webster on the web

There’s a group of folks in our school district who are hyper-focused on keeping our kids safe and substance-free.

They’re called WHEN, the Webster Health and Education Network, and they’re a team of Webster community members including businesses, parents, teachers, law enforcement and healthcare providers who have come together to educate our community about substance abuse.

I recently got a press release from WHEN announcing their newly redesigned website and suggesting some important signs parents should watch for in these COVID-19 days. I wanted to pass some of that information along today.

Here’s some of what that release said:

WHEN:DFCC, Webster Health and Education Network: A Drug Free Community Coalition, has launched a new, more robust website to further their efforts to “Empower Webster kids to grow up strong and substance-free.” The website features prevention information and current activities, along with opportunities for community members to get involved.

There are several COVID-19-related factors WHEN:DFCC would like to make Webster families aware of as kids return to school this month:

COVID-19 is associated with youth use of e-cigarettes. Encourage kids to quit and not to share Juuls, vape pens or cigarettes with others.

Be aware of the poisoning hazard that both liquid nicotine and hand sanitizer can present, and store these away from children and pets.

COVID-19 has raised levels of stress and anxiety for many, which can prompt negative coping strategies like misuse of prescription drugs, drinking, or smoking/vaping. Encourage positive coping strategies instead.

Mental health resources are available to those struggling to cope, or experiencing distress or depression. Please call the NY COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline for free emotional support, consultations and referrals: 1-844-863-9314.

One of the best ways to protect your children is to make sure that all of your medications and alcohol are secured, and unused medications promptly and properly disposed of. WHEN:DFCC has made free drug disposal bags and medication lock boxes available to Webster residents while supplies last. You can pick them up at the Webster Chamber of Commerce at 1110 Crosspointe Lane Suite C, Webster during their regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. And remember that there’s a pharmaceutical waste drop-box at Town Hall, just inside the doors to the police department. 

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I wanted to send a quick shout-out and thank you this morning to Jake Swingley, Webster’s Supervisor of Public Works, and his crew for making our village look beautiful these days.

I took a moment on my recent walk to really notice all of the flowers and growing things that line our downtown streets. When those big planters were originally introduced, I admit I was skeptical about how nice they would look, but have been pleasantly surprised by how lush and beautiful they are every year. The flower beds are bursting with color, and the hanging baskets are so artistically overflowing that I want to take one home — but I think it would be missed.

Maintaining all of these plantings takes a lot of time and effort; for example, I often notice the watering guy puttering around town in his golf cart in the morning when I walk, diligently poking a watering wand up into each and every planter.

If you haven’t been in the village recently, or just haven’t taken a moment to look around, make a point to do so soon, and really try to notice the beauty all around you.

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Friday marked the 19th anniversary of the awful events of Sept. 11, 2001, the day when the world changed forever.

On that day, 2,977 people lost their lives, including 412 first responders. Among them were 343 firefighters from the New York City Fire Department.

Every year since that awful day, the Village of Webster has held a remembrance ceremony on Sept. 11 at Veterans Memorial Park. But like pretty much everything these days, that ceremony was canceled this year. But there was no way that Chief Robert Boutillier was going to let the occasion pass unnoticed.

So he organized a small event of his own, asking all of his WVFD firefighters to gather at the Enderlin Station on South Ave. last night for a short ceremony.

The occasion was not about “pats on the back, speeches, etc.,” he said. “It’s about the sacrifice that was made responding to an alarm as we do each and every day.”

The Chief reiterated those thoughts last night at the station. It was “appropriate and necessary” that we continue to recognize the sacrifice those 343 firefighters made that day.

“We’re not here for speeches or to look sharp in our class A (uniform)s,” or “for people to say ‘thank you for your service,'” he said. They gathered simply to honor those who lost their lives and to offer a moment of silence in respect.

The event was not widely advertised, so only a handful of community members attended. But the fact there were no large crowds did not minimize the evening’s significance. It was just an opportunity for our local firefighting brothers and sisters to honor their own: dedicated New York City firefighters who went to work that morning. not knowing they would not make it home that night.

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There is NO reason to not have a good book to read during these last few weeks of summer. Not when the Webster Public Library keeps making it SO EASY to borrow one, or in this case, get a bunch for really cheap.

The library’s next pop-up book sale is this Thursday Aug. 20 from noon to 4 outside the library, at the back of Webster Plaza, 980 Ridge Rd.

All books are just $1 each (cash only please). Check out the poster for more details.

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Immanuel Lutheran Church , 131 W, Main in Webster, will hold a food collection on Saturday, Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The collection will be in the parking lot behind the church, which can be accessed off of Daniel Drive. Volunteers will take the food from your car.

Immanuel has run the Weekend Food Backpack Program in the Webster Schools since 2011, with generous support from other Webster churches, community organizations and residents. At the close of school they were providing bags of food to more than 70 children in all seven of the elementary schools. When the school buildings closed, they shifted distribution to the Little Free Pantry in the Immanuel Parking lot.

Immanuel Hunger Ministry manages a Little Free Pantry in the church parking lot. The Little Pantry is available for anyone who is need of some food. The philosophy behind the Little Free Pantry is “Take what you need and leave what you can” This Little Pantry is seeing support from people in the community as well as our church members.

Please donate non-perishable items, no glass containers or out of date items.
Suggested items are kid friendly foods such as:
Peanut butter
Jam of Jelly
Macaroni and Cheese
Tuna Fish or Canned Chicken
Pasta and Sauce
Soup and Ramen Noodles
Cereal or Instant Oatmeal
Shelf Stable Milk and Juice Boxes
Canned Vegetables and Fruit
Individual Applesauce, Pudding or Fruit Cups
Granola Bars and Other Snack Items
Canned Pasta – Spaghetti-O’s, Ravioli & Similar

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A five-year effort to clean veterans’ headstones at Webster Union Cemetery, spearheaded by Webster resident Stephen Cataldi, will conclude this Sunday, Aug. 23, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Interested volunteers are asked to meet at the cemetery, 345 Webster Rd. Read more about the project on the Facebook page here.

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I am so thankful for friends.

A little while ago, my friend Dave Kassnoff offered to write a blog for me as I took a few days off for my elbow surgery. Here it is today for your enjoyment.

Picturing Webster today (reviving the photo contest)

by David Kassnoff

 Sunset from Lodge at Webster Park, D. Kassnoff

While Missy recovers, I thought it’s a good time to revisit a long-lost practice of celebrating the local beauty of our community.

But, when I go looking for a current, local photo competition, I come up a bit short.

The Webster Arboretum ran a photo contest for a few years, but the most recent entries I found appeared from June, 2017. Missy Rosenberry’s “Picture Webster” photo contest ran in the Democrat & Chronicle, predating this blog space, in 2010. The Webster Library has featured local photographers, both professional and hobbyist – but the library’s current limitations on hours and access makes a photo event unlikely in 2020.

So far, no photo contests on my radar. Or, it seems, anyone else’s.

This is slightly ironic, as Webster this year has played host to a number of photo enthusiasts. We’re a photogenic town, even without our usual parades and festivals. Digital photographer and newsman John Kucko regularly shoots and streams lakeside scenes from Webster Park, in summer and winter. Oklahoma Beach and its Sandbar Park were among the best places to photograph last month’s Neowise comet in the night skies. And, I’ll admit to capturing a few vistas along our Lake Ontario coastline this summer. Just for the satisfaction of it.

I’d hate to see Facebook and Instagram hog all the great pictures – and not recognize the imaginative picture-takers in our town. Our diligent efforts at social distancing have given rise to chalk-drawn driveways and other creative outlets. I’d like to see someone take the lead on a community photo contest, with entries posted on a website where viewers can comment. Webster is home to several HTML-coding experts, so this shouldn’t be so difficult.

Who’s willing to step up?

Mini-bio: A Webster resident, David Kassnoff teaches strategic communications courses at St. Bonaventure University.

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The Village Quilt Shoppe in the Village of Webster is celebrating its one-year anniversary, and boy, do they have a lot to celebrate.

The anniversary celebration runs through this coming Saturday Aug. 8, with prizes, raffles, and other surprises. On Saturday there’ll even be cake and lemonade.

The first year for any new small business is always a challenge, but there was no way owners Vanetta Parshall and Monique Liberti could have anticipated the struggles they would face when they followed their dream and opened their shop at 21 E. Main St. last summer. For a while it looked like they weren’t going to make it.

After a strong grand opening, hugely welcoming reception from the community, and a rapidly expanding clientele, disaster struck.

Just days before the Village of Webster’s White Christmas celebration took place, an event where potentially hundreds of new customers would discover the shop, a water leak from the apartment above them came through the floor and destroyed much of their merchandise. They to close to regroup.

Thanks to their loyal customers who bought gift certificates and “flood fabric,” they made enough money to cover their deductible. After restocking and completing some renovations, including a new floor, they reopened just a little more than a month later.

Then, after a strong grand reopening, hugely re-welcoming reception from the community, and a rapidly expanding clientele, COVID struck, and they had to close again.

Of course, we all know that story. Following the governor’s regional guidelines, it was almost three months before they could open again in June. Reflecting the kind of people Vanetta and Monique are, they spent that time coordinating an effort to make masks for health care workers and other agencies.

So, at least for now, things are smooth sailing again. And the ladies credit their loyal clients for helping them weather the storms.

Monique wrote,

Village Quilt Shoppe owners Vanetta Parshall and Monique Liberti

“Both Vanetta and I know that the primary reason we have made it is due to our customers. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU- we truly appreciate your support and are looking forward to another great year!”

She added, “Things can only get better. If we can make it through a flood and pandemic we can make it through anything.”

So make sure to pop in sometime in the next few days to say hi and congratulations.

The Village Quilt Shoppe is located at 21 East Main, at the corner of Lapham Park. They’re open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 11 to 5, Wednesday 11 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 3.

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Today’s blog is about community.

My story begins last Saturday morning around 11 a.m., when my husband and were riding our bikes on Rt. 250 north of the village. Just before we reached where the Hojack Trail crosses the road, I hit a pothole and went head-over-handlebars onto the road.

But that’s not what this story is about. It’s about the people who took the time to stop and help.

A large group of Genesee Valley Hiking members was crossing 250 as we approached, and when I went down, several of them immediately scurried over. Sandy, a nurse, called 911 while Stacey stood a few feet down the road slowing traffic. As we waited for the ambulance, Sandy even offered to transport my bike back home.

Those were the only two names I got, but there were others there ready to step in if necessary, not to mention all the drivers who slowed and asked if we needed anything.

This was not the first time I’ve seen this kind of community response after a traumatic incident. But it did confirm for me something we too often forget, especially in times like these when so many awful things are happening: there are more good people in this world than bad. People who are willing to stop whatever they’re doing to help a stranger in need.

And don’t worry about me; I broke my elbow but it would have been a lot worse had I not been wearing a helmet.

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Vivian, in her dad’s arms, and her brother Deaglan, watch the parade approach

Get ready. This story is going to hit you right in the feels.

Little Vivian Dooher, a child with special needs, only wanted a few simple things to celebrate her 4th birthday. She wanted to ride a real tractor on a real farm, she wanted to eat the Saturday dinner from one of her favorite books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar*, and she wanted to have a sleepover with her two older brothers.

But perhaps more than anything else, Vivian wanted a birthday car parade to pass by her house, complete with a fire truck and lots of lights and sirens.

A few months ago, Vivian had seen one of those birthday parades, and ever since had been advocating for one of her own. Still mostly nonverbal, she repeatedly made her wishes known by signing “firetruck” and “birthday.”

Arranging for the tractor ride was easy enough, thanks to the kindness of a farmer on

Vivian got her tractor ride thanks to the folks at the Holt Rd. Family Farm. 

Holt Rd., and the dinner and sleepover wouldn’t be a big deal. Getting the fire truck parade, however, proved to be a bit more difficult.

Kim, Vivian’s mother, called anyone she could think of who had any connection to a police department, ambulance corps, even a K-9 officer. “Everyone, every single one, said we can’t do it anymore.” 

In a last ditch effort, she left an impassioned voicemail for the Webster Volunteer Fire Department, explaining how this was her daughter’s dream, and asking if there was any way they could help. 

But even they turned her down, albeit very apologetically. They don’t do these parades anymore, either, they explained. The sheer volume of requests would be very difficult to manage.    

But then Chief Rob Boutillier heard about the voice mail and realized this was a very special young lady and a very special request. He gave the thumbs-up, and the parade was scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

Kim expected only one fire truck to show up, perhaps two, and several friends and relatives. She did not expect the astounding display of love that would stream by her house that morning.

There was a fire truck for sure, with lights and sirens blazing. But it was followed by almost a dozen other first responder vehicles, representing the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Webster Police, Webster EMS and more. And leading the way was WVFD Assistant Chief Andrew Vorndran.

Vivian, who sat in her father’s arms for the entire parade, clearly enjoyed the spectacle. Kim was downright overwhelmed.

Due to her medical issues Vivian is immunocompromised, Kim explained, so the family couldn’t have a “normal” birthday party.

“We can’t have people here and so I really wanted to give her the birthday of her dreams,” Kim said. “(The WVFD) have gone above and beyond to provide that for her. The Firemen’s Parade is her favorite time of year, and this is like her own personal Firemen’s Parade.”  

“I think she would have been OK,” if she didn’t get her firetruck, “but this is like the frosting on the birthday cake to have her dream actually come true.”

“I really can’t say enough about the fire department for doing this for us,” she continued. “They’ve always been good to our family. We go to the Halloween event every year and they let the kids climb on the trucks, and they’re amazing. They care about our community and they care about kids.” 

“It means so much to me to make her birthday wish come true and care that much about a young child in our community. Especially in the setting of this pandemic when we can’t have any sort of party. This is better than a party, this is her actual dream coming true.”

Here are some more photos from the event:

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 *(For anyone who doesn’t remember The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Saturday the caterpillar ate a piece of chocolate cake, an ice cream cone, a pickle, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of salami, a lollipop, a piece of cherry pie, a sausage, a cupcake, and slice of watermelon. Then he got a stomach ache. Let’s hope Vivian doesn’t.)

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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.