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)

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(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)

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(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)

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(posted 7/1/2023)

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The last of the Hegedorn’s ceiling tiles have found homes

30 Jun
Kerri Goodman
Dave Grabowski
Chris DeBuck

Webster has said its last, sad goodbyes to Hegedorn’s Market, but at least a small part of our hometown grocery will live on for much longer.

Regular blog readers have been following the story of the colorfully-painted ceiling tiles that for more than 30 years hung above Hegedorn’s check-out area. When the decision was made to close the store, Produce Manager Fred Palmer took it upon himself to make sure the panels were not only saved, but returned to the students who painted them all those years ago.

Thanks in large part to word spreading through social media, more than half of the 32 tiles were claimed, and Fred took photos of the artists with their panels when they came to pick them up (you can see many of those photos above and at the end of the blog). By the store’s closing day, 15 tiles remained unclaimed.

But even they have found homes.

Eight of the final 15 tiles have been donated to the Webster Public Library, where they’re currently on display. Library Director Adam Traub was very excited to adopt some of the tiles, saying,

Hegedorn’s has been a staple of the Webster community for generations; the Webster Public Library would like to thank Hegedorn’s for their contributions to this community by saving a piece of that history to share with generations to come. The tiles will be on display this summer in the main library (between Biographies and Graphic Novels), then hopefully find a permanent home in the ceiling of the children’s room.

This is actually a fitting end for some of the tiles since Adam and his classmate Greg Smalter created one of them.

The remaining seven tiles have been given to the Webster Museum. Museum Director Tom Pellett told me they’re considering installing several of them in the ceiling and/or walls of the toy room alcove.

He wrote, “We feel this is an important part of Webster. Not only because of Hegedorn’s history but also a reminder of the students who created them and Jack Morse, the art teacher who guided the project.”

Thank you to everyone who shared the blog and Facebook posts and helped find homes for these important pieces of Hegedorn’s — and Webster’s — history.

Here are more photos of the artists with their reclaimed ceiling tiles:

Ryan Johnson’s mom
Carrie (Frank) Swain
Brad Francis
Adam Benfante
Santina Beachner
Erin Cantaben’s Dad
Webster Library Director Adam Traub

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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 6/30/2023)

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Harladay Hots: a regular summer stop

29 Jun

I’m pleased to bring you another of my East Extra Afterthoughts installments today.

Afterthoughts is a completely separate blog, where I’m re-posting some of my favorite columns from when I was the Our Towns East Extra columnist for the Democrat and Chronicle.

This particular column was published August 3, 2017. My husband and I happened upon this hot dog cart set up in Pittsford village on one of our occasional bike rides along the canal path. The proprietor was very friendly, he had lots of customers, and he’d been doing business there for years.

It was perfect column fodder, especially since the D&C wanted me to write about Pittsford as often as possible.

Popular hot dog cart makes retirement sweeter for investigator

Pittsford has its fair share of great restaurants, everything from diners to bistros. But every summer weekday, dozens of adults and children swear by one place for lunch in the village: Harladay Hots.

Owned and operated by Charlie Clottin and his wife Bernadette, Harladay Hots is an unassuming hot dog cart at 10 North Main Street, just steps from the village of Pittsford’s four corners. For seven years, it’s been a convenient and tasty lunch option for fresh-grilled hamburgers, white hots, red hots, and sausage or chicken sandwiches.

Charlie first started the business in 2009, immediately after retiring from the City of Rochester Police Department. That job actually gave him idea for the cart.

Click here to go to Afterthoughts and read the rest of the post.

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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 6/5/2023)

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Bygone blog — Smelly yellow books

26 Jun

This is the latest in my on-again, off-again series of Bygone Blogs, in which I’m re-posting some of my favorite blogs from the last 15 years. This one was originally published on June 23, 2009, when I was working in the Webster Thomas High School library.

Our set of Encyclopedia Britannicas played a very important part in my young life. I was reminded of them the other day when I was poking through some old books in the attic, and I came across one with a familiar smell.

Smelly Yellow Books

An unfortunate and always difficult job every librarian must face at least once a year is weeding out-of-date and worn books from the collection. No one ever likes to throw out books, but it’s a necessary evil to keep a collection current and make room for new arrivals.

In our library, one thing nearing the end of its lifespan is our World Book encyclopedia set. I’ll be sad when that has to go, because for me it will mean the end of an era.

I remember fondly the Encyclopedia Britannica set we owned when I was a child. It was yellow, had 18 volumes and dark gold-leaf lettering. It resided, very dignified, in the same bookcase in the dining room of every house we lived in. The pages in those volumes guided me through countless school projects and research assignments. Just knowing they were there gave me confidence; I knew I had the resources at my fingertips to get a good grade.

We even used our Britannica to play the “encyclopedia game.” My mother would tell us which volume she had, then start reading the article (saying “blank,” of course, when an obvious word would have given away the answer.) We raced to tell her what the article was about. We loved that game.

And I can still remember how our Britannica set smelled. Robust, and just a little musty. To me, that aroma signified knowledge.

But no one uses encyclopedias anymore, at least ones printed on paper. High schools and public libraries now subscribe to online databases which tap into a thousand times more information than any encyclopedia set could ever offer. Google and Wikipedia are even easier. I think it’s safe to say our library’s World Book set hasn’t seen the light of day in more than a year.

The death of encyclopedia sets is really the end of an era. It’s like another piece of my youth is disappearing. The internet is awesome, and has opened up the world to us. But I hope there will never be a time when our children don’t know what it feels like to turn a page, or hear the snap of the paper…or know the smell of a book.

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

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 6/26/2023)

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Spam, spam, spam

24 Jun

I’ve written about this before, but I thought I might revisit this topic again today because it continues to amuse me.

If you’re sitting around the house looking for some cheap entertainment, I recommend you check out your spam folder. Don’t worry, if you don’t actually click on a link, you’re safe. I do this every once in a while when I get bored. I visit my Gmail spam folder and see how many people want to give me money or need help carrying all their money-stuffed suitcases to the United States, or consider me a perfect candidate for a cheap loan. (I don’t get the male enhancement ads very much anymore. Maybe they wised up.)

But it’s the comments I get on my blog that really intrigue me. They’re not only a great mental exercise in decryption, but if I’m having a down day, they really do a nice job making me feel … well, accomplished.

Cases in point (these are copied and pasted without any editing):

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share wе ҝeep in touch extra ɑpproximately уour article οn AOL?
І require ɑ specialist on this space to resolve mү prօblem.
Maybe tһat’ѕ you! Having a ⅼooҝ ahead to ѕee үoᥙ.

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in іt оr something. I fwel that уou ϳust can dо with a fеѡ p.c.
to pressure the message house ɑ lіttle bit, һowever other than that, thаt
is wonderful blog. Ꭺn excellent rеad. I wіll ԁefinitely bｅ bɑck.

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(And in case I ever doubt my writing ability):

Thаnks for your marvelous posting! I quite enjoyd reading it, ｙoᥙ cɑn be a grеat author.
I wiⅼl bbe sure to bookmark your blog and ԝill evemtually сome baｃk in tthe foreseeable future.
І ԝant to encourage thаt y᧐u continue youг grewat job, hɑvе a nice evening!

Thanks … I guess. I look forward to seeing you come back eventually in the foreseeable future.

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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 6/24/2023)

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Unique library program highlights small businesses

24 Jun

A new adult program recently introduced at the Webster Public Library is giving local small business owners a chance to shine.

It’s called the Business Spotlight Series, and it’s being coordinated by Adult Programming Librarian Sue DelPozzo as a way to support our small businesses. She wrote,

Having so many businesses close in Webster recently, I felt it was part of my mission to support the existing, and especially new, businesses so that they can succeed. Everyone feels so sad when businesses close, but I don’t think people give enough thought to WHY they close. I am hoping in a small way that perhaps having this series, we are helping to raise awareness that we need to shop and support local.

Participating business owners can decide what they want to include in their presentation, with the stipulation that they need to represent their mission and educate in some way. As such, DelPozzo is only choosing businesses that have an educational component. They can bring samples and business cards to represent their business, but will not be allowed to sell their products.  

The first program in the series, held Monday June 12, featured Amy Stringer, owner of The North Bee, on North Ave. in the Village of Webster. It was a fascinating look at the hard-working insects and how they can benefit us in so many ways.

I learned that bees are the only insect that gives us food; that there are all kinds of honey, including avocado honey, sour wood honey and wild sage honey; that eating raw honey can improve overall wellness; why some honeys are darker than others; that the queen will lay 1500 to 2000 eggs per day; that worker bee jobs change as they grow older; and that honey never goes bad (they pulled honey from ancient tombs and it’s still good).

Basically, I came away with a much greater respect for bees.

DelPozzo hopes to schedule one program a month through next June, and perhaps extend the series even longer if it’s successful and enough businesses are interested in participating. The upcoming schedule for the rest of this year includes:

  • July 27, 6:30 p.m.: Curated. by JUSTINTERIORS
  • August 10, 10:30 a.m.: Never Say Never Stables
  • September (date TBA): M/Body
  • October (date TBA): Green Tea Esthetics
  • November (date TBA): Schutt’s Apple Mill

Registration is requested so they know about how many chairs to set up. You can register at the Webster Public Library website; just go to the Events tab to find the program. Registration is open now for the first two programs and will open later this summer and fall for the remainder.

Business owners interested in joining the series and presenting a talk at the library should email Sue DelPozzo at Susan.DelPozzo@libraryweb.org

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and 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 6/28/2023)

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Webster community mailbag

22 Jun

Summer is officially upon us, and Webster has teed up a whole schedule of live music, festivals and special events.

But first, this important community event: The Webster Health Education Network (WHEN) is sponsoring a drug take-back event on Saturday June 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Webster Wastewater Treatment Facility , 226 Phillips Rd. This is your chance to safely dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medications. Only pills will be accepted; please no liquids or sharps.

Learn more at Whendfcc.org

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And since we’re talking about doing good things for our community, here’s Webster HOPE’s Home’s June Wish List:

  • canned pineapple
  • canned beets
  • dish soap
  • laundry detergent
  • cooking oil
  • ketchup, mayonnaise
  • shampoos and conditioner
  • diapers (size 4 and 5)

Webster HOPE is located at 1450 Ridge Rd., and open Monday from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.

Find out more at websternyhope.org.

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Schutt’s Apple Mill‘s Summer Celebration returns on Saturday July 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.

This is a great family-friendly event complete with a food truck, ice cream, a bounce house, magic show, animals, face painting, wagon rides and lots more.

There’s a charge for some of the activities, but there’s lots of free stuff for everyone.

Schutt’s is located at 1063 Plank Rd.

***

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.

***

The Friday Night Gazebo Concert series in the Village of Webster is coming together. Here’s the schedule:

  • July 7: The Red Hot and Blue Band
  • July 21: Celtic Cross
  • July 28: Eight Days a Week

The concerts run from 7 to 9 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park on North Ave. in the village, and are free. Bring a lawn chair and blanket and a cooler if you’d like! Information about more concerts as they’re added can be found at websterbid.com

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The United Church of Christ’s Caring Community Concert series is returning this summer, beginning July 12.

These concerts benefit local nonprofit organizations through free-will donations. The first one will feature Allegro, and proceeds will benefit the Webster Hope Food Pantry. The rest of the summer features:

  • July 19: Ruby Shooz
  • July 26: Prime Time Brass
  • Aug. 2: Dady and Ryan
  • Aug. 9: 8 Days a Week

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

***

On July 22, mark your calendars for the Summer Splash Family Event from 3 to 5 p.m. at First Responders Splash Park, on Chiyoda Drive next door to the Rec Center. If you’ve never been to this spray park before, you owe your children a chance to check it out because it’s good for hours of water fun. The event will include a bubble foam machine and Rich the Magic Man, plus FREE Snowie Ice sponsored by Gleason Orthodontics.

***

The 50th annual Waterfront Art Festival returns on Saturday and Sunday July 29 and 30 at Charles E. Sexton Park (formerly North Ponds). It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and features quality fine art and crafts stretching all along the park’s beautiful, shaded pathways.

There’s live music, food vendors, free alcohol tastings, dozens of local artisans and plenty of free parking. Admission is only $5, with children 12 and under free.

Click here for more information.

***

Looking ahead to August, mark your calendars for the Webster Jazz Fest, scheduled for Friday and Saturday August 18 and 19. More information to come about that, but you can check out details in the meantime as they’re posted at websterbid.com.

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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 6/22/2023)

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The horror movie that was filmed at Spry

21 Jun

Not long ago I heard a very interesting little bit of trivia about Spry Middle School: back in 1981, a low-budget horror movie was filmed there.

The movie is called Fear No Evil, and was produced by Frank LaLoggia. The story tells of an 18-year old high school student who appears to be human, but is actually the incarnation of Satan. Two archangels are sent from heaven to stop him before his evil takes over the world.

Several scenes were filmed in the school’s hallways, classrooms and gymnasium, in addition to exterior shots. The screenshots below are from the movie trailers.

The R-rated movie gets mixed reviews (not surprising for a low-budget thriller), like this one posted on IMDb:

It is definitely ambitious for a low budget feature and falls into the M.S.U. (Makin’ Stuff Up) genre perfectly. It is almost like director Frank LaLoggia had two half finished scripts and threw them together. … The high school scenes are really funny, like LaLoggia had no sense at all how people behaved in school.

Another review says the film has a “good premise” and is “well plotted,” but with “over-the-top acting, laughable special effects and a disappointing finale.” Both reviews agree, however, that it has a good soundtrack.

It must not be too awful, though; in 1982 it won a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, for Best Low-Budget Film. This was the same year that Harrison Ford and Karen Allen won awards for best actor and actress, for Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Director Frank LaLoggia is a Webster native. Fear No Evil is the first of three movies he directed, the best-known of which is probably Lady in White (1988), inspired by the ghost story of the Lady in White at Durand Eastman Park. He’s also acted in several movies and sitcoms.

And here’s something else fun: click here to see when Spry was very briefly featured on Saturday Night Live.

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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 6/21/2023)

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