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Arboretum Poetry Trail blends nature and art

13 Jul

Next time you take a walk through the Webster Arboretum on Schlegel Rd., you might find yourself stopping for more than just the flowers and trees. You might just lose yourself in rhyme.

Placed along the Arboretum’s gracefully winding paths is a series of five poems, the work of area authors, posted on handsome plaques adjacent to some of the park’s most picturesque features. They’re part of the Arboretum’s Poetry Trail, a community-driven space that blends the natural beauty of the park with local literature.

Opened in May 2025, the trail was spearheaded by Rochester-area poet Ron Friedman, who worked closely with the Arboretum’s Board of Directors to determine which poems would be used, where they would be placed and how the plaques would be designed. Ultimately, 11 poems were selected from hundreds submitted the previous spring, the chosen poets reflecting a variety of ages and talents, including one near the pond, called “If I Were a Butterfly,” written by preschoolers.

The trail currently features five of the chosen poems, each printed on a handsome brown plaque. In addition to the poem, there’s also a QR code which links to a recording of the poet reading his or her work. Reading the poem along with the author is a very calming experience. (The preschoolers’ poem doesn’t have a QR code, but you can see a video of the children reading it here.)

The trail itself stretches for a little less than a half mile, winding past the pond and the smaller gazebo, and across the covered footbridge. It only takes about 20 minutes to walk its length, depending on how long you pause to contemplate each poem. Most of the plaques are placed right on the gravel trail, which makes them very accessible. They’ve been installed at natural resting points, highlighting several of the Arboretum’s most beautiful locales.

In addition to the preschoolers’ butterfly poem, the four other poems are “Messages From the Garden” by Heidi Nightengale of Auburn, “Haiku Spring” by Rachel Ikins of Baldwinsville, “She Who is Sealed is Plastic” by Karen Faris of Rochester, and “Dear Arboretum in Webster” by Bobbie Dumas Panck of Malone.

Ron has six additional poems in reserve, which are currently “on the road,” having traveled to the Webster Schroeder High School library, the Webster Library, Monroe Community College, and the Before Your Quiet Eyes bookstore on Monroe Ave. He plans to rotate five of those into the Arboretum soon, to keep the trail engaging and feature a greater variety of poets. The posts themselves will remain in the same locations.

The map indicates the approximate location of each poem (click on it to enlarge it). The Webster Arboretum is located at 1700 Schlegel Rd.

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(posted 7/13/2026)

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Friday night concerts return to the gazebo

4 Jul

The Village of Webster summer music season officially kicks off this Friday July 10 with the first in the Friday Night Concerts in the Park series, featuring the Red Hot and Blue Band.

RHB plays Americana, Roots, and Blues Rock music that will get you dancing and bring back a lot of great memories.  

Coming up later in the summer at the gazebo:

The concerts begin at 7 p.m. at the gazebo on North Ave. and admission is free. Bring the whole family, some folding chairs and a blanket, and a cooler if you’d like, then enjoy some beautiful music.

The concerts are brought to you by our Village of Webster business association.

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(posted 7/4/2026)

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Light up the night at Party in the Park

29 Jun

You know those Family Game Nights the Webster Business Improvement District (BID) folks would have occasionally on Main Street? They had music and dancing and snacks and games, and sometimes beer.

Well, there hasn’t been one of those in a while, but the BID is kind of bringing it back in a few weeks with their brand new family event, “Party in the Park.” It takes place Saturday night, July 11 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, and it’s a little bit different — and I think better — than the Family Game Nights.

For starters, the BID organizers will be providing glow sticks, so the kids can light up the night as the sun sets. There’ll be games, food provided by Webster Hots, ice cream treats from Sips & Scoops, DJ music from Cassano Studios, and lots and lots of dancing.

This is going to be a great family-fun event, and a really nice way to enjoy a warm summer evening. It’s totally free and all ages are encouraged to attend. It’s Saturday, July 11 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the gazebo, 28 North Ave. in the Village of Webster.

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(posted 6/30/2026)

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America’s 250th Celebration at the Arboretum was a great success

28 Jun
Michael Grenier’s flint and steel demonstration was a hit with the kids
Even the adults got into the dance party spirit

You know how those nostalgic movies like Tom Sawyer and The Music Man often feature idyllic, turn-of-the-century scenes of Fourth-of-July celebrations? They’re sun-drenched settings with brass bands, ice cream, bustling town squares (complete with gazebos), kids playing lawn games, neighbors visiting with neighbors, and plenty of red, white and blue bunting.

That is exactly what it felt like to be part of the Webster Arboretum’s huge America’s 250th Celebration last Wednesday, June 24. It had all those elements, and many more, including kids’ crafts, food trucks, a duck race, musket firing, honor guard, story telling, a dance party, dulcimers, a barbershop chorus, and guided tours of the Arboretum grounds. It was even sun-drenched. The whole afternoon had a classic Americana vibe, a wonderful celebration of our country’s rich history, while also highlighting our area’s own cultural and educational groups.

Organizers estimate that more than 1000 community members attended the four-hour celebration, and that’s on top of the representatives from the two dozen community groups which had set up information tables.

It all took a ton of planning, and reflected the efforts of a dedicated team of volunteers.

Wendy Mendola from the Arboretum wrote,

Jason Poole from the Webster Library, Sharon Pratt from the Webster Museum, Lisa Schlonski from Lala’s and Ginny Nguyen all worked with the board members of The Webster Arboretum to bring this event to fruition. Our planning began months ago and we met regularly to bring our community together to celebrate America’s 250th and bring the Webster Arboretum to the forefront. We would like to thank the volunteers, sponsors and the members of the community for making this event a rocking success.

This was our first BIG event and we feel it went very well. We brought the community together for some good family fun.

Striking Strings Dulcimer Group

I spent the entire afternoon at the event. For much of the time I was hanging out at our Women’s Club of Webster display, but I made sure to regularly walk around the grounds, stopping by all of the information tables, chatting with the organization representatives, listening to the bands and watching the kids laughing and having fun. It was delightful to see entire families out in the field playing Cornhole together, or at the craft table painting flower pots. Watching Michael Grenier — decked out in his all-wool Revolutionary War uniform — whip a batch of young, raw recruits into shape was absolutely charming. Standing face-to-snout with a huge snapping turtle was less so.

It was all extremely well organized and so much fun, the perfect way to celebrate our nation’s birthday. Congratulations to everyone who helped pull it together, and many thanks to all of the organizations who set up tables and community members who came out to have some good old-fashioned family fun. It’s really a shame we can’t do it all again next year.

… or can we?

A thousand thank yous to Joe Altieri for most of these photos! Here’s a gallery with a few more:

  • The Webster Kidets Junior Marching Band helped open the event
  • The Webster Kidets Junior Marching Band helped open the festivities

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(posted 6/28/2026)

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Musicians take over the White House

25 Jun

If you’re an Irish musician and you live in or near Rochester, chances are good you were at a party up at Webster Park on Saturday the 13th.

The occasion was the annual “Stand Around and Play Some Tunes” gathering, at which musicians of all kinds are invited to … well, stand around and play. The event was begun perhaps 40 years ago by well-known local Irish musician Lynn Pilaroscia, an invitation for his musician friends (whether Irish, folk, bluegrass or others) to hang out together, enjoy some food and drink, and play some tunes.

When everything really got going, it was quite a treat for the eyes and ears. At any one moment during the afternoon you might see anywhere from four to seven small groups of musicians, each in a different corner of the White House property — the front porch, the back porch, under a tree, in the main room — jamming. No matter where you were, music surrounded you: bluegrass, waltzes, folk tunes, and traditional Irish jigs, reels and ballads. And the variety of instruments was always astounding: flutes, concertinas, banjos, guitars, string basses, mandolins, accordions, tin whistles, bodhrans, and lots of fiddles.

Thanks to our significant involvement in the Rochester Irish community back in the 1990s, my husband and I knew Lynn well and attended many Stand Around and Play gatherings. It was a great chance to visit with old and new friends from the Irish community and listen to some trad Irish tunes. My favorite memory is when my son Sean — who at 5 years old was inspired by Joe Dady to take up the fiddle — actually got to chat with Joe at one of these parties, and play his fiddle.

Around 2014, Lynn decided to take a break from the parties, in large part because his friend who had done all the grilling wasn’t able to do it anymore. For a long while, the event was forgotten. Lynn passed away in July, 2024 before resurrecting the annual musical gathering.

But last year, and again this year, thanks to the efforts of John Michael Ryan, Jonathan Kyle, and Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, the Rochester Irish Musician’s Association, Stand Around and Play returned to the White House. Once again, music of all kinds filled the air from all corners of the building (mostly indoors this year since it rained buckets that Saturday). Perhaps because of the threat of nasty weather, attendance was down. But organizers are hoping that in the years to come, the event will continue to grow again, and Lynn’s dream is rekindled, bringing musicians together to do what they love most: play music.

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(posted 6/25/2026)

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Celebrate our nation’s birthday at the Arboretum

15 Jun

Our country is marking a HUGE birthday this year, and the Webster Arboretum’s planning an equally huge party to celebrate.

For four hours on Wednesday afternoon, June 24, the Arboretum will be filled with music, dance, storytellers, games, food trucks, kids’ activities, information tables from two dozen community organizations, and much more.

It all happens from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday June 24 at the Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Rd. A very entertaining variety of activities are scheduled all afternoon, so bring a folding chair for the music, and try to be there for as long as you can.

Here’s the whole schedule:

  • 2:45 p.m.: Kidet Marching Band (WCSD’s elementary school marching band)
  • 3 p.m.: VFW Patriot Guard
  • 3 to 4 p.m.: Continental Army Tent with Michael Grenier
  • 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Fathers’ Night Out in the gazebo (Dixieland band)
  • 3:30 to 4 p.m.: Storytelling Circle with Ganondagan (traditional Haudenosaunee stories)
  • 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Striking Strings dulcimer group (including harp, penny whistle, flute, guitar and marimba)
  • 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Uncle Bucks food truck
  • 4 to 4:30 p.m.: Life of the Seneca with Ganondagan, a talk about the daily life of the Seneca
  • 4 to 4:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 5 p.m.: Children’s Militia Program
  • 4 to 5 p.m.: Paint-a-pot activity for kids
  • 4 to 5:30 pm.: Guided tours of the Arboretum
  • 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Dance Party with Dancing with Denise
  • 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Poetry Trail guided tours
  • 5 to 5:30 p.m.: Wildlife Rock Stars, exotic animals show-and-tell
  • 5 to 6 p.m.: Story time with Nancy Nesbitt of the Webster Museum
  • 5:30 to 6 p.m.: Flint and Steel presentation
  • 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Flower-seed paper cutouts at the craft table
  • 5:30 to 7 p.m.: Scoops ice cream truck
  • 6 to 6:30 p.m.: Duck Derby! Purchase a duck and race them in the pond
  • 6 to 6:45 p.m.: Webster Village Band
  • 6 to 7 p.m.: Chorus of the Genesee, barbershop harmony
  • 6:30 to 7 p.m.: Story time for kids with the Webster Public Library
  • 6:45 p.m.: Firing of the musket

Plus, all afternoon, you can check out incredible art displays with Joe Altieri, play lawn games with the kids, stop by the Patriotic coloring table, and try your hand at a scavenger hunt and history trivia quiz.

See? You’re not going to want to miss a minute of this event, so plan to come early and have dinner and dessert there. (P.S. make sure to stop by the Women’s Club of Webster information table and say hi to me!)

This amazing event is being presented as a collaboration of the Webster Arboretum with the Webster Public Library (Jason Poole), the Webster Community Chest (Ginny Nguyen), the Webster Museum (Sharon Pratt) and Lala’s Gift Shop & Boutique (Lisa Schlonski).

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(posted 6/15/2026)

email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

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Thank you from the Arboretum!

21 May

Just a quick blog today to pass along a heartfelt message from the folks at the Webster Arboretum, following up on this year’s Day of Caring.

Day of Caring is a massive, community-wide volunteer event typically hosted by local branches of the United Way. It brings together thousands of volunteers from local businesses, schools, and neighborhoods to complete hands-on service projects.  

This year’s Day of Caring was held on Thursday, May 21, and the Webster Arboretum was one of the chosen beneficiaries. Volunteers from several organizations descended on the Arboretum grounds and did an outstanding job weeding, pruning and mulching, making the Arboretum even more beautiful than it usually is.

The Arboretum would like to thank the following organizations for their hard work and support: Carestream Finance, L3Harris, Paychex ENS, TRSS and Winn Residential.  

Now’s the perfect time to swing by the Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Rd., to appreciate this beautiful local resource. Thanks to the many helping hands, it’s in full bloom and looks awesome.

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(posted 5/21/2026)

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Webster’s a bit cleaner thanks to Color Webster Green

25 Apr

Thank you to the volunteers from Color Webster Green (CWG) who have been spending some of their free time recently cleaning up our town.

Last Tuesday evening, four dedicated volunteers pulled on their heavy gloves, grabbed some garbage bags and scoured the eastbound Bay Rd. 104 off-ramp for trash. They called the effort “Walking With a Purpose.” Becky Collins, one of the event’s organizers, wrote, “We picked up so much trash we could barely haul it back to our cars! Lots of people honked their horns and waved or shouted out thanks for cleaning up.”

Some of the trash found at the “Pick up the Parks” event

Last Saturday April 18, Color Webster Green also participated in the annual “Pick up the Parks” event organized annually by Monroe County. For three hours that morning at Webster Park, a dozen CWG volunteers (including four children) collected a total of six huge bags full of trash, including a broken chair, a 1970-era jump rope, acrylic nails, broken pieces of a plastic sled, many broken pieces of glass bottles, beer cans, single-use heating pads, doggy bags, and several pieces of fireworks containers. 

Color Webster Green is planning to meet every month — probably on Tuesday evenings — to pick up trash. If you’d like to join them, you can get updates on the schedule at the CWG website and Facebook page.

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(posted 4/25/2026)

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Get your free trees, courtesy of the Sierra Club

11 Apr

Here’s a great way to beautify your property and help the environment at the same time, and it won’t cost you a thing.

It’s the 6th annual Sierra Club Tree Giveaway. On Saturday April 25, members and volunteers for the local chapter of the Sierra Club will be stationed at Webster Park to hand out free trees to the public. 

What a great way to show your love to our planet. Trees provide beauty, shade, food and housing for all of us earthlings. Planting a tree is one way to be a grateful steward of our earth, and — not for nothing — nurturing a tree is nurturing your soul.

Your species options this year include white oak, white pine, paper birch, white cedar and serviceberry. Come early for the best selection.

Planting instructions will be included. All trees are bare-root, so please bring a bag or container of water to keep the roots wet until the tree can be planted. 

The event will be held rain or shine on Saturday April 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Webster Park (corner of Lake and Holt roads). Sierra Club members will also be at Seneca Park, Northampton Park and Genesee Valley Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. if you find yourself closer to one of those parks that day.

This is the sixth year that the Sierra Club has held this event. The trees are free, but members will also be grateful for any small donations.

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(posted 4/11/2026)

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Celebrate our nation’s birthday at the Arboretum

31 Mar

The USA is celebrating a BIG birthday this year — 250 years — and for sure there are going to be a lot of special events planned to commemorate the occasion. But this one at the Webster Arboretum recently crossed my email box, and it looks such such a don’t-miss event that I needed to let you know about it wayyyyy ahead of time so you can get it on your calendars.

The Arboretum is planning a huge Anniversary in the Gardens event for Wednesday, June 24, beginning at 3 p.m. and stretching into the evening. There’s going to be lots of patriotic music, story times, historical talks, a dance party, ice cream, even ducks. So basically, something for everyone of all ages.

I’ll be writing more about this as the event nears, but here’s the run-down so far:

  • 3:00: VFW Patriot Guard
  • 3:30: Father Night Out Band
    • 3:30: Story time with Ganondagan
    • 3:30: Striking Strings dulcimer group
    • 3:30: Uncle Bucks Food Truck (until 6:30 p.m.)
  • ​4:00: Life of the Senecas with Ganondagan
  • 4:30: Dance Party with Dancing with Denise
    • 4:30: Story time with The Webster Museum
    • 4:30: Guided Poetry Trail and Arboretum tours (through 6:30 p.m.)
  • 5:30: Story time with the Webster Public Library
    • 5:30: Webster Village Band
    • 5:30: Scoops Ice Cream Truck (through 7 p.m.)
  • 6:00: Duck Derby- purchase a duck and race them in the pond
    • 6:00: Chorus of the Genesee

Looks like a ton of fun, right? I’ll be revisiting this later with more details, but get it on your calendars now. The Webster Arboretum is located at 1700 Schlegel Rd.

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And while we’re talking about the Arboretum, they sent me this piece of news the other day:

The Webster Arboretum is proud to announce that they have been granted National Accreditation through ArbNet, the world’s only international accreditation program specific to arboreta. Accreditation is based on an arboretum’s self-assessment and documentation of its level of achievement of specific standards. The standards address planning, governance, the number of different taxa (species, subspecies, cultivars, varieties, etc.) of trees and woody plants in the collection, staff or volunteer support, education and public programming, and, for some levels, tree science and conservation efforts.

We are proud of this accomplishment and will continue to improve our collections, our standard and our commitment to  upholding professional standards.

In case you needed any more proof that the Webster Arboretum is an outstanding resource and a real Webster treasure.

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(posted 3/31/2026)

email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

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