Spry staff members tackle Pink Ribbon Run

4 May

CaptureThere’s a wonderful bunch of lady runners at Spry Middle School who are working hard to make a difference.

Led by teacher Toni Lynn Swinson, this group of more than 40 women will be taking on the 17th Annual Pink Ribbon Walk & Run on Mother’s Day, to support the Breast Cancer Coalition.

The ladies have been working for weeks, whipping their legs in shape for the 5K, and whipping up donations for their cause.

It’s a scary fact that 1 in 8 women can expect a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime. The Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester is a terrific local organization dedicated to fighting this terrible disease and winning. Their advocacy, research, and funds stay right here at home in Rochester, and that includes every penny raised for this race.

That’s where you come in. These  Pink Ribbon Runners need your support to help make their efforts worthwhile. They’ve already raised more than $2,000, but would like to double that — or more.

It’s easy to donate; just click here to log onto their fundraising page. Even a little bit would help.

 

Next year, these ladies might try to make this a One Webster event, and invite lots more staff members to take part. If that happens, you can count me in.

As for this year ladies, if you’re a runner — or even a walker — and would like to join the Spry Pink Ribbon team, drop an email to Tony Lynn Swinson at ToniLynn_Swinson@webstercsd.org. They’d love to have you.

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The Village Band is back in action

3 May

 

This summer’s Webster Village Band concert dates have been set, beginning with a kick-off concert in conjunction with the Willink Student Band on Thursday May 10.
Now that I have your attention, here are some details.
Concerts are held on Thursday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the band shell at Harmony Park, near the corner of Ridge and Phillips Roads. They’re held most Thursdays during the summer, but move aside for other special events like the Fireman’s Carnival.
This year’s concerts are scheduled for June and 21, July 5 and 26, and August 2, 16 and 23.

The concert at Willink precedes the regular concert schedule, and will be something quite special. This from the press release:

On Thursday, May 10, the Webster Village Band will join students at Willink Middle School, 900 Publishers Parkway in Webster, at 7 p.m. to perform a side by side concert. It will be directed by Matt Osika from Willink Middle School, Village Band director Tom Indiano, and associate director Sue Siegmund.  Each band will perform a few selections individually, and will join together to play Star Wars Saga, music by John Williams.  Included in this rendition are the Main Theme from Star Wars, The Imperial March, Han Solo and the Princess, The Jedi Steps, Rey’s Theme, Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle, March of the Resistance, and The Throne Room (And End Title).

Admission to the concert is free.

In addition to all of these concerts, stay tuned for more information about the band’s annual appearance at the Joe Obbie Farm Market’s Christmas in July event.

The Webster Village Band is comprised of musicians who span several generations, from teens to octogenarians. They have one thing in common, though:  a passion to make music. The band is always looking for new members who want to join in the fun. If you’re interested, contact Harvey Cohen at hcohen@rochester.rr.com

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Spring events have sprung

1 May

HAPPY MAY!

It looks like we’re finally going to get some nice spring weather this week, so perhaps it’s time to come out from hibernation and check out what’s going on around town.

meet the candidates

It’s school-budget-vote time. On May 15, district residents be asked to approve this year’s budget, and the new slate of Board of Education candidates. You can meet the candidates for yourself and pepper them with questions on Tuesday night May 2, at 7 p.m. at Spry Middle School.

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The Webster Public Library has a few fun programs coming up.

* This Thursday May 3 is Star Wars Night at the library. Stop by from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to celebrate all things Star Wars, including crafts and special activities. The whole family is invited and there’s no registration needed. All ages are welcome.

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* Percy Jackson fans will want to be on hand Saturday May 5 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. for the Rick Riordan book release party, celebrating the release of Riordan’s third book in the Trials of Apollo series: The Burning Maze. The event will include crafts, games, snacks, and a special viewing of the video of Rick’s recent visit to Rochester. Costumes are welcome, so come dressed as your favorite character.

All ages are welcome, but space is limited, so click here to register.

* We’ve seen enough rain to last us for a while, but just in case more is on the way, you might want to check out the library’s Rain Barrel & Rain Garden Workshop on Tuesday, May 15 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Learn how to protect local water quality by learning about rain gardens and building a rain barrel for your home. All tools and materials will be supplied at the workshop.

Workshop fee is $40 per rain barrel. Pre-registration is required. Click here.

The Webster Public Library is located at 980 Ridge Road. For more information, visit the library’s website here.

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The First Baptist Church of Penfield will host a chicken barbecue this Saturday May 5 from 2 till 6 pm, (or sold out).

Chickens will be prepared on site by Gale-Wyn Catering. Dinners are $10.50 and include a half barbecued chicken, coleslaw or macaroni salad, salt potatoes, roll and butter, plus a dessert.

The First Baptist Church of Penfield is located at 1862 Penfield Road. For more information call 585-586-2876 or visit http://www.fbpenfield.org.

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Webster Library to host unique photography exhibit

30 Apr

Everybody has a story. That’s the intriguing premise behind a brand new photography exhibit opening Tuesday at the Webster Public Library.

Created by Linda Dow Hayes of Hayes Photography, the exhibit features portraits and personal narratives of 25 Webster Central School District faculty and staff members

Hayes, who works as a teaching assistant at Webster Thomas High School, has always been interested in creating insightful portraits. The project grew from remarks made by Webster CSD superintendent Carm Gumina on the opening day of school last year, when he talked about the fact that all faculty and staff members have stories to tell.

Hayes took that thought and ran with it, creating her very personal and meaningful “We All Have a Story” exhibit, where she takes a closer look at the lives and stories of more than two dozen staff members.

“The idea of connecting with interested faculty and staff members by taking their portraits was something that I felt might work to help me grow as an artist and connect with the community-at-large,” Hayes said.

The exhibit, which runs the entire month of May, will be open to the public during the library’s normal business hours, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., friday from 10 to 6, and Saturday from 10 to 5.

The public is invited to an opening reception on Wednesday May 2 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Webster Public Library is located at 980 Ridge Road.

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Deb Carpenter recognized for service

26 Apr

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Congratulations to Deb Carpenter for recently marking almost 30 years of service to Webster Parks and Recreation!

The occasion was marked on Tuesday with a surprise party at the Rec, scheduled right after the Froggy Fitness class which she helps out with. She was presented with a plaque while surrounded by many of those students. Deb also runs the Rec’s Soccer Squirts and Preschool Track and Field programs throughout the year for 3 to 5-year olds.

Deb originally started with the Parks and Recreation Department in 1984. She worked at North Ponds Park and summer camps every summer when she was home from college, then in 1998 she started helping with youth programs again and just never stopped.

According to Recreation Supervisor Julie Schillaci, Deb is “full of energy and the kids just love coming to her classes!”

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Webster’s volunteer fire departments need you

25 Apr
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A controlled burn on Ridge Road last November provided a valuable training opportunity.

Have you ever toyed with the idea of becoming a firefighter? (Since you were a kid, I mean.) Just because you’re all grown up with a family and working full time doesn’t mean you can’t still fulfill that dream.

Becoming a volunteer firefighter really isn’t as difficult or dangerous as you might think, and if you’ve ever considered it even for a moment, you owe it to yourself to drop by the fire house in the village of Webster (35 South Ave.) or in West Webster (1051 Gravel Road) this weekend for the annual RecruitNY event.

For four hours this Saturday April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Webster and West Webster firefighters will be opening their fire houses for tours and to answer any questions you might have about joining their ranks. In the case of West Webster, it will also be a great chance to check out their brand new facility.

For more information, check out the WVFD Facebook page or the WWFD Facebook page.

Also, if you haven;t had a chance to read the column published last weekend about RecruitNY and our own WVFD, click here. It might answer some questions.

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YOU need to come to the Willink play

25 Apr
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Mayli Nitsch, Olivia Freida and Alex Ramirez work on a scene during rehearsal. (Provided)

Paradise Junction is just about the most perfect small town in the world.

It’s a place where everybody gets along, the sun is always shining, and the tomatoes grow as big as beach balls. So when a TV network offers to film a reality show there, the townsfolk jump at the chance. After all, the town will receive five million dollars, while the publicity promises to turn the residents into TV stars.

But host Wink Smiley has his own agenda. Secrets are revealed, old feuds are rekindled, and the town’s annual pie-baking contest is turned into a massive food fight. Now it’s up to Joe Goode, owner of the Rise ’n’ Shine Diner, to save the town.

Find out for yourself if he’s successful when the students of Willink Middle School present the student-run play Paradise Junction on Friday May 4 at 7 p.m. and Saturday May 5 at 1 p.m.

The heartwarming comedy is inspired by the films of Frank Capra such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Tickets are just $5 and will be available at the door.

Willink Middle School is located at 900 Publisher’s Parkway, Webster. For more information, visit willinkstudentrunplay.club.

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Julia Maciag, Jakob Rothfuss (Technical Director) and Colby Armstrong (Performing Director) work on set pieces for Paradise Junction. (Provided) 

Thank you to Jakob Rothfuss for providing all this information and the photos!

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And, it’s time to avoid Ridge again

24 Apr

So, the corner of Five Mile Line and Ridge Road is a mess. I mean a REAL mess in all four directions. Like at most times of the day it’s best to find a completely other way around rather than drive through it.

I know that this is just a temporary situation and eventually the aggravation will be worth it. After all, we’ve been whining about Ridge Road improvements for a long time.

But frankly, I have some nagging doubts that all the work will alleviate the traffic problems. That’s mostly because when they upgraded the traffic lights at that intersection last year, they managed to make things worse by eliminating at least one of the right turn arrows that facilitated turns from Five Mile Line.

And the DOT in their infinite wisdom STILL doesn’t realize that pretty much every light on Ridge Road between the village and Hatch Road can afford to be on blinker after midnight. I can’t believe I’m the only one who’s been stuck waiting for all the traffic to come out of the Kmart plaza and CVS at 2 a.m.

I can’t wait until the construction moves to Hatch Road, which will really flummox my drive to work.

Enjoy spring and construction season, everyone! (Just stay off of Ridge.)

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Beyond Cuts holds grand opening

22 Apr

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The sun was shining brightly (finally) and the temperatures were reasonable (finally) on Saturday, making it a perfect day for a celebration.

The occasion was the grand opening for Beyond Cuts Salon at 33 North Ave. The salon itself is well known in town — it’s been owned and operated in the village by Robyn Whittaker for ages. But after 15 years at a small location on West Main Street, Robyn finally was able to move up and out in January to her beautiful new location, directly across North Ave. from Gazebo Park and the Waffle Factory.

Dozens of well-wishers were on hand to take part in the official ribbon cutting, and afterwards enjoyed all sorts of snacks and beverages. Robin also had baskets of giveaways for both children and adults, and a raffle.

I had never been in the salon until Saturday, and I have to say it is a thing of beauty, and very sunny. It’s basically huge — at 1500 square feet, it’s five times bigger than the space she had before. All that extra space has allowed Robyn to add lots of services and amenities, including:

  • a style station where people can try out curling irons and blow dryers while they wait
  • a children’s play area
  • a private body waxing room
  • an expanded manicure area, and more
  • and a huge bathroom (“the last one we had was about as large as this sink,” Robyn laughed.)

Even with all these new services and amenities, Robyn finds something else entirely most exciting: her on-site laundry room. “For 17 years I dragged the towels back and forth to  my house.” she said. “Now I can do them in the back room which is super exciting.”

Robyn also likes the history of the building, which used to be the old Webster Cleaners. .

“People come in here and say, ‘I used to bring my dry cleaning here.’ It’s kind of cool being in a building that people actually came to all the time.”

Check out the new Beyond Cuts Salon for yourself. You’ll find them online here and on Facebook here.

ribbon 2

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Q&A about being a volunteer firefighter

22 Apr

swingly

My Our Towns East Extra column today highlights our very own Webster Volunteer Fire Department. I am proud to know many of these men and women, and pleased to be able to help them in their cause to recruit new members.

So if you’ve ever thought about it — even a bit — and ever had questions like “Do I have to get up every night in the middle of the night to run into a burning building?” you shsould read this column.

wvfd

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

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