Announcing the Festival of Trees winner, and more museum news

One of the best things about volunteering for the Webster Museum is the über-informative “News You Can Use” newsletter sent out each month to volunteers. It has so many neat little history tidbits gleaned from the recesses of the Webster Museum, some of which you’ll be seeing some day in my History Bits feature.

So I’ll save those for future use, but here are some other newsy items of interest:

• The museum’s recent Kittelberger Florist fundraiser was reportedly a “huge success.” More than 180 tickets were sold, meaning $1800 was raised for the museum. Thank you to everyone who sold, and bought, the tickets. If you missed it, I have a feeling it’ll be back again next year, so watch for it.

• Now on display in the museum’s exhibit space at the Webster Public Library, “Quirky Cameras,” featuring cameras that look like anything but a traditional camera. The collection is courtesy Frank Calandra.

• A new exhibit on the Webster Grange is taking shape at the museum. Formerly known as the National Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, the Grange was a secret society founded in 1867 to protect and advance agricultural interests. In the early 1900s, the Webster Grange was the largest in the country. It brought Rural Free Delivery of mail to town, and was instrumental in establishing telephone service. The exhibit will be completed soon, so stop by the museum to check it out.

Finally, what you’ve all been waiting for: the results from the 2023 Festival of Trees.

This year’s contest included 15 beautifully decorated mini-trees, from these organizations:

• Webster Firemen’s Ladies Auxiliary
• Webster Citizens Action League
• Webster Republican Committee
• Jack’s Foundation
• Lala of Webster
• Webster American Legion Auxiliary
• Well Field Preservation
• Webster Arboretum
• Webster Community Chest
• Webster Quilt Guild
• Webster Garlic Fest (Wreaths Across America)
• Webster Comfort Care Home
• Country Gardeners
• Webster Grange
• Museum Volunteers.

More than 300 museum visitors took the time to vote, and I can tell you from personal experience, it was a difficult choice.

This year’s winners were Webster Comfort Care Home and the Webster Quilt Guild. Thank you to everyone who participated in any way to make this event a great success. And special thanks to The Saxophone Therapy Project and The Goodwin Family Performers who provided entertainment during the Webster’s Winter Wonderland festivities.

The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

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(posted 1/4/2024)