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Webster is pulling together to rebuild tower

23 Aug

The Webster community has been pulling together in a big way to help raise funds to rebuild the Bay View Family YMCA Climbing Tower.

You probably remember what happened: On June 24, the day before summer camp began, the 45-foot climbing tower at the Bay View Family YMCA was set on fire by arsonists. The entire tower was destroyed, including much of the climbing equipment and the popular zip line feature. It was a devastating blow to the YMCA community, all of the kids who used it every day at camp, and the families who tackled its challenges each evening.

Insurance did not completely cover the cost of replacing the wall, so fund-raising efforts began almost immediately. The campers even got involved. The preschoolers put out jars to collect change. Camp Bay View camper Joey Gerard has already raised thousands by selling woven bracelets.

But lots more money is needed, because the Y has some ambitious plans for the new tower. As they describe in one flyer:

The vision for the Bay View Family YMCA is the development of a multi-sided climbing structure that accommodates five climbers at one time on automatic hydraulic belays. In addition, a stair tower would be constructed to support dual zip lines allowing multiple children and adults to simultaneously zip. The YMCA is also seeking to enhance the surrounding area for children to “boulder” before actually climbing a tower. Bouldering provides children a wonderful introduction to rock climbing at a low height.

What is particularly exciting about the plans is that everything will be handicap-accessible, including the zip-line.

YMCA staff members, local business people and community leaders have already met several times to determine the best ways to raise the big money needed for these big plans.  They’re developed a two-pronged approach: solicit corporate sponsorship donations (for the bigger money) and hold an awesomely entertaining fund-raising event for everybody who doesn’t have big money, but still wants to help out in some way.

Here are some details:

If you work at a business which would like to become a corporate sponsor for this effort, there are several levels available, starting at $500. All include your company’s name permanently displayed on a plaque at the new climbing center.  Click here  to download a brochure with more details.

If you would like to attend an awesomely entertaining fund-raising event to show your support, you’re in luck.  A huge Food Truck Rodeo and Family Festival is being planned for Friday Sept. 14 at the Damascus Shrine Center, 979 Bay Road in Webster. If you’ve never heard about these things (I hadn’t), basically a Food Truck Rodeo is when a whole bunch of food trucks descend on one place at one time. It’s kind of like a mini State Fair, with all kinds of great dinner and dessert items at your fingertips. These events are apparently very popular, so much so that their fans follow them around.

This event will also feature lots of things for both kids and adults. Details are still being finalized, but there are plans for a bounce house and/or obstacle course, a dunk booth, face painting, live entertainment, raffles and more.  Plus lots of food, of course.

Once again, here are the details:

Food Truck Rodeo and Family Festival
to benefit the Rebuild the Climbing Wall Fund of the Bay View Family YMCA
Friday, September 14, 5-9 pm
Damascus Shrine Center, 979 Bay Road, Webster

Click here to go the event’s Facebook page for more information

If you or someone you know can donate a raffle prize for this event, please let me know by emailing me at missyblog@gmail.com. All businesses who donate a prize will be recognized on big signboards placed at the entrance to the festival.

 

The end of an era.

22 Aug

The way it was.

It was a sad day along Empire Blvd. today. The Lipinski sign, which has stood tall and proud at the corner of Terrel Drive for more years than I can remember, finally came down.

It was more than four years ago that the corner hardware store closed its doors and the property’s new owners completely gutted the old building, turning it into the gingerbread-house-like strip plaza that it is now.  Several new tenants have moved in over the years (and one came and left), but through it all the sign has stood tall, almost in defiance of the redevelopment.

I had heard from a friend that this day would soon be coming, but secretly I hoped it never would. I always enjoyed seeing the Lipinski Bros. sign every time I passed by. To me it was a sign of simpler times, of family-owned businesses where the owners knew your name and greeted you personally every time you walked in.

So I guess this is a final good-bye to Lipinski Bros., our old friends. We will miss you.

The scene today at what I will forever and always refer to as “Lipinski’s Corner.”

This was a sad sight.

The Maplewood? Where’s THAT?

16 Aug

One of the Village of Webster’s most established businesses is having a coming-out party.

The Maplewood Nursing and Rehabilitation home on Daniel Drive is close to completing a year-long construction project which will ultimately create a new Main Street entrance for the facility.

You’ll notice I didn’t call The Maplewood one of the Webster’s most “well-known” businesses. Despite having settled on Daniel Drive in 1976, because it’s tucked back off of Main Street, a lot of people don’t even know it’s there. And that’s the problem.  Administrator Greg Chambery explained,

For some businesses, being tucked away on a little side street is an advantage but for The Maplewood it’s been a hardship and a challenge. Time and again we miss being able to help people because they don’t know about us.

Click on the image to get a closer look at the planned driveway.

So more than a year ago, plans were put in motion to create a brand new Main Street entrance. You’ve no doubt seen the construction equipment parked up there on West Main. Look just beyond it and down the hill, and you’ll also notice something you haven’t been able to easily see from that vantage point before: The Maplewood.

The new driveway will be located between 93 West Main (The Dean House) and 109 West Main (Webster Automotive). The reconfigured entrance will also provide additional parking for residents, families and visitors, which will greatly reduce the crowding which often occurs in the existing lots.

But the part of the plan I particularly like is the new wheelchair ramp which will lead directly from the facility up to Main Street. Its switchback design and handicapped-accessible grade will allow residents and their families to easily navigate the rather steep hill between The Maplewood and Main Street, rather than having to travel all the way around Daniel Drive.  This feature alone will do wonders to help residents attend village events and really become a part of the local community. Or, as Chambery put it, it will “pull the nursing home into the village and village to the nursing home”

Construction should be completed by early October.

Please consider casting your vote…

5 Aug

Two opportunities have come up for you to vote online to show your support for something. One is a very worthy organization. The other is shameless self-promotion.

The first is from our friends at CDS Monarch on Hard Road. They recently announced that their agency is a finalist in a contest run by the Home Depot Foundation, with the winner receiving a $25,000 grant.

Here’s the explanation form the email I received:

CDS Monarch, Inc. in Rochester, N.Y. is enlisting area residents to help the organization win a $25,000 The Home Depot gift card by voting daily throughout August in The Home Depot Foundation’s second annual Aprons in Action Facebook contest. Voting begins Aug. 1, 2012 and runs through Aug. 31, 2012 at www.facebook.com/homedepotfoundation. If CDS Monarch receives the most votes during the month they will win the $25,000 prize to help fund necessary remodeling projects at The Nucor House, a residence for Veterans in the Warrior Salute™ program, and will have the opportunity to compete for the grand prize of $250,000 at the end of the year-long program.

That would be pretty cool. They’re only up against three other agencies, so let’s get voting, Webster!

* * *

And as long as you’re in a voting mood, I’ve heard from a few people that the 2012 City Newspaper Best of Rochester contest is up and running this month. And I’ve also heard that there’s a Best Local Blog entry.  Since I have the bestest and most loyal readers in the world, I thought just maybe … perhaps … you might consider …

(P.S. Click here or on the image to the left to go to the website)

 

 

The moose had a baby!

1 Aug

Did you see? The big moose painted on the side of the dentist office on West Main Street has had a little moose!

The baby may have been there for a while, but I just noticed him (her?) a few days ago on one of my passes through the village. A few trees and soft grasses have also sprouted there on the side of the building, so at least our new little animal friend has some shade and a comfortable place to rest.

I first wrote about the Webster Moose (as I called it back then) a little more than four years ago.  I was intrigued by the animals painted on the building (the moose is not the only one) and the animal tracks leading around the building.  I had the good luck then to meet the artist, Carol Salminen, wife of Dr. William Salminen, one of the dentists who shares the office. Her idea was for the animals to be a “welcoming menagerie” for their young patients. (Click here to see the original blog.)

When I popped into the office this time around, however, I couldn’t track down the artist.  The receptionists didn’t even seem to know about the baby. So I’m not sure who’s responsible, but to whoever is, I say good job.

Webster in the news

27 Jul

There’ve been several interesting tidbits about Webster in the news these last few days. If you haven’t seen these, allow me to enlighten you:

The front-page story of this week’s Webster Post is all about the Friends of Webster Trails and the volunteer crew that does such a terrific job creating and maintaining our local trail system.  In my opinion, these people don’t get enough recognition for the work they do, so I’m very pleased to see them front and center this week.

I can’t seem to find the article online at the Messenger Post website yet, so you’ll have to pick up a hard copy.

* * *

The plan to build a new $5.4 million firehouse on Phillips Road was soundly defeated in Tuesday’s night’s referendum vote. I  think people in general agree that the fire department needs a new station, but think that the proposed one was a bit more than they need.

Back to the drawing board.  Click here to go to the Democrat & Chronicle article about the vote.

* * *
Speaking of the D&C, in today’s Our Towns, columnist Stacy Gittleman featured Joe Gerard, the Camp Bay View camper who’s making and selling bracelets to benefit the climbing tower replacement fund. Scroll down a few days and you can see the blog I also wrote about this exceptional young man. I heard today that Channel 10 is also chomping at the bit to do a story on Joe, but they’ll have to wait until next week, after his family returns from vacation.

Unfortunately, as of right now the D&C  has not updated their website to include Stacy’s most recent column, so you’ll have to read that in hard copy as well until they do.

* * *

Speaking of previous blogs I wrote … back in May I wrote about a new store that had appeared on Ridge Road, called the “Look Ah Hookah Smoke Shop.”  I didn’t say so at the time, but I was kind of wondering about the kinds of things they sell.  Is it really all … well, legal?

Apparently not.

This article from the Webster Post (which is online) reports how the owner of  Lookah Hookah was fined for violating state labeling laws. Specifically, they were selling synthetic marijuana and other designer drugs.  ‘Course, what can you expect from a place where the tagline is “We’ll smoke you up”?

 

 

Spiffin’ up the Wegmans

27 Jul

Several days ago I blogged about how they’re constructing a new entrance-way at the Holt Road Wegmans store. Today I turn my attention to the Eastway Wegmans, where they’re also spiffin’ up the place.

It’s probably been finished for a while, but just last weekend I noticed the very nice outdoor eating area that Wegmans has installed outside their Market Cafe.  There’s already a huge amount of seating inside the store at their cafe, and they’ve practically doubled that with their new outdoor patio.  Plus half of it is covered by an awning, so people can enjoy it rain or shine.  Makes me want to go get a sub just so I can relax out there and watch the cars and cart boys.

I was also pleased to see today something that has probably ALSO been there for a while: signs in the main parking lot designating several spaces for the exclusive use of expectant mothers.  What a simple idea, and a great customer service.  Let’s just hope they’re respected by the non-preggers among us.

 

Webster Thomas grad is making the world a better place — one hammock at a time

24 Jul

I went to a hammock party the other day.

Never heard of a hammock party? Don’t worry. I hadn’t either, and when I received the invitation I had no idea what to expect. Was it going to be like a Tupperware party? Would there be a bunch of middle-aged ladies sitting around in hammocks, sipping wine and discussing the relative tensile strength of hemp versus kite string?

Fortunately, it was nothing like that. Instead, when I arrived at the party house and walked around to the back yard, I was struck by an amazing sight: Dozens of intricate, hand-woven hammocks hanging all around the yard, bursting with colors as though a rainbow had exploded and doused the entire scene in crimson, blue, green and yellow.

The party’s host was Colin Johnson, a 2011 graduate of Webster Thomas High School who now attends the University of Dayton, majoring in entrepreneurship. Colin is a man with some big ideas who wants to make the world a better place.  And he plans to do it with hammocks.

The party was a grand kick-off event for Colin’s new business, Hammocks That Help. The idea grew from his two-fold desire to start his own business, while at the same time giving back to people in need.

Colin spent much of his first year at school figuring out exactly how to accomplish both those goals.  He really wanted to delve into some kind of service project, but finding the right one proved difficult.  Finally, after months of research, hundreds of emails, and a trip to Latin America, he landed on the perfect solution. It was an idea, he said, that would have a “larger and longer impact, would benefit a local Nicaraguan business, and give me the entrepreneurial experience I was looking for.”

That idea was Hammocks That Help.

The hammocks themselves come from a very talented craftsman in Masaya, Nicaragua, whom Colin met with personally to arrange the deal. Colin plans to import 100 hammocks at a time for resale here in the States. And this is where the “giving back” part comes into play (and it’s really cool).

Through his research, Colin learned that Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere after Haiti, and the lack of safe housing there is a huge problem.  He witnessed the deplorable living conditions himself during his travels through the country last spring. “Pretty much their houses are four posts, with plastic wrap wound around them,” he said, “and their roofs are anything they could get their hands on.”

Felix, Margarita and their daughter Seylin will benefit from the first house built with funds from Hammocks That Help.

So Colin has partnered with a non-profit organization called the 4 Walls Project, which is dedicated to helping change the lives of families in the rural town of El Sauce, Nicaragua, by building homes. The group has already constructed 14 or 15 simple homes, but their funding has run dry. Colin has pledged to get that funding stream going again by donating half of his proceeds from the hammock sales.

For every 100 hammocks sold, one complete new home will be built. The first one will be for a young couple, Felix and Margarita, and their one-year old daughter Seyling.  So when you buy one of those first 100 hammocks, it’s like you’re making a little investment in that family’s future.  That’s pretty sweet.

The hammocks come in medium, large and family sizes, and start at $70. Find out more at hammocksthathelp.com, and if you’re interested in purchasing one, you can email Colin at csjohnson5@yahoo.com.

Entrepreneur Colin Johnson relaxing in one of his hammocks.

A look inside of Felix and Margarita’s current home.

 

Each new hammock owner gets a unique laminated card explaining which tells the “Hammocks That Help” story.

Young camper weaves his way to fundraising success at Bay View

22 Jul

The remains of the climbing wall the day after it was destroyed by vandals.

Here’s a nice little story that I ran across recently at the Bay View Family YMCA.  It’s about Joe Gerard, a young camper who has almost single-handedly raised more than $1,000 for Bay View’s climbing wall replacement fund.

A little background first.  In the early morning hours of June 24, the day before summer camp was to begin, vandals burned down Bay View’s popular 40-foot tall climbing wall. It was a very sad day for the Y, and especially for all the kids who climbed that wall every day at camp.

Insurance will not completely cover the cost of replacing the wall and its high-tech hydraulic auto-belay system, so several fund-raising efforts are in the works. Most of them are being coordinated by Bay View itself.  But 12-year old Joe Gerard decided that wasn’t enough. He wanted to do something, too.

Joe Gerard (black shirt) with his mom and dad Wendi and Mike, and brothers Daniel (blue shirt) and David. Daniel’s wearing an assortment of bracelets.

It began one day several weeks ago when Joe wore a bracelet to camp.  He had woven from a kit his mother bought him for Christmas. His fellow campers loved it, and they all wanted one. Turns out they wanted one so badly they were willing to pay Joe to weave one for them.

One turned into many, and many turned into hundreds.

In just a little more than two weeks, Joe has sold more than 200 hand-woven bracelets at $5 each, already raising more $1,000 for the climbing wall fund.

Close-up of one of the bracelets.

Joe’s brothers David and Daniel have helped some with the weaving, and his parents Wendi and Mike have bank-rolled the cost of supplies, so it’s kind of a family effort. But Joe’s really the mastermind behind it all. And even though he’s reached his original goal of $1,000, the demand is there to keep going and keep selling. (More importantly, Mom is telling him he should.)

If you’re interested in purchasing a bracelet  for $5 to benefit the Bay View YMCA Climbing Wall Replacement Fund, stop by the Camp Bay View office any weekday (behind the branch next to the Aquatic Center).  Or call the office at 341-4001.  They’re high-quality, colorful bracelets, cobra-stitched with para-cord, with durable plastic clip closures.

To make a direct donation to Bay View to help replace the climbing wall, click here for information.

* * *

While we’re on the topic of Bay View, I was there yesterday to watch a very neat event, a cardboard regatta. Participants were challenged to build a boat completely out of cardboard which could successfully navigate a 300-yard route into Irondequoit Bay, around a buoy, and back to the dock.

Fourteen “boats” of varying buoyancy were launched, holding anywhere from one to three sailors each.  Several of them actually survived the voyage. Many others sank immediately or shortly after heading out into the bay, leaving their crewmen no option but to physically drag the ailing vessel out to the buoy and back.

Fortunately, points were handed out for creativity and spirit in addition to seaworthiness.

It was a fun event and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, sitting on the bay with a nice breeze, watching the birds fly and the boats sink.  It didn’t seem to matter how well their boat sailed or how wet they got, everyone seemed to be having a great time. Plus it raised money for three great organizations: the Hillside family of agencies, Rochester General Health System and the YMCA.

I’ve posted a few photos here, and a few more in a gallery. Click either of the photos to go there.

Empire Grill: A small place with a big feel

22 Jul

 

It took me a while, but I finally stopped by to check out the new Empire Bar & Grill which opened about a month ago on Empire Blvd.  I’d driven by it many times, and every time I saw that the parking lot was packed.  I wondered how such a small place could fit so many people. Any why was it always so busy?

So last week I stopped in to find out what was so great about the place. That’s when I discovered that “small place” really wasn’t so small inside.

The Empire Bar & Grill — just like its name implies — is really two establishments. On the left side of the building is a very well-stocked bar, which seems to stretch almost the length of the building. It features two dart boards and 12 large-screen TVs, each tuned into a different sports channel, talk show or newscast.

On the right side is the grill (i.e., restaurant), separated enough from the bar that you won’t feel like you’re in a pub when you’re dining. It holds a lot more people than you’d think when you’re looking from outside. There are a dozen or more small tables and a booth along one long wall, allowing for seating of about 40 people. Plus there’s a nice stamped-concrete outdoor patio which can accommodate another 30 or so.  The restaurant side also has four more large-screen TVs in case you tend to get bored while you’re eating.

I chatted for a few minutes with Kelly Fiorini, the day manager, to find out what’s so special about the place that makes it so popular, only a few weeks after opening.  At first she mentioned their wings, but they’re particularly proud of their meatballs and sauces, which are all homemade. And their seafood bisque, she says, is “phenomenal,” with big chunks of seafood including whole steamed clams.

Before I left, I asked her point blank why the parking lot is always so crowded. She looked at me matter-of-factly and said, “Our food is really good.”

So check it out for yourself. It’s a nice little neighborhood bar and grill where both families and the late-night drinking crowd would feel comfortable.

Empire Bar & Grill is located at 2014 Empire Blvd. at the corner of Seabury Blvd. (the former Phuket Thai Cuisine location). They’re open from 11 am to 2 am Monday through Saturday, noon to 2 on Sunday. They serve lunch and dinner, from a surprisingly diverse menu including appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, quesadillas, burgers, pasta and a huge fish fry. Click here to see their menu.

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