Tag Archives: Friends of Webster Trails

The parks and trails are still open!

20 Apr

friendsAt least for now.

Social distancing has been working to reduce the spread of COVID-19, so as long as we continue to do that, we’ll still be able to get some much-needed outdoors time by visiting our parks.

So on that theme, I want to share a few of the many informational tidbits included in my most recent Friends of Webster Trails newsletter. These are the folks, you may know, who work so tirelessly to create and maintain the incredible trail system we have in Webster.

Welcome to the organization’s new president, Anna Taylor. Anna writes that she grew up in Webster, is an architect by trade, an avid trail runner, and a long-time Friends volunteer. Before becoming president, she was the group’s social media guru, helping keep the Facebook and Instagram pages updated, and helped coordinate volunteers for trail work days. She met her husband on a date in 2007 at Whiting Road Nature Preserve.

Anna has a lot of great plans for continuing to build FWT membership and promoting

TRAIL ENTRANCE

Entrance to the new Hickory Bark Trail 

stewardship projects.

Elsewhere in the newsletter, Sharon Galbraith reminds everyone about Webster’s newest open space and trail at Hickory Bark Woods, which is located across the parking lot from the Webster Public Library on Van Ingen Dr. This is a beautiful short, peaceful trail, along a long boardwalk ending in a spacious deck.

I also read in the newsletter that Mark Yeager, Webster’s Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, will be retiring soon. In his 19-year tenure, Mark oversaw the creation of the new Parks and recreation building on Chiyoda Drive, the First Responders playground and water spray park, and helped spearhead the installation of Challenger Miracle Field.

I enjoyed working with Mark when I needed information and quotes for both this blog and my East Extra column. I will miss him and wish him the best of luck.

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As long as we’re talking about parks, I’d to remind anyone who has ever visited one of our village parks that the Village of Webster Parks Committee would like your opinion.

They’ve developed a short survey to get a better handle on who uses our parks, how they’re used, and how they might be improved.

The survey is the first of several initiatives the committee will be implementing in the coming months to bring more awareness to our village parks which will include a “discover your parks” scavenger hunt this spring.

The survey will be available for a while, but please consider taking a few minutes to fill it out right now. Just click here: Village of Webster Parks Survey.

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WHAT am I going to do with these kids?

17 Mar

passport_1770x2360So we’re looking at a really long break from school, and while the school district is working overtime trying to come up with lessons and activities to keep kinds active and learning, chances are that won’t be enough to keep them from climbing the walls before this is all over.

Getting them outside is always a good idea (especially if the weather stays mild) but front and back yards offer limited entertainment. So I’ve given some thought to other local outdoor activities you can consider.

Today, I’d like to remind everyone of the Wegmans Passport to Family Wellness program.

Thanks in large part to the efforts of the all-volunteer Friends of Webster Trails, Webster has about three dozen trails and trail spurs just waiting to be explored. One of the best ways to do that is with the Wegmans Passport to Family Wellness Program.

Begun several years ago, the program encourages families to get out and discover trails, using a passport to record each trail they’ve hiked. Each trail has a marker post somewhere along it, which participants use to make a rubbing into the passport to prove they’ve been there.

During normal times, the passports could be picked up at any area Wegmans, but I wouldn’t recommend doing that right now. Instead, you can click here to print one off.

Also, prizes are normally awarded by the Webster Recreation Center for completing the passports, but I’m not sure that’s applicable anymore, especially since the Rec is closed for a while. Kids would still find it fun to complete the passport, though, and perhaps you can come up with your own incentives.

The trails included in the passport are: the Webster Arboretum, Bird Sanctuary Trail, Chiyoda Trail, Finn Park, Four Mile Creek, Gosnell Big Woods, Hojack Trail, North Ponds Park, Vosburg Hollow Nature Preserve, Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve, Webster Park and the Midnight Trail.

If you read through that list and didn’t recognize some of the names, you definitely have to pack up the kids and get out there. If you’ve seen them all…. well get out there again. Some exercise would do us well.

Read more about the Wegmans Passport Program here

Download the passport here.

By the way, if you can’t get enough of this program, Penfield and Pittsford also have passports, which you can also download from this link.

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Hiking and hot cocoa and bourbon!

1 Nov

As a cold, miserable November dawns, allow me to tell you about a few events that will definitely warm your whole body.

The first is the annual Hot Cocoa Hike sponsored by the Friends of Webster Trails. This year’s hike will take place at Gosnell Big Woods Preserve, 680 Vosburg Rd., on Saturday Nov. 9 beginning at 7 p.m.

hot chocolateThis is a fun, free, self-guided hike under the (almost) full moon! The route is approximately 1 mile (one way), up to two miles total and will be marked with lights for you to follow, starting at the parking lot. This will not be a guided event, so you are responsible for finding your way by following the marked path. When you arrive at the final destination you’ll be rewarded with free hot chocolate.

So that everyone can enjoy this event please leave your dog home and bring them back to enjoy the trail another time. Please also bring a flashlight and your own travel mug as cups will not be provided.

If you plan on attending, please sign up here and provide an email address so that you can be reached in case of changes. An email will be sent by 3 p.m. that day if there is extreme weather that requires the hike to be rescheduled.

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The Village of Webster’s Bourbon Bash will return on Saturday Nov. 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Harmony House, 58 E. Main St.

Sample bourbons and whiskey from local distilleries and Webster Wine and Spirits, complemented by food samples from local restaurants.

Participants will be provided bottled water to enhance their sampling experience, and the opportunity to purchase a raffle ticket for a bourbon basket donated by Webster Rotary. proceeds of the event will benefit Webster Local Charities.

Tickets are limited and can be purchased online here or at websterbid.com. Cash sale tickets are also available at Hegedorns.

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Looking ahead, make sure to mark your calendars for White Christmas in the Village, this year on Saturday Dec. 7 from 3 to 6 p.m. An entire afternoon of holiday activities in the village concludes with the ever-popular Holiday Electric Parade. Check back on the BID website for more details.

electric parade

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The Friends have been busy

20 Nov

friendsSeveral days ago I received my quarterly newsletter from the Friends of Webster Trails. These are always very well written, informative and packed with photos. But this latest edition particularly impressed me in one big way: there were three PAGES of news about all of the projects that the Friends (and their friends) accomplished this year.

Let me sum them up a bit:

  • The Friends have created a new “Pink Trail” at Whiting Road Nature Preserve. The trail is a short loop into the woods on the west side of the Orange Trail. The trail was enhanced in September with two boardwalks constructed by Sebastian Kulak for his Eagle project.
  • Webster Thomas senior Nicholas Hanby recently completed a new trail at Four Mile Creek Preserve as part of his Eagle project. the short, scenic trail follows Salt Creek to a bench and table near the south end of the property.
  • FWT president Hal Harris and some of his handy friends further enhanced Four Mile Creek by installing a new set of stairs, allowing hikers to take a short cut to the north side of the res trail where it parallels the creek.
  • There’s a new entrance to the Big Woods from Pellett Road, thanks to the efforts of the hard-working volunteers who attended FWT’s summer workdays. The previous entrance from Pellett had a very steep section that was getting a lot of wear, and has now been closed.
  • Alex Groff, of Scout Troop 110, has constructed a new trail kiosk at the Hojack Trail, just west of 250 in the village where it crosses the trail.
  • Finally, there’s all sorts of exciting things happening with the Hickory Bark Woods, that small wooded area just north of the library, adjacent to the Ridge Park sports fields. One trail through those woods has existed for a while. More recently, however, FWT Scout Liaison Eric Turberg and several other volunteers installed a platform in the park. Matt Morrison of Troop 363 and Truman Mortillaro of Troop 262 have constructed a boardwalk leading to the platform. The plan is for the Webster Public Library to use the woods, and the new platform, for outdoor programs.

That’s an amazing amount of work, and that’s just one summer’s worth of effort.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: we have an amazing trail system in our town, and the Friends of the Webster Trails are the folks to thank for that. These dedicated volunteers spend hundreds of hours every summer creating new trails, improving existing trails, removing invasive vegetation, installing signage, bridges, steps, boardwalks, and so much more.

If you’re a regular user of any of Webster’s trails, please consider showing them some love by becoming a member of the Friends. It doesn’t cost much (really, just $10 or $15 — check it out here) and the funds they raise go directly to making our trail system better for everyone to enjoy.

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Webster community mailbag

29 Oct

So Halloween is not yet in the books, but let’s start looking forward to November and the REAL holiday season.

Let the craft shows begin

The first craft show I’ve heard about this shopping season is schedule for this Saturday November 3 at Schlegel Elementary School, 1548 Schlegel Road, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This annual event features more than 60 vendors, sweet treats, raffles, concessions and lots more. There is, of course, no admission, and there’s plenty of parking.

Barry’s celebrates another anniversary

It’s a big weekend at Barry’s Old School Irish, as Danny and Jessica celebrate the little Irish pub’s 7th anniversary.

You all know how close to my heart I hold Danny and Jessica Barry and their pub. And clearly they feel the same about the people they have met in Webster. This from the Facebook event notice:

This Pub is special for so many reasons. A dream of ours to open after honeymooning in Ireland, which became a reality at 20 and 24 years old. We’ve brought three crazy kiddos into this world since the year we opened Barry’s- our kids quickly gained MANY aunts and uncles from our pub community. We are so thankful to all those who call Barry’s home and are blessed to have made so many wonderful friends that have become Family to us. We’ve shared a lot of lasting memories together in these 7 years, let’s make a few more on November 3rd during our Anniversary Party!

You can check the Facebook event for details, but briefly, the celebration runs from 7:30 to 11 p.m. this Saturday November 3; Dave North will provide live entertainment; there’s an official whiskey toast, Guinness giveaways, an appearance by Jack the Bagpiper, and more.

Barry’s Old School Irish is located at 2 West Main Street, at the Village of Webster’s four corners.

Hot cocoa is back

Next Saturday, November 10, the Friends of Webster Trails will host their annual Hot Cocoa Hike at Four Mile Creek, rescheduled from a few days ago when it was stinky rainy and cold.

Arrive anytime between 7 and 8 p.m. and hike your way to some free hot chocolate. This popular event is NOT guided, but it is easy to do and fun for all ages. You’ll find your way by following a lighted path, starting at the parking lot. The exact route will be selected that week based on trail conditions and marked that evening for you to follow. It may be up to a mile in length (one way).

The hot chocolate will be free, hopefully the moon will be out, and there will be a lot of new friends to meet.

Pre-registration is requested. For more information and to sign up, click here. You can also find information under the events section of the Friends of Webster Trails website.

Four Mile Creek is located at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads, and there’s plenty of parking.

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Also on November 10, the Village of Webster’s second annual Bourbon Bash returns to the Harmony House from 6 to 9 p.m.

Bourbon fans can sample several craft and commercially-produced bourbons, plus fine foods from local restaurants. Participants can also enter a raffle for $15 to win a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle!

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here. Proceeds will benefit Webster Local Charities. (Remember to bring your ID.)

The Harmony House is located at 58 East Main Street in Webster.

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Does your organization have any special holiday events coming up? Make sure to tell me about them so I can publicize them in my blog. Email me at missyblog@gmail.com.

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

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Two things to do with the family this Saturday

23 Oct

Two fun events happening this Saturday October 27. You already know about the Trick-or-Treat Trail in the Village, of Webster. Let’s hope for reasonable weather for this amazing family-friendly event.

You can read details about that event in  my previous blog here.

That evening, help the kids walk off some of those extra calories at the annual Friends of Webster Trails Hot Cocoa Hike at Four Mile Creek Preserve, at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads.

blue-hot-chocolate-cup-mdArrive anytime between 7 and 8 p.m. and hike your way to some free hot chocolate. This popular event is NOT guided, but it is easy to do and fun for all ages. You’ll find your way by following a lighted path, starting at the parking lot. The exact route will be selected that week based on trail conditions and marked that evening for you to follow. It may be up to a mile in length (one way).

The hot chocolate will be free, hopefully the moon will be out, and there will be a lot of new friends to meet.

friends

Pre-registration is requested. For more information and to sign up, click here. You can also find information under the events section of the Friends of Webster Trails website.

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

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Explore a “hidden gem” with the Friends of Webster Trails

15 Aug

Even if if you’ve hiked some of Webster’s fine trail system, you may not know about this one.

It’s the Midnight Trail, which can be found just south of Webster Park. On Sunday August 26, The Friends of Webster Trails would love to introduce it to you at their second of three Hidden Gems hikes, a series designed to introduce nature lovers to some of Webster’s lesser-known trails.

The two-mile hike will begin at 1 p.m. at Whiting Road Nature Preserve, cross Whiting Road and head into Webster Park via the Midnight Trail loop. The trail will have some rolling terrain but is not too steep.

This hike will be held rain or shine, but any changes to the event will be communicated via email, so please sign up by clicking here. Anyone is welcome to attend, but please leave your pets at home this time around.

The map below, pulled from the Friends of Webster Trails website, shows the trail you’ll be hiking. Make sure to check all the trail maps and other great information on that website. Then go over to the membership page and throw these folks some cash to thank them for creating and maintaining Webster’s awesome trails.

midnight trail

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What I found out at Community Arts Day

16 Apr

I mentioned in a few of my previous posts how much I look forward to Community Arts Day every year, in large part because I get to check in with a lot of community agencies and visit with some people I only see once a year — at this event.

As usual, this year I came away with a whole bunch of flyers about upcoming events, most of which I will be developing into individual blogs in the near future. But for now, let me give you a teaser:

  • The Webster Public Library is sponsoring an unusual fund-raiser. Well, actually, a HAT-raiser. They’re looking for generous people to make hats, caps and head-warmers of all sorts for sale this fall to support library programming. You can knit, crochet, sew, or weave the hats (whatever!) and make them any size or design, then drop off your creations at the pubic library by October 1.
  • The Webster Library’s Spring Book Sale is scheduled for Thursday April 26-Saturday April 28. You can get more details by clicking here.

TROUBLEINP

  • Willink’s fourth annual student-run play will hit the stage on Friday May 4 and Saturday May 5. It’s called “Trouble in Paradise Junction,” which they describe as a “love letter to small town life.” Tickets go on sale Wednesday April 18. For more information visit willinkstudentrunplay.club.
  • The Friends of Webster Trails reminded me that there’s a new trail in town! The new Yellow Trail has recently been completed at Four Mile Creek Preserve, at the corner of Phillips and Lake roads. It’s an extension of an already existing trail system which itself is one of the newer jewels in Webster’s outstanding trail system. Find out more at www.webstertrails.org. And while you’re there, drop them a few bucks and become a member.

Stay tuned for more details about these and other upcoming Webster events, including the Chorus of the Genesee’s annual spring concert, which this year will welcome the Core, and the Yellow Jackets. I just got a flyer in the mail, and will tell you more about that shortly.

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

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We need more friends like these

27 Mar

signpostI happened to be reading through my most recent edition of the Friends of Webster Trails newsletter, and I came across something that made me stop in my tracks.

In his introductory notes, editor John Boettcher noted that “Treasurer Bill Polito and Membership Chair Denise Bilsback (have) our membership on the cusp of breaking 200.”

I stopped and read the passage again, thinking I might have missed a zero the first time through. But I hadn’t.

The way John wrote that, it almost seemed like he was a bit excited by that number.  I, on the other hand, am appalled. I have a hard time understanding why so few people — or families or couples — think enough about what the Friends of Webster Trails accomplishes to become members.

I KNOW that more than 200 people a year use Webster’s awesome trails — trails that are so awesome BECAUSE of the Friends — a dedicated team of volunteers who work every summer to create new trails, improve existing trails, remove invasive vegetation, install signage, build bridges…

And while the grunt work is completed by volunteers, a lot of the improvements cost money. So far the Friends have accomplished amazing things with the limited funds they have. Just think about what they could do if 100 or 200 more families would throw them $10 or $15 to become members. (P.S. that’s all it costs.)

So c’mon. Log onto www.webstertrails.org and become a member. Especially if you use our trails a lot. If you’re not familiar with the network of trails that surround us, this would also be a great way to learn about them. The newsletter alone is packed with information and updates. This month, for example, I read about

  • the Hidden Gems guided hikes
  • the 2018 Wegmans Passport to Family Fitness Program
  • proposed improvements to the Hojack Trail
  • a new bridge at Gosnell Big Woods Nature Preserve, and more.

Individual memberships are only $10 and family memberships are $15. It’s a great investment in Webster’s natural resources.

friends

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

 

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Webster Community Mailbag

15 Jan

IMG_2261 (2)_LIBoy Scout Troop 110, sponsored by St. Martin Lutheran Church in Webster, has proudly announced that Jason Brown has earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

Jason performed his Eagle Project for Friends of Webster Trails. Jason worked with the organization on their latest project, creating the new Hickory Bark Trail behind the Webster Public Library.

For his project, Jason:

  • built a large kiosk so people visiting the Webster Public Library, the playgrounds or softball fields would be aware of the trail.
  • installed two culverts on the trail to move rainwater off the trail which will prevent it from getting muddy.
  • created and installed information content for the kiosk.  nature found on the trail such as shag bark, iron wood and yellow birch trees, poison ivy (and its dangers) and foxholes.

Jason also helped improve the trails at Whiting Road Nature Preserve by filling in some of the low spots with stone.

The project, which was completed in 2017, took 225 hours to complete. Jason was assisted by 11 adults and five other Scouts.

Jason currently attends Webster Schroeder High School, where he has won several academic awards. Besides Scouting he enjoys volleyball, tennis, and playing the cello and jazz piano.

More About the Friends

Friends of Webster Trails (FWT) is an organization which serves as the volunteer division of the Webster Parks and Recreation Department. FWT has built and maintained 19.5 miles of trails located in Whiting Road Nature Preserve, Gosnell Big Woods Preserve, Four Mile Creek Preserve and other locations such as the Hojack Trail. These trails provide a place for hiking, mountain biking, running, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. The Hickory Bark Trail behind the library  is the organization’s latest effort.

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The First Baptist Church of Penfield’s next Flapjack Saturday Community Fundraiser
will be held Saturday January 20, from 8 to 10 a.m.

The  menu includes pancakes, pure maple syrup, scrambled eggs, sausage, and more for just $5.00 per person.

All January proceeds will go directly to help support the Open Door Mission, a Christian rescue mission founded on the belief that with proper resources hope can be restored and lives of impoverished men, women and children of Rochester could be forever changed.

Breakfast is served at the church, 1862 Penfield Road. The venue is handicap-accessible. For more information, call 585-586-2876, log onto http://www.fbpenfield.org, or visit them on Facebook.

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OConnor-Band-PRESS-5-LO-RES-768x510

The O’Connor Band, with Webster native Kate Lee, will perform at the Eastman Theatre on January 19.

There’s a great concert coming up Friday night which is worth mentioning again. It will be held at the Eastman Theatre, and feature the Grammy-winning O’Connor Band, with Webster’s own phenom fiddle player Kate Lee (Webster Schroeder ’10).

The O’Connor Band’s debut album, Coming Home, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart in 2016 and won Best Bluegrass Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017.

The band features legendary fiddle virtuoso and composer, Mark O’Connor, his wife Maggie O’Connor (fiddle/vocals), son Forrest O’Connor (mandolin/vocals), and Kate (fiddle/vocals), who last April officially joined the family when she married Forrest.

On Friday night January 19, the band will perform at the Eastman Theatre, beginning at 8 p.m. The show will feature music from the O’Connor Band’s Grammy-winning album as well as music from their 2017-released O’Connor Band LIVE! album.

Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre is located at 26 Gibbs Street in Rochester. For tickets, visit www.eastmantheatre.org/events/oconnor-band.

To learn more about the O’Connor Band, visit their website at www.oconnorband.com.

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

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