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Thursday mailbag

20 Jun

I’ve got pages and pages of events to tell you about.

Wait. This is digital. It’s all one page.  OK, I have one verrrrrry long page of events to tell you about, so get your calendars.

Webster’s first Helping Hands in the Village promotion is going on right now, and runs through Saturday the 22nd.  During this event, participating retailers donate a portion of their sales the the whole week to a selected local charity.

This week the following businesses are participating:  Yesterday’s Muse Books, The Coach Sports Bar, Metro Sports Brokers, Webster Gourmet, Professional Nutrition Services, Finns Garage, Beyond Cuts Salon and The Goodie Shop.

The selected charities include Webster Hope House, Webster Monarch House, The Webster Museum, Relay for Life to Fight Cancer, Webster Comfort Care Home and the Webster Assoc. of Senior Program Support.

* * *

Fourth of July fireworks come a little early this summer to Webster.

The Summer Celebration will be held on Saturday June 22 from 4-10 pm at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive. This is a terrific family event with hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage, pizza, ice cream. games and crafts, land inflatables, a zip line, laser tag, and lots more.

Entertainers will keep the event hopping all afternoon and evening, headlined by the Empire Statesmen at 5:30, the West View Project at 6:15, and the Skycoasters at 7:15. And of course, there’ll be fireworks, beginning at 9:45.

Bring a blanket and some lawn chairs and have some summertime fun with friends and family.

* * *

Webster Thomas’ Cross Country team will host its third annual 12-hour relay to raise money for Reece’s Rainbow, an organization that facilitates international adoptions for children with Down syndrome. This year’s event will be held Saturday June 22, from 9 am to 9 pm at the Webster Thomas track. This year’s event, dubbed the “Run for Edik,” will support the adoption fund for Edik, a Ukrainian infant adopted by the Braithwaite family of Victor and awaiting his homecoming to the United States.

Current, future, and former Webster Thomas Cross Country runners and their friends will converge on the Thomas track for the relay Run for Edik. Teams of 10 runners will send one member of their team at a time to run one mile around the track before passing a baton off to a teammate. It is anticipated that each runner will have completed a total of between 7-10 miles by the end of the 12-hour relay.

Prior to the event, participating runners will solicit tax-deductible donations to Reece’s Rainbow to support Edik’s adoption fund. Donors may also contribute by visiting http://lightingourseps.blogspot.com.

* * *

A walk-a-thon scheduled for next week will raise money to send teens to summer camp.

The Walk-A-Thon for Young Life will be held at North Ponds Park on Tuesday June 25, starting at 6 pm (rain date June 27). Money raised will help send teens to Saranac Camp this summer. A portion will also help pay for buses to transport them.  Cold Stone Creamery will be on hand, and will be donating a portion of their profits to help pay for the buses as well.

Young Life is a Christian outreach to high school and middle school teens. The group’s goal is to develop friendships with teens and share the good news of God’s love for them. For more details on Young Life in Rochester East please visit our site Youngliferoc.com.

* * *

Also on Tuesday June 25, Cherry Ridge will host a free concert as part of their “Under the Stars” summer concert series.

The Gateswingers Big Band will perform from 6:30-8 pm on the Cherry Ridge Lawn. Cherry Ridge is located on Ridge Road in Webster, across from Webster Schroeder High School.

The community at large is invited to attend this free event and attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair. The Gateswingers Big Band is an exciting 15 piece band featuring swing sounds of the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and present day. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be held indoors at the Cherry Ridge Community Center.

* * *

The Webster High School Marching Band is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and hope to celebrate with a trip to Philadelphia for the National Championships.

To raise money for that trip, he band will hold a fund-raiser at Hank’s on Wednesday June 26. Hank’s Ice Cream & Roast Beef on North Avenue will donate to the band a portion of their sales from 5-8 pm that evening.

So plan on taking the family out for dinner and ice cream at Hank’s next Wednesday, and help out a great local organization.

* * *

Citizens Against Teen Suicide…& bullying abuse!-C.A.T.S., is sponsoring a Community Forum on Bullying and Cyberbullying at the Webster Public Library on Thursday June 27 from 6-8 pm. The forum is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served compliments of the Red Wings.

* * *

And finally…. This is not an event but instead, news of a proud achievement.

Maplewood Nursing & Rehabilitation skilled nursing facility in Webster recently announced that Physical Therapy Aide Ann Shanders has been named as CNA of the Year for District 9 of New York State Health Facilities Association (NYSHFA).

The award was given by NYSHFA’s Clinical & Quality Services Committee as part of the Association’s 2013 Employee Recognition Awards Program held in May. The program honors individuals for their outstanding contributions to skilled nursing facilities. Ann was nominated by a group including Maplewood administration, fellow employees, and residents’ family members.

Congratulations, Ann!

 

 

 

To market, to market…

6 Jun

Don’t pay attention to the calendar. Summer has officially begun.

A typical Saturday at last year’s market

I know this, because Webster’s Joe Obbie Farmer’s Market opens for the season on Saturday at Webster Town Centre (Target/Kohl’s Plaza) on Holt Road.

The market will run from 8 am – 12:30 pm every Saturday through November 2, AND Wednesday evenings from 3-7 pm, rain or shine.

The market is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and it keeps getting bigger and better, especially since it moved from its village location to the plaza a year ago. Varying with the season, you’ll find baked goods, pies, meats, poultry, goat cheese and goat cheese products, flavored nuts herbs, spice blends, honey, maple syrup, cider, soap and body care products, plants and cut flowers, jewelry, crafts and of course a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Don’t forget to bring the kids, too, because the Girl Scouts host a children’s activity area each week in the gazebo.

Special events and entertainment are scheduled every week; this weekend a grand opening celebration will be held at 10 am, kicked off by a flag ceremony presented by the Girl Scouts. Live music by the Callanach Band will keep your toes tapping all morning.

Check out the Joe Obbie Farmer’s Market website for details. See you Saturday!

 

 

 

Bonus mailbag!

5 Jun

BONUS BLOG!

I wanted to waste no more time in passing along information about a few events coming up in the next several days.

The first is the annual Webster Museum Barn Sale which will run from 9 am to 6 pm, Thursday June 6 (tomorrow!) through Saturday June 8, at 394 Phillips Road.  The ladies at the museum tell me that they’ll have a “Picker’s Paradise, lots of old tools, antiques, garden art, plants and collectibles.”

All proceeds will benefit the Museum’s ongoing programs and efforts to preserve and celebrate Webster’s history.

* * *

The Webster Marching Band’s semi-annual (or is it bi-annual…in any case, two times a year) Bottle and Can Drive returns this Saturday June 8.  This is a time when more than 150 dedicated student and adult volunteers scour Webster for donations, and end up collecting and sorting more than 250,000 bottles and cans.  This is the band’s biggest fund-raiser of the year, and they’d really appreciate your help, because they have some very exciting — and expensive — trips in the works.

Chances are you received a flyer in your door this week telling you about the bottle and can drive. Simply collect all your returnables in a garbage bag and place them at the curb by 9:30 am for pick-up. You can also drop them off at Schroeder High School between 9:30 am and 4 pm.

You might also consider supporting the band’s “Just $5” campaign to raise funds for aging uniforms and equipment. You can get more information about that at webstermarchingband.org.  If you have any questions, or want to schedule a pick- up, call 234-8684 Option 1.

 

 

A personal invitation to participate in Relay for Life

21 May

If you still haven’t heard about Relay for Life, then you’ve been living under a rock.

The Relay is an annual fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society in which teams pledge to walk around a track for 12 straight hours in honor of those who have fought or are still fighting the battle against cancer.  This year’s event is being held June 1-2 at the Webster Thomas High School track. A lot of teams have signed on so far, but more support is still needed.

I am pleased to pass along this notice from Robyn Whittaker, Webster’s biggest Relay for Life cheerleader and CRO (Chief Relay Officer) for the village’s Relay for Life team:

If you haven’t ever been to the Relay because you think it’s a race, you should know the the only “race” is to the cure.  We invite the community to come out that night and see what we are all about.

The evening starts out by celebrating our survivors and then our caregivers as they start off the laps before the teams take the track. Each team differs in their numbers but not in their quest to help fight cancer. Entertainment , games at the team campsites along with fun ways to raise money fill up the time until 10pm when the Remember ceremony starts. The ceremony is heartfelt and touching and the silent lap led by a bagpiper in the darkness, lit only by luminaria honoring or remembering our loved ones, brings out many tears.

Fun laps take over and continue through the night to keep those who are not catching a few zzz’s in their tents on the track and having fun. Midnight brings on the Fight Back ceremony as participants learn how they can help fight cancer with lifestyle changes.

The event wraps up at 6am with those who chose to stay the whole night, packing up and feeling good about what they did. After all, cancer never sleeps.

Please come out to Thomas High School on June 1st at 6pm and join the event!!

Couldn’t have said it any better myself. For more information about Webster’s Relay for Life, click here.

 

We Webster folks really know how to throw stuff out

5 May

On Saturday morning, I took advantage of the electronics recycling event held at Webster Schroeder High School. It was hosted by the Webster Health and Education Network as a fund-raiser. They were asking for $5 from everybody who came by, and you didn’t have to donate, but I was more than happy to do so. Not only is WHEN very deserving of our support, but I consider $5 a paltry sum to pay to get rid of a car-load of old laptops, televisions, phones, charger cords, alarm clocks, and other electronic whatnots that have been cluttering up my house for too long. And I also like the idea that they’ll all be disposed of properly and not wind up in landfills.

As I drove through the collection area, I was happy to see that the tractor trailer belonging to Maven Technologies (the business who will be disposing of the electronics) was already piled high with donations — mostly huge computer monitors. That was great news for both WHEN and our environment.

It reminded me of Supervisor Nesbitt’s recent column, which noted that the town’s recent pharmaceutical collection event, held on April 27, was also a huge success.

Supervisor Nesbitt wrote that the event drew more than 380 participants, who contributed more than 613 pounds of outdated drugs to be destroyed. Too often these expired prescription drugs are flushed down the drain, and when they reach Lake Ontario, they can affect not only the immediate lake environment, but also our own health.

The town has already planned another pharmaceutical collection for sometime in October, so if you missed this one, start saving up your old drugs for the fall.

In the same vein, the Town Hall has received a lot of phone calls about when the town’s next shredding event might be.  The Town Clerk’s office is working on a date to have an event sometime in late summer or early fall.  Check the Town of Webster website for details and dates.

I think it’s great that we in Webster have all of these opportunities — plus the regular hazardous materials disposal events — to do the right thing for our environment. Kudos to the Town for recognizing the importance of such things.

 

Two ways to help support the Webster Comfort Care Home

23 Apr

There was a very nice article on the front page of the local section of yesterday’s D&C about one of Webster’s finest community service organizations, the Webster Comfort Care Home. (See the article online by clicking here.)

The home, located at the corner of Holt and Klem roads, provides free hospice care to the terminally ill of our Webster community. This year they’re celebrating their tenth anniversary with a series of events beginning with a fund-raising concert this Saturday night, which was prominently featured in yesterday’s article.

The concert is called “An Evening With The International Guitar Duo and Petar Kodzas” and will feature a candlelit cabaret atmosphere and “world-class” musical artists playing classical, pop, jazz and country music. Bakery items and beverages will be available for purchase, including wine and beer. There’s no admission charge, but a a minimum $10 per person donation is suggested. Tables for 8 can be reserved for $80 by calling Craig Pratt at 585-347-4202.

It takes place Saturday night April 27, beginning at 7 pm, at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive. For more information go to www.webstercomfortcare.org. Or click here to see video clips of International Guitar Duo:  http://vimeo.com/51718023  and classical guitarist Petar Kodzaz: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGg3WSjAefA.

WCCH Fashion Show

Finally, don’t forget about the The Webster Comfort Care Home’s annual Spring Fling Fashion Show fundraiser on Saturday, May 18 at 11:30 am at the Penfield Country Club.  Fashions are being provided by Stein Mart and the event includes a delicious luncheon and silent auction. Cost is $27 per person.  Reservations are required and can be made by calling Mary Ann at 872-6568.

* * *

In the past ten years, the Webster Comfort Care Home has hosted more than 290 of our friends and neighbors, providing them with compassion and comfort as they ended their life journey. There is no charge to residents or their families for these hospice-like services, and they receive no government assistance to help defray their operating expenses, nearly $190 thousand annually. Instead, all of the agency’s funding comes by way of corporate, business and individual contributions, and fundraisers such as these.

Notes form the Town

1 Apr

There’s all sorts of interesting notices coming from the Town Hall folks these days, and I would be remiss not to pass them along.

The first announcement is one that Webster gardeners anxiously await every spring: the leaf mulch pile has arrived!

It’s back at its usual location behind Webster Town Hall, and the 100% pure leaf mulch is free to Webster residents (no contractors or landscapers please). And no machinery or other equipment is allowed to load the mulch, so grab your shovels and your kids and get on down there while the supply lasts. Which is usually not very long.

Webster Has the Yellow Dot Program

Haven’t ever heard of the “Yellow Dot” program? Neither had I until about a month ago when Supervisor Nesbitt wrote about it in his weekly column. It seemed really interesting, so I tucked the information away…until now.

The program is sponsored by the New York State’s Sheriff’s Association, and it helps emergency responders provide prompt care in the event of a car accident.

The idea is to place a Yellow Dot on the rear driver’s side window, alerting emergency responders to look in the glove compartment, where you’ve placed important medical information. The Yellow Dot can also be used to alert those who respond to emergencies in your home. Simply place the decal on or beside your front door, and place a completed information card in the freezer part of your refrigerator.

If you’re interested in participating in the Yellow Dot program, stop by the Webster Town Hall at 1000 Ridge Road for more information.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

The Monroe County Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the Town of Webster, Town of Penfield and the Village of Webster have joined forces to hold an appointment-only Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection on Saturday, April 20.  This collection will take place at the Webster Highway Garage, 1005 Picture Parkway from 7:45 am to noon.

To ensure safety and reduce waiting times, appointments are required at all HHW collections.  Appointments for this HHW collection will be accepted until April 19. To schedule an appointment, Webster residents should call 872-1443, Penfield residents can call 340-8710 (Monday thru Thursday, 7 am–4:30 pm), or go online to http://www.monroecounty.gov/hhw to schedule your appointment.

Oh, and by the way, in case we forgot to mention it, APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED!

This Household Hazardous Waste collection is open to all Monroe County residents.

Pharmaceutical Collection

The Sewer Department will be having a Pharmaceutical Collection on Saturday, April 27 from 10 am to 2 pm at 226 Phillips Road. They will only accept unused, unwanted, or expired medication.  No mercury or hazardous material will be accepted.

I did this last year, just drove up and dropped off a bag filled with medications we no longer needed. It was quick and easy and painless, and I would recommend it to everyone. Please don’t flush old meds down the toilet. And don’t use them if they’re expired, and especially don’t if they were prescribed for someone else. That’s just dangerous.

For more information call 265-0505.

 

Was Mary Todd Lincoln insane?

5 Mar

A fascinating program scheduled for this weekend in Webster will explore the question of whether Mary Todd Lincoln was deranged — or just depressed.

Photo of Mary Todd Lincoln by Matthew Brady from Wikimedia Commons.

Apparently it is common knowledge that the wife of Abraham Lincoln was considered a “lunatic,” to use the accepted term of the day.  But there are some who believe that Mary Todd Lincoln was suffering not from lunacy, but from depression.

One of those people is Patricia Nugent, an East Irondequoit native who has written about the subject in the online edition of Ms. Magazine. In her article, she writes,

Many of us know that the former First Lady was convicted of lunacy, instigated by her eldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln. She spent almost four months in an insane asylum until she was able to enlist support for a retrial, at which she was declared sane once more.

What we don’t know much about is what led to the behavior that was considered lunacy in the court of public opinion and a court of law…my assessment is that Mary Todd Lincoln suffered innumerable losses in her life and had few socially acceptable means of expressing her sorrow. Such bottled-up sadness resulted in acting out behavior that was interpreted as insanity.

Those losses included the death of her mother when she was just six years old, rejection by her stepmother, the loss of three of her four sons, and, of course, the assassination of her beloved husband. Her eldest (and only surviving) son, was no support at all.  He was “cold, judgmental and unaffectionate,” Nugent wrote.

I’d say that’s an understatement. For crying out loud, he had his mother convicted of lunacy.

Nugent will discuss her article at a presentation from 2-4 pm this Sunday March 10, at the Harmony House, 58 East Main Street, Webster. The public is invited to join the discussion and learn more about this tragic woman whom Abraham Lincoln loved so dearly, but whom historians call “one of the most detested women in American history.”

The event is being sponsored by Yesterday’s Muse Books, and there is no charge. Refreshments will be provided by Webster Gourmet.  For more information, call (585) 265-9295.

The Webster Public library needs your input

23 Feb

Our Webster Public Library is really neat. The staff there is always finding ways to keep things fresh. Every time I stop in there’s something new going on.

Friday, for example, I was heading toward the back of the library for a meeting with Library Director Terri Bennett and stopped up short at their awesome Hometown Heroes display, honoring firefighters, army and police personnel. It’s a very nice tribute, but the best thing about it?  Kids are invited to try on all the equipment (adults too, of course, if they feel so inclined.)

 

Terri told me it’s been quite popular with the young ones. Not so much with one young man, though, who had this conversation with this Dad (and I quote very loosely):

Son: “I want to be a fireman when I grow up.”
Dad: “Well c’mon then, son, try on the helmet.”
Son: “No, Dad, I’m not a fireman TODAY.”

The youngsters below had no such qualms:

Library fans Jack Fitzsimmons and Alyssa Doody

The display will be up through the end of the month, so bring the kids on by.

Now back to the real reason you clicked into the blog. Why does the library need your input? Simply because they’re going to have to make some big decisions in the coming years about their collection, their services, even how they use their space. But before they do all that, it would help to know what the community really wants.

Let’s face it: libraries are facing the two-fold challenge of adapting to rapidly changing times, and steadily decreasing funding. Our own Webster Public Library has formed a long-range planning committee charged with addressing those challenges.  They started by asking the community for feedback to guide their discussions. But so far they’ve had limited success.

You might remember, for example, a survey which was distributed several months ago asking for public input. But then again, you probably don’t remember it, because only 29 people responded.  I’m pretty sure more than 29 people in this town have opinions about our library.

So consider this a personal invitation. Webster Public Library Director Terri Bennett would love to hear from you.  What do you like about the library? What don’t you like? What would you like to see more of? What do you think of the children’s area…the teen area…the periodicals?  Do you like the cafe? Are there enough computers? Do you use the Quiet Room? (Did you know there was a Quiet Room?) Is the carpeting too dull? No opinion is too frivolous.

And just think about it. If you’re the only one who responds, and you ask for a water slide for the children’s room, who knows?

Email Terri Bennett at tbennett@libraryweb.org with your thoughts and suggestions.  Or call her at (585) 872-7075. Or just stop by to see her. She’s really nice.

 

Thomas High newspaper honors fallen firefighters

9 Feb

by Stephanie Boris, Webster Thomas High School

If it seems like I write a lot about Webster Thomas High School…well, you’d be right.  But I do work there, and so many good things happen in that school that stories ideas just fall into my lap.  Plus, teenagers get so much bad press these days, I like to try to balance that out with news of the great things they can do, and are doing for their school and community.

Today’s blog is no different.  It’s about a bunch of Thomas kids who have gone above and beyond to create a lasting memorial to the fallen firefighters of the West Webster Fire Department. It’s something that I thought definitely had to be shared far beyond the high school’s walls.

The Webster Thomas High School newspaper is called The Courier, and lately it’s been published exclusively online by a small but very dedicated group of students advised by English teacher Mary Heveron-Smith. A week or so ago, though, the staff published a special eight-page print edition commemorating fallen firefighters — and Thomas High School family members — Mike Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka.

I asked Heveron-Smith about the decision to publish this special edition in print instead of online. She explained,

It had to be print.  We’ve been working this year to develop our website, but we knew this had to be a printed issue of the newspaper.  There is something about print that still brings comfort. We wanted a publication that people could feel with their hands, could tuck away into a drawer and pull out again when they wanted to remember the amazing individuals whom we lost.

The resulting publication features submissions by current and former Thomas students and other community members. There’s a eulogy written as a Public Speaking assignment, a poem, and excerpts from the eulogy delivered at Mike Chiapperini’s funeral.  But the images are what really blew me away.  The photos and original artwork, many of which are printed in full color, almost brought me to tears. The one of Tomasz which illustrates the top of this blog was especially poignant.  Heveron-Smith wrote of this piece,

 …he is captured so perfectly — his eyes, his smile, his facial lines…If you knew Tomasz, you almost can’t help but smile in recognition when you see it.  The background is a blend of photos, headlines, and newspaper clippings — all seeming to remind us what happened that day, how many people were affected, how many stood out for their acts of heroism.

I’m going to stop blathering here, and just let you see the publication yourself.  Click here to download a .pdf  of the issue to read on your computer.

Click here to read Mary Heveron-Smith’s entire email, which explains in more detail how and why this issue came to be. (If you’re not on Facebook, you can click here for a .pdf version.)

You can pick up a paper copy of the special commemorative edition of The Courier at the Webster Public Library and at Hegedorn’s.

 

 

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