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Finally! Repairs to the bike path

30 Jul

bike path 2

There’s happy news from the bike trail! The Town of Webster has finally decided to do something about fixing it up.

You know the bike trail; it’s the six-mile long path that runs from Bay Road to Salt Road, adjacent to Rt. 104. It’s well-traveled by bikers and walkers alike, and offers a scenic off-road route to and from the village.

As a frequent user of the bike path, I’ve been distressed for a long time about the condition of this trail. Lately, my husband and I have been avoiding it, mostly because we now have expensive bikes, and there are several places on that path that are in such disrepair — mostly from tree roots heaving the asphalt — it’s dangerous to bikes and bikers.

I took to my blog last August to decry the situation, with a posting I titled “Town of Webster: Please fix the bike trail.” In that blog, I described the various states of disrepair of each of the path’s sections (and included a few photos of some of the worst parts).

That blog did not sit well with Supervisor Nesbitt, to put it mildly. But perhaps it did have some effect, because last week as I was driving along Rt 104, I saw several pieces of construction equipment working on part of the trail between Hard and Holt roads.

My husband and I hopped on our bikes to investigate a few days later. Sure enough, several areas in that one-mile section have been smoothed out and patched.  The town workers had clearly been working on it for a while; as we continued to ride east toward Holt we saw many areas with long stretches of new asphalt. Plus, there were several other places where white markings on the path seemed to indicate repairs to come.

So thank you, Town of Webster, for finally paying some attention to a long-overdue problem. And when you’re done with the Hard to Holt Road section, please don’t stop there. There’s so much more work that needs to be done.

bike path 3

The Hard to Holt Road section now has long patches of new asphalt

bike path 1

Signs of more good things to come?

And by the way, while we’re talking trails, I want to give another shout-out to the amazing volunteers of the Friends of Webster Trails. My husband and I took a bike ride on the Hojack Trail today, from Hard Road all the way to Lake, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you again, Friends, for all the work you put into creating and maintaining our trail system.  You bring us all such joy. I am proud to be a member, and if you ever use any of Webster’s trails, I suggest you become a member and support this fine organization as well.

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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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Challenger Baseball is a hit with kids

25 Jul

 

challenger 3

It’s ‘batter up!” for Challenger team member Drew Ricci.

A few days ago, I went to pretty much the most enjoyable kids’ baseball game ever. Thing is, nobody made any outs, nor did I see even one fly ball caught or grounder cleanly fielded. But I did see a lot of smiles and heard a lot of laughter, cheers and applause.

The occasion was a game of the Webster Challenger Baseball League. The league is designed for children and adults with different abilities, and fields two age groups, a minor league and senior league. The goal is to provide these differently-abled athletes with the same kind of fun sports experiences that typical children have.

I hope by now you’ve already heard about this great league and what it’s accomplishing in Webster. The organization that has brought us Challenger Baseball has been working hard for years to build the Challenger Miracle Field of Greater Rochester right in our hometown, at Ridge Park, behind Town Hall on Ridge Road.

The game I was watching last Sunday was being played a few fields over from where Miracle Field is being built. Construction officially began  with a groundbreaking celebration last year, and had been continuing apace since. The fencing and rubberized grass surface are in place, so you can really start to see what the final facility will look like.

There’s still plenty to do, though. After the field itself is complete, plans are to build handicap-accessible restrooms, a concession stand, a pavilion and a handicap-accessible playground.

The first phase should be complete soon, and organizers are planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 am on Saturday August 26.

There are plenty of ways to help out. Volunteers are needed in many capacities. Donations — which can be made through the website — are always appreciated, of course. And if you’re into running, the 3rd annual Run, Walk & Roll fun run and 5K is scheduled for Sunday October 8 beginning at Webster Thomas High School. Pre-registration is just $20, and you can sign up here.

If you’re not sure yet about how important it is for these children and adults to have a field of their own, you need to attend one of their games. Just seeing the smiles when their bat connects with the ball — no matter if it only rolls a few feet or out of bounds — is all the convincing you need. You’ll see some of those happy faces in the slideshow below.

For more information about Webster Challenger Baseball and the new Miracle Field, visit the Facebook page or website .

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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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Third annual Waterfront Art Fest hits North Ponds this weekend

25 Jul

art fest

The Waterfront Art Festival returns to North Ponds Park this weekend, July 29 and 30.

This popular festival features artists from all over Monroe County, who line North Ponds’ scenic and shaded walkways, displaying an incredible variety of high-quality, hand-made craft items in all price ranges.

Plus there’s food, live entertainment, wine, beer and cider tasting, and other exhibits.

Also new this year, the parking plan has been improved — in previous years, shuttles were provided from the Xerox parking lot down the road, but people really didn’t like that. So starting this year, parking will be provided on-site for free. Signs along the North Ponds Park access road will guide the way. Plenty of handicapped parking will still be available in the paved parking lot.

The festival runs from 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday at North Ponds Park, off of Rt. 104 between Rt. 250 and Holt Road. Admission is $3, no charge for kids 12 and under. For more information, click here for the Waterfront Art Festival website.

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The tour has finally come to an end

21 Jul

tour de parks

I do believe my 2016 Tour de Parks has finally concluded.

Earlier this week I spent a very enjoyable morning (and had a nice lunch) with the Wellness on Wednesday group which meets every week at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Webster. It was the fifth — and probably the last — time I presented my Tour de Parks talk.

If you STILL haven’t heard about my quest, basically it was this: In January 2016 I decided it would be fun to visit every single one of Rochester’s east-side parks (in the eight towns I cover for my column). It would be good exercise, a nice challenge, and would give me a lot of ideas to write about in my column.

I was able to cobble together a list of 100 parks, and spent many hours, especially on the weekends and during the summer, checking the parks off my list. I hiked as many as I could, biked a few, ran a few, took lots of photos and wrote a blog about my experiences.

One of the main reasons I was motivated to complete the tour was an invitation from the Adirondack Mountain Club of the Genesee Valley to speak at their March, 2017 meeting. I did that, and had a great time. Because it was so much fun, I thought I might like to do it again… and again. So I reached out to a few local libraries and in the next few months took my tour to Webster, Pittsford and Brighton.

And now, having completed my fifth presentation, I think I’ll tuck my display board away into a corner.  I’ve had a lot of fun, but I really need to get some housework done.

If you didn’t manage to get to one of the presentations, that’s too bad, because you missed my witty repartee. But all is not lost. I managed to turn my PowerPoint into a Google slideshow and have posted it on my Tour de Parks blog site, along with images of the display board and the brochure I handed out listing all the parks. I tried to put a short summary on each slide of what I was talking about.

You can find my blog here.

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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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Jazz and Santa in one weekend. This is Webster!

18 Jul

jazz fest 2016

This weekend’s Webster fun is so spectacular that I’ve already looked at the long-term forecast — especially given how unsettled the weather has been so far this summer — and it’s looking pretty good.

So get your quad chairs and coolers ready, because the 10th Annual Webster Jazz Fest returns to the village this Friday and Saturday.

Here are the details:

Friday night July 21: Jazz in the Pubs

Live music will be featured all around the village in five different pubs and entertainment venues, at staggered times so you can hop from one to another:

  • Gregg Herman & Geoff Smith, 6:30-8 pm, Sweet Wood BBQ
  • El Rojo Jazz, 7-8:30 pm, The Coach Bar & Grill
  • Marco Amadio, 7-9 pm, The Brimont Bistro
  • Em K Jazz, 7:15-8:45, Barry’s Old School Irish
  • Amanda Ashley, 8 – 10 pm, Pub 235
  • Paradigm Shift, 9-11 pm, The Coach Bar & Grill

Saturday July 22: Jazz on the Street

West Main Street will come alive with music, cafe tables, restaurant service, and hundreds upon hundreds of quad chairs and jazz fans spread as far as the eye can see.

Entertainment begins at 6 pm. Here’s the schedule:

  • 5-6 pm, The Mambo Kings
  • 6:15-7:45 pm, Walter Chatman and the Joyful Music Experience
  • 8-9:15 pm, Jimmie Highsmith Jr.
  • 9:15- ??, Cabo Frio

Hope for good weather, and make sure you’re in town for the fun!

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santa at the market

Now that summer is in full swing, so is Webster’s Joe Obbie Farmer’s Market. If you haven’t been there yet this summer, this is definitely the weekend to go, especially if your kids already have their Christmas lists started, because Santa will be on hand for the market’s annual Christmas in July event.

The Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday through October from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm in the Webster Towne Center Plaza (Target plaza) in front of Old Navy. Regional growers provide locally-grown veggies and fruits, baked goods, plants, maple syrup, honey, meats, and hand-crafted items.

And, this Saturday, Santa will be arriving at 10 am, and there’ll be a special performance by the Webster Village Band.

Check out the Farmer’s Market Facebook page for more information.

P.S. I understand that Santa will be arriving on a Webster Fire Department vehicle, which my firefighter son will be driving. Is there anyone out there who would be able to snap a photo or two of Santa and Sean for me?

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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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Big week for food and fun in Webster

10 Jul

trucks

Let’s hope the weather holds this week, because there are a lot of fun events coming up.

This week, of course, is when the Webster Firemen’s Carnival returns to town, kicked off with the huge Firemen’s Parade which will take over Main Street in the village on Thursday evening.

You can find all the details here about the Kiddie Parade, the Firemen’s Parade, and the carnival, but here are a few highlights:

  • Wednesday: Carnival opens at 6 pm at Firemen’s Field on Main Street. Featured attraction is a Craft Beer Night.
  • Thursday: The Firemen’s Parade kicks off at 6:30 p.m. , starting at Phillips Road and continuing down Main Street to Firemen’s Field. The carnival is open from 6 pm till late.
  • Friday: Carnival opens at 6 p.m., featuring live entertainment in the beer pavilion.
  • Saturday: The Kiddie Parade will be held beginning at 12 noon (this appears to be a change from previous years when it was held Wednesday night). Registration begins at 11 a.m. at Spry Middle School. The carnival runs through midnight with live entertainment, rides, games, food and drink, a bike raffle, and fireworks to end the night.

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And don’t forget about the Webster Marching Band Boosters’ second annual Food Truck Rodeo, scheduled for this Friday July 21 from 5 to 9 pm in Webster Schroeder High School’s front parking lot.

The Marching Band Boosters sponsor various fundraising events throughout the year to help pay for the Webster Marching Band’s equipment, show productions, and competition-related trip expenses.

At least 11 food trucks will be on hand, including Macarollin, Tuscan Wood Fired Pizza, Rob’s Kabobs, The Meatball Truck Co., Midnight Smokin’ BBQ, Meat the Press, Le Petit Poutine, WingNutz, Abbott’s Frozen Custard, Kona Ice, and Smoothies Plus.

There will also be face painting for the kids, a visit by a West Webster Fire Department truck, and live music provided by the Aaron Rizzo Trio. Admittance to the rodeo is FREE, and all proceeds from the food trucks will benefit the Marching Band Boosters and Webster Marching Band members.

Webster Schroeder High School is located at 875 Ridge Road.

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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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Webster Community Mailbag

8 Jul

mailbagThis week’s mailbag is packed with news from the St. Martin Lutheran Church, the Webster Village Band and the town and village of Webster. So grab your calendar, and keep reading!

 

Pulled Pork Drive Thru BBQ

St. Martin Lutheran Church is holding a Pulled Pork Drive Thru barbecue on Saturday, July 15 from 4:30 until gone at the church on 813 Bay Road, Webster. Pull into the parking lot, place your order, and the dinner will be delivered to you in your car.

The take-out dinner includes pulled pork, roll, salt potatoes, cole slaw and cookie for $9.00. Proceeds support the church’s annual Christmas Stocking Project, which reaches more than 500 children and teens in Monroe and Wayne counties.

Webster Village Band 

The Webster Village Band‘s summer schedule is off to a strong start thanks to recent nice weather. Their most recent concert was held at the United Church of Christ last Wednesday, and was well attended.

Their next two appearances are their regular Thursday night gig at the band shell on Phillips Road, Thursday, July 20 beginning at 7 p.m., and their always popular Christmas in July concert at the Joe Obbie Farmer’s Market (Kohl’s/Target Plaza) on Saturday morning, July 22 beginning at 10 a.m.

The Webster Village Band is directed by Tom Indiano and Associate Director Sue Siegmund. Their concerts are always free and always open to the public. Here’s a quick slideshow of photos from last Wednesday’s UCC concert and last year’s Christmas in July.

Town Hall Renovations are Progressing

Supervisor Nesbitt has provided an update on the Town Hall renovations. He writes:

All of the exposed asbestos has been removed, and now the crews have started on demolishing walls, ceilings, and floors.

There will be new restrooms for men and women installed, along with the updating of offices and the common rooms all around town hall. The new door entries are being installed so the wind does not catch the doors and break them anymore. There will also be more security put in place for our employees’ safety. Cameras will be installed in the building common areas and overlooking the parking lots for security of all.

The Police Department is seeing a complete face lift of their operation complete with cameras, new booking area, new locker rooms for the officers, upgrades to the detention area, and new flooring throughout the department.

So far, operating from the temporary offices in the Van Ingen Court Building seems to working out well. Remember that all Town Hall functions have been moved to the Van Ingen building (behind Town Hall) until construction is completed later this year. So bring all your business there, and make sure to have a smile for all the Town Hall employees who are enduring through it all!

Webster Waterfront Art Festival

Make sure to mark your calendars for the third annual Waterfront Art Festival, scheduled for Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30 at North Ponds Park. Dozens of vendors will gather with high-quality craft items and good food, and entertainment will be provided throughout the day.

The best place to find parking is at the Xerox lot off of Phillips Road, where a free shuttle bus will take you to the park and back.

Summer in the Village

The summer village music scene is heating up. There have already been three concerts at the gazebo, and the Friday night series continues for the next two months, the next one scheduled for July 28 at 7 p.m., featuring the fusion sounds of The Ryan Johnson Project.

On the weekend prior to that, the 10th annual Webster Jazz Festival returns to Main Street on July 21 and 22.

Nationally acclaimed Fusion Jazz great Cabo Frio headlines the weekend, with other acts including The Mambo Kings, Walter Chatman, Jimmie Highsmith Jr, Paradigm Shift, El Rojo Jazz, Marco Amadio and many more.

Movies in the Park is also celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Upcoming features include Tuesday night movies for kids like The Batman Lego Movie, and Disney’s Big Friendly Giant, and Saturday night date-night movies like Casablanca and the Out of Towners. The movies take place in Gazebo Park on North Avenue.

The music and movies are all sponsored by our local businesses, members of the Webster Business Improvement District. Click here for more details about all of these special events, and many more.

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Help the Jack Foundation pave the way to play

2 Jul

pave the path

Hopefully by now you have heard of the Jack Foundation.

This fabulous organization was created in honor of 3-year old Jack Heiligman, who lost his life tragically last October. (You can read more about Jack here.) His amazingly strong parents have risen from their shock and grief to create a foundation dedicated to carrying Jack’s happy spirit forward, spreading happiness, laughter and love to other families, as Jack did for his.

To that end, the Jack Foundation is building a blue, dinosaur-themed playground called “Jack’s Place,” at Penfield’s Rothfuss Park on Five Mile Line Road. (Jack loved dinosaurs.) To help fund the construction, they’re raising money through the sale of engraved bricks, which will be placed in the path leading to the playground.

Individuals and groups are encouraged to help celebrate Jack’s spirit and keep the love flowing by purchasing a brick.

Bricks are being sold in two sizes:

  • 4 x 8″, which can accommodate 3 lines of text, 45 characters each (including spaces), for $100.
  • 8 x 8″, 5 lines of text, 75 characters each (including spaces) for $175.

Bricks will be on sale for a limited time. Order can be placed by visiting the Jack Foundation website, under the “Playground” tab.

Construction is progressing right now and hopes are that the playground will have its grand opening at the end of July or early August.

Upcoming events 

Here are a couple of other ways you can help support the Jack Foundation in the coming weeks.

Breathe Yoga‘s 4th of July Kindness Class will benefit the Jack Foundation.

The class will take place at the Holt Lodge in Webster Park. Holt Lodge is located at the end of Holt Road (right hand side) next to the baseball fields.

Pre-register with $20 donation for a quick check-in or donate at the door. If you are unable to make it to class, you may still make a donation over the phone or in person at our Greece or Webster location.

To register call (585) 248-9070 ext. 2 or ext. 5 or stop in to breathe’s Greece or Webster location.

Donations will also be accepted at the Kindness Class for the Dimitri House in Rochester.

Here’s a list of items they especially need:

  • Non-perishable groceries, e.g., soup, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, canned vegetables, fruits, and meats, beans, tomato products, pasta, rice, Jello, pudding, cereal, fruit juice, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, powdered iced tea, Kool-Aid, and lemonade
  • Toiletries, e.g., toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, foot powder, body lotion, soap, shampoo, razors, lip balm, nail clippers, feminine hygiene products
  • Household products, e.g., paper plates, plastic flatware, napkins, paper towels, toilet tissue, laundry detergent
  • Office supplies, e.g., copy paper, pens, pencils, folders, ink cartridges, postage stamps, envelopes
  • Clothing, e.g., new underwear and socks and new or gently used t-shirts, long underwear, gloves, hats, scarves
  • Gift cards to grocery stores, office supply stores, or general use cards

This year’s Motorfest 2017, scheduled for Sunday July 9 at the Damascus Center, 979 Bay Road will also benefit the Jack Foundation.

In addition to all the cool cars to check out, CARtoon Magazine artist Greg Panneitz will be appearing. You can have him do an original piece of artwork of your spiffy ride, or bid in the auction to win a Panneits original.

The show runs from 10 am to 4 pm. There’s a $15 car entry fee but admission for spectators is free. For more information log onto http://www.zccr.net/

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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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Webster Village Band is back in action

26 Jun

village band

The Webster Village Band concert season has officially begun!

Inclement weather held off last Thursday night, allowing the Webster Village Band to perform their first concert of the season at the band shell on Phillips Road.

I’m told that attendance at the concert was quite good, which makes my heart smile. Perhaps Webster village and town residents are finally hearing about this wonderful musical group and realizing what a treasure we have in our community.

 

The band performs most Thursday nights throughout the summer. Upcoming dates are July 6 and 20, and August 3, 10, 24 and 31. Concerts begin at 7 pm and audience members are encouraged to bring a blanket, lawn chairs and a cooler, and stretch out on the spacious lawn area in front of the band shell.  The concerts are free and open to the public.

If it rains, the concerts are moved to the Cherry Ridge Senior Center, 900 Cherry Ridge Blvd. (across from Webster Schroeder High School).  For the latest weather updates, check the group’s Facebook page.

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Santa conducts the Webster Village Band at last year’s Christmas in July concert

The band also has a few special performance dates coming up. They’ll be at the United Church of Christ on Klem Road in Webster on Wednesday, July 5 from 6:30-8:00 pm, and will return for their annual Christmas in July concert at the Farmer’s Market (Kohl’s/Target Plaza) on Saturday July 22 at 10 am.

 

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Webster celebrates summer today

24 Jun

fireworks-mdIt’s officially summer, and the town will welcome the season today (Saturday) with a grand celebration.

The Town of Webster’s annual summer party will be held at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive, beginning at 4 p.m., and will feature food trucks, games, and inflatables for the kids.

The band Stateline kicks off the entertainment from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m, followed by Brass Taxi from 7:45 to 9:45 p.m. A huge fireworks display caps off the evening’s festivities at 10 p.m.

There’s plenty of free parking in the Rec Center lot or across Chiyoda Drive at Xerox, and a shuttle will be provided all night long.

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arts fest

An image from last year’s Waterfront Arts Festival

You’ll also want to mark your calendars right now for the third annual Waterfront Arts Festival, scheduled this year for July 29 and 30 at North Ponds Park.

The third annual Webster Waterfront Arts Festival will take place this year on Saturday, July 29th and Sunday, July 30th at North Ponds Park.

Artists from all over Monroe County will line North Ponds’ walkways, displaying an incredible variety of high quality craft items. There are food trucks, entertainment, a wine tasting booth and other exhibits.

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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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