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In memory of a village treasure

21 Nov

On March 3, 2018, the Village of Webster lost one of its most precious people, Carol Klem.

I had known Carol for less than 10 years, but we shared a passion for local journalism, and a love for the village. When we first met — I don’t remember when or where it was, but it was probably at some village event — we immediately hit it off.  Aside from bonding over our love of writing and journalism, we recognized in each other the same determination to live life fully, not take life too seriously, and never completely grow up.

For more than ten years, Carol penned the Village Focus column in the Webster Herald, and was basically the village’s biggest cheerleader. On November 21, 2017, the Webster Village Board returned the favor. To show Carol how much her efforts were appreciated, they presented her with a proclamation and named the day after her. Every year hence, November 21 would officially be Carol Klem Day in the Village of Webster.

Given that today is Carol Klem Day 2021, I wanted to post something in memory of my friend. What follows is an article I wrote for the Webster Herald which ran the week before the proclamation.

If you’ve lived in the Village of Webster for any length of time, chances are very good you know Carol Klem — or at least know about her.

It helps that for the last 12 years, as Village Focus columnist, Carol’s smiling face has appeared every two weeks on the village website and in the Webster Herald.

But even if you don’t regularly read her column, you’ve almost certainly seen Carol around town, chatting with fellow journalists at Barry’s Old School Irish or at Golden Boys, visiting with local business owners, or darting back and forth during parades, festivals and other special events, snapping photos for her column.

Basically, the name Carol Klem has become synonymous with all things good about the Village of Webster. For years, she’s been the eyes and ears of Webster, like a town crier, using her column to cheer accomplishments both big and small. She has introduced us to new businesses and old businesses. She has written tender obituaries, announced births and anniversaries. She has told us about upcoming special events and charmed us with personal musings about small-town life. And every Christmas she has delighted us all with her epic holiday poem.

Carol was born in Rochester in 1938, the oldest of three children, and lived with her family in the Beechwood section of the city. While she was attending high school at Nazareth Academy, her parents decided to move to Webster, in a home they built on Basket Road.

At that time, Webster was very rural, and was really considered the “boondocks.” Moving from the city to farm country was a big adjustment, but it gave Carol lots of handy excuses for being late for school. One of them, her daughter Mary Kay remembers, was “the Schreiber cows were loose on Basket Road.”

Carol attended Nazareth College, where she studied English and music, and was hired at Holy Trinity School, where she taught first through third grades.

Carol was the school’s first lay teacher. “It was mom and all the nuns,” Mary Kay said. “It was really quite funny. I think she was very different from the nuns. I can’t imagine a bunch of nuns and my mom!”

It was while she was teaching at Holy Trinity that she met Gene, her husband of 57 years. They were introduced by then-pastor Fr. William Kalb in 1959, married the following year, and immediately started a family. Mary Kay was born in 1961, followed closely by Tom, Greg and Doug. Many years later, in 1978, little sister Meg joined the family.

Carol worked through her first pregnancy, then became a stay-at-home mom. It was only after all the kids had all grown and moved on that she re-entered the workforce, finding part-time work with the Webster Post, writing wedding announcements and obituaries.

At 47 years old, Carol Klem the journalist was born.

“I remember her starting with a portable typewriter,” Mary Kay said. “I couldn’t imagine she would ever be computer-literate, and Word proficient. Although she still has a knack for losing files.”

In 2005 Carol left the Post and was asked to join the Webster Herald as the Village Focus columnist. She had finally found her true calling: writing about the village she loves so dearly.

And she does love Webster dearly. In September 2015, in an interview she recorded for the non-profit Webster Together organization, Carol called the village “the heart of Webster.”

“I just love our town. I love the people in it, and I love the spirit,” she said. “I’d love to see the village definitely take off. I think that whatever happens, we have the right people to make the decisions.”

I think Carol would be happy with the direction the village is going. She’d be sad to see long-standing businesses like The Music Store close, but happy about all of the new shops that have moved into the village. And given the social butterfly she was, this COVID stuff would have driven her up a wall. I don’t think it would have slowed her down too much, though. I can picture her in a mask, swinging her little digital camera as she chronicled life getting back to normal.

I miss her ever-present smile, boundless energy and joie de vivre. I’ll be raising a glass to her today.

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

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The power of kindness

6 Nov

This is an amazing story. It’s rather long, but read through to the end, because it will warm your heart.

When I first started writing this story, it was going to be all about the power of the internet and crowdsourcing. But in just two days, it morphed into something much more meaningful. It became a testament to the incredible positivity that can spread from one simple act of kindness.

It began several days ago when I received an email from DP Dunn. He told me that while taking a stroll along the lake, he’d come across a small GoPro camera which had washed up on the shore. He attached several photos which he’d been able to pull off the camera. They showed a young family enjoying a gorgeous summer day at a big house on the lake, time-stamped July 6, 2021. He thought that if I could post the story and photos in my blog, maybe SOMEONE would recognize the family in the photos.

Boy, was he right.

DP (Don) sent the email last Monday, but I didn’t get around to writing the blog until Thursday. (You can read that blog here.) I posted it to my social media feeds about 7:45 that morning. Less than two hours later I’d received emails from two people who could identify the home and homeowners. One of them even sent along the homeonwer’s LinkedIn profile so we could contact him. But that proved to be unnecessary.

By this time the blog was being shared widely on social media, where in no time it found Michelle Odenbach. It was her lakefront home in the photo, and her friends Ollie and Raquel Bartholomew splashing in the pool. Turns out the Bartholomews had been visiting the Odenbachs last summer from their home in Westchester County. Ollie lost the camera while tooling around the lake on a jet ski.

Michelle tagged her downstate friends in the Facebook post, and Raquel and Ollie responded almost immediately. I connected them with Don, the camera finder, and by noon the circle was complete. Almost four months after the camera had gone into Lake Ontario, it had been found and would soon be going home.

You might think the story ends there. But the flurry of emails and messages that followed was delightful, and took this already nice story of kindness to entirely new level. Bear with me as I share several of those.

First, some of Ollie’s initial reactions to the news that his camera had been found (and I am liberally combining several messages here…)

This is absolutely incredible! An example of good will and humanity at its very finest! Thank you, kind reader, and thank you to the publisher for this thoughtful process and effort you’ve gone to.

This is my camera. It fell off a jet ski mid-ride whilst we were celebrating 4th of July weekend with relatives in Webster. I am just so astonished and grateful to everyone involved here. That camera contains valuable photos and videos of our 3 children enjoying the holidays!

I and my wife are absolutely delighted! I was in SO much trouble cuz this thing has photos and videos of our eldest daughter learning to swim etc. I love stories like this, rare though they are, to be at the centre of one is an honour and pleasure of the highest order!

Our discussion then moved to email, where Don introduced himself.

Hi Ollie,

By way of introduction, I’m Don. Seems I found this little gem of yours.

You know the story, my friend. When I found the camera on Monday it had been washed ashore at Webster Park, on the walkway just west of the pier. The waves were 3-5 feet that day, with a strong wind out of the east, I think. What you don’t know is how hard I laughed when I viewed the very last video file saved on the memory card. You know, the one where the camera fell in the lake. On the audio, you can hear the sea-do circling as you look for the camera. And the camera sinks deeper and deeper … It just moves me to tears (of laughter) every time I watch that. Does that make me a bad person?

Seriously, Dude – send that video into America’s Funnies Videos. If you don’t win, you’ll likely place in the top 3.

Ollie responded,

Dear Don,

What a huge pleasure to meet you.This is nothing short of extraordinary and I am indebted to you for the effort you’ve gone to here. These kind of stories are few and far between and rarely (I’m guessing) yield a successful outcome! I am overjoyed to be part of a successful one.

And then he did a wonderful thing. As his way of repaying his “debt to humanity,” Ollie offered to donate $100 in my name and Don’s name to charity. As it so happens, Don has a good friend, Kevin Woolever, who is fighting ALS, and for whom a GoFundMe page has been set up to help with medical expenses and paying off his house. Don and I both asked Ollie put the $200 towards Kevin’s cause.

Within hours, Ollie had made the donation and reported back, adding that he had also encouraged his friends to consider supporting the GoFundMe page. He wrote,

Donation made and karma officially balanced.

Thanks again Missy for graciously putting your share towards Kevin and Sharon’s cause. It is truly heart warming and I have shared it in turn on my Facebook in case friends / family are able to dig deep and help also. I was glad to see my donation pushed it over the $8k mark – what a phenomenal response and I know the money will work hard for their needs during this very trying time. I wish them all the best in the world.

Don put the waterlogged GoPro in the mail yesterday, only about 36 hours after I posted that blog. Ollie is going to contact the company and hopefully get it replaced. In the meantime, he and Don and I are planning to grab a pint together at Barry’s when they’re in town again. Maybe I’ll get to meet the famous GoPro.

An unplanned walk along the lake, a simple kindness and a short blog. Who knew where they would lead?

Or, as Don observed,

Look at all that’s happened since: Ollie and family get their camera and photos. Missy and her crew of ‘junior detectives’ solved a mystery and her readers get a neat story. Kevin gets a step closer to saving his house. New friendships have formed.

Whoda thunk?

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For those who have stayed with me this far, here are some fun tidbits:

Ollie had the foresight to note the exact GPS coordinates where he’d lost the camera. Don put this map together, showing where he found it west of the pier, calculating that in four months it traveled roughly 1.26 km or .8 miles, including the distance it had to go around the pier.

And as a EXTRA SPECIAL treat, here’s that video from when the GoPro went into the lake.

And by the way, by Thursday evening — the DAY I posted the blog — it had received more than 8,000 hits. By far (and I mean by several thousand) the most hits I have ever gotten on a blog. And they’re still coming in. That’s the power of social media.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

I finally got a village Halloween

1 Nov

My husband and I moved into the village the summer of 2019, so this is our third Halloween here. We were told by our neighbors to expect hundreds of kids, many of them arriving in minivans (imported from other neighborhoods where the trick-or-treating is not as plentiful, I suspect). And, they added, people will sit outside in their driveways aside their fire pits to welcome the kids.

We and our firepit and several bags of candy were prepared for our Halloween in the new house. But it rained hard that evening, which kept a lot of trick-or-treaters at home and the firepit covered.

Last year, of course, was COVID. ‘Nuff said.

So yesterday, when the weather was expected to be dry and comfortable, we were ready again. And we were not disappiointed. The trick-or-treaters started arriving at 5:30 and we didn’t pack up until 8. Granted, our little corner of Fuller Ave. doesn’t attract nearly as many kids as the Dunning Ave./Park Ave. neighborhoods, so we overbought candy. But I dressed in a scary costume, and we sat by our fire pit with some adult beverages, finally enjoying a REAL Webster Village Halloween. (We even had a cooler full of “adult trick-or-treats” which turned out to be very popular.)

I did take a quick walk down to Dunning, since I was told the homeowners there go all out on Halloween with their decorations. I’ve posted some photos here. A lot of those houses were really neat.

But what I especially loved seeing was how everyone was greeting the kids OUTSIDE, on their porches or in their driveways. It’s so much different from the North Penfield neighborhood we came from. So … village-y.

I’m already looking forward to next year. And I think I’m going to like having all that leftover candy, so I might overbuy again.

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Photos from the Trick or Treat Trail

31 Oct

Well, it wasn’t as warm or sunny as we’ve experienced some years, and not as dry as most. But the few showers that we had yesterday afternoon didn’t deter hundreds of kids and their adults from strolling the Village of Webster’s streets during this year’s Trick-or-Treat Trail.

More than two dozen businesses participated this year, as well as the Webster Museum and Webster Volunteer Fire Department, which always uses the day to host its annual open house. The costume contest, modified this year to become a Covid-friendly walk-through event, ran so smoothly that I dare say it might become the norm for future years.

It’s always great to see how much fun the kids have, and how proud they are of their costumes. But I especially like seeing how many adults dress up as well, often as part of a family theme. It’s one of my favorite days of the year.

Many thanks to all the parents who let me stop them in their tracks so I could take photos. There’s more than 150 in my Facebook gallery, so there’s a good chance you’ll see yourself and your kids, or at least someone you know.

I’ve posted a few photos here, but click here to see the gallery.

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

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Third Family Games Night a success despite the cold

25 Oct

It wasn’t 65 degrees and sunny like the first Family Games Night back in July. And certainly not in the high 70s like the second one in September. But chilly autumn breezes and overcast skies didn’t deter hundreds of adults and children who braved the cold last Saturday evening to enjoy German music, German food and giant games set up on West Main Street. 

Saturday’s event was the last of three Family Games Night/Beer Gardens sponsored by the Webster Business Improvement District (BID) this summer and fall. This most recent block party featured an Oktoberfest theme, complete with three full hours of rousing entertainment from premier Oktoberfest band The Krazy Firemen, and plenty of bratwurst and knackwurst on the grills.

And beer, of course. 

The event almost didn’t happen. It had originally been scheduled for Saturday Oct. 16, but was rained out. The darkening skies didn’t look a whole lot more promising this time around, but aside from a few sprinkles early on, the weather held. 

Still, promptly at 5 p.m., when the Krazy Firemen sounded their siren and launched into their first traditional Oompah tune, they played to a completely empty street. Organizers began to fear that people didn’t realize the event had been rescheduled.  

But they needn’t have worried. By 5:30, West Main St. had begun to fill up with festival-goers. Children of all ages were playing with the games and chalking in the street. Denise Baller from Dancing With Denise had a whole knot of kids up and dancing to the band. Many older folks were just content to get a brat, sit at a table and enjoy the authentic German music. By the end of the evening, several hundred people had come into town to enjoy the Oktoberfest with family and friends. 

The chilly weather might have kept some people home, of course. But Clayton LaClair, who was there with his young family, spoke for many when he said, ”I don’t care about the cold. It’s German food and beer!” 

“And a kids’ night,” added his wife Mindy. 

BID chair Elena Bernardi said, “I’m excited to bring all this stuff to Main Street for families to come out and just have fun.” She added that given the success of the Game Nights, the BID will definitely plan to do them again next year — but maybe schedule the last one a little earlier in the season. 

Check out some more photoss here:

  • Denise Baller of Dancing With Denise kept young dancers especially entertained
  • Clayton LaClair and his son Sebastian
  • Dani Estabrook practices her cornhole skills

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Another sign, another mystery

23 Oct

I had another mini-mystery on my hands a few days ago. But unlike the mystery I tackled back in September — the origin of the James Carnevale Bike Trail signs — this quest was joined and solved within just a few hours.

It concerns an historical marker placed in front of a stately home at 757 Holt Rd. which recognizes the home as the birthplace of Dr. Luther Emmett Holt, a prominent doctor and author.

Last Sunday I got an email from B. Benson about that sign, who wrote,

During the weeks of summer, every time I passed the Dr. Holt house on Holt Rd., I thought about repainting the faded words and colors of the historical marker located on the property. It is an important piece of the medical history and of Webster. Dr Holt was an important player in the discovery of milk-related illnesses and other diseases in children.

Driving past again this week, I saw an older man in gray trousers, white shirt, paintbrush in hand doing what needed to be done: repainting the sign, dark blue background, and yellow lettering. It looked awesome when it was finished. I would like to thank him for preserving and educating others on Dr. Holt since it now can be clearly read.

I suspected my contacts at the Webster Museum might know something about it, so I forwarded the email to Kathy Taddeo, a museum volunteer and someone on whom I’ve come to rely for all things Museum. She, in turn, beat the bushes by forwarding the email to all of her Museum contacts, volunteer and otherwise.

Just three hours later, Kathy got an email from Town Councilman Barry Deane, who wrote:

I have been dealing with this effort for months. A gentleman inquired as to if he could rehab this sign. It was weeks of communications with Monroe County, some research, and acquiring a permit to do the work. We stayed diligent and finally were able to get the permit and the coloring.

After a few more emails, I tracked down that gentleman, and we met for a very nice conversation at — appropriately — the Webster Museum.

He is Webster resident Charlie Fallon, who explained how the project came to pass.

I’m staying with a friend (nearby). We do a lot of walking. When we walk in that direction I would think, “this sign is in tremendous disrepair compared to the other county signs.” So I did some research on Emmett Holt and he seemed like a pretty interesting guy.

His next step was to get in touch with the town, and Councilman Deane became his contact on the project. Deane consulted with Webster Town Historian Lynn Barton to nail down what the exact colors should be, and secured the proper permissions from the county. Then, once he gave the green light, Charlie said, “I could just go ahead and do the work.”

For about three weeks, Charlie worked a little bit almost every day on the project. Most of that time was spent on prep work, he said. The sign needed a lot of sanding to get rid of years of rust and grime. As he worked, several people stopped to admire his progress and thank him for his efforts.

When you talk to Charlie, though, you get the sense that to him, it was no big deal. It was just something that needed to be done, like his work with Foodlink and other worthy causes.

“I’m not the most ‘volunteerist’ guy,” he claimed, “but I like to do stuff. I like to be useful.”

“It was just a pleasant project to do.”

The Democrat and Chronicle published an article about Dr. Holt several years ago. If you’d like to read more about him and the difference he made in saving childen’s lives, click here.

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Webster Thomas art student lends his expertise to City of Rochester mural project

30 Sep

A young Webster artist has helped transform a plain building in Rochester’s southwest neighborhood into a magnificent work of art.

For several days recently, Webster Thomas senior Martin Carey spent many volunteer hours helping Brazilian artist Eder Muñiz create a breathtaking mural on the Montgomery Neighborhood Center on Cady St., in Rochester’s Southwest neighborhood.

The mural, which measures an impressive 15 by 30 feet, depicts a fanciful scene with a lush garden, several creatures, and a huge woman’s face partially obscured by a gigantic blue swan. It took four days to complete, from Thursday Sept. 23 to Sunday Sept. 26.

Martin decribes the finished project as,

a beautiful mesh between all the parties involved. The urban ecologists who work in the garden in front of it (are represented) in the scenes that take up most of the left side of the mural, and the swan along the woman’s face represents SWAN, which works out of the building.

The woman is a singer from Salvador, Brazil.

The project was organized by the Southwest Area Neighborhood Association (SWAN), which calls the center home. SWAN’s director, Tiffany Owens, knew Martin from his volunteer work with the agency and arranged for him to join the project.

She wrote,

Martin’s father is an amazing partner to S.W.A.N and once he gained knowledge of the mural, he asked if Martin could participate, and we jumped at the opportunity to have him meet and work with the visiting artist.

Martin came every day and worked tirelessly. As young people from the neighborhood stopped by, he demonstrated extreme patience and care in answering their questions and joining in their excitement about the process.

Martin Carey is an amazing individual with a heart of gold.

It was clearly a life-changing experience for Martin. He said,

It was a great opportunity for me to be able to hang out with such an experienced artist and really be able to learn the different techniques he used, what he used, how he used them, and actually see and go through the process with him. It was awesome. And he’s such a great guy too, super nice to me the whole time…. He gave me proper stuff to do. 

Martin is currently studying AP Art with Webster Thomas art teacher Todd Stahl. He plans to continue his art studies after graduation and is looking at several colleges, including Flinders University in Australia. (“They have a good concept art program… (It) looks like a lot of fun and I would love to travel ouside of the states.”)  

And perhaps there are more murals in his future?

I definitely want to go on to do some murals of my own at some point and this has really inspired me to start to chase after that more. Before it was kind of like, “That would be cool but it doesn’t seem possible.” Then after this, I went “Oh, this is something that’s plausible, that could happen some day.” 

Next time you’re in the area, check out the mural. It’s on the west side of the building at 10 Cady St.

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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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Porches, fairies and whimsy make our village special

23 Sep

You may remember a blog I wrote a few weeks ago about all the gardens I pass by on my regular walks through the village. The flowering bushes and shrubs in manicured rows and gardens brighten my every morning.

But the gardens are not the only charming thing I see on my walks. There are so many other things I come across that make my heart smile and given me that warm “Wow, this is a really neat village” feeling. On the top of that list: porches.

In the older neighborhoods on the east side of the village in particular, I walk by dozens of beautiful, large porches, most of which stretch along the entire front of the house. Many of them are framed by stately Greek columns, have detailed ornamentation and fretwork, or are accentuated with flowers. At night they often take on a special brilliance, tastefully lit with twinkly lights.

The porches are not only magnificent to look at, but are neighborhood gathering places. When I take my evening walks, I often see neighbors sharing comfortable chairs and conversation with their after-dinner drinks, greeting everyone who walks by. Because they know, even if you live two or three streets over, you’re still a neighbor.

It’s a very village experience, kind of a Tom Sawyer, Hannibal, MO vibe.

Here are just a few photos of some of those beautiful and happy porches. Most of them are from Park Ave., Elm Street and Dunning Ave.

And did you know there are fairies in our neigborhoods?

The photo on the left is of an entire fairy village set up on Park Ave., near the intersection with Lapham. And if you walk up Dunning, you’ll pass a house which actually has fairy doors by two or three of its trees. Earlier this summer, I didn’t see any fairies there, but there are now … so the invitation must have worked.

Two more things I’d like to share. The first is a stand of sunflowers along the sidewalk on Phillips Rd. When I first showed them to you in my gardens blog, they weren’t as spectacular. But these days, they’ve grown so magnificent that it’s like walking through a sunflower tunnel.

The second is a sign which stands in front of a house on Elm St. It makes me giggle.

Happy walking, my friends, and keep your eyes open for these — and other — village charms alonmg the way.

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New veterans charity hosts open house for local heroes

15 Sep

Veterans, active-duty military, first responders and their families are invited to an open house this Saturday at Casey Park in Ontario to learn more about a brand new local organization, Heroes on the Water.  

Heroes on the Water, established in 2007, is a veterans charity which

creates alternative wellness programs to serve veterans, active-duty military personnel, first responders and their families. These experiential programs incorporate structured activities proven to improve the lives of these men and women. Each experience reduces the impact of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury while providing much-needed camaraderie and support. (from the Heroes on the Water website)

The primary therapy utilized by the program is kayak fishing, offered at free events hosted by more than 60 volunteer-led chapters around the country.

And THAT part — the kayak fishing part — is what reeled in Webster resident Tracy Holley. 

Holley, a technology and art teacher for the GOAL program at Webster Schroeder High School, has always enjoyed fishing. Last winter, when COVID was at its peak, he discovered kayak fishing and did a lot of it (there wasn’t much else to do, after all). Somewhere along the way he heard about Heroes on the Water. When he read about their mission to provide therapy for veterans and first responders through kayak fishing, he knew he wanted to get involved. 

When he called the national organization, however, he was surprised to learn there was no New York State chapter. He pondered that situation for just a few weeks before deciding to do something about it. 

“I’m not a veteran,” he said. “Never been a first responder. (But) I love kayak fishing. I know how peaceful and relaxing it is for me. It’s one little thing I thought I could give back to the folks that give so much to us.” 

“It’s one of the only veteran organizations that also directly supports the families of vets and first responders,” he added. “Being a schoolteacher, that’s very important to me.” 

After a few phone calls, he had recruited good friends Gordon Clarke, Ned Stromfeld and Justin Erdley for his administration team. Together, they established the Genesee Valley New York Chapter of Heroes on the Water, which was formerly chartered in March. 

This Saturday’s Open House is the Genesee Valley Chapter’s first big event. It’s kind of a “get-to-know-you” opportunity, Holley explained. Being brand new, the organization doesn’t have enough equipment yet to host a large-scale kayaking and fishing event for veterans and first responders. Instead, this will be a chance to meet the administrators, ask questions, grab some information and find out about volunteer opportunities. Holley will also have a few of his fishing kayaks there to try out, and volunteers will be on the water to offer support.

Fishing kayaks, by the way, are different from other kayaks in that you sit, or stand, on top of them. They’re more stable, easier to get in and out of, and easier to adapt for special needs.  

The open house will be held Saturday, Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Casey Park, 6551 Knickerbocker Rd., Ontario. Veterans, active-duty military, first responders and their families are all invited, as well as anyone who simply wants to learn more about volunteer opportunities.   

If you can’t make it to the event and would like to find out more about Heroes on the Water and the Genesee Valley Chapter, check out their Facebook page here. You can also email them at GeneseeValley.NY@heroesonthewater.org 

Interested in donating or volunteering? The new chapter is trying to raise $8,000 to purchase their first six fishing kayaks and all the equipment they need to hold larger events starting next spring. Click here to help out. If you’re interested in volunteering, click 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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First Responders 5K welcomed back to the village

5 Sep

In-person racing came back to Webster on Friday night when the First Responders 5K returned to the village after a one-year, covid-induced hiatus.

More than 200 men, women and children of all ages wound their way through the 3.1-mile course that took runners from the Webster Firemen’s Field, through east-side village neighborhoods and back. And like anything else that happens in our village, it was another great example of the kind of caring, supportive community we have here.

It was a perfect late-summer night for a run; cool and sunny, much MUCH better than the humid days we’ve recently experienced. The race began at 6:30 p.m. on the south side of Firemen’s Field on Ebner Dr. There, under the Fleet Feet archway bearing the huge First Responders 5K banner, 227 runners and walkers of all shapes and sizes streamed across the start line when the order to “GOOOOOO!” was broadcast loudly through the speakers.

  • At the start line
  • Photo courtesy Mary White

I was one of those runners, huffing and puffing alongside my good friend Dave Nicchitta, who kindly agreed (after much needling) to run the race with me. I had a lot of fun running with my friend, but even more than that, I was so proud to show off my village.

From the very beginning of the race and all through the neighborhoods, families were sitting in their front yards or standing along the road, clapping and cheering the runners, yelling encouraging comments and ringing cowbells. My husband and some friends set up a water and beer refreshment stand in the driveway, which was a popular stop near the end of the race.

And the volunteers? There were so many of them, one stationed at every intersection to guide the runners — and there were a lot of intersections and turns in those neighborhoods. Not to mention the Special Police, who managed the traffic along busy South Ave. during the race.

As I passed by one runner on the route, we chatted briefly and she told me how impressed she was with the route, how well the race was organized, and especially, how many volunteer race marshals there were. I simply told her, “Well, this is Webster.”

Thank you to everyone who helped make this race happen. For many of us, it was the first in-person race we’ve run in more than a year and a half. Thank you also to all those who participated. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the FRST Agency, a local charity that provides support, awareness, assets, and services to first responders seeking assistance in dealing with the effects of PTSD.

Click here to see a gallery of photos from the race which my husband and I took, and visit the Fleet Feet Rochester Facebook page to see a much bigger gallery of much better photos taken by Mary White (of Turkey Trot photography fame).

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