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Lighting up the holidays — and the night sky

20 Dec

Well, we’re finally supposed to get some measurable snow this weekend, so I thought today might be a good day to post my Exceptional Christmas Lights blog.

I did, indeed, go out several days ago in search of awesome outdoor light displays — particularly in search of a few especially nice displays that my readers suggested.  Well, to be more specific, the TWO displays that my readers suggested. (That’s not counting the one my friend Edna in Fairport wants me to go see out there.  “YOU HAVE TO GO TO BEAUMONT!” she wrote. Even wrote it on my Christmas card.) No, the two local displays that readers wrote to me about were on Klem Road just east of Route 250, and on Yorktown Drive just off of Plank Road.

This house is just east of Rt. 250 on Klem Road. I love the frog.

Now, the one on Klem is nice. But nothing can compare to the display that lights up the sky — literally — on Yorktown every year.  I chatted briefly to the homeowner when I was there, who told me that every year he tries to add a new element. This year it was the 6-foot-tall dancing, singing, motion-activated Santa at the end of the driveway. He also installed reflectors on the neighboring lawns to reduce damage from the constant traffic. The display is so well known that it has become a regular stop on senior citizen bus tours;  the owner told me that ten vans came through the night before.

Here are a few photos of individual portions of the display.  But the photos don’t really do it justice, so I also took video. CLICK HERE to see the video.   His back yard is almost as impressive, but I didn’t get any photos of that. If you want to see this one for yourself, Yorktown runs between Plank Road and Creek Street, but the house is closer to the Plank Road end. Just look for the glow.

Click on either of the photos to get a closer look, or click on the link above to see a video.

And I just had to include these photos from our own little village. The lights aren’t nearly as impressive, but I love the snowflakes and the twinkly lights in the trees, and the garland of lights wrapped around the gazebo. Simple and classic, and pure Webster.

Thomas student follows his passion — despite his challenges

10 Dec

D&C photo by Jamie Germano

Today I was going to blog about something rather boring, but instead I’d like to draw your attention to a very nice article in the D&C this morning. It’s about former Webster Thomas High School student Mark Houppert. It’s on the front page of the sports section, or you can click here to read it.

Mark has been struggling with early-onset Parkinson’s disease since he was three years old, but that has not dampened his love of sports — basketball in particular. When I knew him at Thomas, he served as manager for the varsity basketball team. I was pleased to see this morning that as manager of the St. John Fisher basketball team, he is still following his passion.

Once again, you can read the whole story here, and also check out the nice sidebar about when Mark met his basketball hero, Kobe Bryant, back in 2010, courtesy of the Dream Factory.

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Webster’s own Justin Bieber?

29 Nov

Now here’s a young man you’re gonna want to keep an eye on.

I found out yesterday that Webster has an up-and-coming blues guitar star in its midst. His name is Jon Dretto, and he’s a Webster Thomas High School freshman.

Jon has been playing guitar since he was 8 years old.  Now just 14, he’s already tucked some impressive gigs under his belt, including the Niagara Falls Blues Festival, where he performed with the Nighthawks and Shrimp Daddy.

Jon’s budding music career got a big boost this month when he was featured in the music classroom magazine In Tune.  The feature was a follow-up to a contest sponsored by the magazine in July, where he won the top prizes: a brand new Paul Reed Smith SE guitar, an SE50 amplifier, and the opportunity to perform at In Tune’s Race to the Stage concert at Watkins Glen Grand Am in August.  In addition to being the opening act, he was also invited to play onstage with the PRS professional band.

Jack Higginbotham of PRS posted on his blog after the event,

Our fourth and final concert for the season featured 14-year old Jon Dretto, who rocked the 10,000+ fans that attended our Watkins Glen concert. Jon joined our PRS band the Rocky Mountain Stoneflies and British Blues phenom Davy Knowles for a few in front of the huge and enthusiastic crowd.

Congratulations, Jon. You’re making Webster proud, and we are all looking forward to following your career.

 

Webster folks doing their part for literacy

8 Nov

Book Festival patrons can take a chance on winning this gorgeous quilt from Altrusa.

Book lovers from all over the state will gather this weekend at MCC for the Rochester Area Children’s Writers and Illustrators Annual Book Festival, and some Webster folks are going to be right in the middle of it.

Those folks are members of the Rochester branch of Altrusa International, a service organization dedicated to promote literacy worldwide.  Webster resident — and Altrusa member — Karen Marquardt has really taken that mission to heart.  Karen has befriended city school librarians and has learned how under-funded they are. To help, she scours public library used book sales, and using Altrusa funds, stocks up on books to donate to city schools. She recently donated more than 800 books to School 42, including 149 which she picked up at the Webster Public Library book sale for just $89.

Altrusa will be hosting a table at Saturday’s book festival, and accepting monetary and book donations to support their city school cause.  They’ll also be raffling off a beautiful quilt; anyone who donates a dollar or a book will receive a raffle ticket.

The Book Festival itself is a book-lover’s wonderland, a full day of author talks, workshops, presentations, activities and story-reading.  Plus there’s all sorts of information and vendor booths. Popular authors including Vivian Vande Velde and Linda Sue Park will be on hand to chat and sign your books.

The Festival runs Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm at Monroe Community College in Brighton. For more information, check out the Rochester Children’s Book Festival website here.

 

News from our Webster Trails Friends

2 Nov

I’m playing catch-up again today.

The photo below was taken at an event which I attended last Saturday at the invitation of the Friends of Webster Trails. It was the Friends’ annual Volunteer Recognition gathering and Open House, held at the Whiting Road Nature Preserve. Its purpose was to celebrate and thank all the volunteers and youth groups who contributed about 3000 hours of hard labor to build and maintain the trails this year.

The photo represents only a fraction of the dedicated volunteers who provide thousands of hours of hard labor every summer creating and maintaining the miles upon miles of beautiful trails that wind through our town.  We owe these folks and all the others not pictured a huge debt of thanks.

(L-R) Rich Morrill, Ron Happ, Buzz Weetman, Larry Yost, Craig Pratt, Dennis Kuhn, Sharon Galbraith, Hal Harris and Judy Harris

This year the Friends opened the second phase of the Green Trail in the northern section of Whiting Road Nature Preserve.  They also oversaw the opening of the Hojack Trail extension through the village. And thanks in large part to some invaluable assistance from the Scouts, the Friends also made tremendous strides in creating and extending the brand new trail system at Four Mile Creek Preserve at Phillips and Lake roads.  Not only that, within the next few weeks the Town Highway Department should be creating a new parking lot at Four Mile Creek, with help from several local contractors who will be donating their services.  The lot will allow access to the trail-head for a .8-mile loop trail and for fishing access to Four Mile Creek.

A special shout-out to these Scouts who contributed greatly to this summer’s efforts:

From Troop 262:

Graham Price built a 20′ bridge and did trail work at Four Mile Creek Preserve
Sam Lewis built three benches, two tables and did trail work at Four Mile Creek Preserve
Andrew Fulkerson built a bench and 24-foot boardwalk, and did trail work at Whiting Road Nature Preserve.
Christopher Peffley built a 40-foot boardwalk and did habitat and trail work at John Ungar Nature Trail
Michael Hohl built three benches and a 16-foot boardwalk, and did trail work at Gosnell Park Big Woods

From Troop 108:

Peter Armbruster, built an 8-foot split-rail fence and did trail work at Whiting Road Nature Preserve
Wes Britton built a kiosk at Gosnell Park Big Woods

From Troop 163: David Brunette built a bench and table and did some weed whacking at Four Mile Creek Preserve

From Troop 363: Will Cobb built a table and did some gravel work at Bird Sanctuary Trail

CHECK OUT THE TRAILS FOR YOURSELF

This weekend is the perfect opportunity for you to check out some of this fine trail work for yourself.

The Friends are hosting a Hike Around Webster Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. And literally, that’s what’s going to happen. The hike will begin at 10 am at Vosburg Hollow Nature Trail parking lot and for the next 4-5 hours will meander through the Friends’ extensive interconnected trail system.

Wear comfortable foot gear and hiking clothes (layers are good). Bring water and a lunch, Homemade cookies will be provided mid-hike at the lunch break. For details about where the hike will go, and to RSVP, click here.

It looks like we might actually see some sun on Sunday, to celebrate with a great autumn  hike!

 

 

Neighbors helping neighbors

1 Nov

I’ve been meaning for a while now to give a Webster Blog shout-out to one of our community’s greatest assets.

The Webster Community Chest is in the middle of its annual fund-raising drive. You probably received a solicitation in the mail not long ago, and I hope you didn’t toss it in the garbage, because this is an organization which really needs and deserves our support.  And that’s because every penny we put into it comes back to our local community, in so many ways.

Last year, for example, the Webster Community Chest provided emergency food 132 times for families in crisis; distributed 221 holiday food baskets to families who would otherwise have had little to eat; provided 60 children with Christmas gifts; sent 32 children to summer camp; assisted families with rent, RG&E bills, medication and car repairs; and more.

It’s hard to imagine how important these services are if you don’t need them yourself. But needless to say, the Webster Community Chest is a critical lifeline for so many families in our community who have fallen on hard times.

There are several ways you can help.  Slip a check into that envelope you received and give a generous monetary donation. Designate the Community Chest (agency #1469) as a recipient for your United Way contribution, donate new clothes or toys for Christmas gifts, or volunteer you time.

If you tossed that envelope, here’s the address:

Webster Community Chest
1000 Ridge Road
Webster, NY 14580

For more information about how you can help, call (585) 671-2060. Neighbors helping neighbors. That’s what community is all about.

 

An anniversary party to remember

30 Oct

The Barry’s gang, all dressed up for the occasion.

The Village of Webster came together in a big way Saturday night to congratulate Danny and Jessica Barry on a very successful first year of business for Barry’s Old School Irish.

The little pub on the village’s four corners was standing-room only all evening as friends old and new came to lift a pint and help celebrate. Several special guests were also in the crowd, including Mayor Elder and his wife Pam, board member Jude Lancy and “Village Focus” writer Carol Klem.

The reason everyone wanted to be there was simple: Barry’s Old School Irish has done wonders to revitalize this village. Danny and Jessica Barry are not only two of the nicest people I’ve ever met, they have created a place where anyone who comes through the door feels like family. My friend Chris summed it up perfectly when he said, “Coming here has always felt like coming to somebody’s house; somebody’s living room, kitchen.”

Halfway through the evening, several patrons accepted the invitation to come up and tell the Danny and Jessica – and the assembled crowd – what Barry’s has meant to them. After that, the entire pub serenaded the young couple with a song written especially for them.

You can check out videos from both events by clicking on the images below.

Jess and Danny Barry listen as pub patrons tell them exactly what they think of their little pub. (Click on the photo for a video)

Barry’s Crossing performs “The Ballad of Barry’s.” (Click on the photo for a video)

A special tree made even more special

25 Oct

A year ago Tuesday, 11-year old Simon Harris lost his courageous battle with neuroblastoma. Simon was a student at Plank Road North Elementary School, where last May the staff members planted a tree in his memory. (Click here to read my blog about that nice ceremony.)

On Monday, to remember that sad anniversary, Plank North staff members dressed up the tree for Halloween, complete with a Jack-o-lantern sporting a Fedora (Simon’s signature headwear) and notes from his teachers.  They chose to do the decorating on a day with good weather so that Simon’s little brother Manny — who still attends Plank North — would be sure to see it.

Climbing wall fundraising update (Have you bought your bracelet yet?)

22 Oct

I know a lot of my readers have been closely following the story about Bay View YMCA’s efforts to raise funds to replace the climbing tower which was destroyed by arson at the beginning of the summer.  Today I’d like to share an update on those efforts.

The news is very good.  The original fund-raising goal was $100,000. Thanks in part to some very generous anonymous gifts — including two recent donations of $40,000 and $5,000 — Bay View is only $1,000 away from that goal.

Joey Gerrard with his bracelets at the Food Truck Rodeo in September.

The YMCA expects to hold an official press conference soon to announce the overall status of the campaign and present more details about the rebuilding plans.  But we already know that what will rise from the ashes will be more than just a climbing wall, but a much larger, handicap-accessible climbing complex, including a bouldering wall and dual zip line.  And most exciting of all, it will all be ready when the kids return to Camp Bay View next June.

And do you remember Joey Gerrard, the young man who has almost single-handedly raised thousands of dollars by selling bracelets? (See an earlier blog about Joey by clicking here.)  Joey has about 400 bracelets left and is committed to selling them all. Here’s how you can help him do that, and help chip away at that last $1,000.

This Saturday, Joey will have a table at the annual Courage Bowl, which begins at 2 pm at Webster Thomas Varsity football stadium. This is the final game for the YMCA’s All Star Flag Football program, designed for children with special needs. At the Courage Bowl, these kids get a chance to play in the spotlight on a real varsity football field in front of hundreds of fans.

So come by the game, pick up one of Joey’s bracelets for $5, and support both a great cause and some great kids.

A follow-up on some good deeds

17 Oct

Students from Rochester City School 52 helped Randy Henderson unload books from a 2013 Ford Escape.

A quick follow-up today on a blog I posted a few months ago about a local business’ effort to help city schools.

Throughout the month of August, Henderson Ford held their annual Fill a Ford Book Drive.  New and used books for children ages 6-12 were collected at the dealership and several local businesses.  The Henderson folks report that it was a very successful effort; 1,203 books were collected and donated to students at Rochester City School Number 52, Frank Fowler Dow Elementary School.

The press release did not indicate whether that was enough books to actually fill a Ford.

Henderson Ford President Randy Henderson and Business Development Director Aki Henderson personally delivered the books to School 52 in a 2013 Ford Escape on September 11. The students welcomed them at an assembly where Randy Henderson spoke about the importance of reading.

Randy Henderson talked with students at School 52 about the importance of reading after dropping donated books off at the school.

* * *

I also wanted to recognize State Road School on a terrific accomplishment I heard about yesterday from the school district.

Last week the American Heart Association announced that State Road Elementary School came in first place for Division 2 New York State schools in the annual Jump Rope for Heart/Hoops for Heart event.  State Road students raised more than $10,200 in the event, held last March.

Plank Road South also has something to cheer about — they came in third place, by raising more than $16,400.  Congratulations to the students at both schools for a tremendous accomplishment and dedication to a good cause.

A student at State Road Elementary School jumps for the record in March.


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