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Webster Village Runners turned out in force for the It’s a Wonderful Run

15 Dec

Neither snow, nor rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night, nor biting cold will keep the Webster Village Runners from enjoying a fun wintry run together, and Saturday afternoon was no exception.

Nineteen of us from the Village Runners (including significant others) made the hour-long trek to Seneca Falls that afternoon to take part in the annual It’s a Wonderful Run 5K. It was the largest group we’ve ever had participate (so many that 12 of us even rented a van). Several of these friends were first-timers, who decided to attend because I regularly talk about how much fun it is. It always draws thousands of runners (this year the total was 4,800), and almost everyone dresses up in holiday attire, including bells, Santa hats, elf costumes and Christmas lights. I saw people dressed as Christmas trees and snowmen, the Grinch and a Yeti, a turkey, some Cindy Lu Whos and candy canes, and lots of tutus. Everyone at this race is in a jolly mood and more than happy to step in to take a picture of your whole group if you ask. And there was a lot of that.

And this is also a must-do event for any fan of the Jimmy Stewart classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s generally accepted that Frank Capra based his movie on the charming little village. There’s an It’s a Wonderful Life Museum, and the race actually begins on the bridge believed to be the inspiration for the one in the movie — plus, 84-year old Karolyn Grimes herself (who played Zuzu) starts the race by announcing the famous line, “Every time a bell rings, a angel gets his wings.”

True to its name, the It’s a Wonderful Run is more a run (or walk) than a race. For sure there are many runners who wiggle to the front of the pack to do their 4-minute miles, but many more thousands of us are content to walk most of the route, to experience everything there is to see and do along the way.

Seneca Falls village residents come out in force for this event. They set up fire pits and ring cow bells and give high-fives to all the runners. They hand out Fireball shots, vodka shots, whiskey shots, daquiri shots pudding and Jello shots. They hand out full cans of beer and hard seltzer, and mini bottles of Fireball. At one house, they were grilling hot dogs and handing them to the runners. At another, they were cooking up marshmallows or handing out fudge, cheese and crackers and chips and salsa. All through the beautiful little village, the houses are ablaze with Christmas lights and Christmas music blares from the porches.

So there’s not a whole lot of running involved; there is a lot of stopping and sampling the treats and taking photos of the beautifully decorated homes along the route. But this is not a race for time. This is a run for fun.

If you’re interested in seeing more photos from the event, click here for a gallery. I tried to capture some of the more outlandish costumes, and the sense of community generated by Seneca Falls as we all celebrate one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time.

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

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(posted 12/15/2024)

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The day the American St. Nick visited Luxembourg

13 Dec

Here’s a charming story about a very special Christmas gift delivered to the children of war-torn Luxembourg.  

At the center of our story is former West Webster resident Richard Brookins, who in December 1944 was a corporal in the 28th Infantry Division. That fall, he and his unit were stationed in the small village of Wiltz, Luxembourg for a respite after a difficult battle in the Hürtgen Forest. Wiltz had recently been liberated after a four-year occupation by the Germans. It was a fairy-tale-beautiful village, but the residents had suffered under the German occupation.

Richard’s friend and fellow soldier Corporal Harry Stutz learned that during the occupation, the town had been unable to celebrate St. Nicholas Day. The holiday was fast approaching and the soldiers decided to throw a party for the children of Wiltz to celebrate. They sent out printed invitations and arranged for special treats including chocolates and candy from their rations. 

Still, one thing was missing: St. Nicholas himself. Brookins agreed to do the honors.

The nuns provided Brookins with a priest’s surplice (which had to be returned by 4 p.m. for Mass), a bishop’s miter, a broken and taped-up shepherd’s crook and a rope beard. He rode in the back of an army jeep accompanied by two young girls, his angels. They arrived at the castle where the children, their teacher, their parents, and villagers waited with much excitement.

The children performed skits and sang songs to honor St. Nicholas. Private Hank Fiebig played his guitar and the soldiers passed out donuts and bags of treats. St. Nicholas walked around, smiled at the children, and spoke small phrases that he remembered from his high school German class. To the children, this was the real St. Nicholas. It was the happiest day the village had seen in years. 

But the story does not end there. The people of Wiltz never forgot the day the American St. Nick came to town. After the village had recovered from the war, the townspeople started to annually recreate the American soldiers’ party for the children. Each year St. Nicholas, wearing glasses similar to Richard’s, would ride a jeep into town accompanied by two angels and greet the children with chocolates and treats. 

Then, in 1977, a village official wrote to Brookins and asked if he would consider coming back once again to reprise his role as St. Nicholas. This time, he wore a professionally-made cloak, carried a steel shepherd’s crook painted gold, and sported a much more realistic beard.

Brookins returned to Wiltz seven more times before he passed away in 2018 at the age of 96. But the people of Wiltz still remember him fondly, as every year, they celebrate St. Nicholas Day by recreating the day the American St. Nick came to town.  

If you subscribe to the Webster Herald, you’ll see this story in this week’s edition. But there wasn’t any room there to include this really cool follow-up.

Turns out that Richard Brookins was the father-in-law of Webster Museum volunteer Eileen Brookins.

This year marked the 80th anniversary of the original party in 1944. In honor of that occasion, Eileen and her husband Dave traveled to Wiltz to participate in the celebration. After she returned home, she shared this account of the day:

The town welcomed us with open arms. They honored the soldiers of the 28th who put on the party so many years ago with a joyful celebration! The town dedicated a room to their story in the local museum. They also  commissioned a local artist, Marco Zorzi, to paint pictures of the original event. These pictures were used to dedicate postage stamps in honor of those American soldiers. The local brewery dedicated its Christmas ale with a logo of the original photo of the American St. Nick coming through the tunnel into the castle. The American ambassador came to participate in a wreath laying at the memorial to the 28th. 

My favorite part, of course, was the parade through town leading St. Nicholas into the castle area. The town takes special care to reenact this moment in time exactly as it was. After St. Nicholas arrived, wearing glasses that looked remarkably like the ones Richard wore, he spoke to the children, letting them know he had been informed that they had been good boys and girls. Then the children proceeded to come to him and share their wishes for Christmas. They each left with a bag full of wonderful goodies to remember this day.

The band played American Christmas songs as the people enjoyed traditional food and drink. It was a noisy and happy celebration where I could feel the memory of the soldiers and Dave’s father very close by. I am sure they were smiling and amazed that their small act of kindness is still remembered and still brings such joy to the children.

Here are some more photos from that memorable day in 2014, and several others from Eileen and Dave’s trip this year:

  • St. Nicholas Day, 1944
  • St. Nicholas Day, 1944
  • The visit was front page news in Stars and Stripes
  • This year’s visit from St. Nicholas
  • Dave and Eileen Brookins
  • 1944 invitation to the St. Nicholas party
  • 1944 Invitation to the St. Nicholas party

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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 12/13/2024)

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Discovering the Spring Lake Trail

23 Sep

I don’t often write about people or places outside of Webster, but I discovered a new trail the other day in Perinton which I really wanted to share with everyone.

It’s called the “Spring Lake Trail,” and my friend Carol introduced it to me, as it’s near her house and she has hiked it often. Our hike took us from Spring Lake Park in Perinton, north and west along the Irondequoit Creek for two miles until we reached Panorama Plaza and turned back towards home.

To be more accurate, only the first half mile of the trail is called “Spring Lake Trail,” and it opened only last autumn. The Town of Perinton website explained that the trail was previously just a worn-down footpath, which people would bushwhack through to reach an already established trail along the Irondequoit Creek leading to Channing Philbrick Park in Penfield. The new trail has been cleared, is much wider and covered with easy-to-hike stone dust.

Carol and I had a beautiful, sunny and warm day for our hike, and as we walked, I was reminded of the incredible natural beauty we have in our towns. The trails feature many nice bridges, and peaceful spots to fish and go wading. I also enjoyed learning about all of the history surrounding the Irondequoit Creek; at one point in the 1800s there were 25 mills operating along a very short section of the creek.

But the most charming thing that we came upon was something called the “Forgiveness Box.” It was a simple plastic storage container on which someone had written, “Write what you want to forgive inside.” It was stuffed with hand-written notes deposited by hikers who had come before, notes filled with emotion and remorse, happiness and obvious relief in being able to put into words something that had been a burden, but could now be set aside.

The box was tucked under a stone bench etched with a quote from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. It read, “The mind is its own place and in itself can make heaven of hell and hell of heaven.”

That hike gave me a lot to think about, but it was a beautiful place to do that.

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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 9/23/2024)

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Biking through West Webster

20 Sep

Life is an new learning adventure every day, as long as you get out there and give life a chance to teach.

I was reminded of that earlier last week when I joined a group of bikers for a 15-mile ride through West Webster. The ride was led by Dave Malecki, a member of the Huggers Ski Club and the Rochester Bicycling Club.

We began at Sandbar Park on Lake Rd., headed west to the outlet bridge, then back down Lake to Vosburg Rd. and into the heart of West Webster. Dave led us through some stunningly beautiful neighborhoods, most of which were new to me, like Inspiration Point, which I’d never seen before. Along the way we happened across a few things that really piqued my interest, like the “Off the Cuff Snack Shack” on Adams Rd., stocked with low-cost homemade treats if anyone needed something on the fly.

We also rode by one of the signs from the old James W. Carnevale Bike Route, a 14.5-mile route through Webster established in 1968. It was renamed in 1977 in honor of James Carnevale’s service as Recreation Commissioner. There are still a few signs in place marking the trail, but they’re in pretty bad shape. (You can read more about that here.)

It was a very enjoyable, pretty easy ride with some good people. Dave leads a similar route, for the Huggers, every Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. Riders of all abilities are welcome to join the group. And if you can’t make that one, there are plenty of other options; the Rochester Bicycling Club alone publishes a list every year of almost 80 different rides all over the city, with lengths ranging from 9 to 22 miles. Best way to stay in touch with them all is to join meetup.com/RBC-NY.

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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 9/20/2024)

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Webster couple celebrates 70 years

7 Sep
Aug. 28, 1954
John and Bernadetts Stebler

These days, when it seems like marriages are more likely to end in divorce than last even a few years, it’s heartwarming to hear a story about a couple whose union has truly survived the test of time.

Long-time Webster residents John and Bernadette Stebler are one such couple. On August 28, they celebrated 70 years of marriage, a testament to a commitment they made when they were both barely out of high school.

John and Bernadette met in 1949, when they both lived in Irondequoit and were working at the former Point Pleasant Hotel. Bernadette, just 16 years old, was staying at the hotel and babysitting for her neighbors — the hotel’s owners — while they worked all summer. John, 18 years old, was working odd jobs.

They were immediately smitten. “I spotted her, and I wasn’t going to let that one get away,” John said. Bernadette added, “I thought he was so cute.”

Their first date was pretty romantic. “I owned 50% of a used canoe,” John remembered, and he took his new girlfriend out on Irondequoit Bay one evening. “The bay was quiet then,” John said, but Bernadette still had to be strapped in because she didn’t swim.

Apparently the bay wasn’t calm enough for Bernadette’s boss, however.

She remembered, “The owners of the hotel, my bosses, they had a fit because we went out there in that canoe. It was dark out and there were all these speedboats on the bay and they could have tipped us over. I could have drowned because I couldn’t swim.” 

The canoe trip was the first of many dates that would follow over the next few years. Then, in 1952, John was preparing to ship out to serve in the Korean War as a member of the Navy Reserve. But before he left, he gave Bernadette a ring.

“It was a smart move,” he said.

John was discharged two years later, in 1954, and married Bernadette that August, on her 21st birthday, at St. Ambrose Church in Irondequoit.

The young couple lived many more years in Irondequoit, where they raised their son Robert and two foster children, before moving to Webster in 1977. They joined the Knights of Columbus and Holy Trinity Church. John served as an usher, and Bernadette sang in the choir, also participating in two other German choirs, often traveling to Europe for performances.

The Steblers had to sell their Webster home recently, and both now live at St. Ann’s Community at Cherry Ridge. They live in separate buildings, but John makes a point to visit his wife every day. They celebrated their anniversary with a Mass at Cherry Ridge on Aug. 24, and another at Holy Trinity on Aug. 28.

I asked them if they could share any of their secrets for a long marriage.

“I never listen to him,” Bernadette immediately offered. “If he’s gonna tell me something important, I know he’ll tell me again. So I don’t listen. Because he never stops talking.”

“We’re old-fashioned married, for life,” John added. … “We still don’t agree on anything. I want my say but I have to admit … these darn women, they seem to know the right thing. So I like to have my say but I have to admit, she was right.”

Perhaps that, right there, is the best advice for a long marriage.

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

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(posted 9/7/2024)

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Didja miss me?

1 Sep

You probably didn’t notice, but for the last almost two weeks, I was off gallivanting through Europe on a Viking river cruise. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, however, before I even left I scheduled a new blog to post almost every day I was gone. There were a few night owls who might have wondered why I was cross-posting them to Facebook at, like 1 a.m. (7 a.m. Germany time), but otherwise I hope no one noticed any difference.

The trip, as you might imagine, was wonderful. We began our adventure with an extension to beautiful Lucerne, Switzerland, where we took a gondola ride up the side of Mt. Stanserhorn, one of the lower Alps. After that side trip, we boarded the longship in Basel, Switzerland and cruised north along the Rhine, stopping in seven small towns and cities in Germany, France and Holland before finally landing in Amsterdam. We saw some incredible scenery, a LOT of old cathedrals, castles, cuckoo clocks and windmills. We sampled more than a few beer gardens and made several new friends.

So, aside from the flight cancellation at the beginning of the trip (which caused us to lose a day in Lucerne) and the flight cancellation at the end of the trip (which prompted us to rent a car and drive home from Dulles), it was a great time.

So I’m back to blogging in real time again, but since I used up most of my ideas in the last two weeks when I “wasn’t blogging,” don’t worry about me if I skip a day or two. Blame it on jet lag.

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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 9/1/2024)

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Happy (your name here) Day!

27 Aug

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about how I happened upon a fun group of people at The Coach celebrating Helen Miller Day. It got me to thinking about what other “days” have been named in honor of people.

The Village and Town both hand out these proclamations fairly regularly, and I asked my friends there to look back into their records to see who else has been recognized recently. Many thanks to Webster Village Clerk Heather Halstead and Webster Town Clerk Danene Marr for doing that for me. Following are some examples I pulled from their lists.

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The first time I really became familiar with this practice was back on Nov. 17, 2017, when the Village of Webster proclaimed that day to be Carol Klem Day.

Carol was a well-known face and well-loved personality in the Village of Webster before she passed in 2018. For more than ten years, Carol penned the Village Focus column in the Webster Herald, and was basically the village’s biggest cheerleader. She was the eyes and ears of Webster and her name became synonymous with all things good about the Village of Webster. I was honored to attend her proclamation ceremony.

Several years earlier, the Village of Webster proclaimed March 26, 2009 to be Patti Cataldi Day. Before her current term as councilwoman for the Town of Webster, Patti served in many capacities for the Village of Webster, including as a trustee, director of the Business Improvement District, Planning Board member, and several others.

There have been many instances when the Village didn’t name an actual day in honor of someone, but just sang their praises and thanked them for their contributions to our community. One of those times was Oct. 28, 2021, when the Village recognized John Bucci, owner of The Music Store, on the occasion of his retirement after 32 years in the business.

And, just a few months later, on Dec. 9, 2021, Danny and Jessica Barry and their beloved corner pub, Barry’s Old School Irish, were recognized on the occasion of the pub’s 10th anniversary,.

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As I mentioned, the Town of Webster also hands out these proclamations on a semi-regular basis. Here are a few of their honorees:

Feb. 19, 2021: Caleb Hoag, Savage Kitchen Day. Caleb Hoag owned Savage Chef, at 5 East Main St. in the village, before closing a few years ago. In addition to running a successful meal-delivery business, Caleb also would donate hundreds of meals every week to various community groups, and made financial contributions to World Central Kitchen and Feeding America.

May 20, 2021: Bella’s Bumbas Day. Run by Webster residents Marty Parzynski and Rebecca Orr, Bella’s Bumbas builds miniature wheelchairs for children with a wide variety of mobility issues. To date, they’ve shipped 2,650 chairs to children in 66 countries, charging the parents only for shipping.

April 22, 2022: Charles Sexton Day. Charles Sexton was Webster’s first Recreation Director, and the first African-American Recreation Director in New York State. During his 34-year career with the department, he introduced the town’s first programs for senior citizens and launched the summer youth camps. He was also instrumental in establishing what was once known as North Ponds Park, renamed Charles Sexton Park in 2022 in his honor.

Sept. 1, 2022: Ruth Hilfiker Day. A long time resident of Penfield and Webster, Ruth worked for more than 20 years in the Penfield School District. On Wednesday Aug., 31, 2022, Supervisor Flaherty was invited to her 102nd birthday party, and at the next Town Board meeting, named a day in her honor.

So there you go. Several more holidays you can celebrate, if you like, and raise a toast to these people who have made a difference in our community.

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

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(posted 8/27/2024)

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Where are you, 14580?

25 Aug

Here’s an interesting little tidbit I came across several days ago, courtesy my husband, who was looking up the local weather forecast on Weather.com.

We are not the only 14580 postal code in the world. Turns out that Guará, a municipality in São Paulo Brazil, AND Gyeonggi-do, a province in South Korea, share our 14580 postal code.

Guará is a small city of 21,000 people in south-central Brazil, known for its … well, Feira do Guara gift shop. In contrast, 13.4 million people live in Gyeonggi-do province, known for its ceramics, the Hwaseong Fortress, and the Royal Buddhist Temple. We can assume that 14580 is not the only postal code they use in the area.

So that’s kind of interesting, and of course I started wondering if there were other zip-code copycats out there. I first looked for Penfield’s 14526, without much luck. But after a few more minutes of digging, I discovered my old 14609 postal code in Las Tórtolas, Mexico.

But then I had to stop for lunch, so I leave you all to do more investigation should you so choose.

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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 8/25/2024)

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‘Twas a beautiful day for a parade

21 Jul

I’ve marched in Rochester’s Pride Parade for several years, but I can’t remember the weather and temperatures being more ideal than they were yesterday.

I march with the Free Hugs Rochester group, our mission being to offer free “Mom hugs” (or Dad hugs or sister hugs…) to kids who aren’t accepted at home. It’s always a day filled with laughter, smiles and often a few tears shed by grateful hug recipients.

My daughter and several friends joined me in the parade, and many other friends joined us in spirit. The one-mile long route was moved from East Ave. to South Ave. this year, and the Pride Festival moved from Cobbs Hill Park to Highland Park, to accommodate the huge crowds and the ever-increasing number of businesses and community groups who participate. Thousands of people lined Science Parkway, where we lined up, and South Ave. — kids, teens, 20-somethings, parents, grandparents. Everyone was waving flags, holding supportive signs, grinning and waving. And hundreds of them of them gladly opened their arms to accept hugs.

Thanks to the new location, parade organizers were also able to accommodate more than 200 marching groups this year, making it the best Pride Parade in my memory.

I came home covered in sweat and glitter, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. I’m already looking forward to next year. Thank you to all my friends who joined me this year, to everyone in the Free Hugs group, and to the parade organizers for pulling together such a terrific event.

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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 7/21/2024)

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Webster honors one of its own

9 Jul

The Webster community came out in force Tuesday afternoon as a funeral procession for fallen Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter wound its way through the village en route to Falvo Funeral Home.

Jamieson Ritter, 27, a Webster native, was killed in the line of duty on July 4, 2024. He was a Cleveland police officer.

Ritter, a Webster native, was shot last Thursday as officers attempted to serve a warrant. He was just 27 years old. A memorial service was held for him yesterday in Cleveland before his body was returned to his home town for funeral services.

Led by a dozen motorcycle officers, the procession passed through the village’s four corners at around 2:15 p.m. It was welcomed by crowds of community members who had gathered to show their respect with waving flags and hands over their hearts. At the Webster Volunteer Fire Department station, assembled firefighters snapped to attention and saluted as the hearse passed by the firehouse. A dozen more police cars, representing towns from all over Monroe County and beyond, followed behind.

Before arriving in Webster, the procession had traveled from the Thruway along routes 490, 590 and 104, welcomed along the way by knots of adults and children stationed on overpasses, and fire trucks with all their lights ablaze, some of which hoisted huge American flags.

Once again, Webster, you showed everyone what our town is all about.

Here’s a short video:

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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 7/9/2024)

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