I was visiting recently with some new friends over at the Woodside Nursery School, located at the United Church of Christ on Klem Rd., who told me about a “magic gardening” activity they designed for their young charges.
Some of the “magic” seedsThe magic pumpkin patch in bloom
The students first planted “magic” pumpkin seeds — fallen leaves cut into stars, hearts and butterflies — in the Magic Pumpkin Patch outside of the school. Then, during the day, parent volunteers and school board members helped the magic seeds “grow” by replacing them with little pumpkins, perfectly sized for little hands. You can just imagine the squeals of delight from the students and the wonder in their eyes when they saw the magic garden filled with miniature pumpkins.
Check out some of these adorable gardeners:
Olivia
Matthew
Brody
Caleb
Miss Amy with students
Colin finding his pumpkin
In the next several months you’re going to be hearing more in my blog about the parent co-operative Woodside Nursery School, which has been serving our community since 1956 from the same location at the United Church of Christ, 570 Klem Rd. I didn’t know anything about them until my visit, and was rather surprised they’ve been around this long. I’ve encouraged them to keep sending me news about what’s going on over there, so stay tuned for more cuteness coming across your computer screen.
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As we get closer to Halloween, I know that there are SO MANY events coming down the pike that you want to make sure your kids have a chance to check out. Make sure these two, happening this coming Saturday Oct. 28, are atop your list.
The first is the Village of Webster’s Trick-or-Treat Trail, an annual tradition in the village which draws thousands of kids and adults to walk through the streets and trick-or-treat dozens of village businesses.
The day begins with a costume contest at Village Hall from 11 to 11:30 a.m., followed by the Trail from 11:30 to 2:30. There’s a pet costume contest as well (a judge will be walking along Main St. keeping an eye out for contestants!). The Webster Museum will have special treats, the Webster Volunteer Fire Department will host their open house with displays, fire hats and equipment for the kids to explore, and there’ll be wagon rides behind Gazebo Park.
And don’t forget to take the short side trip down Lapham Park to visit the Webster Museum, where the folks there are cooking up some special events for the kids.
And of course, I’ll be out there with my camera trying to take as many photos of kids (and adults) in costume as possible, so watch for me. I especially love to see entire families dress up together. Moms and dads often have some of the most creative costumes.
Saturday evening, Pumpkins on Parade returns to the Webster Recreation Center from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
This is a super fun family event where participants stroll along the mile-long Chiyoda Trail behind the Rec Center, which is lined with hundreds of creatively carved, humorous, scary and downright weird jack-o-lanterns. At the end of the path, there’s free cider and donuts and a bonfire, a family photo area, and for the kids, a hay maze and roller slide. And it’s ALL FREE. (Here’s the Facebook event page for more information.)
To make this event the success it always is, the Rec Center needs a LOT of jack-o-lanterns. So grab some pumpkins today or tomorrow and get carving! You can drop off your finished creations on the trailer parked outside the Rec Center (1350 Chiyoda Dr.) on Friday Oct, 27 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Saturday Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Multiple pumpkins are both welcomed and encouraged. Each pumpkin gets a raffle ticket for the chance to win a Fall Themed Raffle Basket (be sure to stop inside the Rec Center after dropping off your pumpkin to fill out a ticket!)
Once again, I’ll be there with my camera, so keep an eye out for me. And have FUN!
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The generosity displayed by Webster folks never ceases to amaze me. The latest example is a donation made recently by the residents at the Villas at Easthampton retirement community on Maryview Drive.
The community members there make a charitable donation every year to a different non-profit organization. Many of the residents had attended the recent Webster Garlic Fest, which benefited the Blue Star Mothers ROC NY8 (military families), Wreaths Across America Webster and Gold Star Mothers Rochester (who have lost an immediate family member in active duty). Following the festival, the community decided to have this year’s donation benefit the Blue Star Mothers and the care packages the mothers send to deployed servicemen and women.
In an effort organized by Jo Ann Timkey, about 30 Villas families got together and completely filled the Blue Star Mothers’ Care Package Wish List. Jo Ann reported this was the largest donation they’d ever received. Many veterans live in the community and were especially eager to donate.
One of the reasons the community chose the Blue Star Mothers Care Package project is because the collected items will go all over the world, and are placed into the hands of our locally deployed service members.
It took a truck to carry all the donations.
The next care package shipment is scheduled for November. Supporting this program is an easy way for us to provide a bit of joy to our soldiers so far from home. The care packages also bring comfort to the families left behind, who can see how much their loved ones are appreciated. Thank you, Villas at Easthampton, for supporting this great effort. You’ve really made a difference.
If you’d like to donate some items to the Blue Star Mothers’ care package program, click this Amazon link to see the wish list. The more items we can purchase for the program, the more care packages can be sent!
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The luncheon was held at the Webster Arboretum on Schlegel Rd. Most of the drivers and their significant others were present, along with the WSPS support staff and board members. Also in attendance were the Webster Town Supervisor Representative Kim Doyle and Daphne Geoca, Senior Coordinator of the Webster Parks and Recreation Dept.
Chances are you’ve seen the WSPS automobile driving around town. Based at the Webster Recreation Center, the Webster Association of Senior Program Supporters is a group of volunteers who provide transportation for retirees and disabled residents who live within the Webster School District. They help residents get to and from medical and dental appointments, and provide rides to pharmacies, banks, barbers, hairdressers and tax preparation services.
WSPS drivers and dispatchers have provided a record number of rides through September 30, 2023. Logging 2,940 volunteer hours, the drivers gave 3,113 rides, spanning 38,240 miles driven — just shy of the organization’s record year of 2022.
The volunteer drivers are the backbone of the organization; without them the service would not exist. Webster is indebted to them for their community spirit and service. These selfless volunteers are always happy to help and assist the retirees and disabled folks living in the Webster School District.
Karen Kinyon, Laure Barr, Kim Doyle and Julie Schillaci
Deb Gerlach, Larry Bovenci and Craig Dominas
Mike Donovan and Jay Watson
The Town and Village of Webster have supported WSPS for several years, recognizing the real need for the WSPS services. Several local businesses and service organizations also support the organization.
Currently WSPS has 57 volunteer drivers but with the number of seniors and disabled folks in the Webster School District increasing, they’re always in need of more volunteers. For more information on how you can join the team, call 585-216-7829 or visit the group’s website.
A big thank you to the Karpus Family Foundation which funded this year’s luncheon, and to the local which donated gifts for the drivers, including Wendy’s, Abbott’s Ice Cream, Tim Hortons, Corona’s Mexican Restaurant, Jiffy Lube, Wegmans and Bruster’s Real Ice Cream. And always a big thank you to Vision Hyundai of Webster, which subsidizes the WSPS vehicle. (And my thanks to Dave Norton for the great report and photos.)
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Yet another Webster graduate is making a name for herself.
Webster Schroeder graduate Samantha Hake ’08 recently won an Emmy for her work as a producer on the National Geographic film The Flagmakers, described on the website as “an intimate glimpse into the people whose hands make America’s most recognizable icon.” (Read more about the film here.)
Samantha wrote,
As a producer, I worked on this film for over three years with Co-Directors Sharon Liese and Academy Award Winner Cynthia Wade. I am extremely proud of the beautiful and poetic film that we created, all while navigating dozens of different languages among the subjects and a raging pandemic that tested our resolve to capture compelling stories while keeping our cast and crew safe.
The film screened at festivals nationwide and was shortlisted for an Academy Award before being nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy.
Samantha with Co-Director Sharon Liese
After graduating from Schroeder, Samantha went on to study television, radio and film at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. During her senior year at college, she was accepted into the SULA program, a Los-Angeles-based professional program initiative, where she worked at a commercial production company on Super Bowl commercials.
After college, she met director Sharon Liese and has worked alongside her to edit, shoot and produce several projects. (Read more about Samantha’s film career on her IMDB profile.)
Samantha received her Emmy at the 44th annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards Ceremony held Sept. 28 at The Palladium Theater in Times Square. She described the experience as “truly a night of full, proud hearts.”
The saying goes, “it’s an honor just to be nominated” and it really is true. I felt so privileged to be in a room with and to be recognized by the most esteemed, ambitious, and creative filmmakers in the industry. When they announced that The Flagmakers won the award for outstanding short documentary, I know our team at home watching and our team at the ceremony all cheered together. Filmmaking is such a collaborative storytelling process and it’s an amazing feeling to share the recognition with everyone involved.
Other projects Samantha has completed include Parker, a short documentary which, after premiering at Sundance earlier this year, was chosen as the only documentary in the Sundance Short Film Tour that screened in theaters nationwide. She’s also the co-executive producer on a new four-part true crime/cult documentary series which will be airing soon.
In the meantime, you can stream The Flagmakers on Disney+.
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The very moving and heartwarming Wreaths Across America ceremony will be expanding in Webster this year to two more cemeteries.
Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to place a wreath on the grave of every veteran in the country. Last year, the movement reached Webster; on Saturday Dec. 17, more than 300 adults and children gathered at the official Wreaths Across America ceremony at Webster Union Cemetery to help lay more than 650 wreaths. (Click here to read my blog about that day.)
Cherie Wood, Wreaths Across America’s Location Coordinator for Webster, recently told me that the effort will not only be returning to Webster Union Cemetery this December, but also to Union Hill and Webster Rural cemeteries.
The good news is, that means hundreds more veterans will be recognized on National Wreaths Across America Day on December 16, 2023. The not so good news is that hundreds more wreaths will need to be sponsored in the next few months to honor those veterans.
The effort is off to a strong start thanks to the Webster Garlic Festival, held in September. Almost 100 vendors filled the Rec Center gymnasium and outdoor walkways, and an estimated 3,000 people attended. It was a very successful event, especially considering it was the first Garlic Festival held in a few years. The proceeds were shared among Wreaths Across America; the Blue Star Mothers, who create care packages to send to our deployed servicemen and women; and the Gold Star Mothers, who support emotionally and physically injured veterans.
PLUS, in addition to the money raised from vendors and admission, our generous community members sponsored 400 wreaths during the festival.
As I said, that’s a good start for this year’s Wreaths Across America effort. But we’re adding two new cemeteries this year; almost one thousand veterans are buried in Webster Rural Cemetery alone, and another 56 at Union Hill. Together with Webster Union Cemetery, we’re talking almost 1,700 veterans.
We’re going to need more wreaths.
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). This is a great chance for families to honor their own veteran relatives who are buried in these three cemeteries.
The east-side entrance to the Webster Baptist Church on South Ave. is getting a bit of an upgrade, thanks to the efforts of Eagle Scout candidate Hunter Kurosawa.
For several days over the last week or so, Hunter and his team of adult and Troop 113 Scout volunteers have been installing bricks along the drainage ditch lining the side of the church building. They’ve already worked almost 14 hours over two long days and are planning at least one more before the project is finished.
There are about 200 bricks in all, but 13 of them are rather special; individually-engraved memorial bricks, purchased by Webster Baptist Church parishioners in memory of loved ones.
Hunter Kurosawa with the memorial bricksSome of Hunter’s helpers mix concrete for the retaining wall
Hunter landed on this particular project after having little luck with other organizations. He wrote,
I was looking for an Eagle Project at the zoo, through NEQALS, and through Webster Trails. … Then I got an email from my Scoutmaster saying (Church Moderator Diana) Marchner had a project at the Webster Baptist Church. She had contacted the Scout Advisor that I am using.
I was so happy to have a project. We went to meet her to talk about what she was looking for and I was really excited about the project. Mrs. Marchner was so nice and so happy to find someone to take on the project. It is a lot of new skills for me to learn and it is so nice to be working with Mrs. Marchner.
Apparently Marchner feels the same way.
“I can’t tell you how impressed I am with this young man … and Scout advisors,” she wrote. “I am totally amazed at how professional and dedicated to perfection they are. I really lucked out having this Eagle Scout candidate.”
The entire project has been … well, a project.
Before even placing the bricks, the site had to be dug out, cleared of stones and leveled with gravel. Some of the stones have to be cut to size before they’re all set in place with polymeric sand and pitched at a two-degree angle to allow for water runoff.
they are using Polymeric Sand so that they can be replaced as the bricks get engraved. Also Polymeric Sand helps in deterring the growth of weeds between the bricks.
There have been several challenges to overcome along the way. After digging out the site, his team discovered a plastic pipe they had to remove, and found an electrical conduit needed replacing to bring it up to code. Then they had to build a retaining wall to hold the bricks in on the south edge. All before they could even begin to lay the bricks.
But overcoming obstacles is all part of completing a successful Eagle Scout project. (And learning new things like how to mix concrete and build a retaining wall.)
The memorial bricks program is part of an ongoing fundraising initiative by the 166-year old Webster Baptist Church to raise money for needed repairs and upgrades. Bricks are still available; they cost $150 each (but larger donations are more than welcome) and they can be personally inscribed. If enough bricks are purchased, the hope is to use them to build a new sidewalk leading to the front door. It’s estimated that would take about 1,500 bricks.
You might say that Hunter Kurosawa is helping the Webster Baptist Church take a step towards maintaining a strong faith community.
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The Webster Village calendar hasn’t started to slow down too much yet, evidenced by these three events scheduled for the coming weeks.
The first is a brand new event brought to you by the Webster BID, a Health and Wellness Fair scheduled for Saturday Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Village Hall community meeting room, 28 W. Main St.
This is a free event showcasing all of the amazing health and wellness businesses and professionals in our community. Stop by for a few minutes, stop by for an hour and find out more about the goods and services available in Webster to keep you and your family healthy.
This year’s Village of Webster Trick-or-Treat Trail is Saturday Oct. 28.
This is an annual tradition drawing thousands of kids and adults into the village to walk through the streets and trick-or-treat dozens of village businesses. Dress up the kids — or the whole family — and come on down.
The day begins with a costume contest at Village Hall from 11 to 11:30 a.m., followed by the Trail from 11:30 to 2:30. There’s a pet costume contest as well (a judge will be walking along Main St. keeping an eye out for contestants!). The Webster Museum will have special treats, the Webster Volunteer Fire Department will host their open house with displays and equipment for the kids to explore, and there’ll be wagon rides behind Gazebo Park.
And of course, I’ll be out there with my camera trying to take as many photos of kids (and adults) in costume as possible, so watch for me.
Capping off the Village event scene for this fall, the Bourbon Bash returns to the Harmony House on Saturday Nov. 4 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Local distilleries like Black Button and Smokin Tails along with distributors such as Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace and others will be available for sampling. Village of Webster restaurants such as The Coach, BC’s Chicken Coop and more will be featuring samples of their goods to complement the bourbons. ID is required at entry and raffles of Bourbon products will be available for purchase.
Tickets are $30, are limited and sell out fast. Click here to get yours. Proceeds to benefit The Harmony House Renovation Fund.
All of these events are brought to you by the Webster BID. Check their website for more information and to sign up for a newsletter to keep up on everything that’s going on.
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My regular blog readers already know how much I love the Friends of Webster Trails (FWT). These three special events they’re involved with in the next several weeks are great examples why.
The first is a Family Scavenger Hunt on Saturday Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive.
Participants will explore the one-mile long Chiyoda Trail behind the Rec Center, looking for scavenger hunt clues. Regular scavenger hunt hikers will be delighted with the new twist introduced with this hike. (All I’m going to say is I hope you like jigsaw puzzles!)
Three different skill levels will be offered for kids aged 2 to 12, so children of all ages can participate. Everyone who completes the hike can choose an apple or mini pumpkin as a prize.
Cost is $5 per child, and please preregister at the Recreation website (look for program 301205-A). You can pay when you get to the hike. Sign in anytime between 10 a.m. and noon. The hunt will take place rain or shine, so dress for the weather.
This hike is sponsored by the Webster Recreation Center and in collaboration with the Friends of Webster Trails and WHEN, the Webster Health and Education Network. All proceeds will benefit the Friends.
That evening, Saturday Nov. 4, the Friends’ annual Hot Cocoa Hike will be held at Gosnell Big Woods Preserve (674 Vosburg Rd.).
The hike is approximately 1.3 miles long (start to finish) and will include a stop for socialization and hot cocoa. The trail starts at the parking lot and will be marked by lights along the way. This is not a guided event. You are responsible finding your way to the hot cocoa and back by following the marked path.
Participants are asked to leave the parking lot between 7 and 8 p.m., to arrive at the hot cocoa stop by 8:30 p.m. Please leave your dog at home; you can bring them back to enjoy the trail another time. Please bring a flashlight and your own travel mug. This is a carry-in carry out event.
There’s no cost, but please register here so the Friends know how many people to expect.
This last event is a great way to help the Friends out, and give back a little for all they do for us and our Webster trails.
The next FWT work day (and probably last one of the year) will take place this Saturday Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. at Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve. The Friends will be planting native trees as part of their ongoing ReTree Project. Many hands make light work, so please consider joining them. Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and sturdy shoes, and bring gloves, water and a shovel.
For more information about the Friends of Webster Trails and all of the great trails they manage for our enjoyment, visit their website here.
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Bonus blog today, because this is important information, especially if you’re REALLY into creating jack-o-lanterns.
The Webster Recreation Center’s annual Pumpkins on Parade is less than two weeks away, and they need jack-o-lanterns! This is a super fun family event where participants stroll along the mile-long Chiyoda Trail behind the Rec Center, which is lined with hundreds of creatively carved, humorous, scary and downright weird jack-o-lanterns. At the end of the path, there’s free cider and donuts and a bonfire, a family photo area, and for the kids, a hay maze and roller slide. And it’s ALL FREE. (Here’s the Facebook event page for more information.)
To make this event the great success it always is, the Rec Center needs a LOT of jack-o-lanterns, so get carving! You can drop off your finished creations on the trailer parked outside the Rec Center (1350 Chiyoda Dr.) on Friday Oct, 27 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Saturday Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Multiple pumpkins are both welcomed and encouraged. Each pumpkin gets a raffle ticket for the chance to win a Fall Themed Raffle Basket (be sure to stop inside the Rec Center after dropping off your pumpkin to fill out a ticket!)
If you have a large group interested in carving pumpkins and need some help doing so, email kkovar@websterny.gov. The Rec Center can provide SOME pumpkins but also the space to carve. This would be a great project for Scout troops or big families or school classes!
For more information about Pumpkins on Parade, visit the Facebook page here.
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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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