Off to Newfoundland, 1200+ candy bars in tow

9 Jul

The Soul Connection Tour is just about ready to leave the station!

That would be the thank-you trip that Bob Freese and Peg Schaeffer are planning to take to Newfoundland later this month, to hand out candy bars a small token of appreciation for the kindness the residents there showed on 9/11. The story about how Newfoundlanders opened their homes to almost 7,000 stranded airplane passengers was made popular by the hit Broadway musical Come From Away.

This is the second time Bob and Peg have made the trip. On their first, back in 2019, they handed out 600 Hershey Bars to strangers they met along the way, each wrapped with a personally-signed thank-you message. (Click here to read the blog I wrote about that trip.)

This time, Bob and Peg want to hand out at least 1200 candy bars. That goal in itself shouldn’t be difficult — they’re going to meet a lot of people on their travels. But buying and preparing all those candy bars? That’s another matter.

Fortunately, they’ve been getting a lot of help. Last Thursday they hosted a “signing party” at the Webster Chamber of Commerce office, and 15 folks showed up to sign and wrap. Most everybody came with an armload of candy bars to donate to the cause. By the end of the afternoon, 550 candy bars were ready to go. The wrappers, by the way, had been signed by people from more than a dozen states.

At the signing party
Candy bars ready to go
Bob and Peg’s “ugly sticks” ready for the trip

But the kindness of the Webster community is reaching well beyond that signing party. For example, Denise Baller and her Dancing With Denise dancers and parents are donating, signing and wrapping 500 candy bars on their own, and the staff at Webster Comfort Care have prepared another 180.

Like on their last trip, Bob and Peg will be distributing the candy bars across the country as they travel from town to town. They’re especially looking forward to attending a performance of Come From Away when they’re in Gander, where they hope to be allowed to present candy bars to all the actors and audience members.

Another highlight of the trip will be a potluck supper they’re hosting while in Gander. They’re inviting the whole town, and all of the “real” people whose stories are depicted in the play. It’s their way of celebrating the “soul connection” the world has with Newfoundlanders.

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

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(posted 7/9/2023)

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Remembering old friends, great jobs and good times

8 Jul

A family reunion of sorts took place Friday evening, when employees of the now-closed Hegedorn’s Market gathered for a good-bye picnic.

The event, held in a lodge at Charles Sexton Park, was organized by former front end manager Jeannie Uhl, with help from Cindy Frank and others to track down as many current and former employees as possible.

When I was there, the party was just getting busy. A few dozen people were already there, with more arriving every minute. They were seated inside and outside the lodge, enjoying a dish-to-pass dinner and visiting with their former colleagues.

They shared laughs, memories both happy and sad, and lots of stories — like how long-time customers would come to the store that final week just to take a stroll through the aisles. And how one more of the painted ceiling tiles had finally been claimed by its original artist.

But mostly they enjoyed one last chance to all be together as a family, like they were when they were working at Webster’s hometown grocery.

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

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(posted 7/8/2023)

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The barn doors are opening!

7 Jul

The fine folks at the Webster Museum have begun planning in earnest for their annual Barn Sale, scheduled for September 14 through 16.

This is probably the museum’s biggest fundraiser every year, and its success relies on community support. That opportunity begins next week, when the barn doors will be open and accepting donations.

Here’s more detail, in the words of Webster Museum Board Member Jan Naujokas: 

The barn doors are open for donations beginning July 9 at 394 Phillips Road. Come down the driveway to the barns.  Donations can be left inside the large barn. Donation receipts are on the table. Although you can donate any day, museum volunteers are on site Monday mornings if you would like assistance unloading your donations.

We love your antiques, collections and collectibles, kitchen and household items, décor, small appliances, toys, tools, and small furniture.  

We can no longer accept books or magazines (visit the Webster library to donate these items). We cannot accept computers, clothing, linens, baby cribs or car seats, large furniture, snow skis or water skis, large exercise equipment, audio or video tapes (VHS tapes, music cassettes, etc), or entertainment electronics, (TVs, stereos, DVD players, etc).  

Your donations last year helped support tours for children from our local elementary schools, and programs and exhibits for the community. Thank you!  Please think of us again this year if you have gently used items to donate.

The Webster Museum, at 18 Lapham Park in the Village Webster, is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. To learn more, visit their website and “like” them on Facebook. 

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

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(posted 7/8/2023)

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Friday night concerts are back, and other mailbag news

6 Jul

The Village of Webster summer season officially kicks off this Friday July 7 with the first in the Friday Night Gazebo Concert series, featuring the Red Hot and Blue Band.

RHB plays Americana, Roots, and Blues Rock music that will get you dancing and bring back a lot of great memories.  

Coming up later in the summer at the gazebo:

The concerts begin at 7 p.m. at the gazebo on North Ave. and admission is free. Bring the whole family, some folding chairs and a blanket, and a cooler if you’d like, then enjoy some beautiful music.

Here’s a quick look at what else is being planned in the village this summer. For more information about all of these events and more, visit websterbid.com.

Webster NY Hope sends along this important message:

We are seeing more Webster households in need of assistance with food and hygiene items. Therefore, we are having a food and garage sale donation drive-up on Saturday, July 22 from 10-noon.

Hope volunteers will be collecting items behind Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Road, near the  Knights of Columbus building. Tax receipts available on request. We suggest entering from Phillips Road, and drop-off for garage sale and food donations will be on your right. You don’t even need to leave your car.

Garage sale is scheduled for Sept. 13 to 16. More to come about that.

That same evening, Saturday July 22, Hope is holding a fundraiser at the Panera restaurant in Towne Center Plaza, from 4 to 8 p.m. Just mention Webster Hope as you order and Hope will receive a donation to help low-income Webster residents.

Covid couldn’t deter the Class of ’71

Thanks to the pandemic, the RL Thomas Class of ’71 had to postpone their 50th reunion. But undeterred, they they decided to throw themselves a 70th birthday party instead.

The event was held on Saturday June 24 at Schutt’s Apple Mill, and featured food trucks, two alumni bands, a cornhole tournament, foosball tables, horseshoes, hay rides, and a memorabilia table. More than 160 folks attended, and for six hours played games and did a lot of talking and reminiscing.

Thanks to Dave Eckler for the report and photos!

The R.L. Thomas Class of ’71 will be holding a 70th Birthday Bash on Saturday June 24 at Schutt’s Apple Mill from 5 to 7 p.m. Thanks to COVID, the class was unable to hold its 50th reunion, so they’ve decided to celebrate their 70 birthdays together instead.

Caring Community Concerts begin next week

The United Church of Christ‘s Caring Community Concert series returns next week.

These concerts benefit local nonprofit organizations. The first one, scheduled for Wednesday July 12, will feature Allegro, and proceeds will benefit the Webster Hope Food Pantry. (See the flier below for the whole schedule.) 

There’s no admission, but each week the church collects a free-will offering benefiting that week’s chosen non-profit organization.

The concerts all begin at 6:30 p.m., and food concessions begin at 6. The concerts are held on the United Church of Christ front lawn, at 570 Klem Rd. (In case of rain it’s moved indoors.)

For more information about the concerts, click here.

More concerts, more concerts, more concerts

The Summer Concert Series at Cherry Ridge is in full swing. The next concert is scheduled for Tuesday July 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., featuring Eight Days a Week. The concerts are held outside, and the grounds open up at 5 p.m. with food available for purchase. So bring your lawn chair and enjoy some beautiful music.

On August 8, the GateSwingers Big Band will perform, also beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Registration is requested. Click here to do so.

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

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(posted 7/6/2023)

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Rush hour in the village

6 Jul

Did you see those two massive tanks that were creeping through town last night?

They came through Four Corners about 6:45, heading west down Main Street accompanied by a huge escort, including state troopers. The first tank to come through actually clipped the traffic light, causing the whole procession to come to a stop until a support crew with a cherry-picker could get up there and physically lift the wire up so the trucks could fit under.

When I posted this on my Facebook page last night, the theories as to what they might be and where they were going ranged from the serious to the farcical, including wind turbine parts, grain silos, submarines or the new Elon Musk rides for the Carnival.

But a few people were able to find out the real answer, including my friend George Baker, who spoke to one of the escort drivers. Apparently the tanks were destined for a downtown brewery.

Which means my friend Andrew actually came pretty close when he said to me, “I told my wife I would only have one drink tonight. I’m glad it finally arrived.”

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/6/2023)

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Streets light up for Fourth of July

5 Jul

If you happened to be driving or walking through the Finchingfield Lane neighborhood on Monday night, you would have seen a Fourth-of-July-inspired light display which you likely didn’t expect.

No, it wasn’t fireworks, although they were very much in evidence that evening. It was, instead, a series of 300 luminaria — little white bags, each with its own tealight candle — lining several of the neighborhood’s streets.

The display, which stretched for an estimated half mile along four streets, was the work of Canoe Birch Lane resident Mike Pauly, his wife, daughters, and several very helpful and enthusiastic young neighbors. It’s a project Mike has been doing every year around the Fourth of July for more than 20 years … but not always here in Webster.

Mike and Rachel Pauly (in back) with most of their young helpers
Dougie Gibson lights one of the luminaria

The tradition actually began when he and his family were making regular summer camping trips to Woodstream Campsite in Gainesville.

Mike remembered that a few other families would put about 20 candles out in front of their campers. His father liked the idea and thought they could do it, too. But they weren’t happy with just putting out a few dozen.

“We expanded on it,” Mike said. “It wasn’t long before we put 500 out and filled up most of the campground.” It became an annual project, with kids from all over the campground helping fill the bags and light the candles. After a while, the campground even started offering wagon rides so everyone could enjoy the spectacle.

They don’t make it down to Woodstream much anymore, so they haven’t put out the luminaria for a few years. But last year Mike’s wife Rachel had a great suggestion: why not continue the tradition in their own neighborhood?

And that’s what happened. Last year they started relatively small, putting out 200 luminaria. This year that number grew to 300. Young neighborhood helpers worked for several hours over a few days to fill the bags with sand and place the candles. Then, at about 7 p.m., Mike, Rachel, their two daughters and their team of helpers started working their way through the neighborhood to place the bags. Another trip through to light all the candles, and the streets were glowing. With everyone working together, the whole process only took about an hour and a half.

The result was beautiful, and the reactions have been very positive. “People have been saying, it looks great, thank you for doing it,” Mike said.

Unfortunately, it’s a short-lived display. The candles only last two to four hours, and Mike went around Tuesday morning to collect all the bags. So if you didn’t see them Monday night, you’ll have to wait until next Fourth of July.

Why does Mike continue to do this every year? I never actually asked him, but I can pretty much guess the answer: to bring joy to his neighbors and strangers who walk or drive by, and to bring a little light into everyone’s lives as we celebrate this important holiday.

What a very community-inspired, Webster-like thing to do.

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

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(posted 7/5/2023)

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Village sidewalk sale returns this weekend

4 Jul

Lala of Webster’s third annual sidewalk sale is coming up this weekend.

This year’s event will feature nine village businesses, all within an easy walk of one another:

This is a really good opportunity to check out many of our brand new businesses. Click on the name above to keep updated on what special things they have planned. (For example, Oh Bella is offering treats, and free gifts.)

The sale will take place on Friday and Saturday July 7 and 8, beginning at 10 a.m. each day. It’ll happen rain or shine, with some displays outside (weather permitting) and some inside — or a little of both! So let’s hope for good weather, put on some comfortable shopping shoes, and head on down to the village this Friday and Saturday.  

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/4/2023)

Webster Firemen’s Carnival returns next week

3 Jul

When the orange water barrels, rolls of snow fencing and trash bins start showing up at Firemen’s Field, you know it’s almost time for the carnival.

Without a doubt, the highlights of the Webster summer event schedule are the Firemen’s Carnival and parade. This year’s carnival is scheduled for Wednesday July 12 through Saturday July 15, with the parade on Thursday night.

You can check out all the details about what will be happening — and when — at the NEJFD website and Carnival Facebook page but here are some of the highlights:

Wednesday July 12:

  • Craft Beer Night in the Beer Tent

Thursday July 13:

  • Firemen’s Parade begins at 6:30 p.m.
  • North Forty plays in the Beer Tent

Friday July 14:

  • Zac Brown Tribute Band plays in the Beer Tent

Saturday July 15:

  • Kiddie Parade at noon, beginning at Spry Middle School
  • Rich the Magic Man entertains at the fairgrounds
  • Free kids’ bike and grill raffle
  • Knight Patrol playing in the Beer Tent
  • Fireworks at midnight

And of course, games, rides and food every night. Admission is free, and to save money on rides, you can buy advance sale tickets through the Carnival Facebook page. You’ll also want to follow that page for more details and regular updates.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/3/2023)

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Help wrap some candy bars

2 Jul

Just a reminder today that your opportunity to help share some love and appreciation with the people of Newfoundland is fast approaching.

You may remember my blog about Bob Freese and Peg Schaefer, two Webster folks who are planning a trip to Newfoundland to hand out candy bars to the residents there as a small token of appreciation for the kindness they showed on 9/11. The story about how, for five days, Newfoundlanders opened their homes to almost 7,000 stranded airplane passengers was made popular by the hit Broadway musical Come From Away.

This is the second time Bob and Peg have made the trip. On their first, back in 2019, they covered almost 5,000 miles up one side of Newfoundland and down the other, handing out 600 candy bars (Hershey Bars, specifically) to strangers they met along the way. Each candy bar had a thank-you message wrapped around it, signed by a grateful American (mostly Webster-ites).

The very first “wrapping party”
600 candy bars readied for the 2019 trip

Later this month, Bob and Peg will be returning to Newfoundland to hand out even more candy bars and reconnect with many of the new friends they made there.

You can help them share the love. On Thursday July 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Bob and Peg will be at the Webster Chamber of Commerce office, 1110 Crosspointe Lane (Suite C) for a candy-bar-wrapping-and-signing party. It’s a chance to add your personal thanks to the good people of Newfoundland. It would be great if you could bring some candy bars with you (1.55-ounce Hershey Bars). But even if you don’t, please consider stopping by and joining the signing fun. Bring the kids, too!

Click here to see a flyer with more information.

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/2/2023)

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38th annual Field Day a great success

1 Jul
Typical Field Day Station with Morse
Key Paddle and Mic
Pete Fournia, W2SKY making a contact

The XRX Amateur Radio Club held their annual Field Day last weekend, and from all reports, it was a great success. The event’s chairman, Bob Karz, wrote that the club made more contacts than ever, meaning more points than ever, and they hope to finish in the top 11% of their class, which is a pretty big deal.

If little of what I just said made sense to you, keep reading. Bob sent along this very good description about what this interesting exercise is all about.

Amateur Radio Emergency Services and the XRX Amateur Radio Club held their 38th annual emergency preparedness Field Day June 24 to 25 at Kent Park in Webster. It’s not a field day in the usual sense, but rather an opportunity to try out our radios and hone our skills needed to provide communications to the outside world in the event of a real emergency.

Field Day involves over 30,000 amateur radio operators (or hams) in the US and Canada as well as a few from other parts of the world. This year we made over 1,000 contacts with stations in every state except Alaska, most Canadian provinces, Chile, France, and Puerto Rico all totally “off the grid” using power from generators and batteries with no internet or cell phones.

These days amateur radio is more than dots and dashes, although we did make several contacts using Morse Code. We also made contacts with voice and a computer mode called FT8 which is a little like the internet except over radio. FT8 is becoming increasingly popular for Field Day. This year for the first time we actually made more contacts using FT8 (420) than with any other method.

Field Day is an opportunity to try out new equipment and techniques. It’s also a chance showcase Amateur Radio to the public. We encourage visitors and even give kids (and their parents) a chance to make radio contacts. This year we had more than 30 people drop by including 12 kids who each made a radio contact with help from a radio “coach.”

Field Day is always the 4th full weekend in June. The next Field Day will be June 22 to 23, 2024. We will again be at the lower soccer fields in Kent Park. You are invited to drop by and see for yourself what some of your friends and neighbors are doing to help keep us safe in the event of a natural disaster. More information about the local amateur radio community can be found at www.rochesterham.org.

If you’d like to read more about Field Day, click here to read the blog I wrote about the one I attended in 2021.

Making their first contacts: Elizabeth
Anna
Caleb
C J Converse, KB2BMS making her first contact
Raising the directional antenna

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/1/2023)

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