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Mini mailbag

5 Jun

Just a few quick notes this morning about a few events coming up later this week.

The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard, 1130 Webster Road (at the corner of State Road) is holding a drive-thru takeout chicken dinner sale on Thursday June 7 from 4 to  6 p.m. (or until they’re sold out). It’s a fund-raiser for its Outreach Committee, which supports local charities in the greater Rochester area.

Each meal (from Heintzelman’s BBQ Pit of Ontario) is $12, consisting of a half-side of chicken, salt potatoes, cole slaw and cornbread.

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Fans, friends and family members welcomed Jim Nowakowski at the airport when he returned to Rochester in September 2015 after an exciting run on “So You Think You Can Dance?” 

Remember all the excitement in town a few years ago when local dance phenom Jim Nowakowski was competing on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance? You may remember he got as far as the semi-final round — the top six dancers — before being eliminated by audience voting.

Well, Jim will be back in town this weekend as a guest performer when his dance school, the Draper Center for Dance Education celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Nowakowski will be joined by Chelsea Bonosky, Shannon Rodriguez, Jessie Tretter and Adam Kittelberger, in addition to other Draper Center dancers.

The show will be presented on Friday June 8 and Saturday June 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Nazareth College Arts Center, 4245 East Avenue in Rochester. General admission tickets for the show are $15. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for the June 8 performance only. For $50, they include preferred seating, pre-performance reception in the Arts Center Lipson Lounge, desserts at intermission and a complimentary glass of champagne at the Erie Grill following the performance.

For additional information and ticket purchase please contact Draper Center’s main office at 585-461-2100.

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Webster Community Blood Drive returns this week

4 Jun

blood drive

The Webster Community Blood Drive – the best blood drive EVER — will return to St. Paul’s Church and the Webster Rec Center this week.

It’s perfect timing, too, as the American Red Cross has just announced there’s an urgent need for blood donors to give now to help prevent a summer blood shortage. Blood and platelet donations often decline around holidays like Memorial Day and when regular donors are vacationing and schools are out of session.

This week’s drive is a great way to help out.

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.

And the reason it’s so popular is all the GOODIES that donors receive at this drive. For starters, every presenting donor will be handed ten raffle tickets, which can be used to take chances on more than 30 different prizes provided by local businesses.

The raffle prizes at this week’s drive include:

  • Gift certificates from Barry’s Old School Irish
  • Beauty products from Beyond Cuts Salon
  • Gift certificates from The Chicken Coop
  • Gift card from Eastway Liquor
  • Gift cards 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 Rubino’s
  • Gift basket from Schutt’s Apple Mill
  • 10 free classes from Strike Back Martial Arts 
  • Hampton Bay Ceiling lamp from The Garage Sale Store
  • A free ice cream cake from The Goodie Shoppe
  • Free month’s membership from World Gym

A special thank you to our newest business sponsors, who kindly donated these prizes to the cause:

  • Two free classes from ROC & Soul Fitness
  • Gift certificate from Carl’s Pizza Kitchen
  • Gift certificate from Ploty’s Hometown Tavern
  • Gift certificate from Webster Hots
  • Gift certificate from The Filling Station Pub & Grill

posterOne of the most popular coupons of all — from Bruster’s — will also be back.  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). Even more prizes and give-aways are expected to be added to the list, so make sure to be there.

The Webster Community Blood Drive is scheduled for Wednesday June 6 at St. Paul’s Church, 783 Hard Road, and Thursday June 7 at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive, from noon to 7 pm each day. You can 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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Peter Kaulback remembered, 50 years after his death

3 Jun

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If you were driving along Ridge Road last Thursday evening around 6:00, you might have noticed a number of Patriot Guard riders leading a small convoy of cars to Webster Rural Cemetery.

The occasion was a remembrance ceremony in honor of former Village of Webster resident Peter Jon Kaulback.

Kaulback, a lance corporal in the Marines, was killed in Vietnam on May 31, 1968, and is buried at Webster Rural.

Peter lived on Fuller Ave. in the village, a short walk to the Spry building, which at that time was the town’s high school. He graduated there in 1962, a year before the Webster Thomas building was finished. 

To honor Kaulback’s memory on the 50th anniversary of his death, several friends and local officials gathered at Spry and processed to Webster Rural Cemetery, led by the Patriot Guard riders.

Quartermaster Sean Miller represented the Webster VFW, and Councilman Barry Deane was there for the Town of Webster. In his remarks, Dean remembered that he and Kaulback had gone deer hunting the day before he left for Vietnam. 

A member of Buglers Across America played a beautiful rendition of Taps, which made the ceremony even more meaningful.

There’s currently a display at the Webster Public Library in honor of Peter Kaulback with lots more information, including a copy of the letter he sent to his girlfriend after learning he was going to Vietnam. The display also features information about Don Holleder, another of the five young Webster men who died in Vietnam.

Thank you to Jim Lanson for coordinating the simple, yet beautiful ceremony.

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Webster community mailbag

29 May

mailbagGot a few unusual events for your reading pleasure today.

Rochester radio legend Jack Palvino and media scholar Tom Proietti will discuss the history of radio in Rochester in the “Rochester Radio Roadshow” on Thursday, May 31, from 2 to 3 p.m. at St. Ann’s Community at Cherry Ridge in Webster.

The “Roadshow” takes the form of a lively conversation between Jack and Tom on Rochester’s radio broadcasting history. It will also focus on Jack’s esteemed career in local radio including stations WBBF and WVOR and his role in shaping the media landscape in Rochester.

Jack Palvino is a legendary broadcaster known as both a beloved on-air personality and a successful station executive and owner. Tom Proietti is the Resident Scholar in Media at St. John Fisher College and Professor Emeritus of Communication at MCC. A commentator on media issues for WXXI, he is well known for his expertise and insights on mass media, broadcasting, and popular culture.

The event is FREE and open to the public. Reservations are requested. Call (585) 697-6701. For more information, check out the Facebook event here.

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The entire community is invited to Challenger Miracle Field’s Opening Celebration on Sunday June 3 from 1 to 4 p.m.

If you haven’t seen this field yet, you really have to make the time to do so. This brand new facility was specifically designed for individuals with physical and or cognitive challenges and fully wheelchair accessible. The idea was to give people with developmental, physical or intellectual disabilities a barrier-free, safe, accessible place to experience the health benefits and joy of play through baseball, other team sports, and adaptive recreational equipment.

This weekend’s celebration is even more special as it marks the first full year the field will be in play (so to speak).

Opening Day festivities will include lots of stuff for kids, including a glitter tattoo artist, face painter, balloon animal artist,  an appearance by Spikes (the Rochester Red Wings mascot), a bounce house, carnival games, a dunk tank, popcorn machine, sno cone machine, cotton candy, vendors, refreshments and a raffle.

And don’t worry about the sun; there’s going to be a huge tent with plenty of tables and seating.

Everything happens at Challenger Miracle Field, in Ridge Park, behind Town Hall on Ridge Road, rain or shine.

Click here to find out more about this great organization.

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Puppies and yoga. This appears to be a new thing, so it’s natural that Webster’s newest fitness studio will be trying it out.

ROC & Soul Fitness will be offering a Puppy Yoga class on Sunday, June 10 at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.  Adorable puppies will roam throughout the room as you practice an all level Vinyasa Flow class. Participants can hold and pet the puppies as they practice yoga. Many of the puppies will be available for purchase and are looking to go to a good home.

This from the press release I received:

We all know that yoga is good for the mind, body, and soul. Puppies & Yoga has added health benefits. Pet therapy combined with yoga can provide physical and mental benefits. It is widely known that positive interactions with gentle, friendly pets can lower blood pressure, release endorphins for an overall calming effect, lift spirts and lesson depression, decrease anxiety, reduce loneliness, and much more. Man’s best friend not only makes this class a delight, but can leave behind some positive health effects.

To reserve a spot in class, you can purchase a pass on the ROC & Soul Fitness website or on the MindBody APP for $18 to non-members and $9 to members.

ROC & Soul Fitness is located at 43 East Main Street, one of the new businesses which is helping to revitalize the village of Webster.  They offer barre, yoga, fusion classes, and more.

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This looks like fun.

On Wednesday June 13, three local craft breweries — WhichCraft Brews, Knucklehead Craft Brewing, and K2 Bros. Brewing — will come together to host a “Webfield Beer Crawl.”

A limo bus shuttle service will be provided from 5 to 1 p.m. on a 15-min loop between all three locations. Each brewery will be producing a special release one-off double dry hopped beer in a style of their choosing for the event.

Each brewery will have a passport package available for sale BEFORE the event. It costs $15 and gets you a commemorative pint glass with all three breweries printed on the glass as well as a free pour of the special release DDH beer from each location!

If you’re driving, parking is encouraged at Baytowne Plaza.

Check out the breweries’ websites for more information.

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Back on the blogwagon and heading to a FIESTA!

17 May

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I knew that being Internet-less would not be easy. But being unable to log onto my home computer for five straight days (thank you Frontier) really messed with my mojo a whole lot more than I expected.

I was able to hobble through though, in large part by using my phone’s 4G and friendly Internet hotspots in the village, but it was hard keeping up on my email and blogging.

But I’m back, thanks to a sparkling new Spectrum modem and a higher-speed Internet cable feed. Good thing, because now that summer is approaching, the events are going to come fast and furious.

Let’s start today with a preview of the 64th annual St. Rita Festival, which hits town again Friday and Saturday June 1 and 2.

I love this festival. It’s like a harbinger of summer, and a great inexpensive night out, with the added benefit of supporting a good cause.

Festival highlights include live music by Ruby Shooz and the Breakfast Club, inflatable and adventure rides for the kids, carnival games, a food truck rodeo, gift basket raffles, a book sale, plant sale, and more. And of course you can get into the raffle for $10,000 cash or a one-year lease on a car from Vision Automotive.  Five second chance winners will also go home with Wegmans gift certificates.

Here are some details:

  • Ruby Shooz will play on Friday night from 7 to 10 p.m. and the Breakfast Club on Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. Blankets and chairs are welcome.
  • The festival will introduce a new Car Show and Shine classic car show this year, from 3 to 6 p.m. There’s no charge to register a car or to attend the event.
  • In addition to the food truck rodeo, St. Rita’s famous Friday fish fry and Saturday chicken barbecue dinners will be back. They sell out every year, so get there early.

Admission to the Fiesta is free and parking is onsite, with handicap and shuttle options. For more information about the Fiesta, or to pre-order your discounted passes for unlimited access to the bounce houses, zip lines, and bungee trampoline, click here.

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Webster’s baseball history celebrated at the Webster Museum

13 May

baseball140

It’s no secret that Webster is a huge sports town. In 1985, the town was even named “Number 1 Sportstown in New York” by Sports Illustrated. What is less well known is how long ago our love for sports — and especially baseball — began.

Back in the late 1800s, adults and teenagers were playing on village ball fields and at Nine Mile Point; with hard rubber balls fast-pitched underhand; one bat for the entire team; often wearing coats and ties, and with no protective equipment.

It’s a rich baseball history, on display this month at the Webster Museum, and celebrated during a special event on Saturday May 19, called “140 Years of Webster Baseball.”

The special event is being spearheaded by Tom Pellett, president of the Webster Museum and Historical Society.  It’s been a year in the making, prompted by a comment made last May by Don Kuhn, a former Webster High School baseball player.

He recalled that back when he was playing in the early 1950s, the Webster High team went undefeated three years in a row — 1950, ’51 and ’52. The team came up with a trophy to recognize that accomplishment, which was then presented to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. So the town could have its own keepsake, a local service organization (Pellett thinks it was the Rotary) then created a plaque, which included a photo of the trophy, the letter from Cooperstown, and the names of all the players.

No one was exactly sure where that plaque had made it to, but Pellett started poking around the museum’s attic, and found it rather quickly. Shortly thereafter, Historian Lynn Barton unearthed two boxes with a treasure trove of local baseball history. Pellett started going through it all and the exhibit began to take shape.

The newly rediscovered plaque is the centerpiece of the museum’s new baseball exhibit, which also includes photos of all three undefeated teams and several other local teams, and old time uniforms and equipment. But what I found the most interesting were some of the personal stories.

One of those, dated 1878,  is considered to perhaps be the first recorded memory from a local ball game.

That story (which is part of the exhibit) tells about an adult baseball team in Ontario who had challenged the Webster team.  The Ontario team was a little bit miffed when they discovered their opponents were just teenagers. The Ontario coach approached the Webster coach and asked, “Is that all you got, these kids? He was told, ‘Well, trot your team out, we’ll see how they do.'”

At the end of the sixth inning, the score was 40-6 in favor of Webster. The Ontario team walked off the field and forfeited the game.

Obviously, players from that era are no longer around. But everyone who has played Webster baseball has a story, and Pellett hopes that baseball players and fans of all ages will attend the special event on the 19th.

As for all those Webster High School players from the undefeated teams? They’re all in their 80s now. Many have moved away, others have passed away. But several are still in town, and Pellett hopes that some of them will be able to attend, so they can visit the plaque and share some of their memories.

“140 Years of Webster Baseball” will be held on Saturday May 19, from 2-4 p.m. at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the village of Webster.  Admission is $5, which will include the very interesting historical presentation, a hot dog, peanuts and a lemonade or water. For more information, visit the Webster Museum website or call 585-265-3308.

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The commemortaive plaque is the centerpiece of the exhibit

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A close-up of the names of the players on the undefeated teams

 

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Chorus of the Genesee announces annual show

10 May

chorusWebster’s own Chorus of the Genesee will present its annual spring show on Saturday May 19 at Penfield High School.

In addition to performances by the Chorus and its quartets Notably Yours, The Reception and ROC-in Harmony, this year’s show will feature special guests the University of Rochester YellowJackets, and The Core.

The show is called Diagnosis: Audio Delusions, and will be performed in two acts. In act one, the chorus tells the story of Charlie, a young man who hears a barbershop chorus every time he becomes emotional. As he plans a marriage proposal, his condition is exacerbated. Songs in the set include “Sweet Caroline,” “How Can I Miss You if You Won’t Go Away?” and “That’s Life.”

The second act will first feature the University of Rochester YellowJackets. Having gained national notoriety on season 3 of NBC’s “The Sing Off,” this men’s a cappella group continues to travel the world performing. Also featured in the second act is The Core, 12th place Barbershop Harmony Society International qualifiers. Members Mike Nesler, John Van Gorder, Mike Hull, and Steve Denino are traveling from the Columbus, Ohio area to join the show.

Diagnosis: Audio Delusions will take the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at the Penfield High School Auditorium, 25 High School Dr., Penfield. Tickets are $16 in advance, $18 at the door, and $12 for groups of 10 or more. For more information, call (585) 265-9540, or visit the Facebook event page. 

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Webster mailbag

9 May

mailbagA variety of events stuff today’s mailbag. A few of them I have mentioned before, but I want to shine some light on them again as they get very near.

This first event is extremely timely:

This Thursday (May 10), the Willink Eighth Grade Band, under the direction of Matt Osika, will perform alongside the Webster Village Band, under the direction of Thomas Indiano. Each band will perform some selections on their own before combing to perform some of John Williams’ most memorable themes in the Star Wars saga.

The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Willink Middle School cafetorium, and admission is free.

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flowersThe Webster Arboretum’s 18th Annual Plant Sale happens this Saturday May 12, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Road, Webster.

The sale features perennials from standard to uncommon, annuals, dwarf conifers, geraniums, dahlias, various garden club offerings and more. Nice thing about this sale is that these plants are locally grown, so you KNOW they’re going to work in your garden.

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The First Baptist Church of Penfield will hold their last Flapjack Community Breakfast of the season on Saturday  May 19 from 8 to 10 a.m.

Guests will enjoy pancakes, pure maple syrup, scrambled eggs, sausage, and more for just $5.00 per person. All are welcome, and the venue is handicapped accessible.

All May  proceeds will go directly to benefit the Penfield Ecumenical Food Shelf: a supplemental food relief organization serving the 14526 and 14625 areas and families of children in the Penfield school district since 1997.

Donations of non-perishable foods and paper products also gratefully accepted.

The First Baptist Church of Penfield is located at 1862 Penfield Rd. For more information, call 585-586-2876.

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Lady golfers, this one is for you.

The Webster Golf Club’s Ladies Association is inviting women golfers to join the fun and sign-up to play in their annual charity golf tournament on Monday June 25, to benefit the Webster Comfort Care Home.

The event will take place on the Webster Golf Course, and will be a non-handicapped, 18-hole shotgun fun scramble.

Registration is $90 per golfer or $360 per foursome, which includes a continental breakfast, box lunch, an hors d’oeuvres reception, gifts for every player, a raffle, win pull and more.

Deadline to sign up is June 1. For more information, to sponsor the event or donate to the silent auction, contact Janet Jones-Brower, Webster Comfort Care Home Executive Director at director@webstercomfortcare.org, or Linda Dorsey at  ddorsey2@rochester.rr.com.

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Town of Webster opens its doors next weekend

6 May

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Ever wonder what it looks like inside the police department? Have you ever wanted to check out the sewer treatment plant? And have you been at the Webster Library since they renovated it?

You can check out all these places and more when the Town of Webster hosts its annual open house on Saturday May 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The fun starts at Webster Town Hall, 1000 Ridge Road, where you can tour the newly remodeled Town Hall and police department, then head over to the court room and town board room in the Van Ingen Building. Buses will depart every 15 minutes to take people to the recreation center, sewer treatment plant, the library and the highway department.

Basically it’s one-stop shopping for anyone who has any questions about our town’s facilities and employees.

There’ll also be lots of other stuff going on at Town Hall for both kids and adults,  including picture IDs, emergency vehicles, community informational displays, refreshments and more.

There’s no charge for anything, so make sure to stop by for this informational, family-friendly event, Saturday May 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Spry staff members tackle Pink Ribbon Run

4 May

CaptureThere’s a wonderful bunch of lady runners at Spry Middle School who are working hard to make a difference.

Led by teacher Toni Lynn Swinson, this group of more than 40 women will be taking on the 17th Annual Pink Ribbon Walk & Run on Mother’s Day, to support the Breast Cancer Coalition.

The ladies have been working for weeks, whipping their legs in shape for the 5K, and whipping up donations for their cause.

It’s a scary fact that 1 in 8 women can expect a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime. The Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester is a terrific local organization dedicated to fighting this terrible disease and winning. Their advocacy, research, and funds stay right here at home in Rochester, and that includes every penny raised for this race.

That’s where you come in. These  Pink Ribbon Runners need your support to help make their efforts worthwhile. They’ve already raised more than $2,000, but would like to double that — or more.

It’s easy to donate; just click here to log onto their fundraising page. Even a little bit would help.

 

Next year, these ladies might try to make this a One Webster event, and invite lots more staff members to take part. If that happens, you can count me in.

As for this year ladies, if you’re a runner — or even a walker — and would like to join the Spry Pink Ribbon team, drop an email to Tony Lynn Swinson at ToniLynn_Swinson@webstercsd.org. They’d love to have you.

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

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