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Memorial Day a la Greene, NY

28 May

Yesterday, like towns large and small all across America, Webster celebrated Memorial Day with a parade and a beautiful ceremony at Webster Rural Cemetery. The weather was gorgeous, there were tons of people lining the streets with their folding chairs and blankets, there were lots and lots of flags and patriotic shirts, and the parade sported sharp marching units, the always impressive Webster Marching Band, fire trucks, Boy Scouts and Brownies, and lots more.  The ceremony following the parade was moving and Taps made people cry.

At least I ASSUME that all happened yesterday, because for the first time in a long time I was not able to attend the day’s festivities. I was out of town with my daughter, visiting my father in Greene, NY, a little town north of Binghamton.   But I dare say, if I couldn’t be in Webster for the parade, being in Greene was a pretty good second.

If you’ve never been in Greene, picture Webster, but smaller. It’s a quiet little village of about 2,000 people, tucked in a valley along the Chenango River. Its downtown about 2 blocks long, and cars park in the middle of the street.  They’ve got tree-lined sidewalks, an old five-and-dime shop, a couple of diner-type restaurants, and historical markers on pretty much every corner.

And they have a Memorial Day parade.

I was very excited to find out that I could see a parade, since I was missing the one at home.  So yesterday morning at 10 am, when Webster’s parade was just ending, my father, daughter and I were standing on Main Street in Greene, watching for their town’s parade to begin. We had gotten there a few minutes early to find a spot, but we needn’t have worried. Even though the parade would stretch for only about half a mile, there were plenty of empty places to stand. And we didn’t worry about setting up chairs, either, since we’d heard from several people that the parade wasn’t very substantial. I believe the way my brother-in-law put it was “Don’t blink.”

But they had nothing to be embarrassed about. It was a nice little parade that oozed small-town charm. Sure, there were only seven or eight  units, and it lasted all of 12 minutes (including five minutes when the whole parade paused for a wreath-placing ceremony). But the fact it wasn’t an hour-long spectacular didn’t seem to matter to the veterans who marched with fierce pride, the high school band members who played their hearts out, and the Scouts who waved and grinned broadly, clearly enjoying their brief time in the spotlight.

I took a lot of photos (of course), so if you’re at all interested in seeing what another small-town parade looks like, click HERE or on any of the images to go to a gallery.

Plank North community plants tree to remember a young Pioneer

27 May

The spirit of a young Webster boy who succumbed to cancer last autumn will live on for years at Plank Road North Elementary School.

Simon with his good friend Lily in February 2011.

Almost a hundred people gathered in Plank North’s front courtyard Friday afternoon to take part in the dedication of a Bartlett pear tree in memory of Simon Harris, who passed away last October at 11 years of age, after a courageous battle with neuroblastoma. The crowd was filled with family members, neighbors, school friends, karate family friends, and staff members from both Plank North and Spry Middle School.

The sign which now hangs on the tree sums up Simon’s spirit.

Several speakers, led by Simon’s dad Andrew Harris, spoke of Simon’s courage and the difference he made in the lives of everyone around him. Patti Pawluk, whom Simon had as a teacher in second and third grade, remembered Simon’s irrepressible spirit. “Simon always had a huge smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye,” she said. “When I think of Simon, I think of sunshine.” The tree is located immediately outside Pawluk’s classroom window, where she and her students will be able to see its white flowers bloom every spring.

Simon’s dad Andrew Harris speaks at the dedication ceremony.

In a particularly moving part of the ceremony, Andrew invited Simon’s little brother Manny up to be the first to shovel soil onto the base of the new tree. Manny, Andrew explained, never complained throughout the entire ordeal of Simon’s illness, no matter what happened or what needed to be done. After that, family members and friends were invited to also pick up a shovel and help “plant” the tree.

Finally, after a rousing cheer of “Simon! Simon! Simon!” led by Andrew and enthusiastically joined by the entire crowd, dozens of multicolored balloons were released and raced toward the sky.

Abby and Ryan Smith show the special balloons which were released.

As he watched the balloons disappear into the distance, Andrew said, “I’m sure Simon’s smiling from heaven.”

Click on any of the photos to see a gallery of several more.

And they’re off!

Pub full of new Webster friends help the Barrys celebrate

22 May

Hubby and and I had a terrific time Sunday afternoon at a surprise baby shower for Jessica Barry of Barry’s Old School Irish at Webster’s four corners. She and her husband Danny are expecting their first child in July, so naturally, friends and family had to throw her a shower.

Jessica was taken completely by surprise, which made the event a whole lot more fun. She thought she was going out to dinner at Sticky Lips with Danny and some other family members. But first, they stopped by the pub. It’s normally closed at that time of day, so she was a bit confused by the balloons and patio table decorations. She caught on pretty fast, though, when they pulled up in front and she saw family and friends spilling out the door to greet her.

Jessica and Danny Barry with a few of their gifts.

Baby showers are always fun affairs, but this one was particularly neat for one main reason: It was less than a year ago that Danny and Jessica Barry came to town to open up their new business.  Nobody knew who they were, just a couple of kids trying to start up another bar. One with a bakery attached, no less. (Go figure.)

Now, a mere nine months later, their little place was overflowing with Webster people who have come to know and love them.

Just a small sampling of the Barrys’ new friends who came out to celebrate.

The Wednesday afternoon gang was there, the Friday night regulars, and the Saturday night crowd. Debbie and Pat Bush from Webster Hots brought a whole tray of Jessica’s favorite chocolate chip brownies, and Mike Broikou from the Goodie Shop brought one of his incredible five-layer ice cream cakes.

It’s not often you see this kind of affection shown to pub owners by their patrons and fellow business owners. But that’s the kind of place Barry’s is, and that’s the kind of people the Barrys are. These kids aren’t just pub owners — they’re family.

P.S.  It seems like ages ago, but do you remember how ugly and embarrassing that southwest village corner was for years? Then Barry’s Old School Irish moved in and immediately improved it with a nice iron fence and patio seating. This summer Danny and Jessica have added some very nice gardens. Now it’s a corner Webster can be proud of.

Before. Ugly.

And now. Beautiful.

They’re baaaack!

21 May

Some of the almost 30 flyers we found littering the neighborhood last time this company came through.

Apparently the littering run one local driveway sealer company made through our neighborhood last month wasn’t profitable enough.

The same company which littered our neighborhood with almost 30 marketing flyers in early April was back at it again this week. When my husband and I took our 1-1/2 mile walk Friday night after dinner, I counted seven flyers in yards and drainage ditches, which had escaped the confines of the newspaper boxes where they were stuffed.

The same company. The same litter.  You have to wonder, if they’re so sloppy about distributing their flyers, what does that say about the quality of their work?

*Update*

Funny thing about the two flyers we received in our newspaper box. The one we got a month ago quoted a price of $65. The one we got two days ago quoted $119. Did my driveway double in length in that time? Did they lowball us last time or are they trying to gouge us this time?

Webster Cadettes earn silver

21 May

Congratulations to these young ladies from Webster Cadette Troop 60434, who received their prestigious Girl Scout Silver Award on Friday, May 4th.  They’re all sixth graders at Spry Middle School.  (Thanks to Deb Hill for passing along the news!)

(L-R) Hannah Ippolito, Ryan Morency, Rachel Hill, Annika Schouten, Kaylee Gibb, Meaghan Gartland, and Alyssa Zaft

Bay Bridge construction means major headaches

11 May

Get ready for some major traffic hassles this summer.

Word has come down from the NYS Department of Transportation that the Irondequoit Bay Bridge will be closed for several weekends this summer to complete a $14.1 million renovation project.

We haven’t yet been told exactly when it will be happening, but what we do know is this: the closures will take place on four weekends, twice in each direction, sometime between June and October, from 8 pm Friday through Sunday evening.

The good news is that only one direction will be closed at a time, and the other direction will flow normally. Bad news is, the work will still displace about 30,000 vehicles each weekend day. That’s 30,000 more vehicles that will be shunted onto Empire Blvd between Bay Road and the 590 on-ramps.

Boy, THAT’S gonna be fun.

Click here to read the D&C article for more information and Supervisor Ron Nesbitt’s reaction.

 

 

Fate of village water decided — at least for now

11 May

A battle royale brewing this week over the future of the Webster Village water supply seemed to fizzle out a bit at last night’s Village Board meeting.

At issue is the quality of the village’s water supply and what — if anything — should be done about it. On one side of the argument is a vocal group of residents called Webster Village Residents for Monroe County Water. At a community meeting earlier this week, the group presented its position that village water is not only caustic, but downright unhealthy, and the village should make the switch to service from the Monroe County Water Authority (MCWA). On the other side is the Webster Village Board, which appeared poised to authorize a controversial reverse osmosis water softening system.

The issue was expected to come to a head at last night’s Village Board meeting, when Mayor Peter Elder and the village trustees were planning to take a final vote. About 30 people in the audience waited patiently through several procedural matters, noticeably perking up a bit when the discussion finally came around to water. Everyone was curious to see what the final verdict would be: reverse osmosis or MCWA.

Two resolutions were presented. The first authorized the board to contract with MCWA to provide village water. The second authorized the village to bond out a reverse osmosis system. Neither resolution was approved. (Read today’s Democrat and Chronicle article about the meeting here.)

So in the end, after more than two years of surveys and studies, meetings and public comments, the board decided to do nothing. At least for now, village residents will continue to get their water from the village, from the Dewitt Road well fields, from the Irondo-Genesee aquifer.

I think the non-vote came as somewhat of a surprise to many in the audience (including myself) who really expected the board to press forward with the reverse osmosis plan. Not having to fight tooth-and-nail against RO was a victory for the Webster Village Residents group. But the village’s decision to keep the status quo fell short of the group’s ultimate goal of ditching the wells and switching to Monroe County water.

After the meeting, Webster Village Residents representative John Cahill admitted he didn’t really know what the group’s next step would be. But he made it clear they would continue to fight the fight, and try to convince village leaders to do what they say most village residents really want:  switch to Monroe County water.

It’s a fight they pledge to take all the way to next March’s village elections, if they need to.

 

Hula hoops aren’t just for kids anymore

5 May

I was a really good athlete when I was a kid, my enthusiasm for sports reaching far beyond just backyard kickball.  I was the best shortstop in the neighborhood, I could swing a mean tennis racket, and I even owned my own football helmet and shoulder pads (bless you, mom).  But put a hula hoop around my waist and I was a klutz.

And that really bothered me. People who knew how to hoop made it look so easy. Just hold it against one hip, give it a spin, do that little — hip wiggle thing — and voila!  It keeps going. But try as I might, it just wasn’t happening for me. So by the time I had turned 10 I had sworn off the hoop for good rather than admit there was a sport I could not master.

So it was with some trepidation that I considered an invitation from hula hoop expert Amy Weetman to visit one of her new hooping classes and give it a whirl again.  Amy emailed me after she saw a photo I had taken of her daughter Sydney at Community Arts Day, who was demonstrating some impressive hooping skills.

Amy Weetman with students Sarah Kenney, Marybeth Recore and Erica Saliceti (L-R)

As I read the email, my first thought was, “I’m going to look like a klutz.” I don’t mind making a fool of myself on purpose, but doing so when I’m really TRYING is just embarrassing.  On the other hand, it would be impolite not to accept such a nice invitation, and I suspected everyone would enjoy seeing a video of me being a klutz.

So earlier this week I ventured up to the United Church of Christ on Klem Road, walked into the community room, picked up a hula hoop for the first time in more than 40 years, and joined Amy Weetman’s hooping class.

The first thing I noticed was that everyone was wearing sweats. That seemed a little odd to me. This wasn’t an aerobics class, after all.

The next thing I noticed was that, aside from its circularity, this hula hoop was nothing like the ones I remember from my youth. For starters, it was much bigger and sturdier.  The hoops I remember from decades ago were made of such flimsy plastic that you could put dent them just by breathing on them. And they were pink (I suspect not many boys were hula hoop fans back in the 1960s).

Hooping neophyte Alex Boudrez shows off her brand new skill.

This hoop was a healthy 42″ in diameter, made of indestructible tubing, and decorated with brightly colored (gender-neutral) tape.  And there was some real heft to it; nothing flimsy about this hoop. This was a serious piece of equipment, a realization which both encouraged and scared me.

We started with some stretches while holding the hoop. No problem so far, I thought. But then, well before I had prepared myself emotionally for the next step, Amy said it was time to start hooping.

Place the hoop against one hip, Amy instructed. Back straight, head up. One foot in front of the other. Little bend in the knees. Now, give it a big push, get those hips moving forward and back, and start hooping.

It took me a good 20 seconds after everyone else got started to find enough confidence to give my hoop that first spin. Or perhaps I was digging inwardly for that courage to look like a klutz in front of the class.  When I found it, I finally gave that hoop a big push and started wiggling my hips.

And it stayed up.

I wiggled my hips some more, and it stayed up some more.

There might have been a “Woo-hoo!” or two and perhaps a smattering of applause from the other students in the class, but I was staring at the floor and concentrating so hard on my hips that I can’t be sure. I kept that hoop going for about 30 seconds before it started its death-wobble around my hips, finally collapsing with a clatter to the floor.

I was flabbergasted, and totally pumped. This was going to be easier than I thought. Bring it, coach; I’m ready for the next lesson.

Click on the photo for a short but humorous film of Amy teaching me to hoop.

But of course the rest of the class was not so easy. Once we had finished waist hooping, Amy walked us through hip-hooping, and stepping, lunging and pliés WHILE the hoop was spinning, all of which I failed at miserably.

But by the end of the hour (which went really fast), I felt as though I had crossed something off my bucket list. I could hula hoop. And I had learned a lot more than that, to boot.

I learned, for example, that the larger the hoop is, the slower it turns, which makes it easier to control.  I not only spun the 42″ one I started with, but also had great success with one that was probably about 56″ in diameter.  Which leads me to believe that Wham-O doomed us to failure as children, with their small, lightweight hoops.  So it wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t master it when I was 10, right?

I also learned that next time I do this, I need to wear sweats like everyone else. This was a great workout, and I was sweating up a storm in my jeans.

As I was leaving, I asked Alex Boudrez, another student brand new to the class that night, what her impression was. She said, “I thought I was not going to catch on that fast ’cause I don’t know how to hula hoop. But I guess I DO know how to hula hoop.”

Yup, that pretty much summed it up for both of us.

Amy Weetman teaches the Hoopnotica curriculum in two Webster Hoopers classes for adults on Mondays from noon – 1 pm at Northern Hemisphere Gymnastics, 80 Barrett Drive, and Tuesdays from 6-7 pm at the Webster United Church of Christ, 570 Klem Road. She’s also now taking registrations for a new children’s class beginning in July.

Email Amy for more information at HoopingWithAmy@gmail.com, check out her website by clicking here, and her Facebook page by clicking here.

Weeding truisms

3 May

1) Weeds are much easier to pull out if they’re tall.

2) They’ll be even taller tomorrow.

Calling all World War II veterans

1 May

This important notice arrived in my email box yesterday courtesy Webster Supervisor Ron Nesbitt:

The Honor Flight Network is actively seeking out World War II veterans to honor with a free flight to Washington, D.C. to see the World War II memorial.

If you haven’t heard about this great organization, here’s a bit of information from their website:

Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. We transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.

The hope is to eventually give every living World War II veteran a chance to enjoy this great honor. But the sad reality is, time is getting short.  According to the Honor Flight website, based on 2011 statistics, our country loses World War II veterans at the rate of approximately 900 per day.

So if you know of an veteran who would benefit from a Honor Flight, call the Webster Town Hall at 872-7068, or email supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us for a Veteran Application.

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