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Webster community mailbag

6 Sep

Get out your calendar, ’cause this mailbag is a packed one.

The annual Webster ROCKS Music Festival is back in town this weekend.

The festival is held to raise awareness for ALS in memory of Kacie Jones. Proceeds will benefit organizations that fight to change the standard of case and empower people with ALS. (Visit www.healingals.org or www.teamgleason.org for more information.)

The festival will be held on Saturday Sept. 10 at the Webster Firemen’s Field on Ridge Rd. There’ll be food trucks and plenty of liquid refreshment. Doors open at 2 p.m. and an incredible music line-up starts at 3 p.m., featuring State Line, Brass Taxi, Jumbo Shrimp, Judah and M80s. (Check the Facebook event page for more details about the schedule.)

Tickets are $20 in advance (available from the Coach Sports Bar, 19 W. Main in Webster) and at Eventbrite (but they charge fees, so stop by the Coach to save money). Cost is $25 the day of the festival. Admission is free for ages 12 and under.

The Village of Webster would like YOUR opinions on how the village can be improved.

The Webster Economic Development Alliance, in conjunction with the Webster Business Improvement District, is competing for a $4.5 million grant from the NY Forward community revitalization program. As part of the competition process, Webster must submit an application on how we intend to spend $4.5 million in our community.

So the coalition is asking for community input. They’ve put together a quick, 5-minute survey, hoping to gather thoughts about things like

• your vision for the downtown area
• where you’d like to see the money invested
• how projects should be prioritized

But if you’d like to present your ideas in person, stop in to the Main Street Revitalization Open House on Tuesday Sept. 13 in the Village Board Room, 29 South Ave. Representatives will be there from 6 to 8 p.m. to hear what you think!

Get your German on at the Challenger Miracle Field Oktoberfest, Friday and Saturday Sept. 16 and 17, also at Webster Firemen’s Field.

This two-day event will feature entertainment from the Auslanders, the Adlers Band, the Frankfurters, and yodeler Richard Brandt, who comes straight from Germany. Swan’s Market and Helmut’s Strudel of WNY will be serving up some authentic German food, along with Nancy’s Fried Dough and beer and wine from Cobblestone on Main.

The event will run from noon to 10 p.m. each day. Admission is $9, free for children 12 and under. Proceeds will benefit Challenger Miracle Field of Greater Rochester.

The next St. Martin Lutheran Church’s Drive Thru Chicken BBQ will be held Saturday, Sept. 17 beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the church, 813 Bay Road, Webster.

Dinners of a half chicken, salt potatoes, coleslaw, roll, and butter are available for $12.00 – cash or check only. The event is drive-through only, and there will be no advance sales.

Dinners will be served first come/first served. Cars will enter the parking lot, follow signs, and purchase dinners using exact payment. Cars will then proceed to the side entrance to pick up boxed dinners.

Proceeds will St. Martin’s Christmas Stocking Project reaching over 500 local youth in Monroe and Wayne counties.

Here’s a preview of a pile of Webster Rec programs that you and your family are going to love:

  • Saturday Sept. 17: Family Mud Run, from 10 a.m. to noon, a non-competitive run/walk through mud and obstacles, concluding with snacks and swag. Much fun guaranteed for all ages. Cost is $5 per person, which includes lunch. Registration is required. (Program #301202)
  • Saturday Oct. 29: The ever-popular Pumpkins on Parade returns from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Drop off a carved pumpkin and then come back to walk the trail of illuminated Jack-o-lanterns. Free cider and donuts at the end. No charge.
  • Friday Nov. 18: Pajama Party, from 6 to 8 p.m. Dress in your favorite jammies and come hang out for a night of games, music, dancing and more. Bring a blanket and a pillow and get ready for the weekend. No charge.
  • Saturday Dec. 10: An Evening with Santa, 6 to 8 p.m. Get your picture taken with Mr. Claus himself, enjoy a sweet treat and make a holiday craft. No charge.

More information to come about all of these family-friendly events.

Finally, this isn’t an event, but an FYI.

For a long time now, there’s been an pharmaceutical drop-box location at the Webster Police Department, a convenient place to dispose of unused or expired prescriptions, instead of flushing them down the drain.

The remote drop box was supported by CVS Pharmacies, but the conmpany has discontinued that support.

So as of Sept. 1, there’s no longer a drop box at the Police Department. However, the CVS store at 935 Ridge Rd. will have an in-store collection bin. So please, keep being good citizens and continue to dispose of your expired medications properly.

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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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(posted 9/6/2022)

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Get ready to get muddy!

23 Aug

When I was taking a bike ride around the Webster Recreation Center the other day, I saw that preparations are well underway for the second annual Mud Run, scheduled for Sept. 17.

The Mud Run is a a non-competitive, untimed, one-mile run/walk, sometimes through water and mud, with some challenging obstacles. What’s really neat about it is that kids and their adults can do it together. It’s only $5 per person, and the organizers promise that there’ll be swag, fun and food.

And judging from what I saw, there’s going to be a LOT of mud.

I was out of town last year for this event, but am definitely going to make sure to sign up this year. It sounds like it’s going to be a blast. Here’s a little teaser video sent from the Rec Center to get you excited:

Click here to register. You can sign up for any 15-minute wave between 10 a.m. and noon. The Webster Recreation Center is located at 1350 Chiyoda Drive, off of Phillips Rd.

See you there!

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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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(posted 8/23/2022)

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Revolutionary War patriots, first responders, veterans, military honored

2 Aug

The sounds of fifes, drums and rifle volleys rang out from Webster Union Cemetery last Saturday morning when our local heroes, past and present, were honored at a solemn ceremony.

The 90-minute Thank You Celebration was kicked off in grand fashion when the Towpath Volunteers Fife & Drum Corps marched in, performing early-American tunes. Following the National Anthem, a rifle salute and Taps, the celebration began in earnest with the morning’s premier event, a plaque dedication honoring two local Revolutionary War veterans, Private Ebenezer Curtice and Quartermaster Sergeant Jonas Whiting.

Curtice and Whiting are both buried at Webster Union Cemetery, just steps from where the ceremony was taking place. The plaques, placed by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, are affixed to large stones in front of the grave markers.

While the plaque dedication was the morning’s main event, several other recognitions followed in the well-organized celebration. Representatives from local government, Webster Police, Webster and West Webster fire departments, NEQALS, Webster EMS, the military, Blue Star Mothers and Gold Star Mothers stepped to the podium in turn to recognize and thank Webster’s founding fathers, veterans, first responders and active military.

Thank you to all of the organizations, businesses and individuals who made this beautiful event a success, and especially for Cemetery Historian Cherie Wood for all of her hard work.

Here are some more photos from the morning:

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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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(posted 8/2/2022)

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Village welcomes back the Firemen’s Parade

15 Jul

The return of the Webster Firemen’s Parade was met with beautiful weather and an appreciative crowd Thursday night as thousands watched it make its way down Main Street.

This year’s parade, which lasted around 75 minutes, wasn’t as long as others have been, and the crowds were lighter than I would have expected after a two-year hiatus. But otherwise, the event was the same loud, colorful, musical spectacle that we have come to know and love.

It was great to see many of our old favorites return, like the Towpath Volunteers and the Marion Red Caps. As usual, there was terrific representation from many of our neighboring towns’ fire departments and first responders. It was also a delightful surprise to see a brand new parade entrant, the Sodus Home School Marching Band, who performed with the best of them. I hope to see them again in future parades.

There were a TON of kids in the audience, and I’m not sure what they enjoyed most. It might have been the abundance of huge trucks and fire trucks who were all more than happy to blast their horns whenever they saw a child pumping his or her arm.

But it was probably the candy, being handed out or tossed from floats by the bushel basket full, that made the evening almost as lucrative as Halloween. And most of the kids came well prepared, with Wegmans bags or buckets in tow. Others pressed their baseball caps into service, or just piled their spoils on the ground next to them.

With the return of the Firemen’s Carnival and Parade, it almost feels like life is finally back to normal. Thank you to the Webster Volunteer Fire Department for helping make that happen.

Click here to see a full gallery of photos from before, during and after the parade.

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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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(posted 7/15/2022)

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Evening in the Park a great new Joe Obbie event

8 Jul

The Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market, which for years has set up every summer Saturday in Webster Towne Center, has just gotten better.

On Wednesday the market introduced its brand new “Evening in the Park” market at Charles Sexton Park (formerly North Ponds Park).

The new market, held from 4 to 8 p.m., is an offshoot of the regular Saturday Joe Obbie Market we’ve come to know and love. It doesn’t replace the Saturday market at the plaza, but is like a bonus market, held during the week.

Ten vendors had set up Wednesday night, selling a variety of wares from fresh vegetables and maple syrup to honey and crafts. The Webster Recreation Center had an information table, and four food trucks catered to hungry visitors. The vendor turnout was a little light compared to the regular Saturday market, but it’s still early in the season and I expect the Evening in the Park will grow through the summer.

There was also live music, provided by Steve Lyons and his band.

Judging from the attendance at this first-ever event, it appears that the new market will be quite successful. An hour into the event, the parking lot was mostly full, and people were still streaming in, quad chairs in hand, planning to grab some dinner at the food trucks and listen to the music.

The Evening in the Park will be held every Wednesday in July and August from 4 to 8 p.m. at Charles Sexton Park (North Ponds Park), which can be reached by taking the Rt. 104 access road off of Rt. 250/North Ave.

And don’t forget about the original Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market, held every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Webster Towne Center (Kohl’s/Target Plaza) by the Old Navy store.

For more information about the market, visit their Facebook page here.

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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.

(posted 7/8/2022)

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A sad farewell to the Special Police

24 May

In the years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve met countless wonderful people; business owners, residents, special event chairpeople, grass-roots organizers. Together, they comprise the fabric of our community.

Through those years, and all those people, there’s always been one constant: the Special Police.

At every one of our town’s special events, I’d invariably see these dedicated volunteers helping with crowds and traffic control, and directing traffic at accident scenes. I’ve always appreciated their expertise, professionalism and good nature.

That’s why I was saddened to hear that Webster’s Special Police Department was being eliminated.

I heard rumors a while ago that such a decision was in the works, but I guess I was hoping I’d heard wrong, or at least something could be worked out with the Town to salvage this important service. But then, a few days ago, I got an email from Michael Charland, the most recent Chief of Special Police, confirming that the department is truly gone.

Michael gave me some background about how the whole thing went down. I’m not going to get into detail about that and the politics that were involved. (To read more of the story, check out the letter to the editor in last week’s Webster Herald.) But he did include some history which I thought was interesting.

He wrote,

Our unit began as the Webster Auxiliary Police under NYS Civil Defense guidelines back in 1953, and evolved into a Special Police organization in 1997 when the NYS Town Laws were changed. We generally had about 25 volunteer officers that served the Webster Police Department in law enforcement roles whenever called upon to do so. All of our officers were trained at the Monroe County Public Safety Training Facility and certified as NYS Peace Officers.

The town never fully utilized all of the powers that NY State granted to us over the years. Typically they utilized our members to do more routine duties such as traffic control, some patrol details, or provide security at large public gatherings, which we were happy to do. Other duties included providing court security to the town justice court, and 24/7 emergency response to fatal MVAs, storms, crime scenes, etc. where we generally provided a secure perimeter for the WPD to conduct their work. 

I’m going to miss not seeing Special Police officers at our special events. Like the upcoming Memorial Day Parade; they’d always be there in force, on bike and on foot, and they were always happy to smile for my camera.

Thank you for your service, Special Police officers.

Here are some of my photos from previous blogs, and a few provided by Michael.

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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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(posted 5/24/2022)

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Webster community mailbag

18 May

Webster Parks and Recreation has a great family-friendly event coming up this Friday, May 20 at Challenger Miracle Field, 1000 Ridge Rd.

It’s called the Family Fun Night. From 6 to 8 p.m., there’ll be food trucks, concessions, and tables set up by local community groups. It looks like it’s going to be a very nice night weather-wise, so bring the whole family! Registration is NOT required.

Speaking of Webster Parks and Recreation, I got some news a short time ago that the Rec Center’s awesome Mud Run will be back again this September.

Last year’s first-ever Mud Run was so well received, they started making plans almost immediately for this year’s event. They promise it’s going to be even bigger and better (that might mean messier) than the first. It’s scheduled for Saturday Sept. 17, with the first wave going off at 10 a.m.

Here are a few pictures from last year. Stay tuned for more details, but make sure to get this one on your calendar now!

Don’t forget about Saturday’s Webster Wine Walk, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Village of Webster. Glass pickup will be at Webster Interiors, 975 Ebner Dr. from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 (plus sales tax and fees) and are available here. For more information, visit the Webster BID website.

The Friends of Webster Trails invites concerned nature-lovers to join them for a Trail Work Day this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Four Mile Creek Preserve, at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads.

They’ll be working on creating a new trail in the preserve. If you have them, bring along a shovel, wheelbarrow, lopper and/or mattock. Make sure to wear gloves, long sleeves and long pants.

Also this Saturday, don’t forget about the second annual Duck Derby hosted by Webster Comfort Care Home.

You can read this blog for more details, but basically, participants purchase rubber duckies for $5 each, and each has a number on it. At the appointed time, the ducks are dumped into Mill Creek, where they leisurely float down towards the lake. The “owners” of the first three ducks to cross the finish line win cash prizes.

Because the ducks take a while to meander downstream, there will be other activities to keep everyone busy while you’re waiting.

The race will begin at the Webster Park Beeches Pavilion at 10 a.m. on Saturday May 21. There’s plenty of parking. Ducks can be purchased online here, by calling 585-872-5290, emailing Director@webstercomfortcare.org, or by stopping by the Webster Comfort Care Home at the corner of Holt and Klem. Payment is accepted by cash, check or credit card, and PayPal online. Tickets are available now.

Need pancakes? The Williamson Flying Club’s annual Pancake Breakfast takes place this Sunday, May 22 from 7 a.m. to noon at the club, 5502 Rt. 104, rain or shine.

In addition to a great breakfast, there’ll be airplane and helicopter rides. Cost for $6 for kids, $10 for adults. Presale tickets are available by clicking here.

You can fly in or drive in, but if you drive, please enter from Centenary Rd.

Godzilla has come to the Webster Museum.

You’ll want to enter the museum very cautiously for the next few months, because Godzilla is waiting to greet you in a BIG way.

He’ll glare at you (and perhaps even growl at you) from a striking poster provided to the museum by Lenny Schwartz, long-time manager of the much-missed Empire Drive-in theater. In the new exhibit, you’ll learn more about Lenny and the drive-in, and read memories of Webster residents who took their pajama-clad kids to the drive-in from March through December in years gone by. (Maybe you were one of them?)

Check out the impressive exhibit at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. The museum is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

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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.

(posted 5/18/2022)

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Webster community mailbag

4 May

The Webster Arboretum Association, together with local growers and local garden clubs will host the 2022 Webster Arboretum Plant Sale on Saturday May 7 from 8 a.m. to noon.

A tremendous variety of beautiful, healthy plants from standard to uncommon will be available including annuals, dwarf conifers, hostas, geraniums, tomatoes, and more. It’s a great way to celebrate spring and get some live plants perfectly suited for your garden. And don’t forget … Mother’s Day is Sunday!

The sale will be held at the Webster Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Rd. Webster.

The Webster Central School District Budget Vote and School Board Election is coming up Tuesday May 17. The vote will be held at Webster Schroeder High School from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To view detailed information about the district’s 2022/23 proposed budget, click here.

For the Board of Education election, community residents will be asked to elect three individuals for three-year terms. Nine people are running. The three candidates receiving the greatest number of votes will be deemed elected and will begin their terms of office on July 1, 2022.

Click here to read bios about all of the candidates. You’re also invited to join a live-streamed Meet the Candidates Night on Tuesday May 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. The link is: www.websterptsa.org/mtcn2022. If you can’t make it Tuesday, check back on the PTSA website for a recorded video.

The Friends of the Webster Public Library will host their annual Spring Book Sale from Thursday to Saturday May 12 to 14. Hardcover books are just $1, and paperbacks just 50 cents.

Hours are Thursday May 12 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Friday and Saturday are also BYOB Bag Sale, when $5 fills a bag. (Bring your own bag.)

If you haven’t noticed yet, the New York DOT has begun a huge Rt. 104 roadwork project on the east side of town. It involves resurfacing, improving traffic signals, replacing guard rails, repainting pavement markings and crosswalks and more.

This is going to be a summer-long project; they don’t anticipate finishing everything until November. So keep an eye out for workers, obey flagmen, and how ’bout we all slow down a bit when we’re going through the construction zones?

Click the photo below for details. (You can also see the map on the Town of Webster webpage.

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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.

(posted 5/4/2022)

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A busy Webster Saturday lies ahead

27 Apr

As I was looking through my “what am I going to blog about next?” notes, I noticed that there are no fewer than FOUR events coming up this weekend — well, Saturday Aril 30, specifically — which I thought I’d better remind you all about.

I’ve already told you about the first four:

Spring Barbecue

St. Martin’s Lutheran Church’s spring chicken BBQ is Saturday, from 4:30 p.m. until they’re sold out.

This is a drive-through event. Dinners will include a half chicken, salt potatoes, cole slaw, roll and butter for $12. There will be no advance sales; cars can pay when they enter the parking lot, first come, first served. Signs will direct cars to the pay station, and then to the side entrance where you can pick up the boxed dinners.

Proceeds will support St. Martin’s Christmas Stocking Project which reaches more than 500 youth in Monroe and Wayne counties.

Cars Along the Creek

The Friends of Webster Trails will be leading a guided hike through Four Mile Creek Preserve on Saturday, and telling you all about the six abandoned cars you can see along the trails. Apparently the land on which the preserve is now located, at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads, used to be used by the local youth as a makeshift racetrack in the early 1960s. Among the cars you’ll see are:

* 1951 Chevrolet Styleine Deluxe Bel Air
* 1961 Ford 500 Galaxy Club Victoria
* 1959 Nash Rambler
* 1959 Chevy Bel Air
* 1954 Plymouth Belvedere Suburban
* 1949 Green Nash Airflyte

The two-hour hike will begin at 10 a.m. at the parking lot on Phillips Rd.

Drug Take-Back

Also on Saturday April 30, the Webster Health and Education Network is holding a Drug Take-Back Event in conjunction with Wegmans, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at both the Holt Rd. and Baytowne locations. No appointment is necessary. Just look for a drop-off location in the parking lot.

Only pills and patches will be accepted, no needles, liquids or sharps.

Shredding Event

The Webster Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Shredding Event on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Chamber of Commerce office, 1110 Crosspointe Lane. The event is open to everyone and there’s no quantity limits, but please remove all file folders, binders and plastic bags.

Harmony House concert to benefit Hope House

This last event is something I only learned about a few days ago but it sounds like a lot of fun AND it’s for a good cause.

Five live bands will be coming together at the Harmony House on Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m. for a family-friendly “Spring Harmony Unmasked” concert to benefit Hope House.

The bands — Group Therapy Country Grass Band, Gabrielle Owen, the BarnStrummers, Fragile Ego and Eli & Co. — will play a wide range of music including country, bluegrass, southern rock, pop and more.

Suggested donation at the door is only $5 for a whole afternoon and evening of music, and all proceeds will benefit Hope House of Webster. There will be a cash bar as well. For more information, including more about each band and when each band will be playing, click here.

The Harmony House is located at 58 E. Main Street in the Village of Webster.

And this just in…

I found out that a few local Girl Scout troops will be setting up shop Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in front of Barry’s Old School Irish to sell their leftover Girl Scout cookies.

This is a great opportunity to stock up again — and perhaps try a new variety — especially if you’re like me and somehow the freezer in the garage was not QUITE far enough away to keep you from eating all of your original batch of cookies.

Barry’s is located at 2 West Main Street in the Village of Webster, right at the village’s four corners.

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

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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Ceremony officially marks renaming of North Ponds Park

24 Apr

Change can be hard. Especially when that change involves something you’ve known your whole life. For that reason, the announcement that the Town of Webster was planning to rename North Ponds Park was for some an unwelcome surprise, leading to the obvious question, “Why?”

I asked that myself when I first learned about the Town’s plans to rename North Ponds Park as the Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park. I’d never heard of Charles Sexton, had no idea how he was connected to Webster or why he was so important that the Town would choose to rename one of our most popular parks in his honor.

Then I started reading more about him and his accomplishments, and I began to understand the impact Charles Sexton had on a professional level. Then, at Friday’s official renaming ceremony, I got to know him on a personal level as well.

The event was held Friday afternoon under very sunny skies, on the cool and breezy shores of North Ponds. About 75 people attended, including friends, current and former Parks and Recreation staff members, government officials and many members of the Sexton family, some of whom had traveled from as far as California and Georgia.

It began with presentations to the family of a Town of Webster proclamation and a New York State Senate resolution, both recognizing Mr. Sexton’s history as Webster’s first Recreation Director, and the first African-American Recreation Director in New York State. His career spanned 34 years, from 1962 until 1996, during which he introduced the town’s first programs for senior citizens and launched the summer youth camps.

But those two resume bullets only scratched the surface of why Charles Sexton was deserving of this honor, and how he helped shape our community’s future.

Three more speakers followed, painting a heartfelt picture of the kind of man Sexton was, during his tenure as Recreation Director and retirement, before he passed in 2021. Sean Torriegano remembered his close friend, saying “No one had a more profoundly positive impact on my life,” adding that he was “one of the most selfless persons I have known.”

He continued,

Mr. Sexton wouldn’t have been comfortable with this, no matter how appropriate we all believe and know this is. It was not his thing. Accolades and recognitions were not what he was about. He would have rather had the names of the families that helped bring about and sustain his vision as a group, not as an individual but as one family.

Penny Soos recalled the two and a half-hour interview she had with Sexton for a receptionist job.

“He talked and he talked and he talked,” she remembered. “And I listened and I listened and I listened.” It was only later she found out the reason he talked so long was to see how well she listened. She got the job.

Retired Town Councilman Barry Deane helped everyone understand why North Ponds Park in particular was chosen to honor Charles Sexton.

There have been many folks over the years in this community who have had impacts, who have helped us become who we are, but I can’t think of anyone who’s had more of an impact than Charles….

(Charles) was a man of great vision. He started a new department from the ground up, and he made many improvements in the community. One of them was this park, which was part of his vision. 

When he started, this park was just a couple of (undeveloped) bodies of water. We inherited this park and over the years we did a lot to improve it. … This was really his baby.

Earlier in the day, at a memorial servce held at Holy Trinity Church, Sr. Barbara referred to Charles Sexton’s legacy as “branches and vines.” Sean Torriegano expanded on that analogy in his remarks. His comments touched me more deeply than any others that afternoon, especially when he shared his opinion about what Mr. Sexton might think about the day’s events.

He’d say,

Hang on to your thank yous, keep your well wishes, signs and ceremonies. If you want to say thank you, then you do right by yourself, do right by your family, do right by your friends. When you do wrong, and you will do wrong, you own it, you learn from it and move on. Thank me by giving before taking. Thank me by speaking up for someone who can’t and when no one else will. Thank me by doing your best to make sure our branches and vines stay strong and continue to grow, and to keep trying. 

Through all the proclamations and speeches, the same words kept cropping up. Beloved. Respect. Legacy. Vision. Charles Sexton was clearly a man who had a positive effect on more than just our town. He changed lives as well and seems to have made everything and everyone he touched a little bit better.

A lot of signs will need replacing, and it’s going to take a generation or more before the name “North Ponds Park” fades into memory. But now, at least, the memory of Charles E. Sexton — and what he did for our community — will endure forever.

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

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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