You have an opportunity in a few weeks to honor a life ended too soon, while helping to save others.
A blood drive being held Saturday Nov. 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School honors the memory of Schroeder graduate Colin Montesano ’14, who passed away suddenly at age 21.
Colin had wanted to dedicate his life to helping others by becoming a physician and studied at the University of Pittsburgh. He was also an active community volunteer, talented athlete and an organ donor, so Donate Life will be at the blood drive signing people up to be organ donors.
Local businesses are donating food for the event and there will be raffle baskets for people who donate. Plus, anyone who is an organ donor or signs up to become a donor will receive raffle tickets with a chance to win prizes.
Here are the drive details:
Blood Drive in honor of Colin Montesano Saturday, November 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Webster Schroeder High School 875 Ridge Road, Webster
Please register ahead of time by clicking here to avoid long wait times.
Aside from this being a great thing to do in Colin’s memory, this is also a critical time of year for blood donations. Thanks to COVID, blood donations are already at a critically low level. They decline even more from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day as people get busy with holiday activities, so the Red Cross really needs your help.
The Webster Central PTSA is looking for a few (OK, many) willing elves to help create Santa’s Workshop for this year’s White Christmas in the Village AND work on a float for the Holiday Parade of Lights.
Yep, both White Christmas and the Parade of Lights will be returning this year on Saturday Dec. 4, and the events’ organizers have asked the Webster Central PTSA for help making them the best ever.
Here are the details:
SANTA’S WORKSHOP
Santa’s Workshop will be located this year in Veterans Memorial Park, and Santa will greet children at the gazebo. The PTSA needs help with ideas, construction and volunteers for the day of the event. If you’re interested in helping out, click this Eventbrite link, go to “Register,” then “Get Tickets,” at which point you’ll be given the option to sign up and help as part of the design team, set-up team, break-down team or volunteer during the event.
The Business Improvement District will be providing funds for supplies and will even be donating money to PTSA for future events. So none of this will even cost the PTSA a penny.
PARADE FLOAT
Everyone is also invited to participate in a One Webster collaborative effort between the Webster Central School District and Webster Central PTSA to create a float for the Parade of Lights and walk alongside it. There are several opportunities for people to help, including donating colored lights, decorating the float on Dec. 2, walking in the parade on Dec. 4 (you can be part of a group, such as a club or sports team, or you can walk to represent PTSA), and disassemble the float on Dec. 5.
If you’re interested in helping in any of these ways, register by clicking this eventbrite link. Once you click “Register,” select your group or just type in PTSA, and then you’ll be asked to select which of the four opportunities you are interested in helping with. Feel free to select more than one if you like.
* * * UPDATE! The Go Pro owner has been found and plans are in the works to get the camera returned. Stay tuned for an update on how this story unfolded. * * *
I got a very interesting email from a reader a few days ago, someone who clearly knows how much I like a mystery.
The email read,
While walking along the shore at Webster Park early this morning, I found a nice, little Go Pro camera.
These things ain’t cheap.
It is a model HERO9 Black, with an orange ‘floaty’ case, and some other interesting and unique characteristics. I opened it and found the serial number, then contacted GoPro. So far, no one has contacted GoPro to report this camera missing. They have the s/n on file, and should the owner report it missing, they will contact the finder, and owner and camera will be reunited.
The camera has been in the water for a while, but the manufacturer has a generous replacement policy. I wonder if a local reader lost this ‘in the drink’ some time ago. Or, perhaps it fell off of their boat or personal water craft during a warm summer’s day.
The kind reader attached these photos from the camera, and said that the last photos were taken July 6, 2021.
Do you recognize anyone? Let’s see if we can find this Go Pro’s home!
Sometimes I happen upon blog ideas quite accidentally. That was the case when I was taking a walk the other day to Wegmans, and passed by a brand new business, Nourished, which recently opened next door to Hobby Lobby.
Nourished is a smoothie and juice bar with a full menu of teas, shakes and coffees that are actually healthy.
That was actually the first question I asked owner Stacy Sinclaire when we sat down to chat not long ago. I’d seen a photo on Nourished’s Facebook page of a young girl drinking a peanut butter brownie shake, and I just had to ask, “How can something like that be good for you?”
“Our shakes use plant-based protein,” she said, “and we blend with water and ice.” So basically, they top out at 250 calories and pack in 24 to 28 grams of protein.
They even have protein coffees. “Where else can you go to get protein in your coffee?” Stacy quipped.
Stacy and her young family moved here to Webster from Greece a little more than a year ago. As an elementary school reading teacher in the Churchville-Chili school district for 17 years, becoming a small business owner was something she never really considered. That is, until the day she happened to drive by Unleashed Nutrition in Fairport.
“It was a long time coming, wanting to do something else,” she said. “I just saw this business in Fairport and thought it was the neatest thing. I’m a big health-nut, I work out every day, I like to eat healthy, so this just screamed my name.”
So she stopped in, met the owners, and asked what she needed to do to open her own place. By last February, she and her husband Peter took the plunge. The owners at Unleashed Nutrition helped them set up the distributorship and mentored them. Then, over the summer, Stacy decided to devote herself full-time to her new business, and resigned from her teaching position.
She hasn’t regretted the decision for a moment.
“I was ready for a new adventure,” she said. “They say how most people wake up and go to work and it’s just a job. I wake up now and I’m happy to come to work. … I walk in here and it’s something that you’re proud of because it’s mine.”
“We absolutely love what we do.”
In the few short weeks Nourished has been open, it’s already developed a steady clientele. That’s a testament to the menu as well as Stacy’s community-focused approach to business. She’s already been offering specials and fundraisers for local youth groups and sports teams. But it’s even more personal than that.
“I want this to be a place where (customers) know they’re going to be greeted and welcomed,” she said. “Customer service has always been huge to me. I want to create a positive environment.”
In the interest of being thorough with my blog research, by the way, I did try one of those peanut butter brownie shakes (you’re welcome). I can report it was delicious. Pretty sure I’ll be back for one of their apple crisp shakes before they’re gone….
Nourished is located at 900 Holt Rd. (Wegmans Plaza), next door to Hobby Lobby. They’re open weekdays (except Wednesday) 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram (@nourishedwebster).
This is news that I just couldn’t wait to share: White Christmas in the Village will be back this year!
As I was chatting with BID Chair Elena Bernardi at Saturday’s Family Games Night, she told me that not only will this very popular event return on Saturday Dec. 4, she also told me about a terrific addition to this year’s schedule.
Instead of having children visit Santa at Village Hall as in years past, this year Santa will be down at the gazebo, and Gazebo Park will be transformed into Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. There might even be workshop activities for the kids, but final plans are still being worked out. Isn’t that a cool idea?
All of our White Christmas favorites will also be back, including the carriage rides, caroling, and of course the Electric Parade.
More details to come of course, but spread the word!
The Village of Webster is going to try again to hold their third Family Game Night.
It was originally scheduled for last Saturday evening, but got rained and winded out. So, weather permitting, they’re having another go at it THIS Saturday night.
Saturday’s Family Game Night will have an Oktoberfest theme, featuring The Krazy Firemen Oktoberfest band. The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on West Main, with the live music all evening, street games, a dance party with Dancing With Denise, crafts, food and games, and more. It should be a great night to get together with family and friends. There’ll be something for everyone.
A few days ago I received my Friends of Webster Trails digital newsletter, one of the perks I get as a member. And like always, it kept me captivated for an hour, reading all of the updates and newsy articles about our local trails, what the Friends are doing to maintain them, and their plans for future enhancements.
If you’re not familiar with the Friends of Webster Trails, please continue reading, especially if you’re a fan of the miles and miles of well-maintained trails that criss-cross our town. This all-volunteer organization is the reason our town’s trails are so plentiful and beautiful. These folks put in thousands of hours every summer planning, creating and maintaining these trails, and organizing family-friendly events to help show them off.
The quarterly newsletter does a great job keeping us all up to date on their progress. In just this edition, for example, I read about
a group hike at Whiting Road Nature Preserve on Saturday Oct. 23
a scavenger hunt for kids at Four Mile Creek Preserve on Saturday Nov. 6
the annual Hot Cocoa Hike at Whiting Road Nature Preserve on Saturday Nov. 6
recent updates to the Hojack Trail, Four Mile Creek Preserve, Finn Park and the brand new State Rd. Nature Preserve
plans to purchase mowing equipment to keep the Hojack Trail better maintained
plans for a monthly Friends of Webster Trails group hike
coordination with the Town of Webster to help conserve undeveloped land for greenspace
And there was lots more. I was especially interested in the report from Hal Harris about the town’s newest trail system, at State Rd. Nature Preserve. Hal wrote,
State Road Nature Preserve consists of 84 acres adjacent to Arbor Creek townhomes (between Phillips and Salt). This preserve was dedicated to the Town by the developer. It contains several wooded areas, several marshes, an old farm pond and is bisected by Four Mile Creek. The developer has built a trail on the west side of the creek. Although it is on Town property, the HOA is responsible for its maintenance. We are working on a trail system east of the creek. This fall we expect to build a bridge across the creek to connect the east and west trails. We also expect the Town will put in a trailhead parking lot on State Road next year.
Given all this amazing work, it’s disheartening to see how relatively few people support the Friends financially. In her membership report, Denise Bilsback wrote that there’s been only “a trickle of new members” every month, and they’ve recently had “a bunch of members” who did not renew. Current membership, as a result, stands at around 200. Given the number of people I’ve seen out and about on the trails, I KNOW there are more than 200 people using them regularly.
So I hereby encourage EVERYONE who enjoys our trails to become members of the Friends of Webster Trails and put your money where your hiking boots are. (Or send in your renewal!) It’s really inexpensive; a single membership is just $10 a year, and a family membership just $15. When you sign up, you’ll get the quarterly newsletter too, plus direct-to-you notifications about upcoming hikes and special events.
Click here to read more about the Friends of Webster Trails and get details about their upcoming events. If you’d like to become a member, click here. If you want to chat with some of the trail bosses in person, the Friends will have a table set up at the Webster Recreation Center’s 10th anniversary celebration on Nov. 5. So stop by!
There are so many things to love about living in Webster. Two years ago, just months after moving into our new house in the village, I wrote an entire blog about one of the best of those things: I DON’T HAVE TO BAG ANY LEAVES.
You see, I moved into Webster from Penfield, where they still require residents to bag their leaves and leave them for the waste haulers. Given that there were a LOT of trees on my property, that meant hours and hours with a rake every weekend during the fall. So I love that the Village will pick up our leaves, and I just have to rake them to the curtb. It’s so much easier!
Here are the details about both Village and Town leaf collection services, taken from their websites:
Webster Village
This service begins when the autumn leaves begin to accumulate on the ground and will be on a daily basis until the beginning of December, or until the first heavy snowfall, whichever comes first. The Public Works Department will traverse each Village street once a week to remove leaves from the curb. To help make leaf pickup easier for yourself and our DPW staff, we request you follow some simple guidelines:
-Do not place brush, rocks, pumpkins, wood, plastic, or other foreign material with your leaves -Do not bag your leaves for Village curbside pickup -Do not place leaves in roadway, or on top of drainage structures, concrete, in gutters, or drainage ditches
The village also provides brush removal every month. For more details about that, visit the Village of Webster website.
Town of Webster
We start on the west side of town heading east and will make as many passes through town as possible during the leaf pick-up operation, weather permitting. There is no set schedule for particular streets throughout the town. Leaf season typically runs six weeks and start and finish dates vary based on actual leaf drop.
Please be patient with us during this process, as leaves do not all fall at once, and we never know what to expect for our weather conditions. – Make sure leaves are on the edge of the road and not in the road or gutter – Rake only leaves (and not twigs or branches) to the road’s edge – Placing leaves in the road or gutter significantly slows down the entire operation. It is against the law to place leaves or any debris in the road.
I just came across this beutiful posting from the West Webster Fire Department on Facebook, and thought it was a perfect way to commemorate the lives lost on 9/11.
Taken directly from the WWFD Facebook page:
In honor of 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, West Webster is remembering the firefighters lost on that day.
On the front lawn of Station One, 1051 Gravel Rd., are 343 American Flags, representing each of the firefighters lost. Upon each flag is an ID tag with name and station of each member who gave the ultimate sacrifice that day. Let us never forget the Fire, EMS, Police, and all those, that without a thought, gave their lives to save others. Please feel free to come up and visit the memorial. It will be up till Sunday the 12th.
In yesterday’s hard-copy Democrat and Chronicle, the editors announced that publication of the weekly Post newspapers — including the Irondequoit/Penfield/Webster edition we get here in town — will be discontinued after Oct. 24.
The D&C merged with Gatehouse Media — which publishes the Post newspapers — about two years ago. I must admit that after the merger, the quality of our local Post edition greatly improved. Before the merger, the Webster Post was really a waste of subscription money (and I say that tongue-in-cheek because the subscription was free). It offered very little interesting and useful local news aside from school district press releases. But when the D&C came on board, several reporters were assigned to provide content. Yes, it was still mostly filled with press releases, but finally there were also some interesting feature stories. It was more than worth what I paid for it.
But now the Post is folding, and with it one more source for local Webster news.
But we here in Webster are in a better place than many communities when it comes to local, journalistic news (that is, not Facebook groups). We have three distinct outlets we can turn to for information about events, town and village government news, feature stories and lots more.
The first, of course, is this Webster on the Web blog. But you already know about that. I’m actually working on making this an even more useful stop by adding pages with links to community organizations, and maps pinpointing local services. But I’ll tell you more about that in a few days.
There’s also our very own weekly newspaper, the Webster Herald. New editor Colin Minster is still getting his legs under him, but is clearly learning more and more about our town and village every day, and is providing a great mix of news and features.
Thirdly, there’s Webster Online News, a website run by former Herald editor Anna Hubbell, which posts local news and events stories, plus other interesting tidbits like a Cook Nook and Health Corner.
Not only are these three news outlets at your service, we’re collaborating to make our products even more accessible. When you log onto Webster Online News, for example, you’ll see one of my blogs re-posted there every week. You’ll also see a link to the website on the right side of this page. Plus, starting this coming week, the Herald will also be cross-publishing a Webster on the Web blog every two weeks, focusing specifically on Village happenings.
So log on, subscribe, spread the word, and keep reading. We’ll keep you up to date on Webster as well as we can.
And rest assured, we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
webster on the web 