Last call for Oak Tree Award nominations

10 Dec

Do you know an awesome teacher? There’s still time to nominate outstanding educators for the 2013 Oak Tree Award.

The annual Oak Tree Award is sponsored by the Webster Teacher Association and Webster Central PTSA, and recognizes teacher excellence at both elementary and secondary levels. Any Webster Central School District resident or district employee (including teachers and administrators), student or parents may nominate teachers. Two winners are chosen every year.

Click here to see the nomination criteria and download a form.  But do it soon; nominations are due by this Friday, Dec. 14.

 

Santa at the Plaza

10 Dec

Santa was in town on Saturday, over at Towne Center Plaza. Apparently he made a visit to the Joe Obbie’s Farm Market, which I thought had folded its tents for the season. I wasn’t there, but my friend Any Weetman happened to be there with her daughters, and filed this report:

During the week I noted a small sign that said Santa would be in the gazebo at the Holt Rd Plaza on Saturday 11-3pm.  We needed to do some shopping on Saturday and figured we’d try to check it out.  As we pulled into the plaza, we noticed another sign about a farmer’s market and then saw tents set up near the gazebo.  As we neared JoAnne’s, our first stop, a horse drawn carriage passed us by with happy passengers waving and Santa himself!  It was a great start to our shopping trip.

Because Santa was not at his gazebo post at the moment, we shopped first.  When we came back to the parking lot, Santa was back near the gazebo.  We walked over and were greeted by lovely people offering us free cider and cookies and encouraged us to take a ride on the horse drawn carriage, also free.  Of course we saw Santa too.  We walked over to the gazebo with him and he sat upon his special chair.  My girls were not too sure about being close to Santa, but we had a nice chat and got a picture of him.

Finally, we walked over to the carriage and had a lovely ride around part of the plaza.  It was lovely to have a break from the shopping frenzy and enjoy time with my girls.

What a fun event that was, and such a nice surprise for anyone who needed to give their kids a break from shopping. Thanks again, Amy, for your fine reporting!

Amy Weetman with her daughters Kessa (2), and Sydney (8).

Thomas student follows his passion — despite his challenges

10 Dec

D&C photo by Jamie Germano

Today I was going to blog about something rather boring, but instead I’d like to draw your attention to a very nice article in the D&C this morning. It’s about former Webster Thomas High School student Mark Houppert. It’s on the front page of the sports section, or you can click here to read it.

Mark has been struggling with early-onset Parkinson’s disease since he was three years old, but that has not dampened his love of sports — basketball in particular. When I knew him at Thomas, he served as manager for the varsity basketball team. I was pleased to see this morning that as manager of the St. John Fisher basketball team, he is still following his passion.

Once again, you can read the whole story here, and also check out the nice sidebar about when Mark met his basketball hero, Kobe Bryant, back in 2010, courtesy of the Dream Factory.

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Aside

Village offices relocated — temporarily

10 Dec

If you need visit the Village Hall offices anytime in the next week, don’t be surprised if you find the front doors locked.

Apparently, when workers were recently yanking up some old carpeting for replacement, the tiles below it also started to come up. That would not normally be a problem, but the tiles contain asbestos.   So that meant testing the air quality (which is fine) and  collecting the proper permits from the state before hiring an asbestos abatement company to finish removing the tiles.

Naturally, all that will take some time. Village officials hope the offices will only be closed for a week, and when the doors open again, there will be some beautiful new carpet in place…and no asbestos tiles.

But in the meantime, you’ll find all your favorite Village Hall employees providing all the wonderful Village Hall services (including passports) in the Department of Public Works offices just around the back. Call them at 265-3770.

It’s CHRISTMAS TREE WEEKEND!

6 Dec

Ever since I’ve been a teenager, this has been one of my favorite weekends of the entire year. “This” being the weekend including — or closest to — the date of December 11.  That date has been near and dear to my heart for more than 40 years, because of one very special December 11 from my youth.

I think it was 1971, and at 13 years old, I was a cool-cat teenager, but still young enough to be very excited that Christmas was just around the corner.  It was an ordinary Saturday, nothing much going on, when out of the blue my mother came into the family room and asked a simple question, which I still remember clearly to this day:

“Do you want to go out and get our Christmas tree?”

I can still feel the pure joy I felt when I heard those words.  Strangely, I don’t remember actually getting the tree, putting it up or decorating it. I just remember that it felt like Christmas had finally, officially, begun.

I don’t think I’ve ever told my family that story, so they probably have no idea why I start getting itchy for a Christmas tree about this time of the month. But I’m sure I’m not the only one. With only three weekends to go before Christmas, the crowds will be thick at our local tree-sellers these next few days. Good thing we have several options very close by, most offering both pre-cut and cut-your own varieties:

* Bauman’s Farm Market, 1340 Five Mile Line Road (corner of Plank)
* Freckleton’s Tree Farm, 1651 Harris Road, Penfield
* Wilbert’s Christmas Tree Farm, 1321 Salt Road
* Kunz’s Tree Farm, 959 Five Mile Line Road (across from Lowes)
* Woody Acres, 1530 Harris Road, Penfield

And don’t forget about our faithful Boy Scouts. St. Rita Troop #163 is braving the cold again this year at their stand next to Bill Gray’s Restaurant on Hard Road (in the K-Mart/BJ’s plaza).  Their trees start at $40. They’re open 6:30-8:30 weekdays, 9-7 on Saturday and 10-5 Sunday.

Ironically, I won’t be joining you out there this weekend. I already have my tree. Do you remember the blog I wrote last week about the Festival of Trees at the Webster Museum and the raffle they were holding? At the end of that blog I encouraged everyone to go to the museum and enter the raffle, but added, “I’m going to win the Christmas tree. Just sayin’.”

I was only kidding. But I did. It’s a Bauman’s tree, and it’s beautiful, probably nicer than I could have picked out for myself.  So now go out this weekend and make yourself a memory.

Thursday Mailbag

5 Dec

The second of Webster’s three Fabulous Festive Fridays (I just made that up) is tomorrow, when the Village Band presents its annual Holiday Concert.  It’s the band’s annual holiday gift to the community, thanks for all the support they’ve received this year.

The concert begins at 2 pm at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Road. There is no admission charge. Click here for more information and to see some photos from last year’s concert.

Looking ahead, next Friday the village continues to welcome the holiday season with the Lighting of the Lights from 4-8 pm, at Hank’s Ice Cream and Taylor Rental on North Avenue.  More details to come, but click here if you can’t wait.

* * *

The folks at Henderson Ford are partnering with the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, and challenging their staff, customers and the Webster community to help fill a 2013 Ford Escape with toys

New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off through December 10 at Henderson Ford, 810 Ridge Rd., Webster, or at any of the following participating locations:

A Different Point of View, 2920 Monroe Ave, Pittsford
Design Pool & Spa, 7244 Palmyra Rd., Fairport
Dixon Schwabl, 1595 Moseley Road, Victor
Edge Advertising Group, 6 North Main St. Suite 220, Fairport
JNCS, 1387 Fairport Rd Suite 900J, Fairport
Omero’s Clothes, call 585-392-2939 to schedule a drop off

* * *

On Sunday December 16, Music at Immanuel will present A Service of Lessons and Carols beginning at 7 pm.  The event is free and open to the public.

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church is located at 131 West Main Street in the Village of Webster, at the corner of Daniel Drive. Parking is available behind the church accessed from Daniel Drive. More information at http://www.immanuelwebster.org or through the church office 585-872-5180 ext. 12.

* * *

This note is from Plank North Elementary, which is hosting its Share the Season night tomorrow night.  The email I received about it yesterday said there are so many kids in the Plank North chorus now that they can’t all safely squeeze onto the stage for their annual performance.  So instead, they’re planning a family sing-along. “Ms. King will play piano,” the email said, “accompanied by a special guest mandolin player.”

It made me giggle. The “special guest mandolin player” is my son Sean, Plank North Class of 2001.

* * *

Finally, the school district has sent out notice about their Emergency Preparedness Early Release Drill, which they do every year to test the district’s plan for early dismissal of students. (I never have understood how letting students go 15 minutes early tests that plan, but hey.)  I seem to recall that in previous years they’ve done this on the day before Thanksgiving Break. This year, it’s happening on Friday December 21, officially kicking everyone out of school for Christmas Break.

All Webster schools will dismiss early that day.  Here are the times:

Schroeder and Thomas High Schools: 2:10
Spry Middle School: 2:15
Willink Middle School: 2:25
Klem North and Plank South: 3:05
Dewitt, State, Plank North, Schlegel and Klem South: 3:15

Photos from Webster’s White Christmas

3 Dec

Click the photo to go to a gallery of images from White Christmas

If you were in Webster on Saturday night for the village’s annual White Christmas and Holiday Parade of Lights, you might have noticed a photo elf wandering the streets snapping pictures left and right.

Many thanks to my friend Ken Corpus (of Computer Works Pro) for acting as my official blog photographer for the event, since I was out of town and couldn’t be there for the festivities myself.  His daughter was part of the Webster Thomas choir which performed at the gazebo and on Main Street, so of course he wanted to take pictures of that. But he didn’t stop with those; instead, he snapped 50 or so more, then yesterday handed them all over to me on a flash drive.

Most of them came out pretty great, and I am pleased to post them all in a gallery here.  If anyone else has some they’d like to send along, please do, and I’ll add them to the gallery.

 

Too close for comfort

2 Dec

Barbara Cotie, one-woman crime spree

Wow. Have you been following the story about the one-woman crazy show that’s been playing out in our neighborhood recently?  It’s the one where this woman has been working her way through our fair town, holding up Ridge Road businesses at gunpoint.

The good news is, after holding up Mark’s Pizzeria on East Main Street and Pizza Hut on Empire Blvd., and trying to shake down an employee of Kittleberger’s Florist on North Avenue, she has been apprehended. (Read the full story here.) She is 56-year old Barbara Cotie, of Webster.

It’s pretty scary to hear that such things are happening so close to home. My daughter works at a Ridge Road business, and it unnerves me to think that this lady could just have easily pointed a long gun at my daughter.  I have become friends with so many of Webster’s small business owners, and it unnerves me to think of someone pointing a gun at them.

Kudos to the Webster Police Department and Sheriff’s Department for their quick work on this one.

 

“Dear self…”

30 Nov

OK, folks, help me out here. Tell me if you think this is silly.

Every year when I disassemble the artificial Christmas tree, I write up a short note to myself and tuck it into the box before carting it out to the garage. Usually it’ll start with something like “Hi, hope you had a great year,” and then continue with some current family news and a few hopes for the future, like “Sean should be fully graduated from college and maybe has a teaching job?” Usually, by the time Christmas rolls around again, I have forgotten I wrote the note and it comes as a pleasant surprise. I enjoy reliving last year’s and this year’s memories while I hang ornaments.

Last year, though, when I unearthed the note, my daughter Sara gave me a lot of grief about it. She thought it was sappy.

That didn’t stop me, though. Sure enough, when I opened the Christmas tree carton Friday, there was my little note poking out of the branches.  But Sara’s comments must have had some effect. This time around the note was a bit more professional, without the “sappy” personal stuff.  I limited it to details about things like what decorations I needed to replace and how the cat denuded the entire bottom quarter of the Christmas tree. I didn’t even add a short “Hi, how are you?” greeting.

How about you? Do you ever do something like this? Do you think it’s overly sentimental?

By the way, if you zoom in on the photo of this year’s note, you’ll see the first sentence reads: “Don’t tell Sara I’m writing this. She thinks it’s stupid.”

Oops.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree…

29 Nov

Festival of TreesWhen you’re in town this weekend for White Christmas in the Village, make sure to stop by the Webster Museum on Lapham Park, where the museum’s annual Holiday Festival of Trees is in full swing.

Adorable little 4-foot tall trees are set up throughout the museum, each of which has been adopted and decorated by an individual, family or local organizations.  When I went over to the museum yesterday to see them for myself, I was delighted by the variety of themes and decorations.  There were already probably a dozen trees already completed, and some folks were there putting the touches on a few more while I was there.

Hard at work on the Troop 60502 tree are (l-r) Anna Langfitt, Margie Bowen and Linda Bowen. It’s called “Brownies Buggin’ Out.”

All the trees will be done and ready for viewing by Saturday afternoon just in time for the village’s White Christmas.  From 2:00-4:30 pm the public is invited to tour the museum and vote for a favorite tree. Voting will continue through December 29 and winners will be announced after the first of the year.

And by the way…. this year for the first time, the museum is also holding a holiday raffle with some terrific prizes. For your $5 entry fee, you can take a chance on some great prizes, all donated by local businesses, including:

* fresh Christmas trees from Bauman Farms, Wilbert’s Farm Market and Woody Acres;
* a holiday wreath from Kittleberger Florist & Gifts;
* a “kissing crystal” from Kunz’s Christmas Shoppe;
* a “kissing ball” from Harris Garden Center;
* handcrafted wood shelves from David Schoff Nursery & Woodworking; and
* a tabletop tree from Freckleton’s Tree Farm.

So make sure you get your name into that raffle when you stop by this weekend. Entries will be accepted through Tuesday December 4, and the drawing will be held on Wednesday December 5.  (But I’m going to win the Christmas tree. Just sayin’.)

 

This very red tree was one of my favorites, created by Diane Fahl-Slattery.

I also loved this one, by the Webster Quilt Guild.

 

 

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