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Saying farewell to our fallen, and how you can help

30 Dec

Click on the photo to see Mike Chiapperini’s obituary.

Today begins a very sad weekend for Webster, as we bid goodbye to two of our family members. If you would like to attend the calling hours and/or funerals, here are the details:

* Calling hours will be held for both firefighters at Webster Schroeder High School this evening for firefighters, police and first

responders. Webster community members will have a chance to pay their respects tomorrow (Saturday) from noon to 3 pm and 6 to 9 pm, also at Schroeder.  Parking will probably be limited, so people are encouraged to carpool, and a shuttle bus will be running regularly from Webster Thomas High School.

* Funeral services for Mike Chiapperini will be held at Webster Schroeder at noon on Sunday.

* Tomasz Kaczowka‘s service will be held on Monday at 10 am at Saint Stanislaus Church on Hudson Avenue.

 

Click on the photo to see Tomasz Kaczowka’s obituary.

Many Webster residents have offered to open up their homes to firefighters expected to be flying in from all over the country to attend the services.  But arrangements are being made through the fire district to house everyone in hotel rooms, at no cost to them.  Residents are welcome to join that effort by “donating” a hotel room. Many others have already done so, as you can see on this Facebook page.

Naturally, many other fund-raising efforts have sprung up in recent days as we all try to come to terms with our grief.  I don’t for a second think I know about all of them, but here are a few which have come to my attention:

This from Hegedorns:

Hegedorns Market has been serving the Webster community since 1953.  We feel an obligation to help provide for the families of the injured and fallen heroes of the West Webster Fire Department.  We have setup an avenue … at the cash registers at our store to donate.  While we have set a lofty goal, no amount of money can bring back a loved one or fully heal a devastating injury.  But as we have said, we feel we need to help in any way that we can.  Thank you.

This from Pizzeria UNO:

We’ll be hosting the ‘Dough Raiser’ at UNO this Friday through Sunday, December 28-30. Guests who would like to participate in the fundraiser can either go to our Facebook page (Uno Chicago Grill Webster) and print off a voucher, or ask for one at the host desk when the arrive. Up to 20% of their check from dining in or ordering take out will go directly to the West Webster Volunteer Firemen’s Association.

 And of course, you can also donate directly to the West Webster Firemen’s Association through their donation page.  They are particularly asking people to do this in lieu of flowers for the funerals.

Finally, I have had a few question from people who would like to donate time or service rather than money. For that, I quote from the D&C’s Flavors of Rochester blog by Tracy Schumacher:

The Hampton Inn at 878 Hard Road in Webster will be hosting a number of receptions for visitors in town as well as any family members that may want to gather. They will be held 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to noon Saturday; 10 a.m. to noon Sunday; and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. These dates and times came from a great Facebook Page called Prayer and Support for Webster Firefighters…The hotel welcomes volunteers to help serve, as well as donations of food or beverages. The phone number to call to volunteer and/or donate is (585) 671-2050.

 

Lighting of the Lights in the village this evening

15 Dec

If you think of all the twinkly village decorations, and the White Christmas and Parade of Lights as a big Christmas gift to Webster, then tonight’s event is like a big bow on top.

Tonight is the annual Lighting of the Lights, from 4- 8 pm at Hanks Ice Cream and Taylor Rental on North Avenue.  The fun starts with a Chili for Charity Cook-off  from 4-6 pm. It’s not supposed to be bitterly cold, but  some nice hot chili will be very welcome nonetheless. Immediately after the cook-off, Santa and his elves will arrive.

Then, at 6:30 comes the spectacular Lighting of the Holiday Lights and fireworks. Plus, there will also be a raffle featuring dozens of prizes donated by local businesses.  Proceeds will benefit Webster Comfort Care and the Finger Lakes Regional Burn Association.

So make it a whole evening tonight. Bring the family down to the village, do a little shopping, sample a little chili, say hi to Santa, and enjoy the holiday, Webster-style.

 

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree…

29 Nov

Festival of TreesWhen you’re in town this weekend for White Christmas in the Village, make sure to stop by the Webster Museum on Lapham Park, where the museum’s annual Holiday Festival of Trees is in full swing.

Adorable little 4-foot tall trees are set up throughout the museum, each of which has been adopted and decorated by an individual, family or local organizations.  When I went over to the museum yesterday to see them for myself, I was delighted by the variety of themes and decorations.  There were already probably a dozen trees already completed, and some folks were there putting the touches on a few more while I was there.

Hard at work on the Troop 60502 tree are (l-r) Anna Langfitt, Margie Bowen and Linda Bowen. It’s called “Brownies Buggin’ Out.”

All the trees will be done and ready for viewing by Saturday afternoon just in time for the village’s White Christmas.  From 2:00-4:30 pm the public is invited to tour the museum and vote for a favorite tree. Voting will continue through December 29 and winners will be announced after the first of the year.

And by the way…. this year for the first time, the museum is also holding a holiday raffle with some terrific prizes. For your $5 entry fee, you can take a chance on some great prizes, all donated by local businesses, including:

* fresh Christmas trees from Bauman Farms, Wilbert’s Farm Market and Woody Acres;
* a holiday wreath from Kittleberger Florist & Gifts;
* a “kissing crystal” from Kunz’s Christmas Shoppe;
* a “kissing ball” from Harris Garden Center;
* handcrafted wood shelves from David Schoff Nursery & Woodworking; and
* a tabletop tree from Freckleton’s Tree Farm.

So make sure you get your name into that raffle when you stop by this weekend. Entries will be accepted through Tuesday December 4, and the drawing will be held on Wednesday December 5.  (But I’m going to win the Christmas tree. Just sayin’.)

 

This very red tree was one of my favorites, created by Diane Fahl-Slattery.

I also loved this one, by the Webster Quilt Guild.

 

 

The holidays begin in Webster this weekend

29 Nov

A float from last year’s Parade of Lights

The holiday season in Webster officially kicks off this Saturday December 1 with White Christmas in the Village and the Holiday Parade of Lights, two of my favorite events of the entire year. It’s the first of three special event weekends in the village, leading right up to Christmas.

This Saturday the festivities begin at 3 pm with horse wagon rides, a bounce house for the kids, and cookie decorating sponsored by Hegedorn’s.  And of course Santa will be there; he arrives at Village Hall at 4 pm.

The whole schedule looks like this:

Horse wagon rides, 3:00 – 6:00
Bounce house, 3:00 – 6:00
Storytelling, 4:00
Webster Thomas String Quartets at Kittlebergers, 3:30 – 5:00
Hegedorn’s Cookie Decorating, 4:00 ’til
Rochester Rhapsody, 4:30
The Magic Guy, 4:30
Church of the Good Shepherd Chime Choir 5:00 – 6:00
Thomas High School Carolers 5:00 – 6:00

The evening’s festivities end in spectacular fashion with the Electric Parade down Main Street beginning at 6:30 pm.

And don’t forget to stop into some of the village shops while you’re there, to finish up your Christmas shopping. I know that Barry’s will have entertainment by Ken Snyder and Trace Wilkins, and guaranteed there”ll be plenty of action at Coach and Hatter’s as well.

P.S.  I can’t be there Saturday for the parade. If you take any photos, can you send some along for the blog?

* * *

If you’d like to do something a little bit different instead Saturday night, join the Friends of Webster Trails for a “Full Moon Hot Cocoa Hike” Saturday night at 7:00pm at the Whiting Road Nature Preserve.  It should be a beautiful night for a hike, and a great chance to make some new friends. Click here for complete details and to sign up for the event.

 

Webster’s wonderful Christmas

20 Nov

Driving through town last night, I noticed the snowflakes have been put up on the light poles. They reminded me how much I love Christmastime in Webster.  It’s a time when our cute little town becomes even more charming. The trees twinkle, the shopkeepers’ windows glow with holiday displays, the gazebo comes alive with colorful Christmas lights.  Add a gently falling snow and we’ve got our own little Bedford Falls.

The village offers several opportunities to envelop yourself in this holiday feeling. Aside from the great shopping, of course.  I’ll come back atcha with more details about these soon, but mark your calendars now for:

Saturday, December 1: White Christmas in the Village and the Parade of Lights, 3-7:30 pm, all along Main Street

Saturday December 8: The 2012 Webster Village Band Holiday Concert,  Schroeder High School

Saturday December 15: Lighting of the Lights, 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Hanks Ice Cream235 North Avenue & Taylor Rental, 205 North Avenue

You can check out the Village website for more information or just check back here in the coming days to find out more about these terrific events.

Thursday mailbag

15 Nov

Today’s mailbag features three very neat events happening today and tonight, so I hope you didn’t have many plans.

The Maplewood’s annual Holiday Bazaar takes place today and tomorrow from 10 am to 5 pm both days. This is always a very popular event which is open to the public and features crafts, a bake sale and a raffle. Vendors will set up their booths in The Maplewood’s Eastman Lounge.  There should be plenty of on-site parking thanks to The Maplewood’s new West Main Street entrance and parking area.

Funds raised during the bazaar will benefit two local charities, Webster Comfort Care Home and Webster Hope House.

A look at last year’s Holiday Bazaar at The Maplewood.

The Maplewood Nursing Home is located at 100 Daniel Drive in the village of Webster.

* * *

Fans of American Idol will like this very special event happening this afternoon at Henderson Ford, 810 Ridge Road.  It’s called the Go Further With Ford Night; customers who stop by Henderson Ford from 4:30 to 7:30 today will have a chance to test their judging skills with American Idol and get a chance to win a unique VIP experience during the show’s 12th season.

A computer with a webcam will be set up in the dealership to allow consumers to view a special message from Ryan Seacrest and test their judging skills on camera, in true American Idol style. Contest entries will be sent back to Ford’s program headquarters, where a team of experts will evaluate and select one winner to receive an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Hollywood and a unique VIP experience with American Idol.

For each person who attends Go Further with Ford Night today, Ford Motor Company will donate $10, up to $500, to Moose Charities, and Henderson Ford will match that offer.

Anyone 18 years and older who’s interested in participating in Go Further with Ford Night may preregister for the event at www.gofurtherwithfordnight.com and be entered for a chance to win tickets to a live taping of American Idol.

* * *

Finally, don’t miss the Third Annual GIRLS NIGHT OUT…HOLIDAY BAZAAR at Hatter’s Pub this evening from 7-9 pm.

It’s a special night for the ladies, featuring Lia Sophia Jewelry, Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, Dove Chocolates, Party Lite Gifts, uuthor Sharon Grace, Webster Gourmet and more. Plus,  Ellie’s Gluten-Free Bakery will be there will samples, and Budweiser will be offering samples of their new Gluten-Free beer.

This year for the first time, the event has partnered with the Webster Food Cupboard. Guests are asked to bring donations of non-perishable food items or $5 gift certificates from area grocery stores.

What a great event for a great cause. C’mon ladies … check it out!  Hatter’s Pub is located at 5 West Main Street in Webster.

 

 

Webster folks doing their part for literacy

8 Nov

Book Festival patrons can take a chance on winning this gorgeous quilt from Altrusa.

Book lovers from all over the state will gather this weekend at MCC for the Rochester Area Children’s Writers and Illustrators Annual Book Festival, and some Webster folks are going to be right in the middle of it.

Those folks are members of the Rochester branch of Altrusa International, a service organization dedicated to promote literacy worldwide.  Webster resident — and Altrusa member — Karen Marquardt has really taken that mission to heart.  Karen has befriended city school librarians and has learned how under-funded they are. To help, she scours public library used book sales, and using Altrusa funds, stocks up on books to donate to city schools. She recently donated more than 800 books to School 42, including 149 which she picked up at the Webster Public Library book sale for just $89.

Altrusa will be hosting a table at Saturday’s book festival, and accepting monetary and book donations to support their city school cause.  They’ll also be raffling off a beautiful quilt; anyone who donates a dollar or a book will receive a raffle ticket.

The Book Festival itself is a book-lover’s wonderland, a full day of author talks, workshops, presentations, activities and story-reading.  Plus there’s all sorts of information and vendor booths. Popular authors including Vivian Vande Velde and Linda Sue Park will be on hand to chat and sign your books.

The Festival runs Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm at Monroe Community College in Brighton. For more information, check out the Rochester Children’s Book Festival website here.

 

I’m gonna miss Election Day.

6 Nov

OK folks, it’s finally here. Election Day. We’ve been looking forward to this day more than Christmas. Our gifts after all this is done: Fewer phone calls. Fewer strangers knocking on our front doors. A LOT less mail.

Come to think about it, that sounds like a very lonely existence. Maybe we should do this again in a few months….

News from our Webster Trails Friends

2 Nov

I’m playing catch-up again today.

The photo below was taken at an event which I attended last Saturday at the invitation of the Friends of Webster Trails. It was the Friends’ annual Volunteer Recognition gathering and Open House, held at the Whiting Road Nature Preserve. Its purpose was to celebrate and thank all the volunteers and youth groups who contributed about 3000 hours of hard labor to build and maintain the trails this year.

The photo represents only a fraction of the dedicated volunteers who provide thousands of hours of hard labor every summer creating and maintaining the miles upon miles of beautiful trails that wind through our town.  We owe these folks and all the others not pictured a huge debt of thanks.

(L-R) Rich Morrill, Ron Happ, Buzz Weetman, Larry Yost, Craig Pratt, Dennis Kuhn, Sharon Galbraith, Hal Harris and Judy Harris

This year the Friends opened the second phase of the Green Trail in the northern section of Whiting Road Nature Preserve.  They also oversaw the opening of the Hojack Trail extension through the village. And thanks in large part to some invaluable assistance from the Scouts, the Friends also made tremendous strides in creating and extending the brand new trail system at Four Mile Creek Preserve at Phillips and Lake roads.  Not only that, within the next few weeks the Town Highway Department should be creating a new parking lot at Four Mile Creek, with help from several local contractors who will be donating their services.  The lot will allow access to the trail-head for a .8-mile loop trail and for fishing access to Four Mile Creek.

A special shout-out to these Scouts who contributed greatly to this summer’s efforts:

From Troop 262:

Graham Price built a 20′ bridge and did trail work at Four Mile Creek Preserve
Sam Lewis built three benches, two tables and did trail work at Four Mile Creek Preserve
Andrew Fulkerson built a bench and 24-foot boardwalk, and did trail work at Whiting Road Nature Preserve.
Christopher Peffley built a 40-foot boardwalk and did habitat and trail work at John Ungar Nature Trail
Michael Hohl built three benches and a 16-foot boardwalk, and did trail work at Gosnell Park Big Woods

From Troop 108:

Peter Armbruster, built an 8-foot split-rail fence and did trail work at Whiting Road Nature Preserve
Wes Britton built a kiosk at Gosnell Park Big Woods

From Troop 163: David Brunette built a bench and table and did some weed whacking at Four Mile Creek Preserve

From Troop 363: Will Cobb built a table and did some gravel work at Bird Sanctuary Trail

CHECK OUT THE TRAILS FOR YOURSELF

This weekend is the perfect opportunity for you to check out some of this fine trail work for yourself.

The Friends are hosting a Hike Around Webster Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. And literally, that’s what’s going to happen. The hike will begin at 10 am at Vosburg Hollow Nature Trail parking lot and for the next 4-5 hours will meander through the Friends’ extensive interconnected trail system.

Wear comfortable foot gear and hiking clothes (layers are good). Bring water and a lunch, Homemade cookies will be provided mid-hike at the lunch break. For details about where the hike will go, and to RSVP, click here.

It looks like we might actually see some sun on Sunday, to celebrate with a great autumn  hike!

 

 

An anniversary party to remember

30 Oct

The Barry’s gang, all dressed up for the occasion.

The Village of Webster came together in a big way Saturday night to congratulate Danny and Jessica Barry on a very successful first year of business for Barry’s Old School Irish.

The little pub on the village’s four corners was standing-room only all evening as friends old and new came to lift a pint and help celebrate. Several special guests were also in the crowd, including Mayor Elder and his wife Pam, board member Jude Lancy and “Village Focus” writer Carol Klem.

The reason everyone wanted to be there was simple: Barry’s Old School Irish has done wonders to revitalize this village. Danny and Jessica Barry are not only two of the nicest people I’ve ever met, they have created a place where anyone who comes through the door feels like family. My friend Chris summed it up perfectly when he said, “Coming here has always felt like coming to somebody’s house; somebody’s living room, kitchen.”

Halfway through the evening, several patrons accepted the invitation to come up and tell the Danny and Jessica – and the assembled crowd – what Barry’s has meant to them. After that, the entire pub serenaded the young couple with a song written especially for them.

You can check out videos from both events by clicking on the images below.

Jess and Danny Barry listen as pub patrons tell them exactly what they think of their little pub. (Click on the photo for a video)

Barry’s Crossing performs “The Ballad of Barry’s.” (Click on the photo for a video)

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