a candlelight vigil held at Barry’s Old School Irish on the evening of Dec. 29, 2012.)

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on 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 12/15/2022)

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