Almost 150 community members attended yesterday morning’s Memorial Day remembrance ceremony at Webster Rural Cemetery, spreading out all around the cemetery’s gently sloping front yard on a spectacular spring day.
It was a smaller crowd than in years past, in large part because it did not follow a parade. There was also limited participation from children and young Scouts, who would normally place flags next to the small white crosses representing each of our country’s wars — which were also absent this year.
But the fact there was a ceremony at all gave us all a little something to cheer about, especially since COVID won last year and the event was cancelled.
Despite the continuing pandemic-related precautions, the ceremony was nonethless as moving and meaningful as always. The six new flagpoles recently erected by Eagle Scout candidate Brennan Gallatin, proudly flew the flags representing our armed services, and are an outstanding addition to the memorial.
And flapping in the breeze in the middle of the semi-circle of armed services flags, an American flag flown in honor of Rex Daniels, a 1968 R.L. Thomas grad who was KIA in Vietnam on April 16, 1971. That flag came to Webster after being flown over Capitol Hill last month, on April 16, 2021, exactly 50 years to the day Daniels lost his life.
It was a wonderful ceremony, and it was great to see the community continue to come together to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Actually, it was just great to see our community come together again. It’s been so long.
When it comes to blog ideas, I’ve found it’s either feast or famine. As it turns out today, it’s definitely a feast. I’ve got so many things to tell you about I need to throw them all into one big mailbag so they don’t get too stale.
So here we go….
Image courtesy Town of Webster website
The Town of Webster is hosting a series of open houses for anyone interested in finding out more about plans for redeveloping Sandbar Park and upcoming REDI projects (Resiliency & Economic Development Initiative) which will include, among other projects, raising a portion of Lake Rd.
There’s going to be a lot of information presented at these meetings, so if you’d like to read up on all the projects in advance, click here for a good overview of what will be happening and why.
The open houses will be held:
Wednesday June 2, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive
Tuesday June 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rec Center
Thursday June 10, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rec Center
Saturday June 12 at the Joe Obbie’s Farmer’s Market, in the Kohl’s Plaza
The Webster Museum needs your help
Webster Museum volunteers have scoured available online resources for information about Asa Bass and his family. Museum staff members think this family may have been the first black residents of what is now Webster.
Asa (1792-1872) was born in Vermont, was a pioneer who came here in 1812 and bought at different times three different properties between the northern sections of what are now Phillips Road and Route 250. Among his neighbors were the Foster and Wright families.
Asa and his wife Matilda Fuller Bass (1790-1866) had at least two children, Jane Bass Gould (1820-1891) and Chester Bass (1724-1873). Jane married Charles Gould and they had three children: Anna, Nelson and Elijah. Chester married Sarah Gracen and they had at least one child, Francis Bass Vond. One of Asia’s nephews, Asa Boyd, lived with the family for many years.
The museum has many facts, but few stories about Asa and his farm and family lives. They’re hoping to hear from relatives of people who may have been friends or neighbors as well as descendants of this family.
Any information, even the smallest clue, would be greatly appreciated. Please send to Kathy at ktaddeo5@icloud.com
Yee haw! Challenge your kids at this rodeo!
The Monroe County Office of Traffic Safety will host a Bicycle Skills Rodeo on Saturday June 5 at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr.
Children will learn, practice and demonstrate their bicycle handling skills. Make sure to bring your bicycle and helmet to participate in this family-friendly event for kids age 4-14. (There will be a few helmets available if you need one.)
The event is free, but registration is required. Visit the Webster Parks and Recreation website and look for program #201000. Four half-hour time slots are available beginning at 10 a.m.
Bri-Pen Senior Rides hosts Open House via Zoom
This note from some of our neighbors to the south.
Bri-Pen Senior Rides is hosting an open house via Zoom for those who might like more information about driving for the service.
Bri-Pen Senior Rides is a volunteer-based service that provides rides to adults 65+ in the Penfield and Brighton areas who do not have transportation to medical or other essential appointments. They are urgently seeking volunteers to drive or offer their assistance in dispatching rides to clients.
The group will hold an Open House via Zoom on Thursday, June 10 at 4 p.m. to answer questions about how to get involved, as well as to share the history of the program.
Drivers are trained by Lifespan, and qualified drivers are offered additional umbrella insurance to drive for the service.
A link to the Zoom meeting can be found on the Penfield Recreation website calendar, or call 340-8655 for details.
Our treed and open space areas in Webster offer peaceful places to enjoy and explore, places that Friends of Webster Trails helps preserve for future generations. The future of our trees is threatened, however. Emerald Ash Borer. Wooly Adelgid. Oak Wilt. Beech Tree Canker. Those are just some of the challenges our green infrastructure faces.
Friends of Webster Trails is in the early stages of identifying how to address the problem, and they’re putting together a committee to work on it over the next several months.The goal is to enter 2022 with concrete plans to put into action.
The Webster-based Rochester Rhapsody chorus, an organization of female a cappella singers specializing in the barbershop harmony style, is excited to report they’ll be returning to live rehearsals, which were on hold for a long time thanks to COVID.
To kick off the summer, they’ll be spreading their love for music with a grand reopening for women of all ages.
Female guests can attend Rochester Rhapsody chorus’ “A Cappella Lives!” open rehearsal on June 14 from 7 to 8:15 p.m. at Temple Beth El, 139 S. Winton Road, Rochester.
Women of all ages can enjoy an evening of music in a relaxed environment and participate in a cappella 4-part harmony, vocal skill building, singing a variety of music, and meeting with other women singers. Information about the chorus’ audition process will also be provided.
This is a great opportunity for women who love to sing but have never tried a cappella.
There’s SO MUCH COOL STUFF happening at the Webster Publc Library. Here are just a few snippets just for your kids:
This year’s Summer Reading Kickoff takes place at the North Ponds Park pavilion on Thursday June 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
There will be games and crafts, raffle baskets and book drawings, a scavenger hunt, and Star Wars costume characters! No registration is required. The event will include a 20-minute storytime with Jason at 6:15, so bring your blankets!
Your kids’ next craft challenge: create an animal habitat!
For the Animal Habitat Challenge, kids will use supplies provided, and/or anything else you have at home. The library will provide the animal, some fun crafting supplies and a box for your diorama.
Pick up your kits from the library between June 7 and 11 and submit a photo of the completed habitat by June 18. Voting will take place on Facebook from June 21 to 27. Click here to register.
Step into the magical world of Candy Land! Between June 14 and June 30, families and small groups will be able to register for time slots to make their way through a live-action version of this popular family game. Venture through the enchanted storytime room full of gumdrops, candy canes, lollipops, and so much more. Do you have what it takes to make it to King Candy’s castle first? Click here to register.
The Webster Public Library is located at 980 Ridge Rd., at the back of the plaza. Make sure to check out their website for all of the great youth and adult programs they’ve put together. I’ve just scratched the surface.
Webster’s semi-annual Community Blood Drive returns this coming Wednesday and Thursday, June 2 and 3.
The two-day drive is always one of the most popular and well-attended drives of the entire year. It might have crept up on everyone, however, because for the first time in more than 40 years it has not been heralded by the big white signs plastered all around town. Turns out that after decades of use (these drives have been going that long), the signs have worn out so much that most of them need to be replaced.
Rest assured, however, one of the most popular attractions at this drive is returning: the Bruster’s coupon for a free ice cream cone.
The coupon will be handed to every presenting donor, along with one of the coolest Red Cross t-shirts I’ve seen in a long time. Those two give-aways alone should help make it worth everyone’s while to make the trip and donate blood.
Of course, those bonus items are piled on top of the fact that your donation can save as many as three lives. Thanks to many drives being canceled or experiencing low turnout because of the pandemic, there’s a critical blood shortage right now, so please consider donating.
By the way, all donations are tested for COVID-19 antibodies, so if you’re wondering if you might have contracted COVID, this is a good way to find out. And even those donations that test positive for antibodies could provide convalescent plasma for critically ill coronavirus patients.
The two-day Webster Community Blood Drive will be held Wednesday June 2 and Thursday June 3 from noon to 7 p.m. both days at the Webster Volunteer Firemen’s Building, 172 Sanford St., right behind Firemen’s Field. To assure proper social distancing, appointments are required. Visit RedCrossBlood.org to set one up or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767).
There will be no Memorial Day Parade this year in the Village of Webster, but the annual Remembrance Ceremony at Webster Rural Cemetery will still take place.
It too, however, will be a little different, thanks to COVID. A recent post from Webster Online explained what the socially distant ceremony is going to look like:
According to the American Legion Cottreall-Warner Post #942 … there will be no crosses and placing of flags and flowers by the Scouts and youth. Attendees will be asked to spread out on the grassy area, as opposed to congregating by the fence (as they have in the past). Attendees will also be expected to wear masks and social distance.
Instead of refreshments at the Elks Club following the service, Legion family and other military participants are invited to the Post Home (818 Ridge Road, Webster) for hots and soft drinks.
There will be some very meaningful additions to this year’s ceremony, however.
Six stately, 18-foot flagpoles have recently been erected at the cemetery, thanks to the efforts of Eagle Scout candidate Brennan Gallatin and a dozen or so Scout and parent helpers.
The new poles stand in a proud semi-circle several feet from the American flag which has long anchored the memorial on the cemetery’s front lawn. They fly flags representing the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force.
When Brennan needed an idea for his Eagle Scout project, doing something at the cemetery seemed perfect. “We (Scouts) go there every Memorial Day,” he said. “That area hadn’t seen a lot of change in a while.”
Completing the project before the Remembrance Ceremony was important, he added, “So the community can see it and it makes (the cemetery) look nice for the ceremony.” He and his crew worked for several hours last Saturday to make sure that would happen.
“The project was great to do,” Brennan said. “Especially when it was done, it was pretty cool to see it.”
Working together to erect the poles
Brennan (center) with some of his crew
Honoring Webster Thomas grad Rex Daniels
In addition to the new flagpoles, this year’s ceremony will be extra meaningful in another way.
On April 16, an American flag was flown over Capitol Hill in honor of Rex Daniels, a 1968 R.L. Thomas grad who was KIA in Vietnam on that day in 1971, exactly 50 years earlier. That flag has made its way to Webster and will be flown during the Memorial Day ceremony.
Webster’s Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony is scheduled for Monday May 31 at 10 a.m. at Webster Rural Cemetery, 1087 Ridge Rd., just west of Jackson Rd.
You know life is beginning to get back to normal when you hear that some of our favorite Webster summer events are back on the calendar.
Specifically, the Town of Webster’s annual Summer Celebration is returning on Saturday June 12 to the Webster Recreation Center.
From 5 to 10 p.m., the whole family is invited to come out for dinner and snacks from some great food trucks (including Wraps on Wheels, Nancy’s Fried Dough, Effortlessly Healthy, Bay Vista Taqueria and Seabreeze Catering and Hot Sauce), while enjoying some great live music.
Festivities will conclude at 9:45 with a fireworks display. For more information, especially about parking for the fireworks, please visit the Webster Parks and Recreation webpage.
Then, on July 24 and 25, the Waterfront Art Festival returns to North Ponds Park. Details are still coming together, but in past years this terrific event has featured a dozens of local artists, live music, free parking, and a wine, beer and cider tasting tent, all for a reasonable admission fee.
The Webster Marching Band could REALLY use your returnables this year.
Due to the pandemic, the band hasn’t been able to do any of their usual fundraisers this year. But they’re planning to at least hold their bottle and can drive, as a drop-off event.
So start saving up your bottles, then on Saturday June 5, swing by Willink Middle School on Publisher’s Parkway between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to drop them off. There will be plenty of worker-bees there to help you, so you won’t even have to get out of the car.
If you’re not able to go to Willink that Saturday, they’ll come to you. Simply call the Bottle and Can Hotline, 24/7 at 234-8684 (option 1), leave a message and they’ll call you back for details. You can also drop off their returns at any time to area bottle return companies (Can Kings, Nickleback, Upstate Bottle Return) and just tell them to credit the Webster Marching Band for the return.
The Webster Aquatic Center will host its Webster Youth Triathlon on Sunday June 6.
The event, which includes a swim, bike and run, is for children from kindergarten through age 16, and is scaled according to age. Kindergartners, for example, will swim 25 yards, bike a mile and run a 1/4 mile. Older kids will swim 150 yards, bike 4 miles and run a mile. There’s also a team relay option.
The swim will take place at the Aquatic Center, 875 Ridge Rd., and the run and bike portions on the Webster Schroeder campus.
Cost is $15, and registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Webster Aquatic Center. The first 250 participants will receive a goody bag and t-shirt.
To register and for more details, call the Webster Aquatic Center at 585-670-1087. You can also email race director Missy Whipple with questions, at missyw26.2@gmail.com.
This is an interesting bit of history which I recently received from the Webster Museum, where the folks are anxiously awaiting society’s return to normal so they can share this kind of stuff with everyone in person again!
WEBSTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE BECOMES MAYOR OF ROCHESTER…
….. in 1895. That was just the beginning of a forty-year political career.
Born in Webster to farmers Chadwick and Rhonda Lewis, Merton Elmer Lewis (1861-1937) studied law with James B. Perkins. He fathered six children during his two marriages and some of his family remained in the Rochester area.
A staunch Republican, Merton would serve as Rochester mayor, delegate to the New York State Assembly and Senate, New York State Attorney General, United States Attorney and was considered by his party for nomination as a New York State gubernatorial candidate. He returned to private practice in 1919.
The Webster Museum and Historical Society thanks Frank Calandra, local political historian and collector, for introducing us to this Webster resident and to Mr. Lewis’ illustrious career.
When we can safely open, museum volunteers will return to welcome you all to stop in to “meet” other interesting Webster residents of yesteryear.
Finally, a few notes from the library, the first one well timed for this week’s beautiful weather when everyone wants to get out and start planting.
Small Space Gardening: A Zoom Program, Tuesday May 18, 7 p.m.
Gardening requires planning and preparation, especially if your garden is as big as a match box! This program will cover small space gardening techniques and tips to help maximize your garden’s productivity. Also covered will be site selection, vegetable varieties, soil preparation, and crop rotation to assure fresh and nutritious food for you. Presented by Jarmila Haseler, an Ag & Food Systems Educator from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County.
Registration is required. Click here to do so. The Zoom invitation will be sent the day before the program.
Webster Public Library is now offering the streaming service called HOOPLA for all Webster library patrons. You can use Hoopla to access music, TV shows, movies, audiobooks, ebooks, and comics/graphic novels. Just download the materials straight onto your phone or tablet, or even stream them to your TV instantly!
All around us we can see that life is finally returning to normal, albeit slowly. The latest — and greatest — indication of that is .. LIVE THEATER IS BACK!
The Webster Thomas Players will present their spring musical, Cabaretlive and in person this year at the Penfield Amphitheater, 3100 Atlantic Ave., in three shows June 17 to 19.
The decision to hold the performance at the amphitheater was made several months ago, very early in the planning stages. It was a brilliant choice. Not only does the venue offer plenty of space for social distancing, but will make for a unique theater experience for cast members and audience members alike. In deference to Covid, the cast and orchestra will be smaller than in normal years. But thanks to the vaccine, the cast will be able to perform without masks.
You’re probably familiar with the story of Cabaret.
Set in 1929 to 1930 Berlin as the Nazis are gaining power, the musical focuses on the hedonistic nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub, and revolves around a relationship between American writer Cliff Bradshaw (Cole Weisensel) and English cabaret performer Sally Bowles (Isabelle Nitsch). A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider (Brynn Smith) and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz (Jake Groff), a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Kit Kat Klub’s Emcee (Tessa DeGrace), and the club itself serves as a metaphor for the ominous political developments in Germany at the time.
The production will be PG-13, but the subject matter is most appropriate for mature audiences, addressing issues around anti-Semitism and political fanaticism. Audiences will recognize many legendary musical numbers including “Willkommen,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Maybe this Time,” “Money,” and of course, “Cabaret.”
Cabaret will be presented in three shows:
● Thursday, June 17, 7:30 p.m. ● Friday, June 18, 7:30 p.m. ● Saturday, June 19, 7:30 p.m.
The rain date for all shows will be Sunday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Reserved seating tickets are available for $12 in advance, and can be purchased online here (websterthomasplayers.com). On the day of the show, reserve tickets will be $15 (if available). General admission “bring your own” lawn chair ($10) or blanket ($25) options are also available. You can see more details about these options on the website.
Last Saturday May 8 was the Terry Rothfuss Memorial Good Neighbor Day in Penfield. This annual event, organized by Penfield Recreation, gathers volunteers to help Penfield seniors, veterans and those who are disabled do light yard work and spring cleaning.
The event honors the memory of Terry Rothfuss, a farmer in east Penfield who was always ready and willing to help anyone at any time. After he passed away in 2014, his friends and family wanted to carry on Terry’s legacy of friendship by continuing to help their community and inspire others to do the same.
The annual event has grown every year, and I was pleased to find out recently that its influence has even spread beyond Penfield’s borders, as neighborliness should.
Webster resident Linda Meyers read about Good Neighbor Day when I posted a blog about it in early April. That same day, Linda messaged me to tell me how much she loved the idea and was going to sign up with her daughter Julia.
I was so happy to hear her say that. I’ve written about Good Neighbor Day several times in my blog and when I was writing my column for the D&C. Never did I even consider that anyone outside of Penfield would want to take part. But of course, the event is all about neighborliness and community. And when it comes to both those things, town borders mean nothing.
When she first read about the event, Linda wrote, “I was super excited because I love yard work and weeding.” She even recruited her neighbors Chris Elias, Kim Mead and their daughter Sophia to join them.
(We) went to the opening at Rothfuss Farm on Salt Road and it was awesome to see all of the volunteers and meet Sabrina (Renner) the coordinator. We got Good Neighbor T-shirts, donuts and bags for our day and it was wonderful hearing more about Terry Rothfuss from his daughter Molly.
We were assigned to a lady’s home and raked a ton of pine needles and did some weeding in a few of her back gardens. She was incredibly appreciative and even had water bottles, bagged apples and cookies as treats for us.
After all the work was done, participants were invited to Rothfuss Park for some post-event activities sponsored by Browncroft Community Church, including food trucks, mini-golf, a pitching inflatable and other games.
“Overall we had a great experience,” Linda said. “My daughter says she wants to go back to the same lady’s house next year!”
So, this is an awesome story on so many fronts.
First, we’re talking neighbors helping neighbors, just for the fun of it. Second, it’s so heartening to see kids get involved. What a great way to help them learn about compassion and giving to others. (And a little hard work never hurts, either.) And seeing the even expand beyond the Penfield borders just warms my heart and gives me renewed confidence that maybe we can all work together and keep this world running for a long time.
Finally, on a personal note, I’d love to see this event come to Webster. There are certainly residents in our town who could use this kind of help. It just so happens that our current Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, Chris Bilow, was the former director at the Penfield Rec, and oversaw Good Neighbor Day for years.
So what do you say, Chris? Can we make this happen?
This Thursday, April 22 is Earth Day, and the Webster Public Library is taking the opportunity to help everyone help our Earth.
To celebrate Earth Day, the library is inviting everyone to bring in recyclable materials, which they’ll collect and turn over to the appropriate agencies. Not only will doing so keep these materials out of the landfills, but many of them can be reused almost immediately in our very own community.
eyeglasses and hearing aids for the Webster Lions Club
ink cartridges, cell phones and tablets for the Friends of WPL fundraising program (no computers, please)
wrapping paper tubes, tissue paper and movie candy boxes for the WPL children’s program
used books for WPL book sales
magazines to share
road maps for crafts
seeds for the library’s seed catalog
You can drop off any of these items at the library on Earth Day, Thursday April 22, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
While you’re at the library, don’t forget to check out the Art Gallery Wall. After taking a long break during the pandemic, it’s back again, and this month features Webster resident Mary Coy. Her display, called “Two Passions,” features digital bird drawings/paintings and aluminum relief creations.
The gallery will be updated every month, featuring photography or artwork by Webster residents.
I just got an email yesterday with some more details about Webster Schroeder’s performance of The Addams Family next weekend.
Shows are scheduled for Friday April 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday April 24 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Of course, thanks to Covid, they can’t open up the auditorium to packed audiences, so they’ve arranged to live-stream each performance, which should be just as enjoyable as the in-person experience (plus, you don’t even have to leave your living room!).
You can purchase live-stream tickets by clicking here. You won’t even have to print off a ticket. Instead, you’ll receive an email with a StreamPass code. Simply click the code link and you’re in. Tickets are $10 each.
Here’s the awesome cast:
Gomez Addams………………………………………..Brendan Mathewson Morticia Addams……………………………………..Lauren Farrow Uncle Fester…………………………………………….Jake Horton Wednesday Addams………………………………..Aydan Baier Pugsley Addams………………………………………Michael Sofia Grandma…………………………………………………Bridget McNamara Lurch……………………………………………………….David Lynch Lucas Beinecke………………………………………..Zach Gibson Mal Beinecke…………………………………………..Theo Guth Alice Beinecke………………………………………….Sara Kidane
Ancestors:
Maggie Anderson, Aidan Jacobs, Anika Peterson, Jack Baker, Hunter Lane, Tony Pellegrino, Liam Cornish, Samantha Morgan, Georgie Prevosti, Sydney Enright, Sam Nagar, Devon Proia, Carenza Glastonbury, Andrew Painton, Maya Richards, Amelya Harris, Ryan Parody, Tyler Young and Kenzie Harris
Make it a night (or afternoon) out (so to speak). Grab a drink and some snacks, pull up a couch, and enjoy a terrific production by some very talented high school students who’ve been working very hard to bring some laughter to all of us during these difficult days.
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
