It’s already one of the best trails in Webster — part of our town’s outstanding trail system — but the Hojack Trail is getting even better this summer.
The grant, totaling $181,086, is administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, and the funds are also being matched by an extremely generous member of the local community.
In addition to resurfacing the entire stretch between Holt and Drumm roads, the Friends will be adding drainage, plantings, signage and benches. The entire cost will be covered by the grant and matching donation.
“The Hojack Trail is one of Webster’s gems, and this project will make it shine even brighter for the thousands of people who use the trail each year,” said Sarah White, secretary and social media coordinator for FWT. “Each part of the project addresses an area of focus from a community survey conducted in the spring, and it enhances the trail’s connection to other parts of the community.”
FWT was founded in 1997 in large part to help maintain the Hojack Trail, so this project harkens back to those roots.
The new stone surface is expected to be completed soon (if it isn’t already). Other parts of the project will be completed over the next several months.
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A new play café will be opening soon in Webster, offering families the best of both worlds: a bright, kid-friendly space where children can dive into imaginative play, and a coffeehouse vibe, where parents can sip, chat, unwind and catch up with friends while their kids explore.
It’s called Play-a-Latte, and it’ll be opening in just a few weeks in Webster’s Towne Center Plaza (Target Plaza).
Co-founders (and sisters) Richelle Acker and Kristi Phillips still have a lot of work to do before they can open their doors to the community, but when they’re done the results will be charming. The once-empty storefront will have been transformed into a kid-sized small town, featuring eight different custom-built playhouses including a doctor’s office, supermarket, café, ice cream cart and more. A “central park” with kid-sized picnic tables will sit in the middle of it all.
It’s all meant to encourage imaginative play, giving children the chance to step into roles, tell stories, and let their creativity lead the way.
A separate sensory room will offer a quieter, calmer space for children who need it, with dim lighting, fidget toys and sensory tiles and boards.
But it’s not all about the kids. The comfortable couches, chairs and café tables sprinkled throughout will encourage parents to relax while their kids play.
“We want our focus to be on both,” Richelle said. “We want the parents to enjoy coming in and hanging out, while the kids play”; a place for moms (and dads) to gather and connect, get to know each other and make new friends.
And perhaps even enjoy a latte. No worries, though, if you don’t like lattes. The coffee bar will be serving up a variety of comforting beverages, including hot coffee, iced coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and maybe hot cider in the fall.
The idea for the play café first came up around last Christmas, when Kristi stumbled across something online that sparked her imagination. A teacher by profession, she envisioned it as the perfect way to stay home with her own son while still working with children. Teaming up with her sister Richelle, whose background in business and event planning was a perfect complement, made the venture feel like a natural fit.
As soon as Play-a-Latte opens, parents will be able to go online and book 90-minute playtime spots. (Pre-registration is strongly recommended so the space doesn’t get too crowded and they don’t have to turn people away.) Parents can also book private birthday parties in the café’s dedicated party room. And keep an eye out for special events throughout the year, like mommy-and-me yoga, or a build-your-own-bouquet class. Richelle and Kristi might even introduce a book club where the parents can meet while their kids play.
“We have infinite ideas,” Richelle said. “We want to start slow and build it up and introduce new things as we get up and running.”
Should be great.
You can check out the new Play-a-Latte space for yourself when they hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 12 at 9:30 a.m., followed by their grand opening on Saturday Sept. 13. The café is located in the very southwest corner of Towne Center Plaza (at Ridge and Holt roads) next to Cold Stone Creamery. In the meantime, you can check out their Facebook page here and website here. They’re also on Instagram (Playalatte_PlayCafe).
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Their goal is to hold a food distribution event four times a year: Easter, Thanksgiving, and sometime during the summer. With the community’s support, these regular distributions will really help our Webster neighbors who face food insecurity every day.
The agencies are gearing up right now for their upcoming holiday season distributions, and they always like to include a few extra helpful items in addition to the seasonal meal items. In past years they’ve asked for hand-crafted cotton washcloths, which they’ll still gratefully accept. But this year they’re asking for a new item as well, “scrubbies,” to give their recipients a new useful, homemade tool.
Scrubbies are made from a different, more abrasive, type of yarn, and they can be used to help with “scrubbing” pots, pans and dishes.
The Community Chest first came up with the idea to include hand-made washcloths and scrubbies a while ago. They work just as well as paper towels and sponges to wipe the counters and do dishes, and are washable and reusable. So they save families a lot of money.
If you like to knit or crochet and would like to become part of the Community Chest’s “Webster Yarn Artist Army,” you are hereby officially invited to join them. Check below the blog for instructions on how to make them. It’s really easy and a great way to put a personal, homemade touch in the meal packages.
The coalition will be collecting the scrubbies year-round and hope to include them in every food distribution they organize, so they can never have too many! You can drop off your creations at Webster Hope during open hours, or in the donation drops at the Webster Public Library for both Webster Hope and Webster Community Chest. Or you can email Webster Community Chest at webcommchest@gmail.com or call them at 585-671-2060 to arrange for pick up or drop off.
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As many of you might remember, I spent four weeks in Prague, Czechia earlier this year. I was accompanying my husband, who’d been awarded a Fulbright Specialist grant to work with a journalism organization headquartered in the city.
Of course, I took a LOT of photos when I was there (it’s what I do) and came home with lots of stories to tell. I’ve already shared many of those photos and stories with pretty much anyone who’d listen. But now, I’ve been asked by the Webster Public Library AND the Webster Recreation Center to put together a travelogue and share them with everyone else.
So if you’re at all interested in seeing some of those photos and hearing about my adventures, you have two opportunities in the next few months to do so. The first is at the Webster Public Library on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 2 p.m. Registration is now open for that one.
If you can’t make it to that talk, the second one will be at the Webster Recreation Center on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. It’s part of their regular Talks on Tuesday series. To register, navigate to the Recreation Center’s registration tab and click on the 55+ Programs box. Then search “Prague” as a keyword in the 55+ programs category. You’re looking for program #346940-J. If you have any problems, call the Rec Center at (585) 872-7103. They’ll take care of you.
There’s no cost for either talk, but they do like to have people register so they know how many to expect.
As you can see from the title slide above, I’m calling the travelogue “Prague, Czechia: the Weird and the Wonderful.” The wonderful portion of the talk will illustrate how stunningly gorgeous the city is, and feature the most popular tourist attractions. The weird portion will reflect the fact that when you have a whole month to explore a city, it’s possible to track down some very unusual, off-the-beaten-track attractions. And Prague has a lot of them.
For example, these two things. Nope, not going to tell you what they are. You just have to come to the talk!
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The Webster Jazz Festival seems to get better every year.
This two-day festival has been held for almost 20 years now, and somehow the organizers (our very own Webster Business and Improvement District) keep finding ways to improve it. This year’s big upgrade was having two of Friday night’s “Jazz in the Pubs” bands — Sarah De Vallière and Deepak Thettu and Friends — actually play outdoors, on West Main St.
What a brilliant idea that was. Not only was it easier for the bands to set up and gave them more space to perform, but it allowed for much larger crowds to spread out and enjoy the music, taking advantage of the perfect August weather. It also helped increase the visibility of the vendors who had set up tents along the sidewalks.
Four other bands performed at four other indoor venues throughout Friday evening, allowing patrons to more or less “pub-hop,” and I was happy to see that Annette’s, Ploty’s, the Cobblestone and Jojo were all pretty busy.
I was also very happy to see a strong presence from The Coach. Fritz had set up a beer tent on the patio, which did brisk business all Friday and Saturday night. Community members could also support the bar by purchasing t-shirts and other items which read “Stand By Your Bar.”
I’ve posted a few photos from Friday night above, but also have many others in this Facebook gallery. I’ve also included a nice selection of photos taken by my friend Mary White, who was there Friday night with her much-better-than-mine camera.
“Jazz in the Streets” on Saturday was awesome as usual. The music was terrific, the food vendors were busy, and the twinkly lights made Main Street extra charming as night fell. My favorite thing to do on this night is to just walk around the perimeter of the crowd, because it’s guaranteed I’ll see someone I know. Friday night was no exception; I was able to reconnect with a dozen friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in several years.
Oh, and of course I took a lot of photos, too. Click here for my full gallery from Saturday night.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
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For starters, perhaps you noticed that there’s paper up in the windows of the former Garage Sale Store at 8 West Main, AND a “for rent” sign. This is an excellent turn of events, because that empty storefront has been an eyesore for a few years. And what a waste of good retail space. I look forward to seeing what will be moving in.
Plus, signs also went up this week in the windows of the former Roc Style restaurant at 5 West Main, announcing the imminent arrival of the Main Dive, which promises “good music, cheap drinks and a full menu.” I’ll be chatting with them in the next week or two, so stay tuned for more details.
The west half of the old Jeff’s Computer Service at 1 East Main (at the corner of South Ave.) has had black plastic up in its windows for a while now. I don’t have a line on what’s happening there, but will let you know as soon as I do.
Finally, just down the street — not in the village, but pretty close — a new “play café” will be opening soon in Towne Center Plaza (Target plaza), called Play-a-Latte. On its Facebook page, the owners describe the café as a “place offering imaginative play, birthday parties for children, and a place for parents to relax, connect, and enjoy a quality cup of coffee.” They’re planning a grand opening celebration in September, so stay tuned for more about them.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
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On a quiet summer morning 136 years ago this week, the peaceful community of Forest Lawn was jarred by a horrifying crash. A deadly train accident shattered the town’s calm, leaving twisted tracks, splintered cars, and a tragic story that would be remembered for generations.
August 10, 1889 was a normal day for the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad “stub train,” which ran from Windsor Beach to Forest Lawn every morning. It had pulled into the station at 7:50 a.m., as expected, and passengers were boarding.
Unfortunately, it was not a normal morning for the “Thousand Island” express train, which was running almost two hours late. It normally barreled through the station at high speed at 6 a.m. But on this morning, as it thundered around the curve, the stub train blocked its path, and the engineer could do little to avoid the collision.
The resulting crash telescoped the stub train’s coach cars, two of which were lifted off the tracks and shoved against the station house. The express train’s engine ran off into the sand and blew up. Three people lost their lives, including a young girl, and six were severely injured.
Newspaper accounts from the time didn’t explicitly assign blame, but investigators questioned why no one anticipated that the late-arriving express train would reach Forest Lawn at about the same time as the stub train from Windsor Beach. A man should have been sent down the track to flag the train, the reports argued. Sometimes in such situations, orders are telegraphed ahead to stop at a siding, but the conductor insisted he never received any such order.
A Democrat and Chronicle article published the day following the crash noted that,
The place itself is a most favorable one for accidents. Forest Lawn is … situated on a sharp promontory. The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg track curves sharply on each side of the station so that standing on the platform, scarcely twenty rods of track (330 feet) are visible to the west and the stretch of track between the station and the curve to the east is considerably less than that. … A flag was displayed at the rear of the stub train but to expect protection from that means would be worse than foolishness for it would give the engineer of the approaching train no time whatever in which to avert the disaster.
The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad (better known in our area as the Hojack) has been out of business for many years, and the train station is long gone. But while trains no longer run through the Forest Lawn neighborhood, the memory of that tragic day will endure for many years.
(photo above provided by Webster Town Historian Lynn Barton)
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The Webster Garlic Fest is returning to the Webster Recreation Center on Saturday and Sunday Sept. 6 and 7.
This is a great family festival for anyone who loves all things garlic, and it keeps getting bigger and better every year. Somehow, organizers have managed to squeeze 170 vendors into this year’s festival, including crafters, food vendors, distilleries, wineries, food trucks, and of course lots and lots of garlic growers. There are so many vendors that they’ll fill the gymnasium and spill out onto the Rec Center grounds. Many of them provide tastings, samples and demonstrations. (Click here for a complete list of vendors.)
But even if you’re not a big fan of garlic, there are a lot of non-garlic vendors, and plenty else to see and do. Like, you can cozy up to some alpacas and baby goats (who like to wear pajamas), and even a huge 70-year old tortoise — and they all love to take selfies. There’ll be demos, and Mr. Wally the Balloon Man will be there.
Proceeds from the Webster Garlic Fest will benefit
Wreaths Across America: Honoring and remembering veterans resting in local cemeteries on National Wreaths Across America Day, December 13, 2025.
Blue Star Mothers ROC NY8(military families): Building Care Packages for locally deployed service members and helping military families in our area.
Gold Star Mothers Rochester(mothers who have lost a child, spouse, sibling, or parent in active duty):Helping community veterans-in-need with meals, resources, and year-round support.
The Webster Garlic Fest will be held Saturday Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr. There’s plenty of parking in the Recreation Center lot, and even more across the street in the former Xerox parking lot, where free shuttles will be transporting guests back and forth.
Single-day tickets are only $5, and children Under 12 are free. Click here to buy your tickets, or you can get them at the door.
Click here for a gallery of photos from last year’s festival.
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Even if you load up my blog page regularly, you might not have noticed the tagline I put at the top. It reads: “A full serving of Webster happenings with an occasional appetizer on the side.”
Today is one of those appetizers.
My husband Jack and I recently decided to get out of town for a night, just to do something different and fun. So we loaded up our bikes and drove down to Penn Yan, a village which neither of us knew much about. We thought it’d be fun to explore it, have dinner, and check out some brew pubs.
But our main goal that day was to ride the seven-mile long Keuka Outlet Trail (KOT), which follows the winding waterway where Keuka Lake flows eastward into Seneca Lake. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the Outlet, the trail is nicely maintained and offers an impressive mix of history and natural beauty.
The Fall Brook Railroad once traveled along this route, back and forth between Penn Yan and Dresden. Some of the old railroad ties and concrete signal markers still mark the way. At one time, there were 30 to 40 mills operating along the waterway, including sawmills, paper mills, distilleries, tanneries and forges. The remains of many of these mills can still be seen.
The most popular stop on the trail is Seneca Mills Falls, a 40-foot waterfall surrounded by the ruins of the former Seneca Paper Mill. About half a mile to the east are the 20-foot high Cascade Falls — not as spectacular as Seneca Mills, but still beautiful. If you look carefully as you ride (or hike), you might see turtles sunning themselves on logs in Turtle Pond, and ruins of a bridge which once led to the Village of Hopeton, which disappeared as Dresden began to grow.
The Friends of the Outlet have put together a very informative brochure describing all of the trail’s historical treasures. They’ve even created an audio tour, which — for an all-volunteer organization — is really impressive. Their efforts remind me of the dedication to preserving natural habitats exhibited by our very own Friends of Webster Trails.
The next day, before heading back to Webster, Jack and I tackled another bike trail, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal Trail between Waterloo and Geneva. This one was only about five miles long, and the surface was actually a bit smoother than the KOT, so it was even easier to ride.
We rode from Waterloo to Geneva, where the trail ends at Seneca Lake Park. There, we took some time to relax, have a snack, and watch the seagulls along the lake shore before heading back to Waterloo.
This trail (or at least this section of it) doesn’t have as much history as the KOT, but it had something better. About two miles in, a local resident has created a wonderland of flowers, dragons, teddy bears, angels, bunny rabbits and more. The display stretches about 200 yards, with a welcome sign at each end marking the beginning of the whimsy. It’s clearly a labor of love, and surely brightens the day of anyone who passes through.
Lock CS4 sits on the canal in Waterloo, which is pretty cool to see, and when I rode over to get a closer look, I discovered something else that was even more cool.
Waterloo (officially the “birthplace of Memorial Day”) has installed an outstanding American Civil War Memorial just to the north of the lock on Washington St. It’s a small area of land, but it has so many meaningful markers, monuments and historic artifacts that even after examining them for a half hour, I still feel like I need to go back.
The memorial recognizes 59 men from Waterloo who died in the Civil War. It includes individual cenotaphs for each man, marked with his name, regiment, where he died and how old he was. There’s a North South Cenotaph, constructed with stones from each of the 36 states which existed at the end of the Civil War. The Star Stone is adorned with 620 golden stars, each of which represents 1,000 Union and Confederate soldiers lost in the Civil War. A Woman’s Cenotaph pays tribute to all of the women of the Civil War.
You see? Pretty cool, and there’s so much more. It was a great discovery and I need to go back.
So next time you need a short adventure, I recommend you take a hike or a bike trip along the Keuka Outlet Trail or the Seneca-Cayuga Trail. And if you’re a Civil War buff, definitely head out Waterloo to check out their memorial.
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Last Friday evening, 82 graduates from the Webster Thomas High School Class of 1965 gathered at the White House in Webster Park for their 60th reunion. As with most reunions, there was plenty of food, along with photo boards, yearbooks, and newspaper clippings spread across several tables. Inside and out, old friends and new mingled in small groups, drinks in hand, reconnecting, reminiscing, and laughing over shared memories.
But this year’s celebration was more than just a stroll down memory lane. The Class of 1965 decided to turn their 60th reunion into a celebration with a purpose.
Instead of charging admission, organizers chose to honor the legacy and passion of their late classmate, Bill O’Rourke, Jr. In place of a ticket fee, members of the Class of ’65 were invited to contribute to the O’Rourke Scholarship Fund.
Bill’s classmates responded enthusiastically, raising an amazing $6,500 to the fund, proving that even after six decades, their school spirit is stronger than ever.
Reunion organizer Bob (“BG”) Guerra observed that the amount surpassed what they would have raised through normal ticket sales. “What happens is, people just feel like my money’s not going to somebody to pay Proietti’s,” he said.
As he presented the check to Bill’s first wife Dottie, Bob noted that, “What we’re going to donate tonight will allow them to fund that program for the next six years without any additional donations. The money is going to make sure kids continue to get educated.”
“We’re making a difference in some kids’ lives.”
Bill, Jr., with wholehearted support from the Webster Central School District (WCSD), established the O’Rourke Scholarship Fund after his father, Bill O’Rourke, Sr., passed in 2006. Its original objective was to present a monetary award to a senior male varsity player each year, chosen by the athletic secretary and basketball coach; someone who reflected O’Rourke’s own passion for academic excellence and sportsmanship.
Bill, Jr. passed away in 2020, but the memorial fund remains strong. With support from the O’Rourke family, the scholarship’s criteria and amount have grown. It now awards $1,000 to a senior boy and a senior girl varsity basketball player every year.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
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