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Webster community mailbag

29 Sep

Let’s get right to it …..

Oklahoma!, presented by the Webster Theatre Guild, takes the stage this weekend.

Shows are scheduled for

  • Friday Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday Sept. 30, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
  • Friday Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday Oct. 7, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

All shows will be held at Webster Thomas High School, 800 Five Mile Line Rd. Tickets are $20, plus $2 transaction fee if ordered online), and are reserve seating. Tickets will also be available at the door. Click here for tickets.

Next, this very special event from Webster Comfort Care Home.

Community members are cordially invited to Their Light Shines, a Celebration of Remembrance on Tuesday evening Oct. 3, where you can light a luminaria in honor or memory of your loved one(s).

Luminarias can be purchased for $10 each and will benefit the Webster Comfort Care Home in its mission to provide no-cost, compassionate care to the terminally ill and their families.

The Celebration of Remembrance will be held at the Comfort Care Home, 700 Holt Rd., from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 3. Rain date will be Oct. 5.

Our very own Webster Marching Band will host their 37th annual Autumn Fanfare field show and competition on Saturday October 7 at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd.

Autumn Fanfare is always a spectacular evening of storytelling through music, marching, and even a little bit of acting. There are always huge set pieces involved to move the music-story forward. This is an awesome opportunity to see what our hometown marching bad has been up to, and be impressed by the incredible amount of hard work these kids put in every year to create a show that will blow you away.

Gates open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10, available at Herman’s Farm Market (741 Five Mile Line Rd.) and the Webster Recreation Center (1350 Chiyoda Dr.). They can also be purchased for $12 at the gate.

More to come about this.

Don’t forget about the Capital Improvement Project vote on Wednesday, Oct. 11

The Webster Central School District has proposed an $85 million capital improvement project that will impact all 11 schools with zero tax impact for district residents. The project will include renovations and improvements to all of the schools. The project will be voted on by the Webster CSD community on Wednesday, October 11, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School’s gym, 875 Ridge Road.

To learn more about the project and the improvements to each school, click here. You can also sign up to receive periodic communications from the district regarding the project. For details, please visit the capital improvement project news story at www.websterschools.org.

The West Webster Fire Department will hold their annual Fire Prevention Open House on Sunday Oct. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the fire station on Gravel Rd.

The afternoon will include firehouse tours, fire safety displays, equipment displays, live demos, refreshments and more.

There’s no charge, and the entire Webster community is invited. For more information, visit the WWFD Facebook page here.

While we’re on that subject, remember that the Webster Volunteer Fire Department always holds its open house during the village’s Trick of Treat Trail, this year scheduled for Saturday Oct. 28. Stay tuned for more information about that.

The next Friends of the Webster Public Library Book Sale is just around the corner, Oct. 18 through 21.

This is always a great opportunity to stock your home library. Hardcover books are just $1, and paperback books just 50 cents.

Members of the Friends of the Webster Public Library can visit Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. for a first look. Membership in the Friends of the Webster Public Library is required and can be purchased at the door.

The general public sale will be Thursday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to noon. Friday and Saturday are BYOB Sale Days; bring your own bag, and fill it for just $5.

The sale will be held at the library, 980 Ridge Rd. Proceeds from the fall book sale directly benefit library programs, book collections and other special projects.

Our Penfield friends, Schutt’s Apple Mill on Plank Rd., have a couple of fun events planned for this fall.

On Tuesday Oct. 24 (one week before Halloween), Schutt’s will host their Trick-or-Treat at the Farm event from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. It’s a family-friendly night where you can walk through the orchard on a Trick-or-Treat Trail to find some fanciful jack-o-lanterns and sweet treats. Costumes and flashlights are encouraged.

This is a free event and no registration is required.

On Saturday Nov. 4, Schutt’s will host a Holiday Farm Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from 9 a.m. This is a great opportunity to support 35 local businesses while shopping for personal and gift items.

For more information about both of these events and others, click here. Schutt’s Apple Mill is located at 1063 Plank Rd.

Pumpkins on Parade at the Webster Recreation Center is back, Saturday Oct. 28 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

This is a one-mile long trail lined with creatively and whimsically-carved jack-o-lanterns. Every year the Rec Center puts this on (this is the fourth annual), it’s been bigger and better, packed with post-trail treats, photo opportunities and more

I’ll be providing more details about this, but for now, start planning your pumpkin carving, because the Rec Center is going to need a LOT of jack-o-lanterns.

Finally, check the flyers below for details about lots of great upcoming programs at the Webster Public Library, including:

  • the Readers, Writers and Connections program for budding writers
  • Teen Library Club
  • National Hair Day storytime
  • Family Night
  • a movie matinee
  • a Halloween craft
  • line dancing for kids
  • a clay class for children and parents

The Webster Library is located at 980 Ridge Rd.

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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 “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 9/29/2023)

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Sample new shops, win prizes in new city-wide shopping tour

27 Sep

This looks like a fun event, and just in time for the start of the holiday shopping season (well, at least for me).

It’s a Rochester-wide, nine-day shopping tour called “Shop-Tober-Fest.” I call it a tour because the event will take you around the city, sampling lots of cute shops which have lots of unique gift ideas for your favorite people.

The event doesn’t even start for another week, but already 20 local businesses, artisans and entrepreneurs are signed up. In town, that includes Farm House Fabulous (in Ontario, and the host of this new event); Lala of Webster; curated by JUSTINteriors; Kittelberger Florist & Gifts; and SoJo Boutique. Other participating shops are in Fairport, Pittsford, Brighton, Victor and downtown.

Here’s how Shop-Tober-Fest works

Buy a $5 ticket for Shop-Tober-Fest via Eventbrite and visit as many of the participating shops as you like between October 7 and 15. Your ticket will give you access to the map of the shops along with a raffle ticket for each one (sent via email after registration). Every store will be raffling off a prize of a $100 value or more and you’re eligible to win them all! But you can only enter each shop’s raffle by visiting the store in-person.

This is a great opportunity to show your love for small businesses and uncover some one-of-a-kind gifts, charming home decor items, delectable treats and more.

Best of all, proceeds will benefit the Wilmot Cancer Center.

So click here to register. Your map will be emailed to you so you’re ready to hit the shopping trail on Oct. 7!

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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 “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 9/27/2023)

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You can help students discover the joy of writing

11 Sep

I kind of like to write.

It’s basically my hobby. I have fun doing it, I’m kinda good at it, and the skills I’ve developed over the years have led to good jobs and success in those jobs. I attribute all of that to my parents and teachers who encouraged me to write as much and as often as possible.

And that’s why, when I heard about an opportunity to help young people improve their writing skills and find out that writing can actually be FUN, I jumped at the chance.

It’s a Pen-Pal Program sponsored by Webster Parks and Recreation for people 55+. You can read about it it the flyer, but this is what it says:

Remember the old days when you used to write letters? Join the Webster 55+ folks and the Autumn Lane second graders as we become pen-pals.

Sign up and you will be assigned a second-grade student to write a letter to each month. Then in May, we will take a trip to Autumn Lane to meet your pen-pal in person!

You must be committed to this program for an entire year.

Autumn Lane Elementary School is on Maiden Lane in Greece.

The program will run from October 2023 through May 2024. To register, visit the Webster Parks and Recreation website and search for activity #346905. Or call the Rec Center at (585) 872-7103. There’s no cost, just your commitment to help some students fall in love with writing.

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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 “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 9/11/2023)

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Register now for the National Fallen Firefighters Bike Ride

5 Sep

Recently news crossed my radar about a great benefit event which will interest our cycling community in particular.

It’s the National Fallen Firefighters Bike Ride, being held in conjunction with the annual Memorial Stair Climb and Family Walk which is held every year at Innovative Field.

While the stair climb is held at locations all over the country, I’m told that the bike ride is unique to our West Webster Fire Department, so this is a chance to be part of something really cool.

The ride is being held this coming Saturday Sept. 9, and will begin and end at the WWFD Station 1 on Gravel Rd. Registrations will be taken on-site (cash or check only) beginning at 7:30 for anyone who’s not pre-registered, with welcome ceremonies beginning at 8:30.

Two courses are offered, one 9.2 miles long and a second one 19.5 miles long. Both courses take riders north from the station to the lake (see the map below). A breakfast will be held following the ride at 11 a.m.

Cost is $35 per rider, benefiting the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Click here to register (scroll all the way down to register as an individual rider).

The ride is being held in conjunction with the annual Rochester 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Family Walk, being held this year on Sunday Sept. 10 at Innovative Field. These events honor and remember the FDNY firefighters who selflessly gave their lives so that others might live on September 11, 2001.

For more information about both of these events, click here.

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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 “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 9/4/2023)

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For the love of pickleball

4 Sep

I’d like to give a quick shout-out to a group of people I met Monday who really embrace the idea of community. They are the pickleballers who gather every morning to play at the Ellison Park courts.

I’ve played pickleball before, pre-pandemic, when my Plank North teaching colleagues and I would organize pick-up games after school. I really enjoy the game and miss playing it, now that I’m retired. But I’ve always been hesitant to join an organized league or even go to the Rec Center, because I’ve heard so many stories about how clique-y pickleball players can get. Even though I’m pretty good with a paddle, I wasn’t sure I’d be embraced by a group of established players.

When my friend Carl found out that I play, he invited me to join the Ellison Park gang, assuring me that they were very welcoming. When I arrived at the courts Monday morning, it was immediately clear to me that he was right. I hadn’t even walked all the way up to the first court before someone waved me out to play. He didn’t ask me how long I’d been playing or how good I was. It was just, “C’mon, you wanna play?”

For the next two hours, I played pickleball with Bob, Janice, Bill, Charlie, Goldie, Michelle, Julius and lots others whose names I can’t remember or didn’t get a chance to meet. There were so many players that morning — more than two dozen — that I didn’t play with everyone, but those I did were all friendly, cheerful, encouraging and helpful.

So thank you, Ellison Park pickleball players, for welcoming me into your community so readily. I’ll be seeing you again soon.

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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 “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 9/4/2023)

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Webster community mailbag

31 Aug

I always thought that the height of summer marked Webster’s busiest months. But looking at my page-long list of events coming up in the next several weeks tells me I was way wrong.

Most of these I’ve touched on in earlier blogs, so I’ll just remind you of them and give you links to follow in case you need more information. But let me start off with some detail about a race taking place in the village this Friday night, the First Responders 5K.

The race is scheduled for Friday Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. It will BEGIN AND END at the south side of Fireman’s Field on Sanford St., and take racers through east-side village neighborhoods. You can see the exact route in the map below.

Several roads on the east side of the village will be affected, and Rt. 250 between State Rd. and Main St. will be closed for a short time after the race begins to allow the runners through.

I always run this race, so I look forward to seeing you on the course. Cow bells, shouts of encouragement and high-fives are always appreciated. You can register up till noon Friday. Click here for more information.

The next meeting of Webster’s Visionaries Low-Vision Support Group is Wednesday, Sept. 6, from 10:30 to noon at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr.

The Visionaries is a support group for adults with low-to-no vision. Members of this support group share their interests and opportunities with others, encouraging those with visual impairment to get the most out of their lives.

The meeting is presented this month by Goodwill Vision (formerly ABVI), which offers services for those with low and no vision. For more information, contact Ed Wilkonski at 585-265-4167, or email wingstwofly@rochester.rr.com.

The Village of Webster will hold its annual Sept. 11 Memorial ceremony on Monday Sept. 11, beginning at 6 p.m. at Veteran’s Memorial Park on North Ave.

The Webster Village Band and the Chorus of the Genesee will both be performing. Community members are encouraged to attend.

The annual Webster Rocks ALS music festival returns Saturday, Sept. 9.

The festival is held to raise awareness for ALS in memory of Kacie Jones, a longtime employee of the Coach/Rubino’s, who passed away from ALS at 31 years old, less than two years after he was diagnosed. Proceeds will benefit organizations that fight to change the standard of case and empower people with ALS. (Visit www.healingals.org or www.teamgleason.org for more information.)

The festival will be held Saturday Sept. 9 at the Webster Firemen’s Field on Ridge Rd. Click here for more information.

That same day, Saturday Sept. 9, there’s another FREE concert taking place at Veteran’s Memorial Park on North Ave.

It’s the second annual RHB St. Jude Benefit Concert, featuring the Red Hot and Blue Band, Sarah De Vallière, The M-T-V Jam Band and The Tug Hill Band. Pub 235, Guida’s Pizza and Terry’s Tips And Beef will also be there with some great food.

More info on the flier.

Of course, that same weekend, the Webster Garlic Festival returns to the Webster Recreation Center on Sept. 9 and 10. I’ll be posting another longer blog about that again soon, but in the meantime, here’s the website for more information. Word is that more than 100 vendors have already signed up and more are trying to get in every day.

Two huge garage sales are happening the following weekend, Webster NY Hope’s annual sale, scheduled for Sept. 14 to 17 at 1450 Ridge Rd, AND the Webster Museum’s Barn and Vintage Sale on Sept. 14 thorough 16. These are always very big events, so make sure to make time to stop by both.

More to come about these soon.

Community members are invited to attend an official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Webster Highway Department facility at 1005 Picture Parkway on Thursday Sept. 14 at 2 p.m.

Webster Town Board members, Highway Department staff members and local dignitaries will hold a brief ceremony, followed by the groundbreaking. Click here for more information about plans for the new facility.

The Third Annual Webster Recreation Center Mud Run is returning on Saturday Sept. 23. This event is tons of wet, muddy, so-much-laughing fun for the entire family. I will definitely be there, and try to get even muddier than I did last year. (Check out the photo.) More about this later as well.

The Oktoberfest returns to Webster’s Fireman’s Field on Friday and Saturday Sept. 15 and 16.

The event runs from noon to 10:30 p.m. both days, and will feature live German music, German cuisine from Swan’s Market and Helmut’s Strudel of WNY, and beer and wine by Cobblestone on Main restaurant.

Tickets will be sold at the door. On Friday from noon to 3, they’ll cost only $5. After that, and at all other times, tickets will be $10. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult.

Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help with the event. Visit the website for more information.

Reminder that the 4th annual Barry’s Irish Festival takes place Saturday Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at The Barry Patch Farm, 2668 Brick Schoolhouse Road, Hilton. Tickets are available at the pub for $15 (2 West Main St., Webster), and can be purchased online here. You can also get them on the day of the festival, when they’ll be $20. Kids 16 and under are free.

Visit the event’s Facebook page for more information, and if you have any questions, email Danny and Jessica at Barrysirishpub@gmail.com.

St. Martin Lutheran Church will hold a Drive Thru Chicken BBQ on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the church, 813 Bay Road, Webster. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. and will continue until all dinners are sold out.

Dinners will include a half chicken, salt potatoes, coleslaw, roll, butter and cookie, and will cost $15.

The event will be drive-through only and there will be no advance sales; first-come, first-served. Cars should enter the parking lot, follow the signs, and purchase dinners using exact payment of either cash or
check. Cars will then pick up boxed dinners.

Proceeds from the BBQ will support both St. Martin’s Little Free Pantry and Christmas Stocking Project, which reaches more than 500 local youth in Monroe and Wayne counties.

Looking forward to fall, the Webster Recreation Center’s annual Pumpkins on Parade has been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. I literally bounced in my chair when I saw the notice, because I enjoy this event so much. Start thinking now about what kind of creative jack-o-lanterns you and your family can carve. Click here to see the Facebook event page for more details.

And of course, you can start your day earlier in the village at Village of Webster’s Trick-or-Treat Trail, scheduled for Saturday Oct. 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. More info here.

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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 “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 8/31/2023)

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4th annual Barry’s Irish Festival is Sept. 16

14 Aug

The entire Village of Webster was saddened by the recent news that our favorite Irish Pub, Barry’s Old School Irish, will be closing its doors in just a few weeks — at least for the short term (we hope).

But the GOOD news is that we can celebrate the pub and all things Irish with Danny and Jessica Barry at the 4th annual Barry’s Irish Festival, scheduled for Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at their farmhouse in Hilton.

This has become a very popular, family-friendly festival for everyone who loves Irish culture, from dancing to music, vendors of Celtic crafts, bagpipers, and of course good Irish brews. There’s always plenty for the kids to do, lots of good food, raffles and games.

You can click here for a lot more details about what’s on the schedule, but here are some highlights:

All day:

  • Food trucks: Webster Hots, Netsin’s Ice Cream, Red Osier, Cheesy Eddie’s, Rustic Taco, Fried Dough and Desserts
  • beer truck
  • craft vendors
  • The Talking Tent where you can explore Irish history
  • Jameson Irish Whiskey reps
  • Clonakilty Irish Whiskey reps
  • the Raffle Castle

Entertainment:

  • 10 a.m.: traditional Irish music session
  • 11:40 a.m.: Gates Keystone Club Police Pipes & Drums
  • Noon: Connemara Social Club
  • 1 p.m.: Jamieson Irish Dance will teach some Irish Dance steps for the kids
  • 1:30 p.m.: Peg Dolan and Sharon McHargue
  • 2:30 p.m.: Jamieson Irish Dance
  • 3 p.m.: Lucky Enough and Everheart
  • 4:30 p.m.: Celtic Cross
  • 5:30 p.m.: Young School of Irish Dance
  • 6 p.m.: Dave North Trio
  • 7:30 p.m.: Gavin Barry and the Rebel Banjo Circus
  • 9 p.m.: 1916

Other highlights:

  • Yoga class courtesy Ryan Barry (10 a.m.)
  • Pick-up soccer game (1 p.m.)
  • Roc City Gaelic on hand to demonstrate hurling
  • Kids’ activities and crafts (noon to 2 p.m.)
  • Corn hole tournament (3 p.m.)
  • Proper 12 Irish Whiskey sampling (2 to 8 p.m)
  • Parade led by the Gates Keystone Police Pipes & Drums (4 p.m.)
  • S’mores kits for everyone (7 p.m.)
  • green and gold eggs hidden throughout the grounds with raffle prizes
  • raffles every hour

The 4th annual Barry’s Irish Festival takes place Saturday Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at The Barry Patch Farm, 2668 Brick Schoolhouse Road, Hilton. Tickets are available at the pub for $15 (2 West Main St., Webster), and can be purchased online here. You can also get them on the day of the festival, when they’ll be $20. Kids 16 and under are free.

Visit the event’s Facebook page for more information, and if you have any questions, email Danny and Jessica at Barrysirishpub@gmail.com.

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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 “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 8/14/2023)



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Harladay Hots: a regular summer stop

29 Jun

I’m pleased to bring you another of my East Extra Afterthoughts installments today.

Afterthoughts is a completely separate blog, where I’m re-posting some of my favorite columns from when I was the Our Towns East Extra columnist for the Democrat and Chronicle.

This particular column was published August 3, 2017. My husband and I happened upon this hot dog cart set up in Pittsford village on one of our occasional bike rides along the canal path. The proprietor was very friendly, he had lots of customers, and he’d been doing business there for years.

It was perfect column fodder, especially since the D&C wanted me to write about Pittsford as often as possible.

Popular hot dog cart makes retirement sweeter for investigator

Pittsford has its fair share of great restaurants, everything from diners to bistros. But every summer weekday, dozens of adults and children swear by one place for lunch in the village: Harladay Hots.

Owned and operated by Charlie Clottin and his wife Bernadette, Harladay Hots is an unassuming hot dog cart at 10 North Main Street, just steps from the village of Pittsford’s four corners. For seven years, it’s been a convenient and tasty lunch option for fresh-grilled hamburgers, white hots, red hots, and sausage or chicken sandwiches.

Charlie first started the business in 2009, immediately after retiring from the City of Rochester Police Department. That job actually gave him idea for the cart.

Click here to go to Afterthoughts and read the rest of the post.

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

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 6/5/2023)

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VOA celebrates mothers in a special way

28 Apr

It’s unusual these days for me to receive a notice about an event I’ve never heard about. But here’s one that’s been going on for 30 years, honoring some of the most important people in our lives: our mothers.

Every year for the past three decades, the Volunteers of America (VOA) have brightened Mother’s Day weekend for senior women throughout the Rochester area. It’s their “I Remember Mama Celebration,” during which they deliver hundreds of gift baskets, filled with flowers, corsages, treats and gifts, to women who have outlived their families or are separated from them.

What a great way to help ease the loneliness these women feel on Mother’s Day.

Volunteers of America works with assisted living communities and senior centers to identify elderly women who are alone. As part of the celebration this year, VOA will be delivering 50 gift baskets to residents of Cobblestone Place in Webster. Other baskets will be delivered to the Catholic Family Center, Family Services of Rochester, Montgomery Neighborhood Center, Jonathan Childs Apartments, Darnforth Towers and Jordan Health. Deliveries begin May 11 and will lead up to Mother’s Day.

VOA is asking community members for their support. With a donation of $45, individuals can sponsor a senior woman, $90 will sponsor two women, or $450 will sponsor ten ladies. Click here to learn how to support the event. Community support is a key component of making this event a success each year. 

Here are a few photos from previous deliveries:

About Volunteers of America Upstate New York: Volunteers of America Upstate New York (VOA) is a local non-profit human service organization that serves more than 6,000 men, women and children annually in Rochester and throughout Upstate New York.  The agency’s mission is to empower people to rise out of poverty, move toward self-reliance, and reach their full potential. VOA offers a wide array of programming in four key areas; early childhood education; supportive housing for homeless and low-income individuals and families, and reentry programs for individuals who are or have been incarcerated, and housing for frail seniors. Visit https://voaupny.org to learn more.

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

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 4/28/2023)

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Webster resident celebrates 100th birthday

14 Mar

A very special celebration was held last Saturday when St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Rochester held a grand 100th birthday party for two of their parishioners, Sister Mary Dismas and Webster resident Ludwika Kardela.  

Ludwika was born on March 8, 1923 and raised in Poland where she married and began her family near the city of Nysa in southern Poland. She and her family emigrated to the United States in 1963 and settled in Rochester. Ludwika has volunteered and cooked for events at the St. Teresa’s and St. Stanislaus Kostka parishes, and has been a fixture at parish events for decades. If you’ve ever been to the St. Stanislaus Polish Festival, you’ve enjoyed her delicious pierogies and cabbage rolls, and definitely got one of her wonderful smiles. Ludwika still cooks for some events to this day. Family from all over the country and Poland came to town to help celebrate her milestone birthday.

Sister Dismas was born on March 11, 1923 and in 2021 marked 80 years of service with the Sisters of Mercy. Sister Dismas spent her school years at St. John the Evangelist and Our Lady of Mercy, where she graduated in 1941. The influence of the Sisters of Mercy led her to enter the order and led her to becoming a teacher for 41 years. Sister Dismas also volunteered with a number of organizations throughout her years and she still resides at the St. Stanislaus convent. 

Along with celebrating Sister Dismas and Ludwika’s birthdays, the parish also celebrated the birthday of Father Roman Caly with a buffet lunch gathering for friends, family and fellow parishioners. 

Many thanks to Ursula Zamora for this great report and 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 3/14/2023)

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