Today’s blog is for everyone who’s been following the story about Bob Freese and Peggy Schaefer and their goodwill trip to Newfoundland.
It’s a thank-you trip where Bob and Peggy are handing out candy bars as a small token of appreciation for the kindness the residents there showed on 9/11. The story about how Newfoundlanders opened their homes to almost 7,000 stranded airplane passengers was made popular by the hit Broadway musical Come From Away.(Click here to read my most recent blog about the trip.)
They’re calling it their “Soul Connection Tour,” and it has begun.
Bob and Peggy embarked on their journey on July 23, with more than 1400 wrapped and personally signed candy bars carefully packed away in their RV. Six friends and four RVs are joining them on the tour, and even before reaching Newfoundland they’ve had daily adventures, visiting historical sites, museums and castles, and sampling a lot of great food and beers.
Peggy Schaefer (right) with a happy brewpub employeeTwo more candy bars handed out at the pub
It took them only a few days for Bob and Peggy to start distributing their candy bars, and it happened even before they reached the province. The first ones went to some fellas from Newfoundland they met at a historical site. The first ones the entire Soul Connection group handed out were at the Secret Cove Brewing Company in Port au Port, NL. Bob reports that “Yes, there were some tears! One family had their 10-year old boy come up to say thank you and shake hands as they left.”
Thank you to everyone who donated money or candy bars, and helped wrap and sign the candy bars. Your efforts are going a long way to help spread our country’s appreciation to the residents of Newfoundland.
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The Soul Connection Tour is just about ready to leave the station!
That would be the thank-you trip that Bob Freese and Peg Schaeffer are planning to take to Newfoundland later this month, to hand out candy bars a small token of appreciation for the kindness the residents there showed on 9/11. The story about how Newfoundlanders opened their homes to almost 7,000 stranded airplane passengers was made popular by the hit Broadway musical Come From Away.
This is the second time Bob and Peg have made the trip. On their first, back in 2019, they handed out 600 Hershey Bars to strangers they met along the way, each wrapped with a personally-signed thank-you message. (Click here to read the blog I wrote about that trip.)
This time, Bob and Peg want to hand out at least 1200 candy bars. That goal in itself shouldn’t be difficult — they’re going to meet a lot of people on their travels. But buying and preparing all those candy bars? That’s another matter.
Fortunately, they’ve been getting a lot of help. Last Thursday they hosted a “signing party” at the Webster Chamber of Commerce office, and 15 folks showed up to sign and wrap. Most everybody came with an armload of candy bars to donate to the cause. By the end of the afternoon, 550 candy bars were ready to go. The wrappers, by the way, had been signed by people from more than a dozen states.
At the signing partyCandy bars ready to goBob and Peg’s “ugly sticks” ready for the trip
But the kindness of the Webster community is reaching well beyond that signing party. For example, Denise Baller and her Dancing With Denise dancers and parents are donating, signing and wrapping 500 candy bars on their own, and the staff at Webster Comfort Care have prepared another 180.
Like on their last trip, Bob and Peg will be distributing the candy bars across the country as they travel from town to town. They’re especially looking forward to attending a performance of Come From Away when they’re in Gander, where they hope to be allowed to present candy bars to all the actors and audience members.
Another highlight of the trip will be a potluck supper they’re hosting while in Gander. They’re inviting the whole town, and all of the “real” people whose stories are depicted in the play. It’s their way of celebrating the “soul connection” the world has with Newfoundlanders.
A family reunion of sorts took place Friday evening, when employees of the now-closed Hegedorn’s Market gathered for a good-bye picnic.
The event, held in a lodge at Charles Sexton Park, was organized by former front end manager Jeannie Uhl, with help from Cindy Frank and others to track down as many current and former employees as possible.
When I was there, the party was just getting busy. A few dozen people were already there, with more arriving every minute. They were seated inside and outside the lodge, enjoying a dish-to-pass dinner and visiting with their former colleagues.
They shared laughs, memories both happy and sad, and lots of stories — like how long-time customers would come to the store that final week just to take a stroll through the aisles. And how one more of the painted ceiling tiles had finally been claimed by its original artist.
But mostly they enjoyed one last chance to all be together as a family, like they were when they were working at Webster’s hometown grocery.
If you happened to be driving or walking through the Finchingfield Lane neighborhood on Monday night, you would have seen a Fourth-of-July-inspired light display which you likely didn’t expect.
No, it wasn’t fireworks, although they were very much in evidence that evening. It was, instead, a series of 300 luminaria — little white bags, each with its own tealight candle — lining several of the neighborhood’s streets.
The display, which stretched for an estimated half mile along four streets, was the work of Canoe Birch Lane resident Mike Pauly, his wife, daughters, and several very helpful and enthusiastic young neighbors. It’s a project Mike has been doing every year around the Fourth of July for more than 20 years … but not always here in Webster.
Mike and Rachel Pauly (in back) with most of their young helpersDougie Gibson lights one of the luminaria
The tradition actually began when he and his family were making regular summer camping trips to Woodstream Campsite in Gainesville.
Mike remembered that a few other families would put about 20 candles out in front of their campers. His father liked the idea and thought they could do it, too. But they weren’t happy with just putting out a few dozen.
“We expanded on it,” Mike said. “It wasn’t long before we put 500 out and filled up most of the campground.” It became an annual project, with kids from all over the campground helping fill the bags and light the candles. After a while, the campground even started offering wagon rides so everyone could enjoy the spectacle.
They don’t make it down to Woodstream much anymore, so they haven’t put out the luminaria for a few years. But last year Mike’s wife Rachel had a great suggestion: why not continue the tradition in their own neighborhood?
And that’s what happened. Last year they started relatively small, putting out 200 luminaria. This year that number grew to 300. Young neighborhood helpers worked for several hours over a few days to fill the bags with sand and place the candles. Then, at about 7 p.m., Mike, Rachel, their two daughters and their team of helpers started working their way through the neighborhood to place the bags. Another trip through to light all the candles, and the streets were glowing. With everyone working together, the whole process only took about an hour and a half.
The result was beautiful, and the reactions have been very positive. “People have been saying, it looks great, thank you for doing it,” Mike said.
Unfortunately, it’s a short-lived display. The candles only last two to four hours, and Mike went around Tuesday morning to collect all the bags. So if you didn’t see them Monday night, you’ll have to wait until next Fourth of July.
Why does Mike continue to do this every year? I never actually asked him, but I can pretty much guess the answer: to bring joy to his neighbors and strangers who walk or drive by, and to bring a little light into everyone’s lives as we celebrate this important holiday.
What a very community-inspired, Webster-like thing to do.
Just a reminder today that your opportunity to help share some love and appreciation with the people of Newfoundland is fast approaching.
You may remember my blog about Bob Freese and Peg Schaefer, two Webster folks who are planning a trip to Newfoundland to hand out candy bars to the residents there as a small token of appreciation for the kindness they showed on 9/11. The story about how, for five days, Newfoundlanders opened their homes to almost 7,000 stranded airplane passengers was made popular by the hit Broadway musical Come From Away.
This is the second time Bob and Peg have made the trip. On their first, back in 2019, they covered almost 5,000 miles up one side of Newfoundland and down the other, handing out 600 candy bars (Hershey Bars, specifically) to strangers they met along the way. Each candy bar had a thank-you message wrapped around it, signed by a grateful American (mostly Webster-ites).
The very first “wrapping party”600 candy bars readied for the 2019 trip
Later this month, Bob and Peg will be returning to Newfoundland to hand out even more candy bars and reconnect with many of the new friends they made there.
You can help them share the love. On Thursday July 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Bob and Peg will be at the Webster Chamber of Commerce office, 1110 Crosspointe Lane (Suite C) for a candy-bar-wrapping-and-signing party. It’s a chance to add your personal thanks to the good people of Newfoundland. It would be great if you could bring some candy bars with you (1.55-ounce Hershey Bars). But even if you don’t, please consider stopping by and joining the signing fun. Bring the kids, too!
Typical Field Day Station with Morse Key Paddle and MicPete Fournia, W2SKY making a contact
The XRX Amateur Radio Club held their annual Field Day last weekend, and from all reports, it was a great success. The event’s chairman, Bob Karz, wrote that the club made more contacts than ever, meaning more points than ever, and they hope to finish in the top 11% of their class, which is a pretty big deal.
If little of what I just said made sense to you, keep reading. Bob sent along this very good description about what this interesting exercise is all about.
Amateur Radio Emergency Services and the XRX Amateur Radio Club held their 38th annual emergency preparedness Field Day June 24 to 25 at Kent Park in Webster. It’s not a field day in the usual sense, but rather an opportunity to try out our radios and hone our skills needed to provide communications to the outside world in the event of a real emergency.
Field Day involves over 30,000 amateur radio operators (or hams) in the US and Canada as well as a few from other parts of the world. This year we made over 1,000 contacts with stations in every state except Alaska, most Canadian provinces, Chile, France, and Puerto Rico all totally “off the grid” using power from generators and batteries with no internet or cell phones.
These days amateur radio is more than dots and dashes, although we did make several contacts using Morse Code. We also made contacts with voice and a computer mode called FT8 which is a little like the internet except over radio. FT8 is becoming increasingly popular for Field Day. This year for the first time we actually made more contacts using FT8 (420) than with any other method.
Field Day is an opportunity to try out new equipment and techniques. It’s also a chance showcase Amateur Radio to the public. We encourage visitors and even give kids (and their parents) a chance to make radio contacts. This year we had more than 30 people drop by including 12 kids who each made a radio contact with help from a radio “coach.”
Field Day is always the 4th full weekend in June. The next Field Day will be June 22 to 23, 2024. We will again be at the lower soccer fields in Kent Park. You are invited to drop by and see for yourself what some of your friends and neighbors are doing to help keep us safe in the event of a natural disaster. More information about the local amateur radio community can be found at www.rochesterham.org.
If you’d like to read more about Field Day, click here to read the blog I wrote about the one I attended in 2021.
Making their first contacts: ElizabethAnnaCalebC J Converse, KB2BMS making her first contactRaising the directional antenna
Webster has said its last, sad goodbyes to Hegedorn’s Market, but at least a small part of our hometown grocery will live on for much longer.
Regular blog readers have been following the story of the colorfully-painted ceiling tiles that for more than 30 years hung above Hegedorn’s check-out area. When the decision was made to close the store, Produce Manager Fred Palmer took it upon himself to make sure the panels were not only saved, but returned to the students who painted them all those years ago.
Thanks in large part to word spreading through social media, more than half of the 32 tiles were claimed, and Fred took photos of the artists with their panels when they came to pick them up (you can see many of those photos above and at the end of the blog). By the store’s closing day, 15 tiles remained unclaimed.
But even they have found homes.
Eight of the final 15 tiles have been donated to the Webster Public Library, where they’re currently on display. Library Director Adam Traub was very excited to adopt some of the tiles, saying,
Hegedorn’s has been a staple of the Webster community for generations; the Webster Public Library would like to thank Hegedorn’s for their contributions to this community by saving a piece of that history to share with generations to come. The tiles will be on display this summer in the main library (between Biographies and Graphic Novels), then hopefully find a permanent home in the ceiling of the children’s room.
This is actually a fitting end for some of the tiles since Adam and his classmate Greg Smalter created one of them.
The remaining seven tiles have been given to the Webster Museum. Museum Director Tom Pellett told me they’re considering installing several of them in the ceiling and/or walls of the toy room alcove.
He wrote, “We feel this is an important part of Webster. Not only because of Hegedorn’s history but also a reminder of the students who created them and Jack Morse, the art teacher who guided the project.”
Thank you to everyone who shared the blog and Facebook posts and helped find homes for these important pieces of Hegedorn’s — and Webster’s — history.
Here are more photos of the artists with their reclaimed ceiling tiles:
Ryan Johnson’s momCarrie (Frank) SwainBrad FrancisAdam BenfanteSantina BeachnerErin Cantaben’s DadWebster Library Director Adam Traub
Next time you’re driving along Hard Rd. by the Webster Highway Department, keep an eye on the sky and you might just catch a glimpse of one of the area’s most graceful residents: an osprey.
Ospreys are large members of the hawk family, with slender bodies measuring up to 24 inches, and long, narrow wings that can reach 71 inches across. They’re brown on top and predominantly grey underneath.
I recently got an email from Anne Clarkson, a school bus driver, who told me that for many years, a pair of ospreys has been nesting on the top of one of the communication towers located on the property line between the bus garage and the Webster Highway Dept.
Anne did such a great job of telling the birds’ story, that I’m reprinting her email pretty much verbatim. She wrote,
They first built their nest probably close to 10 years ago and have raised quite a few chicks over the years. When the summer ends and the babies are flying, the whole family does what all ospreys in North America do — they fly to South America or the Caribbean for the winter! Then in late April or so, they return and repair or rebuild their nest. They are really amazing birds!
Since they eat only fish, they can be seen diving into the lake and the bay (of course), but also in local ponds such as North Ponds and some of the ponds in local subdivisions. When they have youngsters, you’ll see them flying back to the tower carrying a fish in their talons. Unlike eagles who also catch fish that are at the top of the water, ospreys dive right down into the water — beak-and-feet first — and “fly” back up out of the water with their catch to a perch or to their nest.
As for info on our pair, I believe they first appeared in maybe 2013 or so. I took a brief retirement from driving over parts of 2015-2016 and I know they were there before I left and I was ecstatic to see that they were still there when I returned! They raised babies every year, but it’s almost impossible to know how many. That tower is so tall and the babies are only flitting around in the nearby trees for a few days after they leave the nest and before they are out really flying with their parents.
Many of the drivers were concerned last spring when the renovation of our fleet parking lot began. Virtually all of the existing trees were bulldozed and the whole area was paved. I assured the drivers that the birds would not care. They were very secure up on their tower, and since they don’t hunt in woods (they ONLY eat fish), they would not be affected at all by the noise and activity way down below them. Even the tower guys doing maintenance work on the tower, did not bother the ospreys. They just perched in different areas on the tower and periodically lifted off to circle the tower and/or change perching locations. Later in the year when the guys came along and tore down the massive nest, the birds were already on their way south. And, by the way, the logs used to build that nest looked a whole lot bigger when falling to the ground — especially with average-sized men standing right there tossing them down!
(The tower guys) always seem very careful and respectful of the birds… I would think that having a predatory bird with a wingspan of 5 feet or more quietly circling and watching as you work on ’their’ tower … could be a little intimidating. Or it could be the coolest thing they do all year — who knows?
Nonetheless, I was grateful and relieved when I heard and saw the birds returning this spring! One interesting note about ospreys is that the older babies that have spent a few years in the southern oceans will accompany their parents back to their birthplace. This year, I saw at least four or five extra ospreys flying around the tower. It looked like a typical family reunion — lots of conversations and what looked like happy greetings before the ‘kids’ started flying off to other destinations.
Once they got settled and the ‘kids’ were off to their own new homes, it took the parents several days to build their new nest. It looks just as big as the last one! It’s pretty cool to watch them building it. They fly through the nearby woods and break off branches as they fly, carrying them back in beaks or talons (depending on size) and weaving them into their gigantic nest.
I would absolutely love it if we could get some entity (DEC?, WWF?, Seneca Park Zoo???) to install a webcam up there at the top of the tower so everyone could see just how cool these birds are. The one thing they do all day long that impresses me is their takeoff from the tower. They do not jump. They do not flap their wings. They simply open their wings and are lifted silently and effortlessly into flight. They also make the sweetest chirping sound when talking to each other. Very different from birds like crows or the typical screechy sounds expected of hawks or eagles.
And don’t get me started on their amazing hunting skills! You can find lots of videos and still shots of ospreys literally diving underwater to grab a fish. They are under the water long enough to make the average observer nervous for their well-being! But these birds are so strong and so efficient they even catch the fish in such a way that it is oriented in line with the bird’s body with the fish facing forward for maximum aerodynamics when flying home.
Even though the tower is technically on the Highway Dept. property, and it’s the cell tower guys who bravely climb up to do maintenance (and every couple of years, remove the nest), we at the bus garage have kind of adopted them as “our ospreys.”
Thank you, Anne, for this terrific story! (And thank you Jerry Salamone for the photos, from 2019.)
Back in March, I introduced you to Dave Tinnes, who had embarked on a personal challenge to play catch with someone (didn’t matter who) every day, for 30 days straight. It was a journey inspired by the story of Ethan Bryan, who had completed his own 365-day catch challenge. Dave’s goal was to forge personal connections with as many people as possible. (Click here to see that blog.)
I met Dave in March, when he was almost three weeks into his challenge. We met at the library, where I interviewed him for my blog (and of course played a game of catch). It was pretty clear even then that there was no way he was going to end his challenge after just 30 days.
As expected, Dave has not only blown past that 30-day goal, he’s extended it to more than 100 days — and there’s no sign the streak will be ending anytime soon.
Last week, I was honored to be Dave’s catch partner for day #100 of his journey. Our first impromptu catch session in front of the library was short, windy and cold. Last week was much better. We met at Charles Sexton Park; the weather was warmer and our catch session much longer. Our conversations ranged from my blog to his plans to do more writing, to the aggressive geese that kept chasing us off the path. And of course we talked about where his catch journey has taken him and what it has taught him.
He told me he hasn’t had much difficulty finding catch partners, many coming from social media and word of mouth. Friends recommend friends, and sometimes he even asks complete strangers (no one has declined his in-person invitations yet). There have been times when his scheduled catch partner hasn’t shown up, however. That’s when Dave turns to his “bullpen,” three or four people who are ready to play catch on a moment’s notice.
I asked him who some of his favorite catch partners have been. His list was a long one, but included Ike Walker (Negro League All Star catcher for Satchel Paige); Josh Rawitch (President of the Baseball Hall of Fame); his wife’s 101-year old grandmother; his wife, both of his kids and some close friends.
I asked him how the journey has changed his life in the last three months, to which he said,
I’m so much more intentional in the choices I’m making, which affects many areas of my life. I’m planning more, I’m becoming more organized. I’m learning to listen to people intently, which helps deepen my relationships in a more wonderful way.
He’s also realized that he wants to become a better writer, and perhaps even write a book about his personal catch journey.
What hasn’t changed, he added, is that every catch is unique and special, he still looks forward to playing catch every day, his wife has been very gracious and patient through the whole journey, and his son is his favorite catch partner. But most importantly, the journey is still all about connecting.
Now 106 days into his 30-day catch journey, Dave Tinnes has played catch 158 times. Some days there’s only one catch partner, other days two, occasionally three or more. But every single time is unique and every single connection significant.
He doesn’t see an end to the journey anytime soon, but instead is looking forward to where the journey might take him. In the months ahead, he hopes to do some more traveling, experience more unique venues, and play catch at different major league ballparks he and his son visit. And he really hopes he can have a game of catch with Mookie Wilson when he visits Rochester later this month.
Clearly this personal challenge has affected Dave Tinnes deeply. But what’s gone unsaid so far is how it’s also affected everyone he’s played catch with.
Dave wears his heart on his sleeve, and he exudes infectious positivity. He analyzes every moment in life for its lessons, and sincerely tries to listen — really listen — to everyone he meets. He lives every moment of his life, in the most complete meaning of the word. We could all learn from him and aspire to do the same.
If you’d like to schedule a time to play catch with Dave, he’d love to meet you. Drop him an email at Tbonedmt@yahoo.com.
Holy cow, have I gotten a huge response from the blog I recently wrote about the Hegedorn’s ceiling tiles.
If you’re not familiar with this story (which is hard to believe), the gist of it is this: 32 years ago, students at Klem North Elementary School painted ceiling tiles which have been hanging above the registers at Hegedorn’s Market since around 1991. But rather than toss them in a dumpster when the store closes at the end of this month, the folks at Hegedorn’s are making an effort to return them to the students who painted them.
The blog has received dozens of comments and hundreds of “likes” and has been shared almost 70 times. I’ve heard from former students all over the state and the country who remember painting tiles, and are interested in getting them back — or at least seeing photos of them.
Hegedorn’s Produce Manager Fred Palmer has been taking the lead in removing the panels, and had originally planned to put them all on display above the produce case so customers would notice them and maybe recognize one.
Well, since the blog has received so much attention, putting them on display has not been necessary. Instead, people are being asked to call Hegedorn’s (585-671-4450), and the service desk is keeping a list of everyone who’s interested in retrieving their tile. Fred is planning to start making phone calls sometime this coming week.
In the meantime, all of the panels have been removed and are being kept in the back room of the store’s produce department. Fred was kind enough to let me spread them all out and take photos of them. It might help even more former students recognize their work, and it might be fun just to remember what all their classmates did.
Click here to see the entire gallery of panels, plus a few miscellaneous photos. I think I was able to photograph them all, but I see that I cut the name off of one of them. If you recognize the one with the Pepsi bottle, corn and carrots, please let me know!
P.S. If you happen to get your panel back, please snap a photo of you with it, so I can feature them in a future follow-up blog. And wouldn’t it be fun to also have your 4th or 5th grade photo along with it …????
P.P.S. Channel 10 and Channel 13 are both planning do stories about the ceiling tiles, so I’ll let you know when I hear more about that.
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
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