On Friday, April 22, the Town of Webster will officially rename North Ponds Park to the Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park, in honor of the former director of Webster Parks and Recreation.
Sexton was hired in 1962 as Webster’s first Recreation Director, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1996. He was also the first African American Recreation Director in New York State. He passed away in June 2021.
During his tenure, Sexton introduced the town’s first programs for senior citizens and launched the recreation department’s first summer youth camps. Many programs which began under his direction are still operating today. It is this legacy which led to the town’s decision to rename one of Webster’s best-known parks in his honor.
Current Webster Parks and Recreation Commissioner Chris Bilow said,
North Ponds Park is one of the most utilized parks in all of Webster. Whether it’s people walking, running, enjoying the water or attending one of the many events in the park, I am confident that Mr. Sexton envisioned this type of use when the park was being built. More importantly, Sexton loved North Ponds Park, a facility which he saw come together to be owned and managed by the Town of Webster. (from press release)
The official renaming ceremony will take place at North Ponds Park (soon to be known as the Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park) at 4 p.m. Friday, April 22. There will be brief remarks and a sign unveiling.
Some of you, especially those not very familiar with the Village of Webster, might be surprised to learn that there’s an actual wooded park, complete with hiking trails, right in the village.
Milton R. Case Memorial Park is located on the south side of Spry Middle School, with trailheads off of South Ave. and Wood St., and behind Spry. It’s only about a quarter mile square, but features 14 acres of peaceful woods and several short trails.
I first became familiar with Milton Case Park six years ago when I was completing my ambitious 2016 Tour de Parks project, for which I was determined to visit every park in our eastside towns. I tried back then to find out who Milton Case was and why a park was named after him, with no luck.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, I got an email out of the blue, sent through the contact form of my Tour de Parks blogsite.
Lori R. wrote,
Milton R. Case was my grandfather. He was a long time pharmacist in Webster and owned the Webster Drug Store. He was married to Grace Kneeland. They had two children Gwen and Virginia. Gwen is 89 years old and healthy and lives in Portland Oregan. Milton was the mayor of Webster in the 60s. He had six grandchildren. He was a very upstanding American and loved his community and his country. He was in the Webster Rotary Club.
Lori’s email was a great start, but I wanted to learn even more about Mr. Case, so I enlisted the help of Webster Town Historian Lynn Barton, who was able to locate a photo and copies of his obituary.
The obituary provided a few more details.
Mr. Case was elected Webster mayor in 1965, succeeding Roy Hawley, who served for 34 years. He had served as a village trustee for 11 years before being elected mayor. He was a charter member and past president of the Webster Rotary Club, a member of the Webster Chamber of Commerce and Webster Methodist Church. He owned and operated the Webster Drug Store at 21 East Main Street, which he purchased in 1937 and closed in 1968 with plans to retire and do some traveling.
In 1970, Mr. Case suffered a neck injury in a car accident in Toronto. On Oct. 28, he was having minor surgery when he had a heart attack and died.
Now that we all know a little more about him, let’s make a point to remember Milton R. Case when we visit his park. If you haven’t been there yet, consider taking take an hour out someday soon to experience this quiet little corner of our village. You can read more about the park in my 2016 Tour de Parks Challenge entry, here.
If you’d like to check out the entire blog site I created from my Tour de Parks Challenge, click here. And by the way, the Village of Webster actually boasts 22 acres of parks and recreation areas. Click here to watch a short video I helped the Webster Public Library create which introduces them all.
You may remember reading a short time ago about the Friends of Webster Trails‘ Re-Tree Project, the goal of which is to save our Webster forests from insects and disease.
If you’ve hiked the trails at Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve recently, you may have noticed some work being done there as part of that project. John Boettcher from the Friends recently explained what was going on, writing,
As part of the ReTree effort from the Friends of Webster Trails, we have had a contractor come in on two occasions to clear some of the invasive woody plants on the east side of WRNP. Thus far this work has been concentrated along the Blue Trail north of the parking lot. … In the future, we will replace the invasive species with native plants purchased or grown in a nursery to be constructed.
Signs have been posted along the trail explaining what’s happening.
Here’s more detail about the ReTree Project, from the Friends:
The forests of Webster are under attack. Insects and disease are going after the ash, hemlock, oak, and beech. As they die, they will be replaced by invasive and most times non-native trees unless we do something.
The Friends of Webster Trails has established a group to come up a plan and set it in motion. ReTree – Replanting Our Native Forest aims to do just that. Tree surveys have been completed of many of our trail areas telling us what trees are present and their number. You may have already noticed efforts to clear invasive plants along the Blue Trail in the Whiting Road Nature Preserve. In fall, potted trees of appropriate species will be purchased and planted in this area. In spring, we will be building a tree nursery to grow native trees from seeds for future planting.
If you’d like more details about the project or want to participate, contact the Friends of Webster Trails through the form on the website and someone will get back to you.
Get your leprechaun-hunting skills tuned up, because there are two great opportunities in March to go in search of these playful little sprites.
(OK, OK, neither of these events actually MENTIONS looking for leprechauns, but they ARE scavenger hunts, and since it’s St. Patrick’s Day season, I figure there’s a good chance some will turn up!)
What you WILL find with these two family-friendly scavenger hunts is some great exercise and good fun — and everyone might learn something new to boot.
The first is called the “Clovers and Clues” scavenger hunt, sponsored by Webster Parks and Recreation and the Webster Health and Education Network (WHEN). From March 1 through March 17, participants will hunt for clues placed in 13 locations all around the Town of Webster. Each clue consists of different letters, and when all the letters are collected, you’ll use them to decode a final message prompting healthy choices.
Completed answers can be submitted to Webster Parks and Recreation for the chance to win a prize.
Visit the WHEN website beginning March 1 to get your first clue. The hunt will run continuously through March 17. Collecting letters will take about an hour or two, can be done anytime and is a great activity for all ages. A smart phone is encouraged to help find clue locations and to scan QR codes.
This second Family Scavenger Hunt is also co-sponsored by the Webster Recreation Center in partnership with the Friends of Webster Trails.
This one-day event takes place on Sunday March 6 beginning at 10 a.m. at Gosnell Big Woods preserve on Vosburg Rd., rain or shine. Participants can sign in anytime between 10 and noon and receive an age-appropriate scavenger hunt answer key. Three skill levels will be provided for ages 2 to 12. Then just walk through the park gathering answers, submit your sheet when you’re done and get a prize.
Registration is $5 per person, and can be paid when you get there. All proceeds will benefit the Friends of Webster Trails and their efforts to maintain and improve our terrific trail system.
This is at least the third Family Scavenger Hunt the Friends have hosted, and they’ve all been very popular. These folks do a great job making sure that kids of all ages (and their adults) can participate and have fun.
So, you see, no mention of leprechauns. But if I were you, I’d keep my eye out for them anyway.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I’m a huge fan of our Webster trails. I’ve hiked each one of them countless times, many times by myself, several times with my husband, and even a few times with larger groups. But those occasions were always in the warmer months. I’d never hiked one in the winter.
That all changed on Monday.
That afternoon, I introduced my new friend Patty to one of my favorites, Four Mile Creek Nature Preserve, located at the corner of Lake and Phillips roads. The Friends of Webster Trails has cleared and marked three separate trails in the preserve, which together take hikers almost three miles through some beautiful and very peaceful woodlands along Salt Creek and Four Mile Creek.
I like this series of trails in part because they’re very well maintained (as are all the Friends’ trails), are easy to walk, and boast some beautiful scenery marked by the creeks, boardwalks and bridges. But it also tosses some first-time hikers a few surprises. In at least two places along the trail, you’ll come across some old, rusted-out 1950s sedans, slowly but surely losing their fight with nature and the elements. (Click here to read more about the cars.)
I return to hike Four Mile Creek occasionally just to see those cars. But on this trip the Yellow Trail held a few more surprises. On three separate trees, someone had hung some tin cans. One set looked like a person, complete with eyes. The others had been colorfully painted (one even had polka dots). On yet another tree, someone had hung an angel. I can only assume that they’d been put there to brighten a hiker’s day.
Exploring these trails in the winter was an entirely different, but equally enjoyable experience from doing so in the summer. The sight of the bare trees against the clear blue sky was stunning. The thick undergrowth was replaced by a carpet of bright-white snow. I didn’t see many of the small creatures I usually see on my warm-weather hikes, but I knew they were around; their presence was betrayed by the tracks they left everywhere. And the entire scene was enveloped by the kind of absolute silence we don’t get to experience much these days.
Being able to enjoy the trail this time with a new friend made it even better. How we met is kind of a nice story, too.
Patty recently moved to the Village of Webster, and happened upon my blog. An avid hiker, she reached out to me several weeks ago asking if I knew about any organized hikes she might join. Of course, I introduced her to the Friends of Webster Trails and the monthly hikes they put together. But I also offered to personally introduce her to some of our local trails, explaining that I’d long wanted to invest in some hiking boots and this would be a good excuse.
It took me a little while to find the boots I wanted, but I eventually did, and we finally got together for our first hike this week. It couldn’t have been a better day, in the 30s and clear blue skies. I’m already looking forward to our next outing. I just have to figure out which trail I like SECOND best.
Here are some more photos from our day on the trail, taken by Patty, who is also an excellent photographer.
For all of you ice skating fans out there, here’s a phone number you’ll want to put up on your fridge:
585-872-7103 (option 3)
That’s the number to call for an update on the conditions at the Webster Parks and Recreation ice rink. I checked it yesterday and the good news is, thanks to the recent cold weather, the rink is finally open!
The community ice rink is located in front of the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive, off of Phillips Rd. just north of the village. It’s a nice size, 52 ft. by 104 ft., fully lined, and is totally FREE for anyone to use. You don’t even have to be a member of the Rec Center. There’s even a warming shed where you can sit to put on your skates. You’ll want to bring your own skates, though, because there rentals are not available.
Make sure you call that number before you go, however, to make sure that our capricious winter weather hasn’t turned the ice surface into mush.
Since we’re talking about Webster Parks and Recreation, here are a few other fun events they’re running which I wanted to pass along.
The first is the Four by Four Community Art Project. Basically this is a fun way to get your whole family crafting, and help decorate the Rec Center at the same time.
Here’s the deal: for $2 each, you pick up a 4×4″ canvas square anytime between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1. Take it home and design it any way you’d like. Once it’s complete, return your square to the Rec Center by Tuesday March 1, and all the squares will be hung side-by-side to create one huge art piece.
And this looks like something I’m going to want to try myself: the Clovers and Clues Scavenger Hunt.
From March 1 through March 17, families are encouraged to participate in a self-guided scavenger hunt, co-sponsored by the Webster Heath and Education Network (WHEN). Visit the WHEN website beginning March 1, and from there you’ll visit multiple spots throughout the Town of Webster, gathering letters at each location which will ultimately decode a final message promoting healthy choices.
Once decoded, the message can be submitted to Webster Parks and Recreation for a chance to win a prize.
Yesterday the Village of Webster hosted a White Christmas celebration like never before.
Faced with the multiple COVID-related challenges that caused last year’s White Christmas in the Village to be canceled entirely, this year the Business Improvement District partnered with the PTSA to bring the entire celebration outdoors to Gazebo Park.
Over several hours Saturday morning, a few dozen busy elves from the Webster BID, Webster PTSA and Webster Village transformed the park into an incredibly beautiful Santa’s Wonderland, which was great during the day but even more spectacular after sunset. When visitors arrived, they could enter through a light tunnel, walk down Candy Cane Lane to see Santa, then along Peppermint Lane to decorate a Christmas cookie, make a craft at the Toy Shop, and warm up with some hot cocoa. Even more volunteers arrived as the festivities began, assuring that everything ran very smoothly. I saw a lot of high school kids in Santa hats and elf hats — thanks to them for all their help.
The event officially began at 3 p.m., and it wasn’t long before the line to see Santa stretched all the way from the gazebo to the back of the park. The jolly old elf was definitely the biggest draw of the afternoon, but there was plenty more to do and see. Aside from the cookie, craft and hot chocolate tables, BID chairperson Elena Bernardi had lined up a whole afternoon of entertainment, including carolers in the park and on Main Street, and storytime with Jason Poole from the Webster Public Library.
Perhaps it was because most everything was concentrated in one place, but it seemed to me that there was a lot more participation in White Christmas this year than in years past. I think the BID definitely hit on a winning strategy this year, and I hope that at least some of its elements return every year — like Santa at the gazebo. That worked exceptionally well.
The only drawback I found to having everything in Gazebo Park was that many of our small businesses on Main Street didn’t benefit from the crowds of people walking past their doors. At one point in the evening, Rochester Rhapsody was caroling on Main Street, but it would be nice to see more activities up there next year to draw shoppers up to the four corners.
And then of course, there was the parade. As usual, it was a crowd-pleaser, and the reasonable temperatures helped make it a comfortable experience.
Thank you to everyone who made White Christmas and the Light Parade possible. It’s definitely my favorite day of the Village year.
Click here to see my usual gallery of photos, which begin with set-up in the morning. I’ve added some taken by my daughter, who was running around with me last night as my helper elf.
Early last month I attended my very first Friends of Webster Trails annual meeting. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it was just my first, since I’ve been a member of the Friends for, like, forever. But I figured it was about time I took my support for this great organization one step further. Attending the meeting would be a good way to meet the organization’s leadership (whose names I’ve mentioned in my blog many a time) and get an overview of what my membership dues helped accomplish this year.
The list of those accomplishments was actually pretty impressive, especially given the challenges everyone was facing this last year due to COVID. There were Eagle Scout projects, work days, invasive species abatement, and discussion about a brand new project called the ReTree program.
Here’s a summary written by Communications Chair John Boettcher:
The Friends of Webster Trails (FWT) held their annual meeting at the Liberty Lodge in Finn Park on Monday November 8th. President Anna Taylor and members of the Board reviewed the year’s accomplishments. There were a number of workdays on the trails, some relying on the help of other organizations which resulted in improvements to several areas. Trail building was initiated in the State Road Preserve. Eagle Scout projects sponsored by FWT resulted in several bridges over small creeks. The ReTree program was established to compensate our forests for the expected loss of hemlocks and other tree species due to invasive insects, disease, and climate change.
During the year, FWT participated in several community events receiving positive feedback from the attendees regarding our trail efforts. FWT is supporting the Town’s Open Space Committee and looking for opportunities to add forested land or property adjacent already established trails.
I’ve long been a fan of the terrific trail system we have here in Webster, and know that we have the Friends to thank for that. But it was impressive to hear about everything they do, presented all in one place. These volunteers put in thousands of hours every summer planning, creating and maintaining our trails. It’s really a thankless job, since only a small percentage of the people who use the trails actually sign up as members. (It really doesn’t cost much. Check out the membership page here.)
If you’re not familiar with Webster’s beautiful trails, check out the Friends of Webster Trails website, then get out there and start exploring. If you ARE already a fan, please consider dropping $10 for a single membership or $15 for a family. Your donation will go a long way towards helping these fine folks help US enjoy our town’s natural beauty for years to come.
If you like our trails, you’ll love being a Friend.
I have to ‘fess up right away that some of these items did not actually come through my mail. But they are some fun random events I wanted to share with you.
First, a photo of my friend Laureen Anthony-Palmer, from a party held Friday at the Webster Public Library in her honor. It was Laureen’s last day at the library; she and her husband will soon be moving down to Kentucky to be closer to their new granddaughter.
Laureen’s official title was Library Assistant, but that really doesn’t thoroughly reflect everything she did there. In her 18-year career with the library, Laureen managed the career collections, organized the collection drives for things like coats and Bella’s Bumbas materials, helped manage the library’s social media and sent regular PR emails to traditional media outlets.
That’s how I got to know Laureen. She regularly peppered my inbox with newsy bits from the library, and we worked as a team to help people learn more about the library and the greater Webster community.
I will miss seeing her smiling face (or at least her smiling eyes) when I wander over to the reference desk, but congratulate her for making the right decision. Family is paramount.
Godspeed, Laureen. It’s been great working with you.
It was a perfect fall day for a hike Saturday, and more than 100 people took advantage to participate in a family-friendly scavenger hunt at Four Mile Creek Preserve.
The event was co-hosted by the Friends of Webster Trails and the Webster Recreation Center. At the registration table, kids picked up one of three age-appropriate scavenger hunt sheets, then explored the preserve’s 3/4-mile long Blue Trail to locate and cross off as many of the items as possible. Everyone got a fun prize when they returned with their completed (or even partially completed) sheet.
This was a great event on so many levels. It gave families a fun way to help their kids exercise their bodies and minds in an outdoor activity. It introduced many people to a natural area they’d never been to before. And it was an opportunity to learn more about the great work the Friends of Webster Trails does.
An inspiring look at Miracle Field
If you didn’t get a chance a few weeks ago to catch the video created by Channel 8 WROC-TV about Rochester Challenger Miracle Field, I suggest you grab a cup of coffee, sit back and click on the link below.
The 30-minute long video, filmed in part at Miracle Field’s Heroes Helping Heroes event in July, is an excellent introduction to Miracle Field and the tremendous opportunities it provides to individuals with physical and/or cognitive challenges. It’s entertaining and inspiring, and will make your heart smile.
To find out more about Miracle Field and how you can help, visit their website.
Going, going, GONE!
Finally, here’s a great way to grab some early holiday gifts, and support a good cause at the same time.
Webster Comfort Care Home is hosting an online charity auction featuring jewelry, art, hockey games, restaurant gift cards, a two-night stay at an Upstate cabin, and more cool stuff.
Bidding is going on right now, through Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. For more information and to participate, click here.
Did you get a chance to roll around in the mud with your kids at the Mud Run last weekend at the Rec Center?
I wasn’t able to be there, but judging from the photos I’m seeing on the Webster Recreation Center Facebook page (like those below), it was a huge success. Fitness Coordinator Jay Verna confirmed that when he wrote,
Saturday was AWESOME! We had 243 total registered and kids and families loved it so much they went through it multiple times! We have ideas on how to make it even better for 2022 but overall, we are really happy with how thing turned out.
If you also want to see a short fun video from the day, click here.
Fresh from their success at the Mud Run, Rec Center staffers have turned their attention to this year’s Second Annual Pumpkins on Parade, scheduled for Saturday Oct. 23.
This is an amazing, family-friendly Halloween-time event, when the Chioya Trail is lined with creative, scary, and downright funny Jack-o-lanterns. Community members and businesses are invited — no, encouraged — to carve up some pumpkins, and then bring the family that evening after dark to look for them along the mile-long trail which winds around the Rec Center. Afterwards, everyone gets free donuts and cider.
Last year’s first-ever event drew a lot of Jack-o-lanterns from the community, but the Rec Center staff had to create a bunch of their own to make sure there were plenty for the trail. This year, I’m sure they’re hoping to get A LOT MORE community submissions.
Local businesses especially are encouraged to join the fun and carve a pumpkin — or two, or five. Rec Center staff members promise that your business’ name will be posted right next to them, which is a great way to get some free promotion. And if this year’s event is as popular as last year’s was (it drew about 1,500 people), that’s some pretty great free promotion.
I’ll be blogging about this again with more details as the date nears, but check out this poster for now, and start sketching some ideas. If you’d like to read more about last year’s parade, and see some of the creative submissions, click here for the follow-up blog I wrote.
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
webster on the web 