There’s a brand new trail in town, and judging from the reaction I got from the recent blog I wrote about it, people are pretty excited.
The Friends of Webster Trails have recently completed work on the new Michael A. Johnson Nature Preserve Trail, the entrance to which is about halfway between VanAlstyne Rd. and Drumm Rd. on the Hojack Trail. The Friends are planning to introduce the new trail to the community at a dedication ceremony and inaugural community hike on Saturday June 3 beginning at 9 a.m. (Participants are asked to park at Gosnell Big Woods and meet at the Hojack Trail entrance off of Drumm Rd.)
I’m not going to be able to attend that event, so on Sunday my husband and I rode our bikes over there to hike it and check it out for ourselves.
It’s really a beautiful little trail. And I say “little” because it’s actually much shorter than I thought it was, covering only .33 miles. It does connect to the John Ungar Nature Trail, which itself is .34 miles, so you can extend your hike by doing both trails at once.
As usual, the Friends have done a nice job blazing the trail, and have placed a few maps along the way to guide you. It’s an easy trail to hike; there are a few hills, but nothing too obnoxious, and I think kids could manage it quite easily. It’s far enough away from any major roads to be wonderfully peaceful, and very beautiful, filled with birdsong.
As an added bonus, hikers will get an up-close look at some of the wonderful work the Friends have been accomplishing with their ReTree Project. The trail passes about a dozen brand new trees planted recently to help keep our open space areas healthy.
I encourage everyone to check out this beautiful new trail, either at the June 3 community hike or some other time. Then consider showing how much you appreciate everything the Friends of Webster Trails volunteers do to create and maintain all of our beautiful trails, by becoming a member. It’s just $15 a year per family, $10 for an individual. Your support will go a long way to help this great group continue to do great things for Webster.
The Friends of Webster Trails have made two exciting announcements recently which I want to share with you today.
The first is that the Friends are introducing a brand new trail, leading into the new Michael A. Johnson Nature Preserve, which was added to Webster open space in 2022. The wooded area is adjacent to the John Ungar Nature Trail, just north of the Hojack Trail between Drumm Rd. and Van Alstyne Rd. The Dombovy family donated funds for the purchase of the land in memory of their late husband and father, Michael A. Johnson.
The new loop trail created by the Friends leads off the Hojack Trail about 1/4 mile east of Drumm Rd.
Community members are invited to help dedicate the new trail, when the Friends of Webster Trails hosts a grand-opening group hike on Saturday morning June 3 at 9 a.m. Meet at the intersection of Drumm Rd. and the Hojack Trail at 9 a.m. From there, the group will hike to the entrance of the new Michael A. Johnson Trail. The total distance will be about 2 miles.
Parking is available at the Gosnell Big Wood parking lot at the intersection of Drumm and Vosburg. From there you can walk down Drumm Rd. to the Hojack Trail entrance on Drumm. Hiking boots or good sneakers are recommended.
The Friends began the ReTree Project last year to address habitat loss, with a particular focus on trees. The project has two objectives:
to improve the ecological resiliency of forested habitat within the Webster Open Space area, and
to increase public knowledge of the threats to local forest ecology and ways we can collectively mitigate these risks
The project has especially focused on planting native tree species in areas where other native species have previously been lost or are currently under threat. The supplemental plantings will increase overall canopy cover while enriching the mix of tree species, age, and physical structure, resulting in a more robust and resilient ecosystem.
The Friends plan to use the funds to clear areas overgrown with invasive plants and to purchase native trees and shrubs and browse-protection materials in the Whiting Road Nature Preserve.
If you’ve lived in Webster for any length of time, chances are you’ve heard about, or perhaps even hiked, our town’s beautiful trails. The system’s almost two dozen trails already stretch from the farthest corner of northwest Webster, south to 104 and east to Phillips Rd., and more are being created every year.
We have the Friends of Webster Trails to thank for this outstanding trail system. These hard-working volunteers put in thousands of hours every summer and fall planning, creating and maintaining the trails, clearing brush and invasive plants, laying gravel, building bridges and boardwalks, and more.
Every month, many of the group’s volunteers gather for a workday, spending several hours doing what needs to be done to make sure the trails are ready for hiking. The first workday of the 2023 season happened last Saturday April 15, and attracted 25 hard-working volunteers. I got this report from FWT’s communications chair John Boettcher:
There were three projects in the mix. One involved ditching along the Hojack Trail at Hard Rd. to improve drainage. This was moderately successful and very difficult. The other two projects involved pickup of trash along the Hojack Trail from Sexton Park east to Philips Road and the Hickory Bark Trail near the Webster Library. We schedule this early in the season before the vegetation can hide the trash.
Several hundred pounds of plastic, paper, and cardboard along with tires and pallet debris were collected. In addition to the Hickory Bark Trail, the area around the library was cleaned of debris and energy level remained so high that the troops even took care of the Western border of Hickory Bark woods along Hard Road between the library parking lot and the expressway feeder. Lots done!
A huge thank-you to all of the volunteers who joined the effort that day to keep our local trails looking beautiful.
If you ever find yourself enjoying our wonderful trail system, consider joining the Friends of Webster Trails. Check out the Friends of Webster Trails website, then consider dropping $10 for a single membership or $15 for a family. Your donation will go a long way to helping these fine folks help US enjoy our town’s natural beauty for years to come. (Or better yet, sign up to join a workday!)
Several dozen families took advantage of some beautiful weather to have a little fun exploring the Finn Park trails. Thanks to the recent rainy weather, there were several wet and muddy spots, but that didn’t deter the 58 young participants, ages 2 through 11, from taking the half-mile or mile-long hike. (I might have encouraged most of them to splash in the mud as they went along.) The kids could choose one of three increasingly difficult scavenger hunts, each asking them to search for different natural elements along the path, like birds, moss and flowers.
The kids all returned from their quest with smiles on their faces and a real sense of accomplishment. And probably the best part of all is that the scavenger hunt raised $280 to benefit the Friends of Webster Trails, which will be put to good use improving the already terrific trail system we have in Webster.
I was particularly impressed with one family, who came armed with litter pick-up tools, and took it upon themselves to fill half a garbage bag with trash from along the trail.
Also many thanks to Julie Schillaci at Webster Parks and Recreation, Anna Taylor from the Friends of Webster Trails, and Emily Pettit for all their help pulling this event together.
Arrows marked the scavenger hunt path. Four-year old Lincoln Cline and his parents picked up trash along the way! Anna Taylor, Friends of Webster Trails president, joined me at the registration tables.
I cannot recall, in recent memory, when we’ve had a more beautiful autumn. The colors are outstanding, the warm temperatures downright delightful, and the stretch of sunny weather has been unbelievable.
I was out and about Tuesday afternoon running some errands, when I decided on the spur of the moment that I needed to do SOMETHING to take advantage of the gorgeous … well, gorgeous everything. So as soon as I got home I dragged my husband to Four Mile Creek Preserve to take a short hike.
Four Mile Creek is probably my favorite Webster hiking trail. It’s flat and just the right length, and even though all of our trails are incredible at this time of year, the Four Mile Creek trails are especially incredible.
I was also inspired by upcoming Cars Along the Creek hike taking place there Saturday morning. This is a very interesting trek hosted by the Friends of Webster Trails, where trail steward Dennis Kuhn will lead participants in a two-hour hike and point out six abandoned cars which hikers can see along the trails. (Click here to read more about this weekend’s hike.)
I can’t make Saturday’s hike, unfortunately, so I figured I could revisit some of those cars myself while we were hiking.
The trails were just as spectacular as I expected, and I couldn’t resist taking a lot of photos. I also saw three of the six cars those lucky hikers will see on Saturday, and I checked out the bridge the young daredevils must have used to drive them onto the property 60 years ago.
Enjoy some photos from the afternoon, and consider taking in some of this beauty, and history, for yourself this weekend at the Friends of Webster Trails Cars Along the Creek Hike, 10 a.m. Saturday morning at Four Mile Creek Preserve, corner of Phillips and Lake roads.
Usually it’s during the summer months that the special events pile up so fast I can barely mention them all. But summer’s got nothing on this coming weekend.
Things start off on Friday evening, Oct. 28, with a Community Food Truck Rodeo to benefit the Webster Montessori School. As you can see on the poster here, the trucks that you’ll find include Pop Up & Eats, Waffles R Wild, Al Dente Mobile Pasta, Marty’s Meats and Kona Ice.
The rodeo takes place at the school, 1310 Five Mile Line Rd. (next door to Bauman’s Farm Market) from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday.
It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful autumn day on Saturday, Oct. 29 for these next few events:
At 10 a.m., The Friends of Webster Trails is hosting a Cars Along the Creek Hike at Four Mile Creek Preserve, at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads.
The two-hour guided hike will introduce participants to the many abandoned cars you can see along the preserve’s trails. Apparently the land on which the preserve is now located was once used by the local youth as a makeshift racetrack in the early 1960s. Among the cars you’ll see are:
* 1951 Chevrolet Styleine Deluxe Bel Air * 1961 Ford 500 Galaxy Club Victoria * 1959 Nash Rambler * 1959 Chevy Bel Air * 1954 Plymouth Belvedere Suburban * 1949 Green Nash Airflyte
The hike is free, and begins at the parking lot on Phillips Rd.
One of the Village of Webster’s most popuar events, Halloween in the Village, returns this Saturday, beginning with a costume contest from 11 a.m. to noon at Village Hall.
The Trick-or-Treat Trail begins at 11:30 a.m., where children can stroll the village streets and trick-or-treat at dozens of village businesses. Look for the orange pumpkins in storefront windows to see which businesses are participating.
The Festival Wagon will be taking riders along Main Street, and don’t forget to get your pet involved in the fun; the Pet Costume Contest, complete with prizes, takes place on Main St. at 1 p.m. (Click here for a recap of last year’s Trick or Treat Trail, including lots of photos.)
While you’re in town for the Halloween festival, make sure to stop by the Webster Volunteer Fire Department during their open house. They’ll have candy, of course, but this is also a great opportunity for your kids to visit with real firefighters, climb into a fire truck, see some demonstrations, and get a fire hat.
The Fire Department is at 35 South Ave. Just look for the big red trucks in the driveway.
ALSO on Saturday during Halloween in the Village, take the short stroll down to 18 Lapham Park and stop into the Webster Museum. They’ve put together a scavenger hunt and a contest, and have some Halloween treats for everyone. Plus, there will be plenty of helpers there to give you a tour through the museum if you’d like one.
Then, after the village Halloween, how about taking in some great music at the New Horizons Combined Band Concert at Willink Middle School.
New Horizons is a really cool band which welcomes all adults, even those with no musical experience. These enthusiastic concert and symphonic band musicians will be performing their fall, combined concert at Willink, on Publisher’s Parkway, beginning at 4 p.m.
There’s no charge. Check back here in a day or two for a more complete blog about this great organization.
And here’s your Saturday evening entertainment:
The Webster Recreation Center’s Pumpkins on Parade is Saturday from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
This is a very fun, family-friendly event where young and old can take a leisurely walk along the Chiyoda Trail behind the Rec Center and view hundreds of creatively carved jack-o-lanterns. At the end of the trail, there’ll be music, a kids’ slide, a mini hay maze, a bonfire, free cider and donuts, a family photo area and kids’ activities. Plus, professional pumpkin carver Eric Jones, t
The festival is totally free. The Webster Recreation Center is on Chiyoda Drive, off of Phillips. Click here to read more about this great event.
…and if you get to all of these events on Friday and Saturday, plan on sleeping late on Sunday. You’ll need the rest.
BUT THERE’S MORE!
If you need to work off some of that candy and good food, the Webster Parks and Recreation Department has got you covered.
They’re hosting their third annual Halloween-themed fitness class sampler on Sunday from 9 to 10:30 a.m., which is absolutely free and open to the community. This year’s theme is disco, and the instructors will be handing out funky glasses and disco ball necklaces until supplies run out.
Many thanks to all of the community members who helped out last weekend at the Friends of Webster Trails ReTree planting event at the Whiting Road and Michael A. Johnson nature preserves.
The workday was in support of ReTree Webster, a Friends initiative, which seeks to preserve our open space forests by removing invasive species and planting native trees.
Two dozen enthusiastic folks showed up to do the planting, including several families with young children. Everyone pitched in to help clear areas, dig holes, clean dirt of debris, transport and place the bagged trees in holes, backfill and provide fencing to the protect the trees from deer. Thanks to the large and dedicated workforce, the job was completed in a little over two hours.
Two sites were chosen for the plantings, the new Michael A. Johnson Nature Preserve (adjacent to the Hojack Trail between Van Alstyne and Drumm Road), and another near the smokehouse on the Blue Trail of the Whiting Road Nature Preserve. The team planted 20 trees, including White Pine, Red Maple, American Elm, Bitternut Hickory, Swamp White Oak and Pagoda Dogwood.
The Friends were blown away by how many community members answered the call. Many thanks to you all for your hard work, and also to Glenn Morrell and his Webster Parks and Rec crew, who moved the trees from the nursery to the two planting sites.
Consider taking a hike during this beautiful autumn to check out the new trees at Whiting Road and Michael A. Johnson nature preserves. If you’d like to participate in or donate to the ReTree Webster effort, contact the Friends of Webster Trails by clicking here.
Just have a few tidbits for today’s mailbag … compared to some of these features which stretch forEVER.
The first is from our friends at the Webster Barnes & Noble. They’ll be hosting NY Times bestselling author Ellen Marie Wiseman on Thursday Oct. 20 at 6 p.m.
Wiseman, whom you might know from her books including All the Ways We Said Goodbye and The Orphan Collector, will speak briefly about her latest book, The Lost Girls of Willowbrook, and then autograph books for people.
The event is free but space is limited so please RSVP by calling (585) 872-9710. Barnes & Noble Webster is located in Towne Center Plaza, 1070 Ridge Rd.
The Friends of Webster Trails have three great events coming up in the next few weeks.
On Saturday Oct. 29 at 10 a.m., the Friends will lead a guided hike through Four Mile Creek Preserve and tell the history behind six abandoned cars you pass along the trails there. There should be some interesting stories. The preserve is located at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads.
The following weekend, the Friends will host their annual Hot Cocoa Hike on Saturday Nov. 5. This is a fun self-guided hike along a trail marked with lights. At the end, hikers are rewarded with hot chocolate. The hike will begin at 7 p.m., also at Four Mile Creek Preserve. Please leave your dog at home and bring a flashlight and your own travel mug. There’s no cost for this hike, but please register here so they have enough hot chocolate.
Earlier that day, kids of all ages are invited to enjoy a Family Scavenger Hunt at Kent Park on Schlegel Rd. Three skill levels for ages 2 through 12 will be available. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday Nov. 5 and costs $5 per child. For more information and to register, visit the Webster Parks and Recreation website.
Click here to find out more about the Friends of Webster Trails.
How about a trip to Syracuse to root on our high school musicians?
The Webster Marching Band will be heading to Syracuse on Sunday, Oct. 30 to the New York State Field Band Conference championship, where they’ll be defending their 2021 state title.
The Webster Marching Band, now in its 37th season, is made up of students from all four WCSD secondary schools: Spry Middle School, Willink Middle School, Webster Schroeder High School, and Webster Thomas High School. Student musicians who play a woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument participate, along with color guard performers. Last year’s Large School 2 Class state championship win was the first for the band in more than 30 years.
Their show this year, “Only Light Can Do That,” revolves around being the light in a dark world. It reminds people that fighting hate with hate only creates more hate, and that fighting darkness with darkness only creates darkness. Illustrating that change can begin with one person at a time, and that light and positivity can be infectious. Musical selections include original music by Webster Marching Band Director Jerbrel Bowens.
The championship show on October 30 will bring together more than 50 of the finest high school marching bands in the northeastern United States. Each will perform a musical and visual show lasting about ten minutes for a panel of ten judges.
It’s sure to be a spectacular event, and a great chance for the One Webster community to show up in force to cheer for our young musicians. Webster’s division, the Large School 2 Class, will compete beginning at 10 a.m., with awards beging handed out around 11:30 a.m.
If you’ve lived in Webster for any length of time, chances are you’ve heard about, or perhaps even hiked, our town’s beautiful trails. The system’s almost two dozen trails already stretch from the farthest corner of northwest Webster, south to 104 and east to Phillips Rd., and more are being created every year.
We have the Friends of Webster Trails to thank for this outstanding trail system. These hard-working volunteers put in thousands of hours every summer and fall planning, creating and maintaining the trails, clearing brush and invasive plants, laying gravel, building bridges and boardwalks, and more.
A good example of the Friends’ dedication to preserving our beautiful natural lands is their current ReTree Webster initiative.
ReTree Webster is a program which recognizes that Webster’s forests are under attack from insects and disease. As thousands of ash, hemlock, oak and beech die, they’re replaced by invasive and, usually, non-native trees.
The Friends of Webster Trails developed the ReTree program to fight back. They first completed tree surveys along many of the trails. Then, after removing some of the invasive species, new trees were purchased or grown from seedlings to replace them.
The Friends have already started planting many of those seedlings along a high traffic area of Whiting Road Nature Preserve (WRNP). Those new plants will be joined by larger saplings and other native trees next weekend, when volunteers will plant 20 saplings, some up to six feet tall, along the new Michael Johnson Trail at WRNP.
The planting event will take place on Saturday morning Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. at WRNP. Volunteers of all skill levels are needed to transport, plant, position and protect the trees. If you’re interested in helping out, just show up at the Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve parking lot that morning. You can help make a big difference in protecting Webster’s open spaces.
* * *
If you haven’t explored any of Webster’s trails yet, this time of year is the perfect time to do so. Our area’s natural beauty is especially spectacular in the fall. Three events in the next few weeks offer some opportunities to do so.
On Saturday Oct. 29 at 12:30 p.m., the Friends will lead a guided hike through Four Mile Creek Preserve and tell the history behind six abandoned cars you pass along the trails there. There should be some interesting stories.
The following weekend, the Friends will host their annual Hot Cocoa Hike on Saturday Nov. 5. This is a fun self-guided hike along a trail marked with lights. At the end, hikers are rewarded with hot chocolate. The hike will begin at 7 p.m., at a location yet to be determined. (Details to come at webstertrails.org.)
Earlier that day, kids of all ages are invited to enjoy a Family Scavenger Hunt at Kent Park on Schlegel Rd. Three skill levels for ages 2 through 12 will be available. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday Nov. 5 and costs $5 per child. For more information and to register, visit the Webster Parks and Recreation website.
Click here to find out more about the Friends of Webster Trails.
Every once in a while I’m reminded about how oustanding our local trail system is.
Sunday morning dawned so beautiful and cool, I thought it’d be a great day to go for a hike with my husband. And since it’s always more fun to hike with friends, I invited my friends Patty and Dave to join us. We met up at Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve.
For more than an hour, we explored several trails I’d never been on before, winding through grasslands and woodlands, across wooden bridges, up hills and down. We’d frequently stop to take a closer look at an unusual flower or plant, visit with a butterfly, or stare back at a deer who’d paused in the brush to stare at us. It was a delightful, peaceful afternoon filled with natural beauty and friendship.
Our experience was not unique. Thousands of people every year take advantage of our town’s beautiful trails. And there are plenty to choose from; almost four dozen distinct trails stretch from Rt. 104 north to the lake, and from Vosburg Rd. east to Salt Rd, each one well maintained and well marked with signs and trail maps.
We have the all-volunteer Friends of Webster Trails to thank for that. These volunteers put in thousands of hours every summer planning, creating and maintaining these trails. It’s really a thankless job, since only a small percentage of the people who use our trails actually sign up as members of the Friends.
If you’re not familiar with the trails, check out this map to see where they are. Then get out there with your family and friends and enjoy before the weather turns really nasty. And please consider becoming a member of the Friends of Webster Trails. (It really doesn’t cost much. Check out the membership page here.) Your donation will go a long way to helping these fine folks help US enjoy our town’s natural beauty for years to come.
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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