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Community Blood Drive returns this week, with a new twist

4 Jun
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A peek at some of the prizes that can be won at this week’s Webster Community Blood Drive

The Webster Community Blood Drive will return to St. Paul’s Church and the Webster Rec Center this week,  and it’s got a brand new feature this year.

The semi-annual two-day blood drive, heralded by the huge white signs placed all around town, is always one of the most popular and best attended drives of the entire year. It stands out among all others by the tremendous support it receives from Webster businesses.

This year, instead of receiving a packet of coupons, every presenting donor will be handed ten raffle tickets, which can be used to take chances on 30 different prizes provided by local businesses.

The raffle prizes will include:

  • Gift cards from Abbott’s Frozen Custard
  • Gift certificates from Barry’s Old School Irish
  • Paul Mitchell products from Beyond Cuts Salon
  • Gift certificate from The Chicken Coop
  • Gift card from Eastway Liquor
  • Free hair cut certificates from Great Clips
  • Gift basket from Hegedorn’s
  • Gift basket from Kittelberger Florist
  • Grumblers and pint glasses from Knucklehead Craft Brewing
  • Free month of classes from Matsunami Karate
  • Gift certificate from Natural Alternatives
  • Gift certificate from Ron’s Auto Repair
  • Gift certificate from Rubino’s
  • Fruit gift basket from Schutt’s Apple Mill
  • 10 free classes from Strike Back Martial Arts
  • Decorative vase and Lenox candle holders from The Garage Sale Store
  • A free ice cream cake from The Goodie Shoppe
  • Free month’s membership from World Gym

And there will be even more prizes that aren’t on this list.

Donors will also be pleased to hear that not all the coupons are history. One of the most popular coupons of all — from Bruster’s — will be returning. Every presenting donor will receive Bruster’s “Pint for a Pint” coupon, good for a free pint of ice cream or a free ice cream cone.

Wait! There’s  more! On top of all that, each donor will also be handed a free t-shirt from the Red Cross (while supplies last).

The Webster Community Blood Drive is scheduled for Wednesday June 7 at St. Paul’s Church, 783 Hard Road, and Thursday June 8 at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive, from noon to 7 pm each day. Make an appointment by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or by logging onto http://www.redcrossblood.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.

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A shout out to our Special Police

30 May

special police 4

Do you know those Special Police officers you always see working crowd control at parades, helping us cross the street during the carnival, and helping out at accident scenes?

Did you realize they’re all volunteers? Not only that, they have to go through a lot of training just to even become a volunteer.

Here’s a more detailed description from the Town of Webster website:

The Webster Special Police are a group of volunteers, appointed by the Town Board of Webster, whose mission is to assist the Webster Police Department during emergencies and special events. As certified NYS Peace Officers, our goal is to provide citizens with a professional organization that stands ready to fulfill this mission whenever activated. Our vision is to maintain the highest standards of organization, training, and professionalism in order to aid the police department in upholding the laws of the State of New York, County of Monroe, and Town and Village of Webster.

They were out in force during the Memorial Day Parade. I always make it a point to thank them for being there, and this time around I also snapped photos of as many of them as I could to single out this great organization for their service.

So take a look at these faces and when you see them at the Firemen’s Parade, make sure to give them a smile and a “Thanks for being here!” Because they don’t have to be.

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Photos from Webster’s parade

29 May

 

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So the weather could have been a little bit better for Monday’s Memorial Day Parade, but it also could have been a whole lot worse.

This is the first year I can remember that we’ve had any kind of rain for the parade. But even this year it wasn’t too bad; a few sprinkles during the marching, and a shower during the ceremony at Webster Rural Cemetery. The crowds lining Main Street and Ridge Road were noticeably thinner this year, probably thanks to the threatening weather, but there were still plenty of onlookers. Many of them came prepared with umbrellas and pop-ups, or found space under some of the large trees that lined the route.

Despite the dampness, I didn’t hear any grumbling. I think we all realized that the men and women we were honoring had suffered much worse.

The only disappointing thing about the day was seeing how many people forgot to stand when the flag came by.

I’ve posted a few photos here, but there are plenty of more here in my gallery, including some from where everyone was lining up, through to the ceremony.

P. S., if you got any great photos which I can add to my gallery, please email them to missyblog@gmail.com.


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Calling the Webster Schroeder Class of 1977

23 May

class of 77The time is drawing near for the Webster Schroeder Class of 1977’s 40th reunion, and if that means you, you’re going to want to get your tickets soon.

Plans are for a picnic at Webster Park on Sunday July 16, catered by Bad to the Bone Barbecue. A wide variety of craft and mainstream brews will be provided by The Beverage Center in Canandaigua, a store owned by classmate Carlo Jannotti. (There will be plenty of other beverage choices as well for anyone who doesn’t like beer.)

A lot of your classmates have already signed up, but there are still a lot of “missing” ones. So organizers are asking everyone to log onto the event Facebook page to find out who’s on that list and see if you can help track them down. Former teachers are also encouraged to attend.

Tickets for the barbecue dinner can be purchased by clicking here.  To contact the reunion organizers, email hwsclassof77@gmail.com.  For more details about when things are happening and who’s coming, follow the reunion page on Facebook here.

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D&C reporter Gary Craig introduces new book

22 May

History and mystery buffs will be interested in a book-signing event scheduled for Barnes & Noble this Saturday May 27.

My Democrat and Chronicle colleague Gary Craig has just published a new book, titled Seven Million: A Cop, a Priest, a Soldier for the IRA, and the Still-Unsolved Rochester Brink’s Heist.

Gary has spent several years researching and writing the book, and the result is a fascinating, in-depth exploration of one of the twentieth century’s most notorious unsolved crimes.

Here’s some more information about Seven Million, from Amazon.com:

On a freezing night in January 1993, masked gunmen walked through the laughably lax security at the Rochester Brink’s depot, tied up the guards, and unhurriedly made off with $7.4 million in one of the FBI’s top-five armored car heists in history.

Suspicion quickly fell on a retired Rochester cop working security for Brink’s at the time—as well it might. Officer Tom O’Connor had been previously suspected of everything from robbery to murder to complicity with the IRA. One ex-IRA soldier in particular was indebted to O’Connor for smuggling him and his girlfriend into the United States, and when he was caught in New York City with $2 million in cash from the Brink’s heist, prosecutors were certain they finally had enough to nail O’Connor. But they were wrong.

In Seven Million, reporter Gary Craig meticulously unwinds the long skein of leads, half-truths, false starts, and dead ends, taking us from the grim solitary pens of Northern Ireland’s Long Kesh prison to the illegal poker rooms of Manhattan to the cold lakeshore on the Canadian border where the body parts began washing up.

Seven Million is a fascinating real-life tale of cops and FBI agents, prison snitches, the IRA, and the unfortunate fate of one Ronnie Gibbons, a down-and-out boxer who was in on the early planning of the heist, only to disappear after he came to Rochester to demand his cut.

You can learn more about the case, and meet Gary Craig in person this Saturday when he holds a book-signing from 2 to 3 pm at the Webster Barnes & Noble, Towne Center Plaza. Read more about the event on the Barnes & Noble website and event Facebook page.

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It must be summer, because….

17 May

fiesta

… I just received a press release about the St. Rita Fiesta!

This little festival is one of my favorite ones of the entire year, and not just because it’s close to home. There is always so much to do for the whole family, and organizers seem to keep adding new things every year.

This year — the fiesta’s 63rd — there will be a zip line and bounce houses for the kids, and live music by The Breakfast Club and Ruby Shooz. There’ll be an expanded list of food trucks, as well as the fiesta’s traditional pancake breakfast, fish fry dinner, and chicken barbecue. And of course the plant sale and book sale will be back again.

This year’s big raffle prize is $10,000 cash or $15,000 towards a lease from Vision Automotive.

The Fiesta also features  5k and 10k races on Saturday, June 3. I’ve run this race, and it’s a nice flat course which is perfect for strollers and new runners as well as seasoned competitors. The race is followed by a pancake breakfast.

Families can order wristbands early, which gets kids all-access passes to the bounce houses, zip lines, and bungee trampoline at a discounted price. Discount wristbands can be purchased through the Fiesta website or at the St. Rita’s Parish Office.

Admission to the Fiesta is free. For more information, visit the St. Rita Fiesta website. St. Rita Church is located at 1008 Maple Drive in West Webster.

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Mini Webster mailbag

16 May

Just a few interesting notes this morning.

For starters, Webster Schroeder and Webster Thomas high schools will both have new assistant principals next year.

Karen Murray has accepted the position as assistant principal (alpha M-R) for Webster Thomas High School’s Gold House, effective July 1. Murray is replacing current interim assistant principal Jeremy Slack.

New APs for web

Karen Murray and Dan Sepka

Murray, a Webster resident and graduate, previously served as a middle school ELA teacher and literacy specialist at both Spry and Willink middle schools. She also was a high school literacy specialist at Webster Thomas HS.

 

Dan Sepka will be the new assistant principal (alpha A-E) for Webster Schroeder High School, also effective July 1, replacing current interim assistant principal Jim Vitale.

Sepka is currently an integrated co-teacher at Spry Middle School and prior to that, worked for 10 years at State Road Elementary School as a consultant teacher.
He has spent his entire teaching career in Webster CSD as a co-teacher in all subject areas, and has been a Warrior varsity assistant coach since 2005.  He is also a graduate of Webster Schroeder HS and a Webster resident.

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The Webster Parks and Recreation Department has asked me to remind everyone about their great summer camp programs.

Right now is the time to sign up for programs to keep your kids active and entertained this summer. The Rec offers both full-day camps for children ages kindergarten through 5th grade, and fun camps for teenagers.

In full-day camp, kids are grouped by grade and rotate through a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Campers will also enjoy several field trips to miniature golf, Seabreeze, bowling, movies ad more.

The Fun Camps will take teenagers to a new exciting destination every dayfrom ice skating to RocVenture, a baseball game to paintball.

The Rec also offers a preschool camp for children ages 3 to 5, and half-day fun camp for kids in kindergarten through 3rd grade.

For more details about all the options, click here.

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opioidThe Monroe County Legislature and the school district are teaming up for a very important presentation on May 31 to raise awareness about the rising threat of opioid abuse in our community.

The presentation will be held Wednesday May 31 at 7 pm at the Webster Community Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive. Click on the poster for more information.

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Still talkin’ about parks

11 May

park collageA couple of months ago I had the pleasure of speaking to the Adirondack Mountain Club about my 2016 Tour de Parks. The adventure took me to more than 100 parks all over the east side of Rochester.

I had so much fun doing that talk (and I put so much time and effort into preparing it) that I decided to take it on the road.

So if you didn’t catch it in March and would still like to hear about my adventures, there are three more chances to do so in the coming weeks.

This coming Wednesday May 17, I’ll be at the Webster Public Library, 980 Ridge Road, at 7 pm.

Then on Thursday June 1, I’ll be at the Brighton Memorial Library, 2300 Elmwood Ave, at 6:30 pm.

Finally, on Monday June 26 I’ll end my tour (at least for now) at the Pittsford Community Library, 24 State Street, beginning at 7 pm.

Since I’m only doing these talks for fun, the only compensation I asked for was cookies. So no guarantees, but if you’re able to make one of the talks, you might be able to enjoy some oatmeal scotchies. (Actually that makes it worth seeing several times.)

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Webster Rotary invites community members to “Gear Up!”

9 May

rotaryYou’ll read more about this event in my Our Towns East Extra column this Thursday, but I think it’s such a great idea, I wanted to highlight it here in my blog as well.

The Webster Rotary has created a brand new community bike-riding fundraiser in honor of the Rotary Foundation’s 100th year.

The event, called “Gear Up!” is a long-distance community bike ride hosted in conjunction with the Town of Webster, the Webster Chamber of Commerce, and the Friends of Webster Trails. It’s scheduled for this Saturday May 13.

Three different courses have been mapped out. Individual participants can ride 26.5 or 53-mile road routes which take riders as far east as Pultneyville and south to Walworth.

A much shorter, 5-mile long trail ride is designed for families, guiding younger riders and their parents along Webster’s Bird Sanctuary, Chiyoda and Hojack trails. Registration fees are $26.50 for the longer rides, and $45 for the shorter ride, regardless of number of family members participating.

The unusual registration cost and ride distances are based on the fact that the Rotary Foundation began a century ago with a single donation of $26.50.

In addition to this being a nice family event, organizers hope that the longer distances will attract riders who are training for the 100-mile long Ride for Missing Children on May 19 or the Tour de Cure on June 10.

All of the proceeds raised in the Gear Up! ride will benefit the Rotary Foundation and its six areas of focus: clean water, literacy, maternal health, peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention and economic development. This year the Rotary is also focusing on raising money for End Polio Now, an initiative spearheaded by Bill and Melinda Gates.

The Gear Up! benefit bike ride this Saturday May 13 will begin at 8 am at the Webster Parks and Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive. For more information and to register online, click here. Last-minute registrations will also be accepted at the Rec Center the morning of the ride.

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Friday Webster Mailbag

4 May

mailbag

The Penfield Village Nursery School will be sponsoring a golf tournament on Friday June 2 to help celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary.

The tournament, held at Shadow Lake Country Club in Penfield, costs $100 per player, which includes 18 holes, a golf cart, and goodie bag, raffles and lunch.

Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. and play begins at noon.

Interested players, sponsors or businesses interested in donating prizes should contact Kacey Kiley at kldunbar@yahoo.com.  Organizers ask that completed registration forms and payment be submitted by May 15.

The Penfield Village Nursery School and Kindergarten is located at 1862 Penfield Road. Read more about the school in a blog I wrote about them last fall.

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The Webster Arboretum Plant Sale will return on Saturday May 13, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Arboretum, 1700 Shlegel Road.

Visitors will find plants of all varieties offered for sale by the Arboretum, local commercial growers and local clubs. The Country Gardeners of Webster Garden Club members have chosen selected plants from their own gardens. What this means is that all of the plants for sale will definitely grow in Webster with some sun, water and your tender loving care.

Celebrate the much-anticipated arrival of spring by stopping by the Webster Arboretum on he 13th and get some new plants for your garden (and maybe a Mother’s Day gift). Admission is free and the event happens rain or shine.

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And the accolades for our Webster music teachers just keep on coming.

The College Board has appointed Webster Central School District’s Laura D’Angelo to its Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory Development Committee.

D’Angelo has been teaching music for 23 years, 20 in Webster Central School District where she presently teaches Music Theory I and AP Music Theory at both high schools. Laura currently serves The College Board by grading AP Music Theory exams. She also has been a speaker at the AP National Conference, as well as at the reading sessions for AP Music Theory.

“We have one of, if not the, biggest high school music theory programs in the nation. When I go to Cincinnati to grade exams (for the AP board), Webster is very well known for our program. I am extremely fortunate to be in a district that supports this program,” D’Angelo said.

D’Angelo’s three-year appointment to the AP Music Theory Development Committee will begin in July.

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In other school news, remember that the Board of Education and budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday May 16th, from 6 am to 9 pm at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Road.

You get find out more about the proposed budget by clicking here, and you can meet the Board of Education candidates Wednesday May 10 at 7 pm in the Spry Middle School auditorium. Four candidates are running for three positions this year. They are: Andy LaManna, Mike Suffoletto, Bill Kent and Jan Strege.

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