Friday mailbag

3 May

Hey Webster, you’ve got a busy couple of weeks ahead.

Tomorrow — Saturday May 4 — the Webster Nursery School is hosting a garage sale fundraiser from 9 am to 3 pm.  This is a multi-family sale with “many great items all families can use,” including toys, books, games, children’s clothing and household items. From 2-3 pm you’ll find reduced prices on everything.  Baked goods will also be available for purchase.

The sale will take place in the parking lot behind the Webster Baptist Church, 59 South Ave.

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The Friends of the Webster Public Library will hold their annual spring used book sale, next Tuesday through Saturday.

Members of the Friends are invited to a sneak peek on Tuesday from 5-8:30 pm, a perfect chance to get the best bargains right off the bat. (If you want in on that action, you’ll be able to purchase a membership that evening.)

The rest of the book-loving public can shop on Wednesday and Thursday May 8 and 9 from 10-8:30, Thursday and Friday from 10-5, and Saturday May 11 from 10-1.

And before we leave the library, here’s a fun little invitation I saw on their newly revamped website (it’s next to the photo of a cat reading a book).

 Which type of pet reads the most? Send us a picture of your pet reading a book. Whichever pet type has the most pictures reading will win and be the best reader! Send pictures to Jenny Paxson and we’ll post them on the Webster Library Facebook page and they will also go on display at the library.

Sounds like fun. But my cats only read romance novels, and that would just be embarrassing.

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Have a little history with your tea on Wednesday May 8, with the Webster Museum’s History and a Cup program. Bring a sandwich — the museum will provide the coffee or tea — and hear some stories about growing up in Webster.

History and a Cup begins at noon on Wednesday, at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the village.

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The Schroeder Varsity Girls Lacrosse team needs shoes!

No, not for themselves. They’re collecting black shoes (sizes 12 to 7-8) for students at Brown’s Hall Primary School (K-6) in Jamaica. Students are in need of black gently work or new shoes to wear to school (preferably closed-toed).

Donations are being accepted through May 10, and can be dropped off in the box near the front desk just inside Schroeder’s front door.

* * *

Dahlia season is upon us. Early spring is the best time to plant the tubers so they’ll bloom in late summer and early fall, when most of the other flowering plants are fading.

The members of the Rochester Dahlia Society and other gardening groups will be selling dahlia tubers and more mature plants at the Webster Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Road, on Saturday, May 11 from 8-12.  Other sales will be held May 12 and 26 at the Rochester Public Market and May 25 at the Rochester Civic Garden Center.

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My friends at Yesterday’s Muse book store recently sent this announcement about a local author:

Now available, the recently published memoir of a Rochester soldier who fought in World War II: A Long Way from Home: The Memoir of John Cipolla, 101st Airborne Division, 1942-1945, by Matt Fox.

The recent release of The Battle in Common, another locally-focused account of World War II, enjoyed a huge response. Fox’s work chronicles some of the same events, but from the perspective of one soldier. From the back cover:

“In 1942, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, John Cipolla saw a recruiting poster for the airborne infantry outside of the recruiting office in his Rochester, NY neighborhood and signed up. After months of grueling training, he shipped out for Europe with the newly-formed 101st Airborne Division. The year he spent in Europe would be the most momentous year of his life. He took part in Operation Overlord, parachuting into Normandy the night before troops hit the beaches, and parachuted into Holland for Operation Market Garden. He was with the 101st at Bastogne, when they shivered in the snow and fought desperately to keep the Germans who surrounded them at bay. This book is John’s story, told from his perspective as a private in C Company of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.”

The book was written over a period of nearly seven years, during which time Fox interviewed Mr. Cipolla extensively, and performed exhaustive research to fill in gaps of chronology and verify facts. It was published last year by Mr. Fox through Amazon’s CreateSpace publishing service.

The book costs $10, and is available for purchase at Yesterday’s Muse Books, 32 W Main St in Webster, NY. Inquiries by phone or e-mail are welcome: 585-265-9295; yesterdays.muse@gmail.com.

Hey honey, let’s have the neighbors over for dinner!

3 May

Webster’s new community website, WeAreWebster.com, has just come up with a great idea.  

It’s called “Invite Your Neighbor to Dinner,” and it’s just what it says.  The idea is to ask a neighbor over for dinner sometime during the month of May, enjoy a fine evening with friends, then take a picture of the occasion and post it to WeAreWebster.com.

It’s a simple concept, and on the face of it a no-brainer. But unless you regularly join your neighbors for dinner parties, how often do we really do this?

Joe Harmon, the website’s creator, tells me he’d like to sponsor a new community event like this every month.  He’s already got some ideas in the works, but will be asking the Webster community for ideas as well.

Check out this new program and the other great information by visiting WeAreWebster.com .

To find out more about this new community website, click here to read my earlier blog.

Now you see it, now you don’t

1 May

This is what was left of the Mobil station at around 4 pm yesterday

If you drove down Ridge Road today, you might have noticed a big change at the corner of Ridge and Five Mile Line. That long-defunct Mobil gas station is being dismantled. Between 7 am when I went to work and 3:30 pm when I was coming home, it had been almost completely removed.

The construction doesn’t come as a surprise. We knew back in January that the corner has a new owner, who is planning to replace the station with an Express Mart, including at Tim Horton’s.

Thank you to my friend Sarah King for snapping the photo for me.

 

 

Mr. Ahlquist goes to Washington

29 Apr

Webster Thomas High School social studies teacher Greg Ahlquist had the opportunity to meet President Obama last week on a trip to Washington D.C.  The honor was one of many that Ahlquist has received after being named New York State Teacher of the Year for 2013.

Since receiving the honor last October, Ahlquist has spent much of this school year traveling around the country as an ambassador for the state and the school district.

The two shots below are from the photo op with President Obama and all of the nation’s Teachers of the Year. Ahlquist can be seen in the back row on the left in the first photo — he’s the tall one next to the flag. In the second photo, you can just see his face peeking out from behind at top right (he’s wearing glasses).

 

 

 

Two invitations from the school district

29 Apr

Today I pass along a few notes straight from the school district:

The first is an invitation to join a Strategic Planning Committee Forum next week. In extending the invitation, Superintendent of Schools Adele Bovard wrote,

The district is in continual need of our community’s input as we keep building on the strategic planning process that began three years ago. Those beginning phases of the strategic planning process focused on parent engagement, technology, and communication within the district. Community members are now invited to share input with the district’s strategic planning group to help answer the question, “What does it mean for a Webster student to be college, career, and community ready?” Activities to help answer that question will include focus groups during this forum and, in the near future, an updated survey of the community.

The forum will be help on Tuesday, May 7  from 7 – 8:30 pm at Webster Thomas High School’s South Cafeteria, 800 Five Mile Line Road.  If you’re interested in attending, contact Krista Grose, WCSD Public Relations Coordinator, at 216-0013, or Krista_Grose@websterschools.org.

* * *

The Webster Central Schools PTSA has just announced that its 2013-2014 PTSA Calendar Cover Art Contest has officially begun.

Any WCSD student in grades K-11 is invited to enter. There will be two winners, one for the smaller size calendar and one for the larger size calendar. Each winner will receive a $25 gift card from Barnes and Noble and have their art work reproduced on more than 2000 calendars sold by the Webster Central PTSA.

Entries must be submitted by Friday May 31 (no late entries will be accepted), and the artwork will not be returned.  Entries must conform to the rules below and will be judged on their artistic merit and the ability to reproduce the work on the calendar.  The subject of the drawing must relate to education.Here’s the fine print:

ALL ENTRIES MUST:

  • be hand drawn in black ink or black marker on white paper no larger than 11” high by 14” wide (or smaller than 8 ½ X 11″); landscape format preferred;
  • must not include copyrighted characters or images such as Snoopy or Mickey Mouse;
  • must not be folded;
  • must not include the name of a specific school or teacher, and must not contain any misspelled words;
  • must have the following information printed on the back of the artwork: student’s name, current school and grade, and home telephone number;
  • Artwork should reflect education and/or positive youth values (such as the 40 Developmental Assets).

Artwork must be submitted to your school office or library by Friday May 31. For any questions contact your school’s PTSA Chair or Terri Edwards at 872-3993 (tme @rochester.rr.com).

 

 

Two ways to help support the Webster Comfort Care Home

23 Apr

There was a very nice article on the front page of the local section of yesterday’s D&C about one of Webster’s finest community service organizations, the Webster Comfort Care Home. (See the article online by clicking here.)

The home, located at the corner of Holt and Klem roads, provides free hospice care to the terminally ill of our Webster community. This year they’re celebrating their tenth anniversary with a series of events beginning with a fund-raising concert this Saturday night, which was prominently featured in yesterday’s article.

The concert is called “An Evening With The International Guitar Duo and Petar Kodzas” and will feature a candlelit cabaret atmosphere and “world-class” musical artists playing classical, pop, jazz and country music. Bakery items and beverages will be available for purchase, including wine and beer. There’s no admission charge, but a a minimum $10 per person donation is suggested. Tables for 8 can be reserved for $80 by calling Craig Pratt at 585-347-4202.

It takes place Saturday night April 27, beginning at 7 pm, at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive. For more information go to www.webstercomfortcare.org. Or click here to see video clips of International Guitar Duo:  http://vimeo.com/51718023  and classical guitarist Petar Kodzaz: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGg3WSjAefA.

WCCH Fashion Show

Finally, don’t forget about the The Webster Comfort Care Home’s annual Spring Fling Fashion Show fundraiser on Saturday, May 18 at 11:30 am at the Penfield Country Club.  Fashions are being provided by Stein Mart and the event includes a delicious luncheon and silent auction. Cost is $27 per person.  Reservations are required and can be made by calling Mary Ann at 872-6568.

* * *

In the past ten years, the Webster Comfort Care Home has hosted more than 290 of our friends and neighbors, providing them with compassion and comfort as they ended their life journey. There is no charge to residents or their families for these hospice-like services, and they receive no government assistance to help defray their operating expenses, nearly $190 thousand annually. Instead, all of the agency’s funding comes by way of corporate, business and individual contributions, and fundraisers such as these.

Webster Presbyterian Mission Team helps our Southern Tier neighbors

22 Apr

This super-friendly looking group just returned from a service trip helping rebuild homes in the Southern Tier.

This is a nice story from the folks at the Webster Presbyterian Church, who recently returned from an Adult Mission Team Trip in the Southern Tier.

Sixteen church members participated in the week-long service trip, in which they helped three homeowners in the Endicott-Binghamton area make repairs to their homes, which were badly damaged in the awful flooding that took place there in September 2011.

Mission Committee member Laureen Anthony-Palmer reported that the group worked on drywall and did some painting for a house in Vestal, did “lots of painting” and hung a door on a house in Owego, and installed vinyl siding on a home in Barton. “All three homeowners were extremely grateful for our help and were very helpful to us the entire week,” Laureen added.

This is the second time a service group from the Webster Presbyterian Church has traveled to the Binghamton area. Last October a team spent a week rehabilitating two homes in Johnson City.  One of the homeowners was an 86-year old widow named Betty, who had spent the previous year living upstairs in three bedrooms and a bathroom.

Laureen was pleased to report that this month’s Mission Team members went back to visit Betty to see how things were going.  “It was not only great to visit with her again,” Laureen wrote, “but also to see that the renovations on her home are now almost complete and she is once again able to live on both floors of her home.”

The Webster Presbyterian Adult Mission Team’s visit was hosted by the First Presbyterian Church in Endicott, who reported that the work down there is far from done.  As of last fall, there were still about 1000 in the greater Binghamton area in need of repair, and they expected to be sponsoring work teams for at least the next two years.

I particularly love this story because I feel a very personal connection with it.  Owego is my hometown, and I was heartbroken when I saw the devastation caused by the floods.  On a recent visit I was glad to see that the beautiful little town has rebounded well, in part thanks to the efforts of fine folks like these.

So may I add my personal thank you for your kindness and generosity of time and talent.

 

New website is designed to bring Webster together

21 Apr

Webster resident Joe Harmon wants to bring our town closer together, and he wants to do it through a website.

It’s called We Are Webster, a virtual community — Joe calls it a “town square” —  where Webster residents can gather to find information about local news, organizations and upcoming events.

The main portion of the page is devoted to a news feed which Joe keeps updated with local and national news. In the sidebars, visitors will find the @We_are_Webster Twitter feed, a blog, an events calendar, links to community organizations, and more.

But Joe hopes the website will become much more than just another calendar of events page. He wants We Are Webster to become a resource for residents to engage with one another and the community, a gathering place for people to share ideas and information, organize support for causes, and become part of a social network devoted to helping one another.

He’s seen this happen before, in the days and weeks immediately following the tragic events of Christmas Eve. He wrote,

As the community was trying to come to grips with the horrific events, a Facebook page was created almost immediately to help provide community members with critical information and a digital memorial for the fallen heroes. As the Webster community began to grieve, they also came together to provide, food, shelter, monetary donations and many other acts of kindness. The idea of “pay-it-forward” was being felt not only in our small town but across the region and even across the country. A “virtual” community space led to so much good being done for the families of the heroes as well as fellow firefighters and first responders.

Then he took those thoughts and went a step further, asking himself,

Why does it take a tragic event to bring a community together? Shouldn’t we all be doing more in our own community? How do we find this information? Where can I go online to find opportunities to help my community?

So Joe put his significant web-design skills to work and came up with We Are Webster, which he hopes will become that community resource. He continued,

If the events of Christmas Eve taught us anything, it was that Webster volunteers and residents are always willing and able to help each other in good times and in tragedy. We should never be afraid to offer assistance to our neighbors or come together to improve our community. As the old saying goes – we are all in this together!

“We Are Webster” is not just a phrase, it’s a way of life. There is a reason why our town motto is “Where Life is Worth Living.” And together, we will continue to build a stronger community!

Click here to go to the We Are Webster website, join that community, and help make Webster stronger.  You can also check out their Facebook page by clicking here.

 

Mystery checkerboards

21 Apr

Have any of these turned up in your corner of Webster?

In two places along Hatch Road, someone has pasted checkerboard posters on utility boxes. There’s no identifying marks or political statement of any kind, just the posters.

As you can see from the photos, someone has tried their darndest to rip them off, with little success. They’re stuck on there good.

Has anyone seen them elsewhere? Does anyone have a clue to what they mean or who the artist is? Maybe it’s that skeleton-artist guy who was decorating the Phillips Road overpass, deciding to branch out a bit.

 

email me at missyblog@gmail.com

 

Can you help with cleanup at Case Park?

19 Apr

Milton R. Case Park is overdue for a facelift, and Ian Fike is on the job.

If you’ve never heard of Milton R. Case Park, don’t feel too bad. It’s been in such a sad state for so long that it doesn’t get much use, or attention. Plus, its main entrance on South Avenue is tucked between two houses and it doubles as a driveway, so it’s easy to miss when you’re zooming by on 250.

But it’s a great little park once you get to know it. It boasts 14 acres of woods and several nature trails. And it’s right in the village, so it’s really easy to get to. It’s just a little … shabby.

Ian Fike, a Life Scout from Troop 163 (St. Rita Church) wants to do something about that. For his Eagle Scout project, he decided to tackle the challenge of improving Case Park.

His plans include repairing the trails, installing new trail head signs, and removing debris and trash. One of the things I like best are his plans to improve the trail and trail head access from Spry Middle School. Perhaps that will encourage more exploration by the students and staff there.

It’s going to be a big job, and he can’t do it alone. So Ian has sent out a request for help from the community. He’s looking for donations of materials he’ll need for the project, and volunteers for his work crew on Saturday April 27.

Here are some details:

Ian Fike’s Case Park Eagle Scout Project
Work Day: Saturday April 27, 9 am to 2 pm
click here to sign up to work or donate materials:
http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/skvft

Check out the photos below of some of the jobs Ian wants to accomplish:

 

The park definitely needs new signs.

All this debris needs to be cleared.

Here’s where Ian wants to create a better path from Spry to Case Park

One of the low areas that needs to be filled.

 

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