If you were disappointed that Jimmy Buffett Night at Lala of Webster was postponed last April, I have good news! It’s been rescheduled for Thursday night June 9, and it’s actually bigger and better than the original event was going to be.
From 5 to 7 p.m., Lala will be featuring Jimmy Buffett-themed music, food and drink. Everyone’s encouraged to come dressed in your favorite tropical attire and bright colors, and escape for some beach-time (or at least beach-like) fun.
The party continues next door at Jojo Bistro and Wine Bar, which will have live music and be serving up some tropical drink specials (like a Strawberry Margarita, Coconut Mojito and a non-alcoholic Strawberry Breeze) and snacks (including coconut shrimp).
Need dinner? Across the street, Webster Hots will be grilling up a Cheeseburger in Paradise combo, featuring a burger and fries for $8 or two burgers and a large fry for $13. It’s the same burger served in the actual Jimmy Buffet Restaurant.
So make sure to head into the village this Thursday night and kick your summer off in a fun way. (P.S. keep an eye out for parrots.)
Lala of Webster is located at 38 East Main Street.
Webster’s two spray parks are now open for the season, at Ridgecrest Park (off of Ebner Drive) and the beautiful, relatively new, First Responders Spray Park near the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Dr.
The First Responders Park (pictured here) is especially fun for kids and families. It’s a firefighter-themed playground and splash pad, with a nearby pavilion. The splash pad has all sorts of water-fun features including a fire hydrant, a dalmatian fountain and fire truck slide.
The SECOND sign of summer to which I referred is the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market, which returns to Wewbster Towne Plaza (Target Plaza) this Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.
If you’ve never been to this market you should start making it a regular Saturday morning stop. Varying with the season, you’ll find baked goods, pies, meats, poultry, goat cheese and goat cheese products, flavored nuts, herbs, spice blends, honey, maple syrup, cider, soap and body care products, plants and cut flowers, jewelry, crafts and of course a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
This year the market is introducing something new as well, “An Evening in the Park.” Every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. in July and August the market will also set up at Charles Sexton Memorial Park (formerly North Ponds), between Rt. 250 and Holt Rd. The evenings will feature live music and food trucks as well as the vendors you’ve come to know and love.
Events at Cherry Ridge assisted living community have been rather limited the last two years, but — finally — the free summer concert series has returned.
The series kicks off on Tuesday June 14 with the always popular GateSwingers Big Band, an impressive 19-piece band featuring music from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and present day. On Tuesday July 19, Mr. Mustard makes its Cherry Ridge debut. This four-piece Beatles tribute band plays tunes that captivated an entire generation and you’re sure to know (if you’re cool and hip).
The concerts are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m., and food concessions begin at 5:30. You’ll want to bring your own lawn chair or blankets.
Cherry Ridge is located at 900 Cherry Ridge Blvd., across the street from Webster Schroeder High School.
June programs at the Webster Public Library
On Tuesday June 7 from 2 to 3 p.m., join Christine Simons for a digital tour of various Normandy beaches on D-Day. The presentation will also feature some French memorial museums, an American cemetery and memorial, and the Island of Guernsey, comparing how it is now to when it was occupied by Germany in WWII.
This summer’s Webster Library reading program for adults is called “Oceans of Possibilities.” All summer long, participants will enjoy ocean-themed reading challenges, prizes, book discussions, crafts and movies. On Tuesday June 21, stop by the library from 1 to 4 p.m. for a preview of the program, and enjoy some tasty treats. No registration is required.
Here are two fun crafts for teens and tweens:
Monday June 13, 6 to 7 p.m., a yarn wall hanging. Teens grades 4-12 and adults are welcome. Register here.
Thursday June 30, 11 a.m. to noon, come paint an ocean scene! All materials and instruction are provided. Teens grades 4-12 are welcome. Register here.
Here’s some summer fun for children and families:
Tuesday June 14, 10 to 11:30 a.m., The Marina Drive-in! Start off the morning in the storyroom decorating personal boats, then take a drive over to the Boat Marina (community room) to watch a short movie. You can even bring your boat home to continue the fun. Children ages 2 to 5 are welcome. Register here.
Tuesday June 28, 2 to 3 p.m., bring the entire family to play Ocean BINGO and kick off the summer reading program. All ages are welcome. Register here.
This month’s make-and-take crafts:
Watermelon craft (for the kids)
Rainbow-beaded suncatcher (for teens)
DIY shelf decor (for adults)
Materials are available while supplies last.
The 2022 Tour de Cure, the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) premier cycling event, is returning to Webster on June 11.
This huge events draws cyclists from all over the area, riding courses ranging from 12 to 100 miles. It’s the ADA’s largest fundraising event of the year, and they could use your help.
Organizers are looking for cyclists to participate, and volunteers to help with the logistics. The event begins and ends at the Xerox campus in Webster, and is very well organized. Routes are available for all ages and abilities, and it’s not too late to sign up.
If you’d like more information about participating, click here. If you’re interested in volunteering, click here.
This notice from the school district:
All of Webster CSD’s students need to turn in their school-issued electronic devices by the end of this school year, and in August returning students will be provided a new device for the 2022-23 school year.
The district’s Transforming Learning through Technology (TLT) initiative puts a Chromebook in the hands of all One Webster students grades 3-12 and an iPad in the hands of all of our K-2 students, so they may take the devices back and forth from home to school to extend their learning beyond the traditional school day. As part of TLT, the devices are replaced every three years. All Webster CSD student devices will be replaced this year.
Elementary students should return their devices to their classroom teachers by the end of this school year. Secondary students are asked turn in their devices according to the following schedule:
Spry and Willink middle schools – June 16 and 17 during lunch and June 21 before the Checkpoint exam.
Webster Thomas High School – return devices to the WTI room:
June 8, 8:00-11:00 a.m.
June 9, noon-3:00 p.m.
June 10, 8:00-11:00 a.m.
June 13, all day
Webster Schroeder High School – return devices to the cafeteria:
June 8, noon-3:00 p.m.
June 9, 8:00-11:00 a.m.
June 10, noon-3:00 p.m.
June 13, all day
New Chromebooks are being made available for pickup August 22 to 24, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and August 25 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Willink Middle School, 900 Publishers Parkway. For parents/guardians unable to attend one of these dates to pick up their child’s device, student devices will be delivered directly to the students during the first week of school.
Lots of fun family-friendly activities are coming up later this month, including a village-wide sidewalk sale, the first Family Games and Beer Night of the summer, and the start of the Movies in the Park. Stay tuned for more details about all of these events, and stay on top of everything going on in the village at www.websterbid.com.
The Webster Museum has come up with a very interesting and fun way to learn more about West Webster history, and some of the people who lived there … and are buried there.
On Sunday June 19, from 2 to 4 p.m., the museum will host an historical tour of the West Webster Cemetery, featuring a dozen reenactors portraying many of the former residents who now rest there. The characters will be hanging out by their gravestones, awaiting visitors to wander by and hear their stories.
What’s going to be really fun about this day is that I have volunteered to be one of the reenactors. I chose to portray Martha Cottreall, who died in 1934 at the age of 72. I’ll talk about my life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and especially about the accomplishments of my husband — who participated in a famous Arctic rescue operation — and son, who fought in WWI. (If you ever wanted to meet me, this would be a great chance!)
Tour visitors will also hear from Angelina Aldridge (wife of John O. Aldridge), Ebenezer Cook, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Drake, and Sylvester Brewer (who will talk about the Civil War and the Army of the Grand Republic), among others.
It should be a fascinating way to learn more about our town’s oldest cemetery, and to hear some of the memories of West Webster’s past, spoken by voices of the present.
There’s no charge to attend the event, but donations are always gratefully accepted. Attendees are being asked to park at St. Rita’s Church, across Maple Dr. from the cemetery. NO PARKING signs will be posted along Old Ridge Rd. and Maple Dr.
If you’d like to learn more about the cemetery before Sunday’s tour, you’re invited to attend a presentation at the museum on Saturday, June 18 at 2 p.m. when Peter Elder will talk about the cemetery’s history.
The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Webster Thomas Drama Club normally likes to stage their annual production in the fall. But this year, due to COVID restrictions, they decided to postpone it until spring in the hopes of being able to perform in front of a live audience.
Their efforts have paid off big time. Not only will the audience be treated to a live show, but will also see it performed outside on a brand new stage built by the GeoTech class in the school’s Gold House courtyard.
This inaugural Thomas Courtyard Stage production, called The Neighbors, is a collection of one-act plays written by Thomas students, all set in a townhouse complex (the two photos are from rehearsal). The show will include:
The Party, by Giuliana DiTullio: Five college seniors wake up in their trashed apartment after a night of poor choices. With family on the way, can they clean up their act in time?
The Will, by Kilian Laird: A dysfunctional family comes together for the reading of Grandma’s will. Can the estranged sisters set aside years of petty bickering?
The Heirloom, by Frank Russo: A sibling rivalry blows up, and Dad’s precious family heirloom is caught in the cross-fire. Can Freddy prove his innocence?
The Ghost, by Jenna Dow: Rosalind and Charlie come home for her mother’s funeral, but strange things are afoot.
The Mouse, by Catherine Magaw: Moving to take care of an elderly mother is hard enough, but Christine and George weren’t planning on a little houseguest.
The show will hit the stage on Thursday June 9 and Friday June 10 at 7:30 p.m. each evening. General admission tickets, available at the door, will be $10. Signs around the building will guide theater-goers to the new stage, but it’s easiest to park in the northeast parking lot by the Field House.
Director Mark Stoetzel and his students are very excited about the new stage. It’s been in the works for months, and is very sturdy and attractive, complete with a pergola. I’m certain the school will get a lot of use out of it in years to come. Below are a few photos from the design and construction phase.
The bi-annual Webster Community Blood Drive returns next week, on Wednesday and Thursday June 1 and 2, and it’s coming at a critical time.
The American Red Cross is facing a national blood crisis, its worst blood shortage in more than a decade. As a result, doctors have been forced to make difficult decisions about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait until more products become available. Blood and platelet donations are critically needed to help prevent further delays in vital medical treatments.
So Webster, that means next week we really need to step up to the plate.
The two-day drive will be held Wednesday June 1 and Thursday June 2, from noon to 7 p.m., both days at the Firemen’s Exempt Building, 172 Sanford St.
Regular Community Blood Drive donors will be pleased to know that Bruster’s will once again be offering a coupon to every presenting donor, good for a free small cone or dish of ice cream. The Red Cross will also be giving all donors a $5 e-gift card, good for use at a merchant of their choice. (Make sure your donor account is up to date so you can get the email.)
Walk-ins will be accommodated, but it’s always best to make an appointment. Visit redcrossblood.org and enter “webstercommunity” to schedule your appointment. Or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). And make sure to fill out your RapidPass on the day of your donation to save at least 15 minutes.
This is also your last opportunity to have your blood tested — for free — for COVID antibodies, which will be done for every donation through June 3.
This is always one of the best-attended drives of the entire year, and the Red Cross really has come to count on our community in times like these. Let’s not let them down.
In the years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve met countless wonderful people; business owners, residents, special event chairpeople, grass-roots organizers. Together, they comprise the fabric of our community.
Through those years, and all those people, there’s always been one constant: the Special Police.
At every one of our town’s special events, I’d invariably see these dedicated volunteers helping with crowds and traffic control, and directing traffic at accident scenes. I’ve always appreciated their expertise, professionalism and good nature.
That’s why I was saddened to hear that Webster’s Special Police Department was being eliminated.
I heard rumors a while ago that such a decision was in the works, but I guess I was hoping I’d heard wrong, or at least something could be worked out with the Town to salvage this important service. But then, a few days ago, I got an email from Michael Charland, the most recent Chief of Special Police, confirming that the department is truly gone.
Michael gave me some background about how the whole thing went down. I’m not going to get into detail about that and the politics that were involved. (To read more of the story, check out the letter to the editor in last week’s Webster Herald.) But he did include some history which I thought was interesting.
He wrote,
Our unit began as the Webster Auxiliary Police under NYS Civil Defense guidelines back in 1953, and evolved into a Special Police organization in 1997 when the NYS Town Laws were changed. We generally had about 25 volunteer officers that served the Webster Police Department in law enforcement roles whenever called upon to do so. All of our officers were trained at the Monroe County Public Safety Training Facility and certified as NYS Peace Officers.
The town never fully utilized all of the powers that NY State granted to us over the years. Typically they utilized our members to do more routine duties such as traffic control, some patrol details, or provide security at large public gatherings, which we were happy to do. Other duties included providing court security to the town justice court, and 24/7 emergency response to fatal MVAs, storms, crime scenes, etc. where we generally provided a secure perimeter for the WPD to conduct their work.
I’m going to miss not seeing Special Police officers at our special events. Like the upcoming Memorial Day Parade; they’d always be there in force, on bike and on foot, and they were always happy to smile for my camera.
Thank you for your service, Special Police officers.
Here are some of my photos from previous blogs, and a few provided by Michael.
It’s called the Family Fun Night. From 6 to 8 p.m., there’ll be food trucks, concessions, and tables set up by local community groups. It looks like it’s going to be a very nice night weather-wise, so bring the whole family! Registration is NOT required.
Speaking of Webster Parks and Recreation, I got some news a short time ago that the Rec Center’s awesome Mud Run will be back again this September.
Last year’s first-ever Mud Run was so well received, they started making plans almost immediately for this year’s event. They promise it’s going to be even bigger and better (that might mean messier) than the first. It’s scheduled for Saturday Sept. 17, with the first wave going off at 10 a.m.
Here are a few pictures from last year. Stay tuned for more details, but make sure to get this one on your calendar now!
Don’t forget about Saturday’s Webster Wine Walk, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Village of Webster. Glass pickup will be at Webster Interiors, 975 Ebner Dr. from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15 (plus sales tax and fees) and are available here. For more information, visit the Webster BID website.
The Friends of Webster Trails invites concerned nature-lovers to join them for a Trail Work Day this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Four Mile Creek Preserve, at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads.
They’ll be working on creating a new trail in the preserve. If you have them, bring along a shovel, wheelbarrow, lopper and/or mattock. Make sure to wear gloves, long sleeves and long pants.
Also this Saturday, don’t forget about the second annual Duck Derby hosted by Webster Comfort Care Home.
You can read this blog for more details, but basically, participants purchase rubber duckies for $5 each, and each has a number on it. At the appointed time, the ducks are dumped into Mill Creek, where they leisurely float down towards the lake. The “owners” of the first three ducks to cross the finish line win cash prizes.
Because the ducks take a while to meander downstream, there will be other activities to keep everyone busy while you’re waiting.
The race will begin at the Webster Park Beeches Pavilion at 10 a.m. on Saturday May 21. There’s plenty of parking. Ducks can be purchased online here, by calling 585-872-5290, emailing Director@webstercomfortcare.org, or by stopping by the Webster Comfort Care Home at the corner of Holt and Klem. Payment is accepted by cash, check or credit card, and PayPal online. Tickets are available now.
Need pancakes? The Williamson Flying Club’s annual Pancake Breakfast takes place this Sunday, May 22 from 7 a.m. to noon at the club, 5502 Rt. 104, rain or shine.
In addition to a great breakfast, there’ll be airplane and helicopter rides. Cost for $6 for kids, $10 for adults. Presale tickets are available by clicking here.
You can fly in or drive in, but if you drive, please enter from Centenary Rd.
You’ll want to enter the museum very cautiously for the next few months, because Godzilla is waiting to greet you in a BIG way.
He’ll glare at you (and perhaps even growl at you) from a striking poster provided to the museum by Lenny Schwartz, long-time manager of the much-missed Empire Drive-in theater. In the new exhibit, you’ll learn more about Lenny and the drive-in, and read memories of Webster residents who took their pajama-clad kids to the drive-in from March through December in years gone by. (Maybe you were one of them?)
Check out the impressive exhibit at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. The museum is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
Next week is National EMS Week, an annual opportunity for community members to learn more about our local first responders — who they are, what they do, what kind of training they require, and more.
National EMS Week, this year scheduled from May 15 to 21, celebrates our area’s EMTs, paramedics and other staff members. As part of the week-long observance, Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support and Webster Emergency Medical Services are hosting a variety of community events at their EMS base, 1030 Jackson Road in Webster.
It all begins Saturday May 14, when local artists Music of the Stars will hold a concert at the EMS facility. Moondance will open the show from 4 to 7 p.m. and Music of the Stars will play from 7:30 to 10 p.m. There’ll be food and adult beverage trucks beginning at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance (click here to purchase) and $25 at the door.
On Sunday May 15, NEQALS will host a Community Health Fair and Open House from noon to 4 p.m. More than 20 area organizations will be at the fair including local law enforcement, University of Rochester’s Mobile Stroke Unit and a variety of health and wellness businesses. Attendees can get hands-on experience with EMS equipment, see EMS demonstrations from professionals, register for the bone marrow donor list, take photos with Doc McStuffins and tour the state-of-the-art EMS base and ambulances.
Other events this coming week include:
Monday May 16: WHEN’s Narcan/Naloxone Training, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday May 17: Stroke Recognition Training, 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday May 18: Community CPR Training, 7 to 9 p.m.
Thurday May 19: Stop the Bleed Training, 6 to 8 p.m.
All of the training sessions will be held at the EMS Base, 1030 Jackson Rd. They’re free of charge, and all require registration EXCEPT the Stroke Recognition Training. To register, email community.education@neqals.org and include your name, address, email address, phone number, the event and date.
Parking will be at the EMS Base. If necessary, overflow parking will be at the Ukrainian Cultural Center (1040 Jackson) and the Elks Club Lodge (1066 Jackson).
The fine folks at the Webster Museum are looking for some people who can help bring the West Webster Cemetery to life.
The museum has set its sights this month and next on exploring the history of West Webster. In addition to new exhibits and a series of events at which current and former West Webster residents are sharing their memories, the museum is hosting a West Webster Cemetery Tour on Sunday June 19.
This is where you come in.
Interested community members are being invited to help bring the cemetery to life by “becoming” one of the former residents buried there. There’s no shortage of interesting people to portray, either. For example, there’s
4 Revolutionary War veterans
36 Civil War veterans
29 WWI veterans
137 WWII veterans
52 West Webster FD members
a Webster PD officer
… and lots more interesting men and women.
The cemetery has a pretty interesting history itself. It’s the oldest in Webster, established in 1790 on a half acre of land in what was then the vast township of Northfield, which included what is now Webster, Perinton, Penfield, Irondequoit, Brighton, Pittsford, and part of Rochester. The first person buried there was a child. It’s located at the corner of Ridge Rd. and Maple Dr. (formerly called Cemetery Rd.).
The Cemetery Tour will be a two-hour long event the afternoon of Sunday June 19. Costumed actors will be stationed all around the cemetery, near the grave sites of their chosen people, and chat with visitors about their personal history.
The Webster Museum would be more than happy to help with costumes and choosing a character. So all you’ll need to do is read up a bit, and get to know your historical figure. Men, women and children are all invited to participate. The more the merrier. Wouldn’t it be fun to see a couple dozen old-tyme figures standing all around the cemetery that afternoon?
I’ll be there, in costume. I gave you a clue to who I’ll be portraying up at the start of this blog. When you chat with me, you’ll be hearing from Martha A. Cottreall. I’ll tell you about my kids; my husband William, who participated in a famous rescue mission; and about my son Joseph, who has (literally) made a name for himself in our town.
If you’d like to learn more or to sign up, contact the museum through their website form here.
It should be tons of fun. And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a good actor. (I’m surely not.)
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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