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Summer fun the way it should be

10 Jul

I LOVE it when I see kids and their parents outside playing together in the summertime. It means they’re not inside watching TV or playing on a iPad, and their parents are enjoying some of the simple, yet very special times that pass all too quickly.

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Enjoying the outdoors (L-R):  Jessica Ellsworth (holding Calista), Annalise, Tim and Amelia. 

 

This scene, which I captured earlier today at my neighbor’s house, is a good example. Jessica and Tim Ellsworth were both out in the driveway with their three daughters, watching the two older ones ride circles.  Minutes before I took these photos, Tim had even hopped on one of the miniature bikes and did a lap of his own.

One look at how much chalk is on the driveway tells you how much they’ve been having these last few days of nice weather.

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Annalise Ellsworth (front) takes great care to follow the arrows on the driveway bike route. (While avoiding her little sister.)

What are YOUR kids doing this summer? Why not snap a photo or two and email them to me at missyblog@gmail.com, and we’ll make a Summer Fun in Webster gallery!

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

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

 

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Bygone Blog: Webster’s a resort town?

5 Jul

Believe it or don’t, I’ve been writing this blog since April 2008. I was thinking about that the other day and just for fun, started going back through all the blogs I’ve written to kind of remind myself how it all started and how it has progressed.

Most of the blogs were about Webster people and events, sometimes mundane and sometimes very interesting. But that was the whole idea of the “Webster Blog of the Democrat and Chronicle” blog in the first place.

But I also wrote a large number of blogs about stuff only tangentially related to Webster. Many of them were about my family, others were random musings about things I saw when I was running or a funny sign that I saw.

And a lot of them were very touching and rather funny … or so I thought.

I enjoyed reading them again so much that I thought others might like to do so as well. Therefore, today I’d like to introduce my Favorite Bygone Blogs series, in which I pull out some of my favorite blogs from the last eight years.

I hope you enjoy them as well.

I chose today’s repeat in honor of the 4th of July holiday and the real start to the vacation season.

The resort town of Webster, New York (Wait. Whaaaaaat?!)

(originally posted July 4, 2011)

My daughter and I recently visited the beautiful port city of Baltimore. One evening we were doing some souvenir shopping at the city’s Inner Harbor area, when one of the shopkeepers noticed my Webster Village Days t-shirt. He asked me where Webster was. I told him it was a small town near Rochester, New York. He replied, “Oh, is it a resort area?”

We laughed for about 30 minutes.

After we recovered, we got to thinking. Calling yourself a resort town or family vacation spot is really only a matter of packaging, isn’t it? Any savvy marketing professional could put the right spin on any town and turn it into an enticing vacation destination.

Case in point: if you look closely enough, you’ll see that Webster offers as many — or more — attractions as any respectable tourist trap.  For example:

Water Park

Wet, wacky fun is just around the corner at the Spray Park at Ridgecrest Park on Ebner Drive. Enjoy enchanting water-spray animals AND a splash pad! Or if that’s inconvenient, just have the kids put on their swim suits and push them out the back door. Even if there’s not a cloud in the sky, it’ll start raining within ten minutes.

Beaches

YOU might not call it a beach, but we’re extremely proud of our rocky, weedy shoreline. Take a romantic stroll with your loved one to the end of the fishing pier to see the Great Webster Lamppost, some REALLY BIG rocks, and some stunningly beautiful graffiti art.

Go-karts

Your exciting go-kart adventure awaits at Webster’s shopping superstore, Wegmans. These spunky little vehicles feature the added convenience of an attached shopping basket. Climb in and join your friends for some exhilarating speed-demon action (the carts can be revved up to a breathtaking two miles an hour). This attraction is absolutely free and is open 24/7 (which is great, since the only time the aisles are empty enough for go-karting is between 2:13 am and 2:56 am).

Pedal cars

These two-man pedal carts are all the rage on boardwalks from Virginia Beach to Venice Beach! Webster goes one better! Sneak your Wegmans go-kart out into the parking lot and tour the sights along the plaza’s scenic access road. Can’t get more fun than that!

Nightlife

Don’t miss Webster’s Bar District, conveniently located in the village’s historic Four Corners area. You’ll find a nice selection of watering holes within steps of one another, with yet another one coming soon! (And remember, what happens at the Four Corners stays at the Four Corners!)

Tour Guides

My daughter needs a job. (But plan on her boyfriend tagging along.)

Walking Tour

Would you rather venture off on your own to discover the wonders of Webster Village? No problem! Erin can email you everything you need to know to enjoy all the wondrous things Webster has to offer. (Be sure to allow a good 15 minutes for the whole village, 17 if you’re accompanied by young children or senior citizens.)

Music in the Streets

Free, family-friendly musical entertainment abounds in Webster! For example, on cool autumn evenings, bring the kids, set up some lawn chairs in the Webster Schroeder High School parking lot and watch the marching band rehearse. Flutes, trumpets, big drums, flags…what more could a music lover want?

Local-only spots

In Baltimore you’re not considered a “local” until you’ve been to Dick’s Last Resort, which they advertise as “The joint your mama warned you about.” In Webster it’s Empire Hots (or “E-Hots” in the local parlance). Consider yourself warned about this place, too.

Taffy

Try some of our famous Lake Ontario Fresh Water Taffy!!! (On second thought, that’s not a good idea)

Famous Local Animal

Canada has its moose and Baltimore has its crabs, but Webster has famous local wildlife, too: DEER! You’ll see helpful signs along all the roadways indicating the best places to view these graceful, doe-eyed creatures. And if you don’t catch a glimpse right away, don’t worry! Keep driving long enough and one will jump out to meet YOU!

Tacky Webster Souvenirs

Make sure to pick up some souvenirs to commemorate your trip and take home to your loved ones! Our most popular ones include:

  • Refrigerator magnets in the shape of the WEBSTER bushes
  • Back scratchers that read “Where Backs are Worth Scratching”
  • Snow globes (actually, we call them “lake-effect globes,” and they have snowplows inside). Collect the whole series! County of Monroe Plow, Town of Webster Plow*, Pick-up Truck With Plow Blade, Man With Snow Blower, and the new, limited-edition Man With Shovel® which comes with a bonus bottle of Advil.
  • “Deer poop” (they’re really Raisinettes — see “Famous Local Animal” above)

See? Webster really is a great tourist destination ! It’s just a matter of how you look at it. So grab your fanny packs and instant cameras, pack your bags and visit Webster, New York, where life is always a vacation!

* (Allow 4-6 weeks extra delivery time for the Town of Webster Plow if you live on a dead-end street.)

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

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

 

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It’s been a while, Mr. Lush

28 Jun

And….. he’s back!

Mr Lush.jpg

I’m talking about whoever it is that likes to toss empty liquor bottles on the grassy shoulder along Hatch Road near my neighborhood.

I first wrote about the guy I call the Hatch Road Lush ( I assume it’s a guy) back in 2011 when I first noticed the bottles. Back then the litter of choice was Black Velvet. What started out early in the spring as just a few quickly grew to more than 20 over several weeks.

 

Of course, I wrote a few blogs about what I was noticing. I speculated back then that someone was ditching the bottles as they drove by late at night, but it could also be that someone liked to take late-night walks and someone’s wife didn’t know that he was drinking.

Then all of a sudden the bottles not only miraculously disappeared, but they never returned again. Could have been a coincidence, but I like to think that Mr. Lush’s spouse read my blog and put two and two together.

Back in the summer of 2013, the bottles returned. But this time they weren’t Black Velvet. Our drinking and tossing friend has apparently switched to the less expensive (but still imported) Canadian Leaf whiskey.

Fast forward another four years and it appears that Mr. Lush has returned, and this year his booze of choice is vodka.

At least he’s not getting stuck in a rut.

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

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

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A personal thank-you

18 Jun

Thank-You

You might not have noticed it, but a few months ago there was a big change to this blog. In early February, The D&C decided to go in a different direction with respect to their community blogs, which meant that my “Webster Blog of the Democrat and Chronicle” was no longer associated with the Democrat and Chronicle.

The split caused me some consternation. I wondered, would people still find the blog even though it wasn’t associated with the D&C? Would people keep reading it? More importantly, why was I writing the blog? After all, there was no way to really know for sure if anyone out there cared whether there was a Webster blog or not.

But bottom line is, I love to write. So I decided to make the changes necessary to continue the Webster Blog in some form.

I created a new blog and called it Webster on the Web. I think the new design is much cleaner and easier to read than the D&C‘s platform, and it’s definitely 100 percent easier to use.

Then I kept writing. And surprise, according to the blog’s analytics, people kept reading. And surprise, surprise, people still occasionally came up to me to chat about a blog I had recently written. And most surprising of all, some of my readers actually started SUBSCRIBING to the blog so they’d know when I posted a new one.

So, thank you everyone for reading. Thank you to my subscribers (all 31 of you!). Because no matter how much I love to write, it’s a lot more fun when I know someone is enjoying the fruits of my labors.

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

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

 

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Webster couple celebrates long life

12 Jun

75th in 2015

I’d like to send out a few happy birthday wishes today to Don and Virginia Brush, a long-time Webster couple.

And when I say “long time,” I mean looooong time.

Several weeks ago, Virginia celebrated her 100th birthday, and Don will be turning 101 in July. Those alone are some incredible milestones. But just as impressive is the fact that on March 16, 2017, the couple celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary.

Don Brush and Virginia Wahl were neighbors on Plank Road, and both graduated from Webster High School at a time when it was the only school in town, encompassing all grades K through 12. Don received a degree in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University and worked at Kodak for 37 years. Virginia got a degree in nursing from Genesee Hospital and served there as an emergency room supervisor.

Aside from his longevity and obvious love for his dear wife, Don has another claim to fame. In the early 1970s he purchased a 1910 one-cylinder, 10-horsepower Runabout. Over the next two years he completely rebuilt it, bringing it to mint condition.

In 1980 the car won the Grand National award from the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) and can now be seen at the AACA Museum in Hershey, PA.

Best wishes to the happy couple.

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

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

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You are being watched…

11 Jun

There seems to be a new movement afoot, and I like to think that I was in on it from the beginning.

If you know me fairly well — or have read my blog for a while — you may remember that I have broken two bones in recent years, one in my finger in 2010, and my arm last spring. I had a series of casts each time, each one smaller than the next. Just for fun, I decided to personalize each one with googly eyes.

And I named them, of course, usually after Muppets like Kermit and Oscar and Cookie Monster.

I got a lot of weird looks, of course, and a lot of giggles from children. And I was pretty much certain that I stood apart from all others in my silliness.

glass leaner

But I was wrong. There are a lot of silly googly-eye people out there who were just waiting for the right time to pounce.

I think I noticed it first from my friend Kristen, whose “bonus daughter” keeps putting miniature googly-eyes on items around their home, from coffee canisters to spray bottles.

But then, just a few days ago, I discovered a new Twitter feed dedicated to the googly-eye cause.

It’s called Googly Eyes of ROC (@rocgooglyeyes), and the organizers (who prefer to stay anonymous) simply want to spread some happiness. As they explained:

The idea came to me after seeing so much negative and unhappy news about our city. $5 for a pack of googly eyes, a camera, and a dream to spread smiles is what we’re all about. We want people to love our city, and we want to show it off. All of it. From its highest highs to its lowest lows, all in good humor. Right now we’re focusing on the city, there’s so much going on it’s an endless opportunity to show off so many wonderful gems Rochester has to offer. Who doesn’t love a pair of googly eyes? 🙂

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A recent placement by Googly Eyes of ROC

So the group’s googly eyes haven’t spread as far east as Webster yet. But I still have a lot left over from my cast days, so don’t be surprised if you find a tree — or sign post or ugly village planter — looking back at you next time you’re out and about.

And please feel free to help spread the happiness. Follow @rocgooglyeyes on Twitter, get out with some googly eyes and a camera, and post your photos with the hashtag #rocgooglyeyes.

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

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

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Still talkin’ about parks

11 May

park collageA couple of months ago I had the pleasure of speaking to the Adirondack Mountain Club about my 2016 Tour de Parks. The adventure took me to more than 100 parks all over the east side of Rochester.

I had so much fun doing that talk (and I put so much time and effort into preparing it) that I decided to take it on the road.

So if you didn’t catch it in March and would still like to hear about my adventures, there are three more chances to do so in the coming weeks.

This coming Wednesday May 17, I’ll be at the Webster Public Library, 980 Ridge Road, at 7 pm.

Then on Thursday June 1, I’ll be at the Brighton Memorial Library, 2300 Elmwood Ave, at 6:30 pm.

Finally, on Monday June 26 I’ll end my tour (at least for now) at the Pittsford Community Library, 24 State Street, beginning at 7 pm.

Since I’m only doing these talks for fun, the only compensation I asked for was cookies. So no guarantees, but if you’re able to make one of the talks, you might be able to enjoy some oatmeal scotchies. (Actually that makes it worth seeing several times.)

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

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

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Plank North welcomes return of former student, now a Marine

5 May
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Plank North Elementary teacher Marcia Napolitano welcomes her former student.

Here’s a heartwarming story that happened at Plank Road North Elementary School this week, when students got an extra special visit from a freshly-minted U.S. Marine.

For the last three months, the students of Marcia Napolitano’s fourth grade class have been following the progress of Jason Ingerson, one of Napolitano’s former students, as he worked his way through Marine Corps recruit training.

Ingerson, who was in Napolitano’s class during the 2006-2007 academic year, first visited his old classroom back in January, just after he signed up with the USMC and just before he shipped off for boot camp. He answered the students’ questions about his decision to enlist and his family’s reactions, and described the challenges he was expecting to face once he reached Parris Island.

While Jason was away, Plank North Principal Craig Bodensteiner — himself a Marine veteran — gave Napolitano’s students a taste of what boot camp is like, running them through physical drills and lessons on saluting and standing at attention. He also demonstrated the kind of verbal abuse a recruit would have to take from the drill instructor (physical education teacher Kevin Sayers got to play the part of the recruit for that demonstration).

Last Tuesday, Jason Ingerson returned once again to his old Plank North classroom to greet the students who had helped him through 12 of the most difficult weeks of his life. Standing smartly in blue dress uniform at the front of the room, he answered questions once again. But this time he was a United States Marine.

WHAM Channel 13 was on hand for the reunion, and featured the story as their Tuesday evening Bright Spot segment. You can see that video by clicking here.

Many thanks to Jennifer Calus of the WCSD for her great photographs.

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

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A quick shout out to the Troopers

12 Apr

MindyJust a quick note this morning to say congratulations and thank you to the New York State Police, who celebrate their 100th birthday this year.

My little sister Mindy served with the Troopers for 22 years, and I am so proud of her. I remember when we were living in Waterloo and she came home from the academy every weekend, filled with stories about the challenges they put the recruits through. I remember driving into Norwich, NY to check out the little town which would be her first posting. I remember surprising her at the Oakdale Mall, where she was working at a recruiting table.

And I have bragged about her more times than I can count. I cannot even imagine how difficult that job must have been.

So if you see a Trooper pass by this week, give him/her a hearty thank-you wave. As for me, I’m lucky,  because I can give my Trooper a hug when I see her.

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

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

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I need photos!

20 Mar
websterpark

A stunning view of Webster Park by Joe Altieri.

If you follow my Webster Blog Facebook page, you’ll see that I regularly change the photo at the top of the page. Usually the photo goes with my most recent blog post, but sometimes I just don’t have anything interesting to put up there.

So this is where you all come in.

I would love to have a collection of great photos representing our great town, which I could tap into when I need a cover shot. Your photos could be a stunning landscape, like the one above by Joe Altieri, or perhaps just a shot of your kids sitting watching a sunset at Sandbar Park.

I made this request a few years ago for exactly the same reason, and received some wonderful photos. But I have long since run out and need to re-stock.

Of course, when I use your photo, I’ll be sure to give you credit. So please go through your images, or get out there and start snapping. Then send your favorites to me at missyblog@gmail.com. Please be sure to include information about who is in the photo (if necessary) and where you took it.

Thank you!

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com

“Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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