webster on the web

I thought I’d give everyone who’s following the GoPro story a quick update.

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, a brief summary:

On Nov. 1, DP (Don) Dunn was walking along the pier and found a GoPro which had washed up on the shore. He emailed me about it and sent some photos he’d pulled off the SD card. I posted a blog and within two hours the owner had been located. Ollie Bartholomew, who lives in Westchester County, had lost it in the lake while visiting some friends over the 4th of July holiday. It took four months for it to wash up on the shore. (Click here to see the follow-up blog I wrote.)

The second half of this story, and perhaps even more heartwarming, is that Ollie offered to donate $100 in my name and Don’s name to charity as kind of a reward. Don and I chose to donate to a GoFundMe page for a friend of his, Kevin Woolever, who is fighting ALS and is in danger of losing his home.

And now the update:

On Friday Nov. 5, Don had packed up the camera and shipped it back to Ollie, who received it the following Monday and was kind enough to send along some close-up photos of how somewhat battered it was from its time in the drink.

But then he sent the following little video, which is priceless. Ollie actually encapsulated the camera — and therefore the whole fun story — in a display case for his office.

Last Thursday, Andrew Freeman from Spectrum News put in a marathon day interviewing all three of us for a piece which will air sometime this coming week. Don told his part of the story at the lake, where it all started. Andrew came to my house and we talked as I sat at my dining room table/office. Later that afternoon, he and Ollie talked via Zoom from Ollie’s high-rise Manhattan office.

It was a really fun day, and I’ll let you know when I see the story pop up online.

I’m also very happy to report that several very kind people have donated to Kevin’s GoFundMe page as a result of my blog. My sincere thanks to those folks for helping continue to spread the kindness.

Click on the link above to read more about about Kevin’s story.

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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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

* * * 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!

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

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.

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).

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

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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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.