A few weeks ago I wrote about how our area is being visited by a few flocks of Pine Grosbeaks, who have come unusually far south from their breeding grounds in Canada. It’s such a rare occasion that birdwatchers from as far as Pennsylvania were heading to Webster Park and Mendon Ponds Park to catch a glimpse of the beautiful bird.
Little did anyone realize that some people only have to look out their back window to get a look at the plump, colorful finch.
Since that blog posted, I’ve heard from three people who have seen a Pine Grosbeak in their neighborhoods. The first was Denise Bonney, a Plank North Elementary School colleague, who said she didn’t realize right away what she was seeing, then remembered my blog and recognized it. Then I got an email from Karen Terp who said she and her husband had seen one while they were taking a walk.
And a few weeks ago I got another email, this one from Ruth Caves, who lives in West Webster. She not only saw one at her feeder but was able to get a photo, which you can see above.
I was going through some very old blogs a few days ago and stumbled across one about my Webster Bucket List.
The bucket list was something I first came up with more than 10 years ago. It was shortly after I started writing this blog, a time when I was becoming more invested in the community. The list back then included more than 80 items from Webster and near-Webster (Penfield). A lot of them I was able to come up with on my own, but since I was just getting to know Webster, I had also solicited reader suggestions for must-see Webster places or must-do Webster activities that I wasn’t yet familiar with.
Even after all this time, I still haven’t checked everything off that list. Given that, I thought it was time to revisit my Webster Bucket List, update it, and get cracking at it again.
Over the last ten years, a lot has changed in the life of our village and town, so the list needs a LOT of updating, and I’ll once again need some help with that. But let’s look first at the items I was able to complete:
visit the Webster Museum
stop by the village offices and say hi to the ladies at the desk
see a Village Band concert at Harmony Park
see a Friday night concert at the gazebo
grab a peach cobbler from the Order of the Eastern Star during Village Days
hike the Hojack Trail from end to end (I did this one in pieces)
buy some fresh vegetables at Joe Obbie’s Farmers Market
smell some flowers at the Webster Arboretum
get a snack from one of the sample ladies (or men) at Wegmans
go to the Firemen’s Carnival
walk all the way out to the Webster Park pier
watch the sunset from the Irondequoit Bay outlet
wave an American flag at the Memorial Day Parade
donate blood at the Community Blood Drive
catch a performance by the Chorus of the Genesee
take a swim at the Webster Aquatic Center
check a book out of the Webster Public Library
take a stroll through the Webster Rural Cemetery and Webster Union Cemetery
hike the trails behind the Bay View YMCA
go bowling at Empire Lanes
see a movie at Loews
watch the Firemen’s Parade
see the live aninals in Wilbert’s nativity scene
shop at Hegedorn’s
check out the student artwork at Community Arts Day
grab a cup of coffee at Joe Bean (moved)
start the day with breakfast at T’s Family Restaurant
attend a Schroeder vs. Thomas athletic event
spend a summer evening listening to music at the Bay Side Pub
visit all the village parks: Milton Case, Wilmorite Recreation Area, Schantz Park, Harmony Park, Veteran’s Memorial Park
wave at Santa during the Holiday Parade of Lights
take a bike ride around North Ponds Park
dance in the street at the Jazz Festival
donate to Hope House to support our neighbors in need
see a concert at the Harmony House
donate to the Webster Food Cupboard (closed)
attend the annual Fourth of July celebration
hike all the town’s trails (Whiting Rd., Vosburg Hollow, Gosnell Big Woods, Finn Park, Midnight Trail, Webster Arboretum, Webster Park, Chiyoda Trail, John Ungar Nature Trail, Four Mile Creek, and the bike path
relax on a bench at Veteran’s Memorial Park and admire the flowers
buy something from a village business
grab an ice cream cone at Hank’s
see a middle school or high school music concert
hike down to Irondequoit Bay at Abe Lincoln Park
participate in the village’s Trick or Treat Trail
drive down Lake Rd. from 250 to Bay Rd.
attend Village Days (doesn’t happen anymore)
Whew. That seems like a lot of things. But I accomplished most of them through simple day-to-day enjoyment of all that our town and village have to offer. I could have checked off even more, but in my original list I had the nerve to set some rather specific requirements for many of the places I was to visit, like:
sample a cinnamon sugar fried cake at Bauman’s Farm Market
buy some cider and apples at Schutt’s
stop by Flaherty’s on St. Patrick’s Day
enjoy a soft-serve sundae at Abbott’s
eat a Gloria Special at Maria’s Mexican Restaurant
play a carnival game at the St. Rita’s Fiesta
enjoy a cup of coffee on the beach by the White House at Webster Park
view the frozen waves on the beach at Webster Park
take a class at the Webster Recreation Center
participate in an open skate at the Webster Ice Arena
have a picnic in North Ponds Park
go sledding in Webster Park
swing on a swing in Webster Park
climb to the top of the playground equipment at Ridge Park
have dinner at Hedge’s
If I can count that I’ve actually BEEN to all of those places, then I could check them all off, too. But these last few? Well, I just haven’t done them at all:
wander through the West Webster Cemetery
order a garbage plate at Empire Hots (no thank you)
grab a fettuccine alfredo at Streppa’s Bistro (can’t do that now, it’s closed)
attend a Schroeder Warriors football game
attend a Thomas Titans football game
enjoy a Tuesday night movie in the park
So I guess in retrospect, I think I’ve done a pretty good job sampling many of the places and events that make Webster a great place to live and work. As you can see, however, the list is outdated. I’m hoping you all can help me with that.
What is this list missing? Are there any special events I am forgetting about, or special places that everyone should visit at least once? Email me your suggestions, or leave a comment here on the blog. Once we get a complete list, I’ll format it so that it’s easy to print, and perhaps you, too, can work your way through my Webster Bucket List (once life gets back to normal again, of course).
David Semmler’s senior photo. Credit: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Fifty years ago today, R.L. Thomas High School graduate David Semmler died in Vietnam at the age of 23.
I’m reminded of this anniversary by Jim Lanson, who wrote,
I believe David was a 1966 R.L. Thomas graduate. I also believe the Thomas building opened in 1962 which would have been his freshman year. David was one of three R.L. Thomas graduates who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam. Leonard Coles and Rex Daniels were the two others. Peter Kaulback, who was a 1962 Webster High graduate, the last year the high school was at the Spry building, was also killed in action.
I love hearing from my readers, especially ones who have just discovered the blog. That was the case with Sheryl Galinski, who emailed me yesterday morning regarding the recent blog I wrote about the rare local sightings of the Pine Grosbeak.
Sheryl, who describes herself as an amateur artist and naturalist, wrote that she found my blog last week when she was searching for birding spots in Monroe County. She was particularly impressed by the beautiful photographs of the colorful finch taken by Suzie Webster. They inspired her to create some art of her own.
Here’s what she drew:
Since posting that blog, I’ve heard from two other people who, thanks to the blog, recognized the beautiful finch in their own yards. If you’ve seen them around and can snap a photo or two, please send them along to me! I’d love to post them for all to enjoy.
Local and regional birders are all atwitter about a rare sighting in our area which has drawn birdwatchers to Webster from far and wide.
The cause of the excitement is a large, plump, colorful finch called the Pine Grosbeak. Typically found in much colder climates like Canada and Alaska, a couple dozen of them have migrated much farther south this winter, and have been spotted at Webster Park and Mendon Ponds Park.
Greg Lawrence, a research scientist from SUNY Brockport and a board member of the Rochester Birding Association, explained that the migration event is unusual because the Pine Grosbeak is an “irruptive” species. Basically, that’s a species that usually only migrates short distances, but will occcasionally move far south in large numbers. He theorizes that’s the case this year because the food supply is poor up in their Canadian breeding grounds.
He added that it’s been eight years since the Pine Grosbeaks last migrated this far south.
Birders have identified two groups of about a dozen birds each, most of them females and juveniles. Apparently, sightings of male Pine Grosbeaks are even more rare, but one has been spotted in Webster Park, an event which Lawrence called “unique.” It’s so unusual that birders have traveled from all over the state and even Pennsylvania in hopes of catching a gimpse of the beautiful finches.
Female Pine Grosbeak (S. Webster)
The stunning images you see here are courtesy Suzie Webster, a local photographer and birder, who has especially enjoyed the hunt.
She wrote,
Some other photographers and I have had so much fun trying to track (the finches) down and get the timing right so they are in a place that they can be photographed to highlight their beauty. … They are a very challenging bird to photograph because they are frequently high up in tree tops and don’t always come down low enough to get a clear image.
Having the opportunity to photograph and view the rare and uncommon Pine Grosbeaks here in Webster and in Mendon has made winter nature photography much more exciting and colorful! Spring and summer were full of brilliantly colored birds to find and photograph such as the Warblers, but winter is a lot more challenging overall. I’m thankful that this year just happened to be an irruptive year for the Pine Grosbeaks and a few other winter species because it has made outings more exhilarating and fun!
According to Greg Lawrence, the Grosbeaks will probably hang around through March or April before heading back north, and perhaps even longer if they can find enough food. So there’s still plenty of time to get out on the trails and try to see one for yourself. A nice hike to appreciate these stunning Canadian visitors would be a welcome diversion from all the negative news which dominates our lives these days.
I’m very excited to announce today a new collaboration which will go a long way to keep Webster residents entertained and informed.
Beginning later today and every Monday, you’ll find a link to one of my blog posts on the (relatively) new website, Websteronlinenews.com.
Webster Online was established early last year by Anna Hubbel, whom you might know as the editor of the weekly Village of Webster newspaper, the Webster Herald. Designed as a totally independent enterprise from the Herald, the site’s original purpose was to keep the Webster community informed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More recently, Anna has been trying to broaden the site’s horizons, offering more community-oriented content including opinion pieces and features about cooking and books. And now, my Webster on the Web community blog.
While Anna will continue to focus on keeping her website updated with local news and information, my weekly “column” will provide a more personal look at the people and events here in our town and village. You won’t find links to ALL of my blogs there (I don’t want to lose you as a reader completely!) but once a week we’ll choose one blog to cross-post to the website. Today, for example, you’ll find a link on Webster Online to my recent blog about Dan Johannson, a 2013 Webster Thomas grad who’s making news in North Dakota.
I’m look forward to working with Anna on this new partnership, and offering the Webster community easy community access to a pair of accurate, informative and positive places to find news and features.
So log onto Webster Online and check it out for yourself. You’ll also find a link to the website on the right side of this page.
A couple of years ago I volunteered for a short time with the Girls on the Run team from Schlegel Elementary School. I fancy myself a runner, so thought I could use my positive experience with running to encourage these young ladies, some of whom had never run any distance before.
What I discovered is that the program is about so much more than running.
For sure, the girls do a lot of running. But what really impressed me about Girls on the Run is the program’s focus on life skills, confidence, positive self-image and personal and community connections — all while encouraging physical activity.
The eight-week program is for girls in 3rd through 8th grade, and is run entirely by volunteer coaches who follow a structured curriculum and engage their teams with fun, interactive lessons. Teams meet twice a week in person or virtually, and the season culminates with everyone participating in a 5K. The year I helped out, that event was held at MCC. It was a huge party with lots of teams and hundreds of girls coming together to celebrate their successes.
Right now Girls on the Run needs more coaches to help bring this inspirational program as many young ladies as possible. Coaches do not need to be athletes but must be at least 18 years old to serve as an assistant or 21 to serve as a head coach. All volunteer coaches must complete a background check and attend a virtual training session.
It could be a life-changing decision for everyone involved. As one coach said,
“It was so rewarding to be part of the girls’ journey to becoming empowered women. And I can’t begin to describe how changed I am as a person by learning the curriculum alongside them.”
For more information about coaching and Girls on the Run of Greater Rochester, click here.
I don’t know about you, but I put off taking down my Christmas tree until at least New Year’s Day. This year it may stay up even longer because it brings me much needed daily joy breaks.
When it does finally get stuffed out the door however, I don’t like setting it out with the garbage. Seems like a very undignified end for a tree which served us so proudly as a glorious symbol of the season. Instead, I try to pay it forward and recycle it to be turned into mulch for next spring’s gardeners or pine chips for the trails.
Here’s some info on a few nearby places you can do that:
Webster: According to the Town’s website, you can drop your tree off at the Town High Department, 1005 Picture Parkway, betweem now and Feb. 28.
Penfield: The Penfield DPW is accepting trees at their facility, 1607 Jackson Rd. You’ll see a sign to the right of the facility’s gate, and you can drop it off right there. You can also leave the tree with the regular brush pickup.
Irondequoit has a Trees for Trails program, which is descrbed on their Facebook page:
Rather than put your Christmas tree to the curb after Dec. 25, bring it to Helmer Nature Center, where it will be used to create wood chips that mitigate trail erosion. Starting Dec. 26, bring your tree to the Helmer parking lot for recycling. We will collect trees until the Jan. 16th Trees for Trails event when volunteers will help unload your tree and High Falls Tree Service and Irondequoit Lawn & Landscape will be on-site recycling trees. This will happen from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Helmer Nature Center is located at 154 Pinegrove Ave.
As we near the day we can finally say goodbye to a difficult 2020 and welcome a fresh new 2021, it helps to remember that some good things actually did come out of this awful year. Here’s a story about one of them.
Almost every week since the beginning of April, 5-year Julia Meyers has been playing virtual Yahtzee with her new friend Marion, a resident of Maplewood Nursing Home.
Julia and Marion playing via Google Duo
They get together via Google Duo, usually on Tuesday afternoons, and spend about a half hour playing one game of Yahtzee, each using her own dice and board. Marion is assisted by Maplewood’s Volunteer Coordinator Lori Porte, and Julia’s mom Linda helps her. But despite the board-side assistance, there’s plenty of excitement and conversation passed back and forth between the competitors themselves. And judging from the end of the game I watched earlier this week, the competition is pretty fierce.
It was Linda who originally came up with the idea as a way to have Julia connect with one of the residents.
I reached out to The Maplewood when the pandemic started because I was looking for a way my daughter could give back during these hard times. My grandmother spent time at Maplewood before she passed away in 2014 so that was my connection.
They first tried just video-chatting with another resident, but that didn’t work very well. Someone came up with the idea to play a game instead, and suggested Yahtzee. Lori found a resident whom she thought would be able to follow along pretty well and enjoy playing with somebody she’d never met before.
The games were on.
Both young and old have benefited from the weekly interactions. Julia gets to practice her math and number-writing skills. Marion enjoys seeing Julia and her 5-month old brother William every week.
The games have forged a friendship that reaches beyond the computer screen. Just before Thanksgiving, they even got to “meet” through the window. Marion and Lori used the occasion to give Julia a wooden jewelry box inscribed with her name. Before they presented the gift, Marion even asked Lori to line its drawers with purple felt, Julia’s favorite color.
More recently, Julia and Linda gave Marion her own Yahtzee game for Christmas — so she didn’t have to continue using Maplewood’s game — and a frame with a picture from the window visit, where Marion can keep track of the Yahtzee scores. Recently, Linda even discovered that one of Marion’s children is a neighbor of theirs.
The overall game score is pretty close. Julia won again on Tuesday, so she’s up 15 games to 13. But Marion needn’t worry. She’ll have plenty of chances to catch up. Julia said she’s planning to keep playing the games for “29,000 years.”
Here are a few holiday delights for you and your family on this Christmas Eve.
The first is a beautiful rendition of O Holy Night, shared by Carly Thomas, the orchestra director at Klem North and Schlegel Rd. elementary schools.
Carly is a member of several orchestras, and is normally very busy performing holiday concerts at this time of year. But as there’s nothing normal about this year, one of her orchestras decided to try something different. They recruited some vocalists and put together a COVID-friendly arrangement of O Holy Night, recording their parts individually.
The result is incredible. Carly is the violinist in the red sweater against a white background.
Next, here’s a special treat for children and adults alike. Santa himself reading the Christmas Eve classic, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. This video was originally posted on the 2020 Webster Holiday Parade of Lights Facebook page.
May you all have a blessed holiday, enjoy your family, and please remember to be safe so that we can all get back to celebrating Christmas properly once again next year.
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 