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A heartwarming surprise for Pierson, CCO (Chief Collections Officer) of “Returns for a Reason”

18 Dec

You remember Pierson Farina. He’s the Spry Middle School 6th grader who established his own fund-raising operation earlier this year which he calls “Returns for a Reason.” His goal is to collect returnables from family members, neighbors, schoolmates, strangers — anyone and everyone — and every time he raises $100, he donates it to some worthy organization.

I first wrote about Pierson in September when he donated his first $100 check to the Webster Volunteer Fire Department, and then again in October to report that he’d already raised and donated $200 more, to Lollypop Farm and Honor Flight Rochester.

But that’s only a small part of the Pierson Farina story, and not what today’s blog is about.

You see, Pierson loves all things about garbage and recycling. Or, more specifically (as he says on his “96 Gallons of Fun!” YouTube channel), he loves “garbage trucks, garbage cans, recycle bins, composting, you name it!” He owns at least two model garbage trucks, runs his own small business cleaning garbage cans for his neighbors, and the trash and recycling truck drivers who service his street have gotten to know him very well.

Pierson loves garbage trucks and garbage cans so much that back in October he wrote a letter to Toter, Inc., a waste container manufacturer based in Statesville, NC, asking for his “dream Christmas present,” an official Toter wheeled cart — specifically, a green one with an orange lid.

No one, not even his mother, Catherine, expected a response. So she was just as surprised as anyone when a Toter representative reached out about a month later to arrange a surprise special delivery and make Pierson’s Christmas wish come true.

That heartwarming event unfolded Wednesday afternoon when Toter Regional Sales Manager Jamie Butler pulled up in front of Pierson’s house and unloaded the Toter cart. Moments later, a Casella Waste Systems side-loader garbage truck rumbled up behind her and started blasting its horn.

At first, Pierson had no idea why a garbage truck was idling outside his house. But when he stepped and spotted the Toter — a green one with an orange lid — topped with a giant green bow and personalized with his name and “Returns for a Reason,” he was speechless.

After Pierson had a chance to thoroughly inspect his shiny new recycling cart, Casella truck driver Anthony McQueen invited him to sit in the truck and operate the side-loader, grabbing and “emptying” the can into the truck’s bay. Then Pierson placed his first full bag of returnables into the can — the first of many to come, for sure.

It was a day that he will not soon forget.

Channel 13 was there as well, and filmed the whole event for their Wednesday night “Bright Spot” segment, which you can see here. (He was also the featured Bright Spot when he presented his check to the WVFD.)

Kudos to Wastequip/Toter and Casella Waste Systems for pulling this surprise together and making Pierson’s Christmas wish come true.

Here’s a bunch more photos:

Jamie Butler presents the Toter to Pierson
Pierson even got some Casella swag
Pierson at the controls
With Casella driver Anthony McQueen
Depositing his first bag of returnables

More about Toter, from their corporate office:

Toter has been a leader in waste and recycling solutions for more than 50 years, providing durable, innovative containers that help keep neighborhoods clean and sustainable. As a national company, we proudly serve haulers, cities, and towns across the country (in Webster they work with Casella Waste Systems) including communities like Webster—with products designed to make waste collection easier, safer, and more efficient. Our commitment to quality and sustainability continues to set the standard in the industry, and we’re excited to share stories that inspire creativity and community pride.

Marty Bryant, Toter CEO, wrote, “Pierson’s enthusiasm for our products is a great reminder of how creativity starts young. We’re proud to bring his vision to life and hope this Toter container inspires even more content on his (YouTube) channel.” 

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 12/18/2025)

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On the lookout for nice Christmas light displays

6 Dec

Like most families, my family has a pile of holiday traditions. Many of them have been handed down through the generations, like creating salt-dough ornaments, making cut-out Christmas cookies and my grandmother’s butterkuchen recipe, walking barefoot in the snow, and of course, decorating a fresh-cut Christmas tree every year with so many decorations that it’s hard to see the branches.

Over the years, as the kids have grown and moved on to celebrate the holidays with their own families, some of those traditions have fallen by the wayside. Salt-dough ornaments are a thing of the past, and there are fewer cut-out cookies. And in a nod to our advancing years, my husband and I finally invested in an artificial tree instead of cutting one down.

At least one tradition has held firm however — driving around and checking out Christmas light displays. I still like to do that the week before Christmas Day, especially in the village, where the light displays are enhanced by each neighborhood’s charm. The little white lights are nice, but I especially like the more traditional look of the old-fashioned, colored bulbs, which seem to be experiencing a renaissance.

So, kids or not, I’m going to take a drive out and about sometime later this week to check out some Christmas lights. Do you know of any particularly nice displays I should look up? Anything unusual or especially creative?  Let me know by commenting below, or send me an email at missyblog@gmail.com, and I’ll share your suggestions with all my readers. Take a photo if you can!

And yes, I will definitely be doing some barefoot snow walks this year. That tradition will never die.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 12/6/2025)

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Special Santa visit honored WWFD firefighters

13 Nov
Isabelle and her family pose with Santa
18-month old Lucy wiggled more than sat

Santa made an early stop at the West Webster Fire Department (WWFD) on Wednesday evening, bringing holiday cheer to families who came out for photos, smiles, and a little Christmas magic before the season kicks into full swing.

The visit was an early chance for children to share their Christmas gift wishes with Santa, and every child left the station with a new stuffed animal. But the evening wasn’t just for the kids. It also gave firefighters and their families a chance to take fun, holiday-themed photos — complete with their turnout gear if they wanted — which they could then use for holiday cards or to share with their loved ones. It was also a way for Santa himself to thank these dedicated volunteers for their service and the sacrifices they and their families make to keep Webster safe.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 11/13/2025)

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There’s no place like home

5 Oct

So I was out of town for most of the last two weeks, which some of my most loyal readers might have suspected given the rather sporadic nature of my blog posting. My husband and I took a trip up to Maine — a state neither of us had been to before — by way of Cape Cod, where I have family.

I studiously avoided calling the trip a “vacation,” since retirement itself is kind of a long-term vacation. And I managed to write and schedule a lot of blogs in advance to automatically post almost every day so that I basically didn’t have to “work” at all while we were traveling.

It was a terrific trip, dampened only by the heavy rains we encountered in Cape Cod, which apparently the entire Northeast was experiencing at the same time. The weather during the following eight days, however, was gloriously sunny and warm, which made up for the soggy start.

From Cape Cod we headed north for two days in Camden, Maine, then three days in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, then spent some time in Concord, Mass., soaking up some Revolutionary War history. We saw spectacular scenery, met some nice people, learned some history and did a lot of hiking and bike riding.

But, funny thing …. as enjoyable as every day was, my mind kept coming back to Webster.

  • As I drove through the peak colors in Concord, I wondered if that beautiful red maple in front of the Baptist Church was in its full glory yet.
  • As I rode along an Acadia Park Carriage Trail, bursting with colorful autumn foliage, I thought of the equally beautiful Four Mile Creek Trail — my favorite of all the Webster trails.
  • As I hiked up Mt. Megunticook in Camden and saw a sign soliciting volunteers to help maintain the trails, I thought, “Hmmm…. the Friends of Webster Trails should do that, ’cause they need volunteers ….”
  • As I let the bracingly cold ocean surf run over my toes on Sand Beach in Acadia, I wondered if Lake Ontario is warmer at this time of year.
  • As I wandered through Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, I took special note of gravestones which needed to be righted or cleaned, and thought of the hard work being done at Webster Union Cemetery to do that for our founding fathers’ stones.
  • And as I lay my head down on my pillow at the historic Colonial Inn hotel in Concord that last night, I thought, “This is nice, but it will be nice to be in my own bed tomorrow night.”

I think the lesson I learned these last few weeks is that it’s a lot of fun to see new places, chalk up some new experiences, meet new people and try new foods. I loved every minute of it, but in the end, my heart remains solidly in Webster.

It’s good to be home.

(Click here if you’re at all interested in seeing more photos from the trip.)

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 10/5/2025)

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“Aging … better” is a new online resource for active older adults

21 Sep

I am no longer the only blogger in the family.

My husband Jack has recently launched an online publication which should be of interest to all of us who are getting older, and especially anyone who wants to make sure they’re doing all they can to stay healthy and make the best of our senior years.

It’s called Aging … better, a blog and newsletter created on Substack. The site has news and information about topics such as nutrition and exercise that support active older living. But it also will include coverage of the important topic of caregiving for older adults. 

Those topics may at first glance seem contradictory, but really aren’t. People naturally want to remain as vital as they can as long as possible, but the connection between aging and caregiving is almost inevitable. Government statistics show that anyone 65 or older has a 70 percent chance of needing some kind of assistive care before the end of their lives.

In fact, even as many adults strive to be vital and active in their 50s and 60s, they find themselves as caregivers for parents in their 80s or 90s. So Aging … better’s subject matter is complementary even as it addresses two very different aspects of older life. 

Examples of recent posts include how resistance training can prevent muscle loss, how self-care is important for caregivers, eating tips for better health, and a collection of online links for organizations that support caregivers.

Jack’s interest in creating this new resource was sparked by several things. His interest in elder issues in large part came from a two-year stint with the New York & Michigan Solutions Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit news organization which focused its coverage on caregiving for older adults. His own experiences helping care for his aging parents provided a personal perspective on caregiving issues.

Plus, as a long-time journalist (including 18 years at the D&C) and journalism professor, Jack likes to write (like me) and share his knowledge with the greater community.

All information published on Aging … better is freely available, without advertising or paid subscription. The site can be found at agingbetter.substack.com. Site visitors may register to receive email updates of the latest reports, but it’s not required.

Check it out and see what you think!  

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 9/21/2025)

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Riding some trails, exploring some Civil War history

13 Aug

Even if you load up my blog page regularly, you might not have noticed the tagline I put at the top. It reads: “A full serving of Webster happenings with an occasional appetizer on the side.”

Today is one of those appetizers.

My husband Jack and I recently decided to get out of town for a night, just to do something different and fun. So we loaded up our bikes and drove down to Penn Yan, a village which neither of us knew much about. We thought it’d be fun to explore it, have dinner, and check out some brew pubs.

But our main goal that day was to ride the seven-mile long Keuka Outlet Trail (KOT), which follows the winding waterway where Keuka Lake flows eastward into Seneca Lake. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the Outlet, the trail is nicely maintained and offers an impressive mix of history and natural beauty.

The Fall Brook Railroad once traveled along this route, back and forth between Penn Yan and Dresden. Some of the old railroad ties and concrete signal markers still mark the way. At one time, there were 30 to 40 mills operating along the waterway, including sawmills, paper mills, distilleries, tanneries and forges. The remains of many of these mills can still be seen.

The most popular stop on the trail is Seneca Mills Falls, a 40-foot waterfall surrounded by the ruins of the former Seneca Paper Mill. About half a mile to the east are the 20-foot high Cascade Falls — not as spectacular as Seneca Mills, but still beautiful. If you look carefully as you ride (or hike), you might see turtles sunning themselves on logs in Turtle Pond, and ruins of a bridge which once led to the Village of Hopeton, which disappeared as Dresden began to grow.

The Friends of the Outlet have put together a very informative brochure describing all of the trail’s historical treasures. They’ve even created an audio tour, which — for an all-volunteer organization — is really impressive. Their efforts remind me of the dedication to preserving natural habitats exhibited by our very own Friends of Webster Trails.

The next day, before heading back to Webster, Jack and I tackled another bike trail, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal Trail between Waterloo and Geneva. This one was only about five miles long, and the surface was actually a bit smoother than the KOT, so it was even easier to ride.

We rode from Waterloo to Geneva, where the trail ends at Seneca Lake Park. There, we took some time to relax, have a snack, and watch the seagulls along the lake shore before heading back to Waterloo.

This trail (or at least this section of it) doesn’t have as much history as the KOT, but it had something better. About two miles in, a local resident has created a wonderland of flowers, dragons, teddy bears, angels, bunny rabbits and more. The display stretches about 200 yards, with a welcome sign at each end marking the beginning of the whimsy. It’s clearly a labor of love, and surely brightens the day of anyone who passes through.

Lock CS4 sits on the canal in Waterloo, which is pretty cool to see, and when I rode over to get a closer look, I discovered something else that was even more cool.

Waterloo (officially the “birthplace of Memorial Day”) has installed an outstanding American Civil War Memorial just to the north of the lock on Washington St. It’s a small area of land, but it has so many meaningful markers, monuments and historic artifacts that even after examining them for a half hour, I still feel like I need to go back.

The memorial recognizes 59 men from Waterloo who died in the Civil War. It includes individual cenotaphs for each man, marked with his name, regiment, where he died and how old he was. There’s a North South Cenotaph, constructed with stones from each of the 36 states which existed at the end of the Civil War. The Star Stone is adorned with 620 golden stars, each of which represents 1,000 Union and Confederate soldiers lost in the Civil War. A Woman’s Cenotaph pays tribute to all of the women of the Civil War.

You see? Pretty cool, and there’s so much more. It was a great discovery and I need to go back.

So next time you need a short adventure, I recommend you take a hike or a bike trip along the Keuka Outlet Trail or the Seneca-Cayuga Trail. And if you’re a Civil War buff, definitely head out Waterloo to check out their memorial.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 8/13/2025)

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My own personal band concert

31 Jul

Every summer, music seems to be everywhere in the Village of Webster — at the gazebo, at Harmony Park, in the pubs and on the street. This summer, though, it’s appeared in an unexpected place: the grassy lawn outside Spry Middle School.

For the last few weeks, sections of our very own Webster Marching Band have been rehearsing outside of Spry Middle School. Perhaps temperatures inside the building are worse than outside, or maybe it’s their “band camp,” so setting up outdoors just seems appropriate. But whatever the reason, I and my neighbors have been enjoying beautiful music, sometimes for hours on end.

For a long time it was only the drummers rehearsing in the parking lot and adjacent to the southeast corner of the school. Many of them show up early for their session and just start noodling around while they wait for everyone else to arrive. (I’ve never known a musician who can stand by an instrument without playing it. Musicians just gotta make music. At all times.) When everyone is assembled and the rehearsal begins in earnest, it’s like listening to a coordinated drum line, telling a story through rhythm, tempo and thunderous drumbeats.

But more recently, the brass section has also set up their music stands, rehearsing closer to the school’s front door, basically at the end of my street. When their trumpets are combined with sousaphones and mellophones, the strong, clear notes can be heard two blocks away, resonating throughout the neighborhood. The power of their music, the beauty of their harmonies, just blow me away. (Which is not surprising given that the band took first place in last year’s state championships.)

Unfortunately, we’re not being serenaded with entire compositions, but are only getting snippets. It seems like every day the focus is on a different, perhaps particularly difficult movement, so we’re only hearing bits and pieces of a much larger work. I suspect that much of what I’m hearing are parts of this year’s competition program, “In Times Of.” I look forward to attending the 2025 Autumn Fanfare field band competition on Saturday Oct. 4 to see and hear the whole show.

But even before that, there actually IS a way to get a preview of the program, when the Webster Marching Band offers two sneak-peek performances of In Times Of at their 9th Annual Food Truck Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Fireman’s Field on Sanford St. The event will feature great food (participating trucks include Bruster’s, Eat Greek, Macarollin, Mr. Squeeze, Rob’s Kabobs, Roc City Sammich and Tuscan Wood Fired Pizza), vendors, a kids’ play place, face painting, raffles…and some great music. The mini-shows will take place at 6 and 7 p.m.

So thank you for the free concerts, Webster Marching Band, and I can’t wait to see the whole show!

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 7/31/2025)

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Patriotic pride on full display at Maplewood Nursing Home

3 Jul

Drivers along Main Street in the Village of Webster couldn’t help but smile Thursday morning as they passed a heartwarming scene outside Maplewood Nursing Home. A group of residents, adorned with patriotic hats and headbands, lined the sidewalk with American flags in hand, waving enthusiastically at every car and truck that drove by, soliciting honks and waves from passing motorists.

A speaker placed in the middle of the crowd of residents blasted music, and staff members and volunteers danced, sang and did their best to encourage drivers (especially big trucks) to sound their horns.

Maplewood’s Director of Recreation, Gary Sacco, coordinates these holiday mini-celebrations every year, either the day before the Fourth of July, or on Flag Day, and he’s been doing so for about ten years. They’re weather-dependent of course, but when they do happen, it’s a very special occasion for the residents and certainly the highlight of their day. Any resident who wants to attend can do so, assisted by volunteers and staff members who patiently roll their wheelchairs up the hill from the facility to Main Street and line them up along the sidewalks.

Today, the crowd of festive, flag-waving residents numbered more than 30. Volunteers, staff members and family members brought the crowd to almost 50. There were so many smiles, and the whole scene was filled with an infectious, cheerful energy that turned an ordinary morning into a celebration of community spirit that certainly brightened the day of everyone it touched.

I love this village.

Volunteer Chris Bousman got up close and personal with the cars

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 7/3/2025)

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Elephant and Piggie in “We Are in a Book!” starring …

21 Jun

Here’s a quick little story that’s just too cute not to share.

On Friday I was substituting in the library at State Rd. Elementary School. As part of the day’s lessons, the library teaching assistant and I were acting out We Are in a Book!, one of a series of beloved children’s books by Mo Willems, starring Elephant and Piggie.

As we prepared to do so for one class, Officer David Herrle, Webster’s School Resource Officer, popped his head into the library to say hi. I immediately had an idea, and asked him if he had ten minutes to spare. To his credit, without knowing what I had in mind, he said yes. I quickly finished my lesson, then sprung my idea on him:

HE would play the part of Piggie.

With book in one hand and a stuffed Piggie in the other, Officer Herrle presented a polished cold-read performance of We Are in a Book! to the delight of the second graders who sat before us. It was a great way to show these kids that police officers are pretty cool, fun-loving people, too.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 6/21/2025)

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Webster’s a lot cleaner today thanks to these Scouts

8 Jun
Adam Pruyne, Aiden Pruyne, Asher Crittenden, Will Cerveney, Jacob Bowen. (In back: Tracy Cerveny and Dave Crittenden)
Mike Seeley, Bill Ernst, Maria Gallina

I love it when a great community story just falls into my lap.

On Saturday morning I was running down Holt Rd. and had just turned onto the bike path when I came upon a small gaggle of teens and adults in bright construction vests, picking up trash. Of course I had to stop and find out who they were and what their story was.

Turns out these community-minded folks were from Webster Scouting America Troop 262 (from the Webster Presbyterian Church), and picking up trash along the bike path is a service project they complete two times a year.

Troop 262 Committee Chairman Adam Pruyne wrote,

Each year we spend a few hours walking the bike path along Rte 104 from Bay Road to Phillips patrolling for trash. We are registered with the DOT and they provide the vests, hard hats, garbage bags and trash bag pick-up and we provide the effort. In general, this is likely the largest organized community service project our troop performs and we’ve done it so many times, it is part of our yearly routine.

The troop also invites Cub Scout Pack 262, Troop 425, and Troop 163 to join them for clean-up day.

“Troop 163 always covers from Bay Road to Five Mile Line for us,” Adam wrote. “Troop 425 (all-girl troop) and Pack 262 weren’t with us today as they were on their own adventures but typically they join us. We had 30 attendees today and have had as much as 75 if the timing is right for everyone.” 

Mike Gallina
Brandon Seeley, Callan Ernst

The Scouts and their adults managed to fill somewhere between 10 and 15 big orange garbage bags (which Adam considered a “light garbage day”). When the Cub Scouts attend, they’ve been known to collect as many as ten more bags from within Charles Sexton Park alone.

And they have a lot of fun doing it. “We sometimes have an informal competition on who got the weirdest find of the day,” Adam wrote. “Today, one of the boys found a realistic looking $1,000,000 bill!”

Saturday’s service project is a very good example of how Scouting is much more than just tying knots.

This is an excellent opportunity for the scouts, both boys and girls, to understand what selflessness and sacrifice is as they give back to the community, even though some are too young to fully appreciate that they are doing those things. This is one of the better aspects of scouting that I feel is lost on the general public. The scouts learn so much about life in these few hours they spend doing this cleanup. They learn about other people, they learn manners as we attempt to let others have the right of way on the path and they learn about environmental conservation and why it is important to “leave no trace” as we conduct our tasks.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 6/8/2025)

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