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Here’s a very quick post today about an event I just found out about, but it’s coming up fast and sounds like a lot of fun.

It’s a “Trunk or Treat,” hosted by the Webster Schroeder chapter of the National Honor Society, scheduled for this Sunday, Oct. 18, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

The event will be set up at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd. in the GOAL parking lot (on your right as you approach the main entrance from Ridge Rd.) and will feature donuts, cider — and of course, CANDY. Wear your costumes!

ALSO, the NHS students will be collecting unused, unwrapped toys to benefit the Pirate Toy Fund. So please consider bringing a donation for the kids!

Questions? Email Leslie_Hall@webstercsd.org.

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(posted 10/16/2026)

A wee bit of railroad history is ringing out at Webster Union Cemetery.

Actually, “wee” is a bit of a misnomer, because this piece of railroad history is a huge brass bell which measures about 18″ tall, 18″ in diameter, and weighs around 400 lbs, which now sits proudly on top of the building near Webster Union Cemetery’s flagpole.

Not much is known about the bell’s provenance, aside from the fact that it dates to 1919 and was once attached to a steam engine which traveled through the Southern Tier. Back in the early 20th century, bells like these could have served several functions, but mostly as a warning. For example, they might have been rung as the train approached a road or pedestrian crossing, or when a locomotive was starting, backing up or moving through a busy yard.

The huge bell was donated to Webster Union Cemetery by the Sudore family. From 1969 to 2025, it hung atop the home of Michael and Helen Sudore on Rt. 250. No one knows for sure how they actually came to own the massive antique (the story depends on who you ask). But once acquired, it was no longer used for its original purpose of warning pedestrians of an approaching locomotive. Instead, Helen used it as a dinner bell which could be heard far and wide.

When Helen passed away in 2025 and the house went up for sale, family members wanted to make sure the bell found a good home. They initially considered placing it at another family member’s home, but realized it would be better in a more centralized location. Helen had served as Webster Union Cemetery’s treasurer for many years, and Mike and his daughter had also served on the board. In addition, about 40 members of the Sudore family are buried there or have graves there. With so many family connections to the cemetery, Webster Union seemed like the natural choice.

So last fall, family members offered the bell to Webster Union Cemetery president George Baker, who didn’t hesitate to accept the generous donation.

Two weeks ago, the bell was finally hoisted to its new home. The Sudore family hopes it will ring for generations to come, marking special moments and honoring those laid to rest at Webster Union. Beneath it, a plaque installed by the family expresses that hope: “May the music of the bell ring out in honor and memory of your loved one.”

And so the beautiful brass locomotive bell — once a railroad warning, then a dinner bell — begins a new chapter in its long life.

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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 10/11/2026)

It’s beer walk time again, and I’m very excited.

The 2026 Main Street Car Show and Beer Walk has been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19 from 4 to 7 p.m., and I will definitely be there. The Beer Walk itself is always a terrifically fun time, when I get together with friends and laugh. so. much. But the Car Show, which was added last year, has made this Saturday afternoon event 100% better.

The Business Improvement District (BID), which is organizing the event, is calling it the Fall Kickoff in the Village.

Here are the details:

• During the Beer Walk, participants will wander through the village and pop into local businesses, which will be offering food tastings (in many cases) and samples of craft beers, poured in your own personal miniature pint glass, which you will pick up at the Main Dive.

• In addition to the Main Dive, some of the other stops will include Threads and Tonic, The Mary Wee Pub, JoJo Bistro, The Coach Sports Bar, Ploty’s, and LaLa Gift Shop. 

• Our village businesses will be offering dining and shopping specials during the event, and Pub 235 and Salvatores will be set up on Main Street for additional dining options.

• Organizers are encouraging everyone to get in the autumn mood by wearing your favorite high school, college or pro jersey or t-shirt — baseball, hockey, football, any sport!

• Ticket holders must be over 21 and MUST provide a valid ID when you pick up your glass. Glass Pickup will be at the Main Dive, located at 5 West Main. Participants can even walk right around the corner and personalize their glass at Serenity Life Creative Studio, located at 10 North Ave. 

• Tickets are $25.30 (which includes the Eventbrite fee). Tickets are available now, and this event often sells out, so get your soon. Click here for tickets.

Car Show

This is the second year for the Main Street Car Show, which promises at least 70 cars along West Main Street (and maybe elsewhere as well — details are still being finalized).

The show will run concurrent with the beer walk, from 4 to 7 p.m., and will also feature music and food trucks. So you can grab your beer tasting, wander around the show, stop into another business for another beer tasting, wander around the show, grab some food, get another tasting, wander around the show …. you get the drift.

Some details are still coming together, and eventually an event map is going to be pulled together, including a dining menu, so stay tuned for updates at websterbid.com.

Tickets are NOT needed to attend the car show.

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And here’s a quick reminder about two Village of Webster events coming up this weekend:

The Webster Business Improvement District (BID) will host its 4th annual Webster Health and Wellness Fair on Saturday, September 12.

The fair will showcase businesses and professionals throughout our community that address all aspects of health and wellness. It will be held at Lattimore Physical Therapy, 70 Barrett Dr. from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and there’s no charge to attend. The fair will feature all aspects of health and wellness, including physical, mental, environmental, social and financial health. Pharmacists from Wegmans will also be on hand for a vaccine clinic.

During the Wellness Fair, the BID will also host a free shredding event from 10 a.m. to noon in the parking lot.

This is a drive-through event. Please bring paper only, and staples do NOT need to be removed. Paper must be placed in cardboard boxes or paper bags (no plastic), with a limit of five boxes per vehicle.

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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 9/8/2026)

In recent months, I’ve written a couple of blogs in honor of the Spry Middle School building turning 100 years old. They included a History Bit I posted last September, and a more recent blog in early June when students and staff there celebrated the occasion.

But I was poking through some old blogs recently and came across this one which I wrote on March 27, 2014 which I thought would also be appropriate to re-post. I actually did feature this as a Bygone Blog back in 2023, but it’s got some fun facts which I thought people would enjoy reading again.

A walk through Webster High

I happened upon my high school library’s stash of old yearbooks yesterday, and thought it would be fun to take a look at one. I chose 1958 — not coincidentally the year I was born — and started paging through it.

Naturally, I expected to see a lot of photos of clubs and activities that would seem quaint today. But I also saw a few things I didn’t expect, and some that made me giggle.

The high school back then — or more accurately, it was called the “Webster Central School” — was what is now Spry Middle School on South Avenue in the village. The class of 1955 was the first to graduate from this “new, larger Webster Central.”

The Webster Central School District Principal that year was Mr. Robert L. Thomas. He was ably assisted by Mr. Herbert W. Schroeder who, despite being brand new to the district that school year, received a glowing review in the yearbook.

“In the brief time we have known him,” the caption reads, “we have come to believe he is also a man with a ‘Forward Look,’ treasuring what is worthwhile of the traditional while adopting what is valid of the new.”

The faculty pages included several names you might also recognize.

• Mr. Richard Batzing, previous Webster Town and Village Historian, taught 8th grade.

• Miss Esther Dunn, who wrote Webster Through the Years, long considered the most complete encyclopedia of Webster history, taught grade 7.

• Mr. William J. O’Rourke Sr., a highly respected and long-time Webster coach, led the varsity basketball team and taught Social Studies on the side.

As I continued to page through the book, some other interesting things jumped out at me.

• All of the girls looked exactly like my mother — at least from the photos I’ve seen of my mother in the 50s.

• Members of the National Honor Society all wore robes, kind of like they were in a super-secret fraternity. Maybe it was back then.

• The school had a “Safety Council.” Next to their photo, the caption read, “With an enlarged force of arresting officers patrolling, the Council promoted safety and respect for WCS in and around the school.” Can you imagine students trying to arrest students these days?

• The Senior Play that year was Around the World in Eighty Days. This week, when the Webster Thomas production of Anything Goes hits the stage with its lavish set, I thought the photos of the senior cast members and their set pieces were charming.

• This caption on the Junior High Girls’ Sports page: “The purpose of junior high girls’ intramurals is two-fold. The most obvious one is that it provides exercise for the release of extra energy.”

• It was great to see so many familiar names in the advertisers listed at the end of the yearbook, who were all there in 1958, and are still there now, including Hegedorn’s I.G.A. Foodliner, Hedge’s Nine-Mile-Point Hotel, and Kittelberger Florist. Other familiar names (but not there any longer) were Bill Gray’s Stand, Burke’s Barber Shop and Lipinski Brothers Hardware. I’m sure there are plenty more that others would recognize, but I haven’t been in Webster that long.

Finally, I learned the Webster Alma Mater. I wonder why we don’t sing it anymore? It goes like this:

Where the Ridge Road forms a border
For the lake and sky,
Proudly stands our Alma Mater,
Dear old Webster High.

Flag of WHS, float for aye,
Old Webster High, o’er thee;
May thy sons be leal and loyal
To thy memory.

When the evening twilight deepens,
And the shadows fall,
Lingers long the golden sunset
On thy western wall.

On second thought, I know why we don’t sing it anymore.

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(editorial note: apparently I spoke too soon. I got an email from Tom Pellett, president of the Webster Museum, who wrote that the alma mater is indeed still sung. He wrote:

Each year at the Webster High Alumni Banquet we close by singing the alma mater …. The tune is the same as Cornell’s and was written, I believe, by Wallace Rayfield back in the early 1900s. The “Webster High” Alumni ends with the class of 1962 as the following year (1963) was the first year of R. L. Thomas High. As you can imagine, the group shrinks a bit every year. 

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(posted 7/28/2026)

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

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The Webster Arboretum’s bee population has a brand new place to call home.

It’s called a “pollinator chateau” — kind of like a birdhouse for insects — and it was built by Stephen Pietrantoni as his Eagle Scout project.

These tiny wooden houses help boost local garden health by providing a safe place for bees and other beneficial bugs to nest and rest. The project supports pollinating and beneficial insects, along with the essential pollination services they provide. Bees are among the most abundant and effective pollinators in both natural and agricultural habitats, helping plants reproduce and produce the fruits and seeds we eat.

In addition to providing refuge for native bees and other pollinators, this new site at the Webster Arboretum will promote pollinator education, outreach, and citizen science. Educational signage about the chateau is available in the arboretum’s pollinator garden. Although bees are highly diverse across the United States, many people are familiar only with honeybees and bumble bees. Bee hotels help introduce the public to the wide variety of native pollinators and the valuable services they provide.

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(posted 7/25/2026)

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

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Musicians just want to make music. And they especially like to make music with friends.

Those truisms are the driving force behind Todd and Kristen Baitsholts’ Front Porch Pickin’ gatherings which he holds semi-regularly at their home on Millcreek Run. I first wrote about these sessions last August, when Todd held his first one and hoped to make it a monthly event. I’m not sure if that happened (I rely on my readers to let me know if they see the sign — thank you Margaret). But for sure they were out there a few weeks ago, and thanks to much better weather than he got on his first attempt last year, it drew a larger crowd of neighbors and friends.

To be sure, when I was there, only three of those neighbors and friends had actually joined Todd on the porch “stage,” while everyone else watched from the audience and enjoyed the music. But many of them even scooted up to the porch and grabbed a shaker or tambourine or cabasa or bongos and added some percussion to the mix.

The idea for the Porch Pickin’ sessions grew out of Todd’s love of music, and love for his community.

“I like to sit around and play guitar with other people,” Todd said. “It’s a big neighborhood. There’s gotta be people in the neighborhood who like to play guitar, who wanna get together. … Good or bad, young or old, come down with a guitar.”

So he created Porch Pickin’, an open invitation for anyone to stop by, play a tune, or simply enjoy meeting new people. They start with a specific set list, but if anyone wants to come and do a song of their own, they’re more than welcome.

Todd has scheduled two more Porch Pickin’ sessions this summer at his home at 1300 Millcreek Run, on Wed. August 5 and Wed. Sept. 16. They begin at 7 p.m., and there are snacks and beverages, but feel free to bring your own.

And bring your guitar.

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(posted 7/8/2026)

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

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The Country Gardeners of Webster and the Klemwood Garden Club invite community members to a Christmas in July Flower Show on Thursday, July 23.

The clubs will be joined by 23 other garden clubs from around Rochester for the flower show, presented by the 7^th District Federated Garden Clubs of NY. The show (according to the flyer) will feature “festive floral displays, sparkling holiday décor, beautifully themed arrangements, horticultural specimens, educational and children’s exhibits, all with the magic of Christmas, wrapped in summer sunshine.”

The show will take place on Thursday, July 23 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Damascus Shrine Center, 979 Bay Rd. It’s free of charge and open to the public. Pictured here are just an example of the kinds of arrangements you’ll find.

So beat the heat, step into a winter wonderland and experience the joy of the holidays in a new way. Wander through beautifully-themed arrangements and gather inspiration for your own celebrations.

The 7th District hosts these flower shows every two years. This is the second time it’s been in Webster; the last one was at the Webster Golf Club in 2024. It was called “A Floral Century” and it celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Federated Garden Clubs. The exhibits pertained to notable eras of the last century, from the Roaring 20’s to Disco to the Microchip Age.   

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(posted 7/7/2026)

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

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I popped into Threads and Tonic the other day, just to see how things were going. The shop’s been open for about three weeks now at 20 West Main St. in the Village of Webster, and I hadn’t been in since I wrote my first blog about the new place. So I wandered down to check in and get an update.

Turns out, things are going pretty great.

Threads and Tonic is owned by Tracy Adkins, who’s passionate about both bartending and vintage clothes. With her new mocktail bar, she’s found a brilliant way to combine those two interests into a quirky little shop which blends a healthy, no-alcohol social gathering place with a casual vintage clothing shopping experience.

The Webster community has embraced Threads and Tonic warmly. Tracy’s been seeing a steady stream of customers come through, some for the mocktails and fresh-pressed juices (which are especially popular), others for the clothes. Many for both. It’s been a strong start so far, which she’s continuing to build on, with lowered prices, regular specials and sales, and a brand new food menu.

Right now her specials include:

• Thrift and Tonic Tuesdays: 10% vintage clothing, and $1 off any mocktail or NA beer
• Wellness Wednesdays: purchase any NA beer, juice or mocktail and get a free wellness shot
• Teacher Appreciation Thursdays: 20% off
• Plus, first responders and military get 20% all day, every day

And the new food menu? It includes treats like a charcuterie plate, loaded hummus and homemade pineapple peach salsa. (I tried this — it was to die for).

All together — the drinks, the food, the comfortable living-room-esque seating, and the staff — make for a very welcoming experience. In nice weather you’ll even find the front door propped open, an invitation to wander in, browse the vintage clothes, grab a drink and perhaps a snack, and just pause our crazy lives for a just a little while.

Threads and Tonic is located at 20 West Main St. in the Village of Webster. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find out more and watch some very cute Instagram videos on their Facebook page.

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(posted 6/24/2026)

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

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