One of the best things about writing this blog is getting to meet some really cool people who are doing some really cool things.
Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to one of those cool people, Ray Easton. Ray, a lifelong Webster resident and outstanding artist, recently won the 2024 Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp Competition held earlier this year.
The contest, hosted annually by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is held to select the image that will appear on the following year’s Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp, a required purchase for anyone 18 years or older looking to hunt waterfowl in the Buckeye State.
Ray’s painting of a bufflehead duck (above) was chosen by a panel of five judges from 34 original pieces submitted for the competition. His painting will appear on the 2025 Wetlands Habitat Stamp. It was the first time that Ray had ever entered the contest.
Ray has been drawing and painting pretty much all his life. He discovered wildlife art when he was a junior at RL Thomas High School, where he studied art under Bill Stephens. He likes to work from photographs and spends a lot of time out in nature with his camera, every season of the year.
Birds, especially waterfowl, are just a few of Ray’s favorite subjects. More recently he’s also turned to painting landscapes. “I got more into those when COVID started,” he said, “when everybody was working from home.”
“I had a lot of time to start thinking about land,” he added. “I always wanted to do some more impressionistic stuff … loosen up a little bit. It was a nice little therapy and I grew a lot in my other work just by loosening up in the landscapes.”
And this is not the first competition he’s entered — or even won. He competes in the Federal Duck Stamp contest every year and regularly submits entries to other state programs. In 1997 he won the New York Waterfowl Duck Stamp competition with his painting of a hooded merganser. Last fall his painting of three northern pintails took first in the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society annual contest, and he most recently took third place in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission 2024 Quail and Turkey Stamp competition.
If you’d like to see some of Ray’s work in person, he has a piece in display now at the Mill Art Center and Gallery in Honeoye Falls and will have one in an exhibit opening soon at the Oxford Gallery in Rochester. You can also see a lot more photos of Ray’s incredible work on his Facebook page and website.
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Congratulations to this year’s Oak Tree Award winners for excellence in teaching: Carolyn Stahl and Jeff Darling.
Stahl, this year’s secondary level recipient, is an English teacher at Webster Thomas High School. She’s a 25-year veteran educator in the district and currently teaches grades 9 and 12.
Darling, this year’s elementary level recipient, is an instructional specialist at Plank Road North Elementary School. He has also taught fourth grade, fifth grade, and has been an enrichment specialist in his 17 years in the district.
Stahl and Darling were surprised at their schools on April 24 when Superintendent of Schools Brian Neenan joined Webster Teachers’ Association (WTA) representatives to present the plaques, which will hang in their buildings for one year. Each also received a framed certificate, acorn pin and $500 stipend from the award committee. They’ll be officially recognized at the Webster CSD Board of Education meeting on May 7.
The Oak Tree Award is presented annually by the WTA and the Webster Central PTSA as a way to acknowledge excellence in teaching in the district at the elementary and secondary levels. This year’s Oak Tree Committee received 37 nominations submitted by students, parents and colleagues. Other nominees included Eleni Prosser, Taylor Haupt, Lauren Pagano, Gabrielle Gruttadaro, Kelly Bruhnsen, Kim Ebbecke, Leslie Popchoke, Heather Taylor, Carrie Zugelder, Dan Graf, Susan Bjarnar, Cathy Bradley, Cory Gomez, Rebecca Margiotta, Lori Ford, Dana Graf, April Masucci, Carolyn Charleton, Brianne Cipura, Sarah Mitchell, Mike Vanderwoude, Ian Insley, Carly Smith, Anne Marie Visca, Francine Barnes, Dan DeStephano, Gail Pittinaro, Carleen Fallone, Philip Zola, David Monson, Kyle Sackett, Jennifer Cos, Jill Baker, Elizabeth Vandetti, and Mary Hurley.
Congratulations to Carolyn Stahl, Jeff Darling and all the Oak Tree nominees.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
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St. Martin Lutheran Church will hold a Drive Thru Chicken BBQ on Saturday, May 4 at the church, 813 Bay Road, Webster. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. and will continue until all dinners are sold out.
Dinners will include a half chicken, salt potatoes, coleslaw, roll, butter and cookie, and will cost $15.
The event will be drive-through only and there will be no advance sales; first-come, first-served. Cars should enter the parking lot, follow the signs, and purchase dinners using exact payment of either cash or check. Cars will then pick up boxed dinners.
Proceeds from the BBQ will support both St. Martin’s Little Free Pantry and Christmas Stocking Project, which reaches more than 500 local youth in Monroe and Wayne counties.
What the heck is a hellebore?
The Webster Arboretum will host a presentation on May 9 titled Lenten Rose and Christmas Rose are Hellebores.
Learn about the care and culture of these amazing plants. Donna Shayder, Master Gardener of Monroe County, will discuss the growing conditions, types, management and appropriate care of the hellebore. She’ll also conduct a tour of the hellebore plantings at the Arboretum and answer all your questions.
No registration or fee is required. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Meet at the Curry Building at the Webster Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Road.
Get your Mother’s Day plants here
The Webster Arboretum Association, together with local growers and local garden clubs, will host the 2024 Webster Arboretum Plant Sale on Saturday May 11 from 8 a.m. to noon.
A tremendous variety of beautiful, healthy plants from standard to uncommon will be available including annuals, dwarf conifers, geraniums, dahlias, tomatoes, trees, shrubs and more. It’s a great way to celebrate spring and get some live plants perfectly suited for your garden. And don’t forget Mother’s Day!
The sale will be held at the Webster Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Rd. Webster.
Barn Sale at Heritage Square
Heritage Square Museum, at 7147 Ontario Center Rd. in Ontario, is holding a huge Barn Sale from Thursday May 9 through Saturday May 11. Hours are:
Thursday, May 9 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday, May 10 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to noon ($5 bag sale, bring your own bags)
And looking ahead, the museum will be hosting a chicken BBQ on Friday May 13 from 4 p.m. ’till gone.
Get rid of those ugly mugs
I’ll be highlighting a few more Webster Public Library events in a future blog, but this one especially caught my eye today.
Apparently the library has a “community exchange table,” which I don’t think I realized. And this month, community members can exchange MUGS there.
We all have them, a collection of coffee mugs that we’ve gathered through the years but we never use, so they’re tucked back in the back of the cabinet. Dig them out and take them to the library to exchange them for some mugs you might actually use. And who knows, someone may really want that bright pink mug with the bikini-clad flamingo that you just HAD to get on your last vacation.
Also coming up this month at the library
* Author Day on Saturday May 4, when the library welcomes three local published authors, who will talk about the paths they took from the beginning writer to nationally-known authors. Karen Miller will speak from 10 to 11 a.m.; Charles Benoit will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Ruth Rosenberg Naparstek will speak from 1 to 2 p.m.
Registration for each speaker is requested. Click the name to go to the registration page for each.
* On Thursday May 9, the Webster Library, in conjunction with Webster Comfort Care Home will present “Tending to Life — Comparative Religions: Funeral Customs and Rituals.” Area faith leaders will talk about death in relation to their religion’s customs.
It’s still several months away, but plans are already gearing up for the huge annual NY HOPE garage sale, scheduled for this September.
If you have items you’d like to donate, drop off dates are Wednesdays, May 8, 22 & 29 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus, 1460 Ridge Road (located behind Holy Trinity), Webster.
Before you drop off your donations, check out the DonationGuide, because items that cannot be used, including furniture or large items (at this time) will be refused. We may refuse items if we cannot use them.
Mark your calendars now for the sale, Wednesday, Sept. 11 through Saturday Sept. 13.
Concert to benefit the Harmony House
Music will fill the air on Saturday May 18 when the Chorus of the Genesee and Rochester Rhapsody join forces to present Harmony in the House, a fund-raiser concert to benefit the Harmony House Renovation Project.
Shows will be at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Harmony House, 58 East Main St. in the Village of Webster. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance. There will be no sales at the door. Click here to get yours, or call 585-259-3094.
Garlic Fest vendor applications now being accepted
Last but not least today, if you’re a craft or food vendor and would like to get into this year’s Webster Garlic Fest, the call for vendor applications has just gone out.
This year’s festival will run from September 7-8 at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr. A 10′ x 10′ booth will run you $150, and early set-up will be available both days.
This has become one of Webster’s best-attended events. Last year there were more than 100 vendors and 3,000 attendees. So get your application in before the spaces sell out. Click here to apply.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
A few days ago I posted a blog about how Webster Comfort Care Home (WCCH) is hosting their 4th annual Duck Derby on Saturday May 18. What I didn’t do is mention the other great events this outstanding agency has going on.
For starters, right now through May 9, they’re holding a Mother’s Day Louis Vuitton Purse Raffle fundraiser. Tickets are one for $25, three for $60 and 5 for $100. The second place prize is a beautiful hand-made afghan.
The drawing will be held live on Facebook on May 9 at 4 p.m. You can purchase your tickets online here or pick them up at the Webster Comfort Care Home, 700 Holt Rd. (corner of Klem).
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Next, on Friday May 3 from 5 to 7 p.m., the Webster Masonic Lodge will host a spaghetti dinner to benefit WCCH. Tickets are $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for child’s portion. Stay and eat in or take it to go. To go orders can be placed at the cashiers table. Call (585) 872-3500 for any questions. A chairlift is available if steps are an issue.
The lodge is located at 30 Orchard St.
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The Webster Public Library will partner with WCCH on Thursday May 9 for a fascinating program titled Tending to Life – Comparative Religions: Funeral Customs and Rituals.
In this informative program, you’ll hear from area faith leaders as they talk about death in relation to funeral customs and rituals. Featured speakers include: Rabbi (Dr.) Shalom Schlagman, both a rabbi and palliative care medical doctor; Abu Saeed Islam from the Muslim community and the Rev. Ken Williams representing the Christian community.
The program will be held at the Webster Public Library, 980 Ridge Rd., on Thursday, May 9, form 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. There is no cost, but registration is required.
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Finally, on Wednesday June 5, Comedy @ the Carlson will host a “Fun Night Out” to benefit Webster Comfort Care Home.
The laughs will be supplied by comedians Todd Youngman and Liz Reeves.
Todd Youngman is based in New York and has performed in clubs and theaters all over the country, but calls Comedy @ the Carlson his home. He has opened for comedians such as Kevin Meaney, Joe Dombrowski, Fortune Feimster, Kevin Pollak, Gary Gulman and Pat McGann.
Liz Reaves hails from Buffalo, and can often be found doing her stand-up routine at comedy clubs, coffee shops and her classroom. She likes to tell jokes about her dysfunctional family and oddball encounters with her students.
Tickets are $25 (plus a convenience fee) and are on sale now. Click here to reserve yours and to find out more about the show.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
The Webster Art Club will be strutting their stuff this month at a big art show hosted at the Pittsford Barnes & Noble from May 4 through May 31.
Seventeen Art Club members have submitted 55 pieces for this particular show, which will be judged by retired Webster art teacher Carolyn Carlton. An opening reception will be held on Saturday May 4 at 1 p.m. in the community room on the second floor — a good chance to meet the artists.
This month’s show is a great representation of how creative and incredibly talented these artists are, and how fortunate we are that they choose to share their work with us.
A look at last year’s art showA recent Open Art activity
Mary Coy, president of the Webster Art Club, says this about the club:
As a club, we focus on community first, art second. We’re known to be a friendly group of artists of all levels who support each other on our artistic journeys. Our season runs from Sept-June, with monthly meetings the second Wednesday of the month from 6:30-8:30pm at the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive. We invite different artists in the community to come and share their process with us. We also have Open Art sessions every Wednesday morning, also at the Rec Center, where members come together to work on their own projects. Once a month we provide an Open Art Focus, a specific activity for those who want to learn something new.
One of our favorite meetings of the year is in March when we invite the Advanced Placement Art students from Schroeder and Thomas high schools to give a presentation of their art. We enjoy being connected to a younger generation of artists, for they have new ideas to teach us.
Other activities the group participates in are field trips to different galleries, a rotating art display at the Rec Center and Creative Canvas workshops for the Rec Center, (the next one will be held May 15 at the arboretum).
email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
The Webster Art Club will be strutting their stuff this month at a big art show hosted at the Pittsford Barnes & Noble from May 4 through May 31.
Seventeen Art Club members have submitted 55 pieces for this particular show, which will be judged by retired Webster art teacher Carolyn Carlton. An opening reception will be held on Saturday May 4 at 1 p.m. in the community room on the second floor — a good chance to meet the artists.
This month’s show is a great representation of how creative and incredibly talented these artists are, and how fortunate we are that they choose to share their work with us.
A look at last year’s art showA recent Open Art activity
Mary Coy, president of the Webster Art Club, says this about the club:
As a club, we focus on community first, art second. We’re known to be a friendly group of artists of all levels who support each other on our artistic journeys. Our season runs from Sept-June, with monthly meetings the second Wednesday of the month from 6:30-8:30pm at the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive. We invite different artists in the community to come and share their process with us. We also have Open Art sessions every Wednesday morning, also at the Rec Center, where members come together to work on their own projects. Once a month we provide an Open Art Focus, a specific activity for those who want to learn something new.
One of our favorite meetings of the year is in March when we invite the Advanced Placement Art students from Schroeder and Thomas high schools to give a presentation of their art. We enjoy being connected to a younger generation of artists, for they have new ideas to teach us.
Other activities the group participates in are field trips to different galleries, a rotating art display at the Rec Center and Creative Canvas workshops for the Rec Center, (the next one will be held May 15 at the arboretum).
email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
The 2023 Wreaths Across America statistics are in, and we have a lot of be proud of here in Webster.
Out of 235 participating towns in New York State, our little town of Webster ranked 9th for the number of veterans honored on National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 17. And out of 6,706 locations nationwide, we ranked 248th. That’s in the top 4%in the country. What’s particularly impressive is that we achieved these rankings with only three participating cemeteries.
These numbers can be attributed to the incredible support from Webster community members, business owners and service agencies. About 1,000 volunteers, including countless veterans, active military and first responders, came out on Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 16 to place an amazing 1,350 wreaths on veteran graves at Webster Union, Webster Rural and Union Hill cemeteries. (Click here to read the blog I wrote about that day.) Businesses from all over the city have also supported the Wreaths Across America effort all year long — too many to mention here (and I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out).
So this is all great news, but no way is Wreaths Across America Local Coordinator Cherie Wood sitting on her laurels. She’s recruited yet another Webster cemetery to join the effort in 2024 — at Holy Trinity Church — where about 280 veterans are resting. So this year’s wreath sponsorship goal has also been raised to 2,200.
So it’s time for our amazing community to step up again. That’s a lot of wreaths, but if past experience is any indication, Webster will come through again with flying colors.
Individual wreath sponsorships are just $17, and $5 from each will go directly to the Blue Star Mothers, who will use the funds to prepare and ship care packages to deployed servicemen and women (every dollar you donate stays in Webster).
Click here to sponsor a wreath, and thank you, Webster, for your support! And stay tuned as plans for Wreaths Across America Day 2024 on Saturday, Dec. 14 start to come together.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
A few days ago, I wrote about how one of our Webster neighbors, fondly known as “Nanny,” would be celebrating her 91st birthday. Nanny is especially fond of gnomes, those colorful little lawn sprites. So in honor of her birthday, her niece Rebecca came up with a fun idea: fill her lawn with gnomes so she can see them all every day as she sits in her front window and watches the world go by.
Rebecca originally posted the request for birthday gnomes on a Facebook group. She was hoping that by her birthday on Friday April 26, Nanny would have received 91 gnomes — one for each of her birthday years — and was happy to report that the goal was reached. By Sunday, about 80 gnomes, large and small, were sprinkled around her yard, and if you add in all of the hand-drawn ones on cards she got, they surpassed that goal.
What’s been really neat about this story is not how many gnomes have been collected (that’s cool, too), but where many of the gnomes have come from. For example,
A gnome lamp was shipped to Nanny from Florida. Another stuffed gnome, complete with a hand-drawn birthday card, was dropped off by someone in a red car (thank you!). And yet another wonderful lady who lives in Penn Yan saw my blog and mailed a box filled with hand-painted wooden gnomes, one for every holiday, along with a beautiful hand-crafted card.
Judging from the Nanny’s big smiles in all the photos, she certainly has enjoyed her special birthday surprise. A friend did ask her if she had a favorite gnome, to which she replied, “No, not really. All were adorable!” And what was the best part of her day? “Seeing and being surprised by everyone who came to see me.”
The gnomes are still out there, in front of Nanny’s house at 790 Webster Rd., so take a look next time you drive by. Nanny will probably be sitting in the front window admiring them as well, so give her a beep and a wave! And if you’d like to add to the gnome invasion, please do! The more the merrier.
Here are some more photos from the gnome gallery:
“Shower” of gnomes displayed by gnome helpers Melody and Samuel.
A solar gnome shipped from Florida
Gnome Elvis
A few of the wooden gnomes shipped from Penn Yan
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
You’re gonna want to get your ducks in a row for this fun family event coming up in just a few weeks, to benefit Webster Comfort Care Home.
Webster Comfort Care Home’s fourth annual Duck Derby will take place Saturday May 18 at the Webster Park Beeches Pavilion.
The idea is simple: participants purchase rubber duckies for $10 each, and each has a number on it. At the appointed time, the ducks are dumped into Mill Creek, where they leisurely float down towards the lake. The “owners” of the first three ducks to cross the finish line win cash prizes.
Since the ducks like to take their time, there’ll be games, prizes, snacks and storytime at 10:15 to entertain while you wait. And you don’t have to be present to win.
The race will begin at the Webster Park Beeches Pavilion at 10 a.m. on Saturday May 18 and there’s plenty of parking. Cost for a single duck is $10, a “quack pack” of 6 ducks is $50 and a flock of 12 ducks is $100. Proceeds from the event directly benefit Webster Comfort Care to support their mission to provide end-of-life care to residents of Webster and the surrounding communities.
For more information or to purchase ducks, visit webstercomfortcare.org or call 585-872-5290. Payment is accepted by cash, check or credit card, and PayPal online. Tickets are available now.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
The Village of Webster recently welcomed a new salon to town, and it’s a little different in a few big ways.
Shear Inspiration, owned and operated by Jessica Warren, held its grand opening last Friday, complete with balloons, lots of food, games, prizes and a photo booth. It’s located at 33 North Ave., which many will recognize as the address for Beyond Cuts Salon, owned by Robyn Whittaker. Jessica has actually been working with Robyn for five years, and has a dedicated client list all her own. So Shear Inspiration is not really a “new” salon.
The change in name (and signage over the front door) reflects more of an administrative shift. Jessica has bought Robyn’s equipment and responsibility for the building and retail side of things. It’s the next business step for Jessica, and a step closer to retirement for Robyn (who still plans to be around for a few years).
So there’s nothing much different at 33 North Ave. … at least on the outside, anyway. On the inside, Jessica has created a business model which you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
At Shear Inspiration, Jessica serves adults and children of all ages and abilities, but has also created an inclusive community space that specializes in serving the deaf and neurodivergent communities. She brings to her business many years of working with clients on the autism spectrum, and is committed to creating a safe space for them, including having an entirely separate sensory room which they can use at any time.
Jessica, whose youngest daughter is deaf, is also fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), which facilitates direct communication with the deaf community.
Jessica writes,
I’ve been involved with the deaf community since we learned my daughter was deaf at 1 year old. … I’ve been cutting the hair of my daughter’s friends since they were all little, some of whom also are on the spectrum. So through consistency, and patience, I’ve also learned a great deal about autism, the different ways it presents itself in children, and how to work with those children to build a relationship of trust and confidence so that they allow me to cut their hair. I have different methods for each and every child, as they are all different. The fun is trying to discover what works, and when it does, the joy we both feel!
I have many kiddos who come see me for their hair that are on the spectrum, so I felt having a safe space for them (for all children) when they come to the salon was important. With my own research, and trial and error through the years, I have found some great sensory friendly toys and learning tools and wanted to implement them into my kid space. I also wanted the feel of the whole salon to be calming, or “chill” as you walk in the door.
Thank you, Jessica, for providing a valuable service to an under-served population.
Shear Inspiration is located at 33 North Ave. in the Village of Webster.
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email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
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