State Rd. students ROCKED the Kids Heart Challenge!

6 Mar

State Rd. Elementary School recently concluded the month-long Kids Heart Challenge in February, and they blew away all expectations.

Kids Heart Challenge is an initiative created by the American Heart Association to raise funds for research and teach kids about keeping their hearts and brains healthy, through fun and educational activities.

State Rd. phys. ed. teachers Dan Graf and Danielle Carlsen coordinate the event, encouraging students to reach out to friends and family for donations. Every year they set a fundraising goal of $10,000, and every year they exceed it. This year, 162 students participated. So far, they’ve raised an amazing $13,791 and the donations continue to come in. 

Graf and Carlsen make sure their students know that all the funds stay in the Rochester area to support research and education. But more than anything else, they teach the kids about heart health and making good choices. 

“It’s not just about fundraising,” Carlsen said. “It’s more about the educational experience. Learning about the signs of a heart attack, what an AED is. The money is secondary compared to the education they get from the event.”

Graf added, 

Our most important thing is that kids walk out of here knowing what the signs of a heart attack are, making better life choices. … Get 60 minutes of play every day; eat fruits and vegetables, the five food groups; try not to have as many sugary drinks, stay away from drugs and alcohol and smoking. Anything that’s good for your body, we talk about it. We play games with that all February long, and then we reiterate it throughout the year.

Graf has a personal stake in the program’s educational mission. In 2015, several years after State Rd. started participating in Kids Heart Challenge (known then as Jump Rope and Hoops for Heart), Graf had a heart attack and double bypass surgery.

He credits the program for saving his life. One night when he was out with friends, he started having chest pains that radiated up his neck and down both of his arms. He recognized what was happening, and immediately told his friends to call an ambulance.

“I knew every sign and symptom, and I knew that because of the American Heart Association.”

State Rd. Elementary School has been participating in the Kids Heart Challenge since 2003. Every year — even during a global pandemic — they’ve managed to reach and exceed their ambitious fundraising goal. They are truly making a difference in our community.

As Graf tells them every year, “You can do a little, but together we are something that creates a lot.” And just maybe, the things they’re learning today could save a life tomorrow.

Donations are still being accepted. To find out more, click here for the State Rd. Elementary School Kids Heart Challenge page.

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Webster community mailbag

5 Mar

This is a rather botanical-themed mailbag today, featuring sunflowers, trees and a carnivorous plant that wants to take over the world.

First, something bright and happy. The North Bee wants to flood the community with sunflowers, or sunyashniki, the national flower of Ukraine.

Amy Stringer from The North Bee writes,

For the month of March, 100% of proceeds from the sale of a Beeswax Sunflower Ornament will be donated to ROC Maidan so they can get the funds appropriated to where they are needed to help refugees and soldiers, offer humanitarian aid and help rebuild and recover from this devastation unfolding before our eyes (in Ukraine).

Amy is offering three different designs, the Full Sunflower, Monet Sunflowers, or the Dinner Plate Sunflower. “Whichever you choose,” she added, “I cannot wait to see them displayed everywhere! Come on friends, I’m ready to pour sunflowers all day!”

Click here for more information about this special event and ROC Maidan. The North Bee is located at 27 North Ave. in the Village of Webster.

Here’s a quick look at some of the fun the Webster Public Library has in store this month:

  • Bad Art Night, Friday March 25 from 6 to 7 p.m., for tweens and teens grades 4-12. The library will provide the supplies, you bring the creativity to make some crazy art. Click here to register.
  • Space, eclipses and all things in the sky, Tuesday March 29, 7 to 8 p.m. for all ages. Local space enthusiast Gaylon Arnold will talk about upcoming eclipses that will be viewable in our area, and other space events that might interest you during 2022 and beyond. Click here to register.
  • Family Friday Movie Night, April 1 at 6 p.m. Enjoy some snacks and get comfortable at the library while watching the movie Encanto! Bring pillows and blankets from home so you can get cozy to watch on our big projector screen. Click here to register.

This month’s make-and-take crafts are a leprechaun trap for the wee ones, origami star garland for teens and a decorated plant stake for adults. All crafts are available on a first-come-first-served basis while supplies last.

The Webster Public Library is located at 980 Ridge Rd., at the back of Webster Plaza.

Your next two Webster-based opportunities to donate blood and help save lives happen in just a few weeks.

There are all sorts of incentives this month to get you to make a donation.

Donate at any blood drive in Webster this March for a chance to win a $50 Wegmans gift card. PLUS, give blood or platelets in March and get a $10 e-gift card from Fanatics! PLUS, get a chance to score a trip to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

This notice from the folks at the Friends of Webster Trails, who have embarked on a program to save the trees of Webster.

The forests of Webster are under attack. Insects and disease are going after the ash, hemlock, oak, and beech. As they die, they will be replaced by invasive and most times non-native trees unless we do something.  

The Friends of Webster Trails has established a group to come up a plan and set it in motion.  ReTree – Replanting Our Native Forest aims to do just that. Tree surveys have been completed of many of our trail areas telling us what trees are present and their number.  You may have already noticed efforts to clear invasive plants along the Blue Trail in the Whiting Road Nature Preserve. In fall, potted trees of appropriate species will be purchased and planted in this area.  In spring, we will be building a tree nursery to grow native trees from seeds for future planting.  

Stay tuned for more information about this initiative.

Tickets are on sale now for Webster Thomas High School’s spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors.

Little Shop of Horrors is a sci-fi horror musical with a 1960s pop/rock score by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. It tells the story of meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn, who stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II.” The egotistical, sweet talking R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down-and-out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it, BLOOD. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out of this world origins and intent towards global domination.

Shows will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday April 7, 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. Reserve tickets are $12, or $10 for groups of ten or more. Click here to get yours.

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Barry’s Irish trad sessions highlighted in City Newspaper article

4 Mar

The weekly Saturday afternoon Irish traditional music sessions at Barry’s Old School Irish were featured front and center this week in an article published in City Newspaper.

For the article — which almost certainly was timed for the newspaper’s March issue because of St. Patrick’s Day — author Daniel Kushner visited at least two of the three Irish sessions which take place weekly in the Rochester area, at Johnny’s Irish Pub, the Chatlotte Tavern and Barry’s Old School Irish.

Kushner did a great job capturing the history, tradition and culture surrounding these traditional music sessions. But he didn’t stop there; Kushner also dug even deeper into Irish trad culture and history by interviewing Ted McGraw, one of the original members of the Rochester branch of the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Irish musicians’ association, and long-time host of the Irish Party House radio program.

The Saturday sessions at Barry’s happen every week from 2 to 5 p.m. If you’ve been in the pub during those hours, you’ve probably seen the musicians huddled in a circle over by the bakery case. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about who they are and why they’re there, click here to check out the article.

Since we’re talking about Barry’s Old School Irish, I want to let you know that our favorite Irish pub is gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day in a big way. I mean, special events have already begun.

Barry’s is welcoming St. Patrick’s Day festivities back after a COVID-induced hiatus by peppering the next few weeks liberally with music, whiskey tastings, dancers, a personalized Guinness pint night, green-themed trivia and a whole day filled with events on Parade Day (March 12), culminating of course on St. Patrick’s Day itself, when the pub opens at 8 a.m. with Irish coffees and breakfast.

There’s too much going on to put it all here. You can visit Barry’s Old School Irish’s Facebook page for more details about all of these.

Barry’s Old School Irish is located at 2 West Main St., at the Village of Webster’s four corners.

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Community Arts Day is back!

3 Mar
Decorative art.

As sure as sighting a robin is a sign of spring, I know that April is just around the corner when I start getting emails about Community Arts Day. And this year, that news is more exciting than ever, as it will be the first in-person Community Arts Day in three years. Because, well, you know…..

This year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd. This very family-friendly festival showcases Webster CSD students’ creative talents and involves the entire community in a day to celebrate the arts. It was created as a collaborative effort to raise money to encourage and enhance fine arts programs throughout the district.

Dozens of activities are planned throughout the day, including art displays, carnival games, sweet treats sale, plant sale, crafts, community group exhibits and more. Musical groups and demonstrators (karate, gymnastics, etc.) perform free all day, and you can even grab lunch and snacks. PLUS, this year there’s going to be an opportunity for ALL students to exhibit art at Community Arts Day (stay tuned for details about that).

Volunteers are always welcome and very much needed. Each of the 11 schools in the district contributes volunteers to the CAD committee to run the events, make baked goods, and make the day a great event for the entire community. Organizers are also looking for sponsors, and there are plenty of opportunities for exhibitors, performers and vendors.

To find out more about all of these opportunities, click here.  You can also follow the Community Arts Day Facebook page to keep up on the latest.  

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A visit with Esther Dunn

2 Mar

March, as you may know, is Women’s History Month. The Webster Museum recently sent out a notice marking the occasion, featuring one of the most influential women in Webster’s history, Esther Dunn.

Esther Dunn was a lifelong Webster resident and long-time Webster teacher. But she is most well known for the book she published in 1971, Webster …Through the Years. For many of us who are interested in Webster’s history and who like to write about it, the book has become a valuable reference.

So I read with great interest the email I got from the museum, which highlighted Esther’s life and accomplishments. It read,

It’s easy for the Webster Museum to find Webster women to celebrate during Women’s History Month. It’s harder to choose just one to feature. So, while raising a glass of Webster cider to all the women of Webster who served this community in the past and those who serve today, we present our 2022 Women’s History Month honoree. 

Esther Ann Dunn was born in Webster June 23, 1901 to a family of readers and writers and Lake Road apple-growers. She lived here until her death in October 1983, leaving Webster only to attend Geneseo Normal School for teacher training, to visit friends and family who lived away and to travel to Europe and Canada. 

Esther attended Webster schools fall through spring; childhood summers were spent helping her family pick apples. After training, she taught in Webster schools for over 35 years. She participated in activities at Holy Trinity Church, the Webster Women’s Republican Club and the Grange, where she served as librarian. Esther was a founding member of the Webster Historical Society as well as a member of the 1976 committee that organized the Webster Museum. She served as Webster Historian for 12 years and as trustee of the library, using her calm but powerful “teacher voice” to oppose the move of the Webster Library to the Town Hall. She was inducted into the Webster Women’s Hall of Fame in 1978, and that same year, Webster declared September 10 “Esther Dunn Day.”  

Due to the research talents of Eileen Brookins and the rich historical resources in historian Lynn Barton’s office, a more complete list of Esther Dunn’s contributions to the Webster community is taking shape. It will eventually find its way as a biography in the museum’s research site, currently being relocated to www.webstermuseum.org.

Esther’s obituary in the Webster Herald noted that she showed “the character, stamina and dedication of the people who made this a place ‘where life is worth living.’” Webster is lucky to have so many women and men of her caliber to have done so. 

You can learn more about the notable citizens of Webster at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the village. The museum is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2:00-4:30 pm. 

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Learn more about the new NEQALS facility

28 Feb

If you’ve been wanting to learn more about the brand new NEQALS facility on Jackson Rd., here’s your chance.

On Tuesday March 1 from 6 to 7 p.m., Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support will be hosting its first “Learn About EMS” meeting at the new headquarters, 1030 Jackson Rd.

Community members are invited to check out the brand new facility, take a tour, see the advanced life support equipment and ambulances, and understand how EMS works in Webster. Members of the NEQALS Board of Directors will be on hand to answer any questions.

Everyone is invited, and there’s no charge or need to register.

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Looking for leprechauns?

27 Feb

Get your leprechaun-hunting skills tuned up, because there are two great opportunities in March to go in search of these playful little sprites.

(OK, OK, neither of these events actually MENTIONS looking for leprechauns, but they ARE scavenger hunts, and since it’s St. Patrick’s Day season, I figure there’s a good chance some will turn up!)

What you WILL find with these two family-friendly scavenger hunts is some great exercise and good fun — and everyone might learn something new to boot.

The first is called the “Clovers and Clues” scavenger hunt, sponsored by Webster Parks and Recreation and the Webster Health and Education Network (WHEN). From March 1 through March 17, participants will hunt for clues placed in 13 locations all around the Town of Webster. Each clue consists of different letters, and when all the letters are collected, you’ll use them to decode a final message prompting healthy choices.

Completed answers can be submitted to Webster Parks and Recreation for the chance to win a prize.

Visit the WHEN website beginning March 1 to get your first clue. The hunt will run continuously through March 17. Collecting letters will take about an hour or two, can be done anytime and is a great activity for all ages. A smart phone is encouraged to help find clue locations and to scan QR codes.

This second Family Scavenger Hunt is also co-sponsored by the Webster Recreation Center in partnership with the Friends of Webster Trails.

This one-day event takes place on Sunday March 6 beginning at 10 a.m. at Gosnell Big Woods preserve on Vosburg Rd., rain or shine. Participants can sign in anytime between 10 and noon and receive an age-appropriate scavenger hunt answer key. Three skill levels will be provided for ages 2 to 12. Then just walk through the park gathering answers, submit your sheet when you’re done and get a prize.

Registration is $5 per person, and can be paid when you get there. All proceeds will benefit the Friends of Webster Trails and their efforts to maintain and improve our terrific trail system.

This is at least the third Family Scavenger Hunt the Friends have hosted, and they’ve all been very popular. These folks do a great job making sure that kids of all ages (and their adults) can participate and have fun.

So, you see, no mention of leprechauns. But if I were you, I’d keep my eye out for them anyway.

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The museum is seeking West Webster history

25 Feb

If you haven’t heard the exciting news yet, the Town of Webster has secured a grant to revitalize West Webster’s four corners area. In anticipation of that, the Webster Museum would like to gather as much information and history about the area as possible.

If you live there now, or are a former resident of the hamlet, they’d love if you could share some of your memories and old photos, anything that could help tell West Webster’s story. They’ll even copy or scan your photos so you don’t have to give them up. Who knows? They might even show up in future exhibits and programs.

If you have stories, old posters, postcards, photos or other memorabilia to share, please contact Jan Naujokas at 265-3268 or Webster Historian Lynn Barton at 265-3308.

Click here to read more about the revitalization plan.

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Fun in the snow, courtesy the Webster Rec

23 Feb

When you can’t beat the winter, join it! That’s the philosophy behind the Webster Parks and Recreation’s latest fun-in-the-snow event, the Polar Fun Run, scheduled for this Saturday Feb. 26.

This is a one-mile, untimed walk (or run if you’d like) around North Ponds Park. Everyone will enjoy hot chocolate and assorted other goodies afterwards. This is a great opportunity especially for families to get out together for a little exercise.

There’s no charge, but registration is required (after all, they need to know how much hot chocoloate to bring). Click here to register.

Here’s a preview of a few other fun events taking place in March which the Rec Center is helping pull together … not one, but TWO scavenger hunts!

Clovers & Clues runs from March 1 to 17, and will take participants all over town, collecting clues to complete a secret phrase. The Family Scavenger Hunt is a one-day event where families can explore Gosnell Big Woods. This is the third event like this which the Friends of Webster Trails has sponsored, and they’ve been very popular.

I’ll revisit both of these events in a future blog, but you might want to put them on your calendar now.

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I have a word problem

23 Feb

I freely admit it. I have a word problem.

I came to that realization this morning when I looked up at the clock and realized I’d been sitting on the couch in my pajamas, a long-empty coffee cup at my elbow, doing puzzles on my computer for two hours.

It began innoculously enough. Several weeks ago I was beginning to see my social media feeds filling up with references to this new word game, Wordle. I’m sure you know it; its popularity has been spreading like wildfire, so much so that the New York Times bought it, making its developer quite rich. (Beware for when the Times puts it behind their paywall.)

For a long time, I resisted the urge to fall into its clutches, mostly because of my irrational refusal to be sucked into current fads like a lemming. (I call it my “Cabbage Patch Doll policy.”) But after a few respected friends and readers suggested I try it out, I did. And I got hooked.

I started playing Wordle and found out I was pretty good at it. So much so that it only took a few minutes to puzzle out the solution, leaving me feeling a little cheated. (“What do you MEAN I have to wait until tomorrow for the next one? I want another one NOW!”)

Then last week I saw my friend Patty playing something called “Quordle” on her phone. It looked just like Wordle, but had FOUR boards to be solved simultaneously.

Ooooo. This was exactly what I was looking for.

I immediately became a fan. Having to solve four boards at once was not only more challenging, but took a little longer, so it helped scratch that itch.

Still, I wanted more.

A few days later I saw a reference to something called “Worldle,” which is a Wordle-like geography game (hence “world” in the name, if you didn’t notice that). It’s not a word game, but it is challenging and makes you think.

Then, this morning, I found the word game motherlode in this post from pcgamer.com by Christopher Livingston titled “10 games like Wordle you should add to your daily playlist.” The list included the two new ones I was already playing — Quordle and Worldle — but also games called Nerdle, Crosswordle, Dungleon, Squareword, Squabble, Eldrow, Waffle and Weredle.

Of course I had to do due diligence and try every one of them. They’re all permutations of the original Wordle, but present varying degrees of difficulty. One of them, Nerdle, is mathematics-based, and Dungleon uses fantasy characters.

After exhaustive research (two hours on the couch, recall), I found I didn’t really like most of the new games for one reason of another. But three of them — Waffle, Squareword and Eldrow — seem to have some real promise.

Like Wordle, though, most of these new games post only one puzzle every day, so you have to wait until the following day for another challenge. But now that I have six games to play every morning … that’s probably a good thing.

But I still might have to get a bigger coffee mug.

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