Tag Archives: Maplewood

Webster community mailbag

19 Nov

Let’s start today’s mailbag with this quick note about something happening REALLY SOON that will interest those who want to get some Christmas shopping done.

Maplewood Nursing Home will be hosting their annual Holiday Bazaar this Thursday and Friday Nov. 20 and 21.

It will feature nine vendors offering one-of-a-kind items including home goods, crafts, jewelry, knitwear, wind chimes, and much more. Plus there will be a bake sale, two raffles and an ornament donation tree. All proceeds will benefit Lap Robes for Veterans, a charity near and dear to The Maplewood; the organization donates homemade lap robes to all military veterans at the facility.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The Maplewood is located at 100 Daniel Drive in the Village of Webster. There’s plenty of free parking. This is a community event and all are welcome.

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The Women’s Club of Webster has announced details for their 31st annual Holiday Cookie Sale, scheduled this year for Saturday, Dec. 13 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Webster Public Library, 980 Ridge Rd. Cost for cookies is $10 per pound (cash only!). They usually sell out very quickly, so get there early.

Proceeds from the sale, which is eagerly awaited by area cookie lovers, will benefit the club’s scholarship funds as well as many other programs in the Webster community.

AND while we’re talking about the Women’s Club, you’ll want to make plans now to attend the club’s December meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 18 at the Penfield Country Club.

Santa will be the special guest at the luncheon, so this is your chance to ask him all those questions you’ve ever wondered about, like what his favorite cookies are and who pulls his beard the most. Mrs. Claus will also be with him.

The meeting will be held at the Penfield Country Club, 1784 Jackson Rd. It begins with social time at 11:30 a.m., followed by the meeting at noon and lunch at 12:30. Cost is $25 and includes lunch, either Chicken French, a Reuben or Italian Melt sandwich. All lunches also come with fresh fruit and beverages. Send your check made out to WCW with your lunch choice by Dec. 11 to Carolyn Rittenhouse, 405 County Line Rd, Ontario, NY 14519. If you think your check might be late, call Carolyn at 585-265-1303 to hold your place.

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From the Webster CSD:

Families with children residing in their household who are ages birth to 5 years old are asked to help Webster CSD forecast enrollment by completing the brief Young Children Census.

You can complete the survey online at the Webster CSD website or here on an online form. It will only take a few minutes. Deadline is January 6.

This census is a young family’s first connection with the district and helps the school district keep in touch with the family as their child approaches school age. When families share their email address with Webster CSD through the census, it enables the district to notify those families when their children are eligible for prekindergarten and kindergarten registration.

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Webster Comfort Care Home’s 2025 Holiday Raffle is now open, your chance to win some fabulous prizes. (Details about what they are can be found on the WCCH website.) Tickets are one for $25, three for $60 and six for $100 (that’s a bargain!). You can click here to purchase them online. The raffle will be live through Thursday Dec. 18, when the winners will be chosen. 

Not only is this a great opportunity to win a pretty awesome Christmas gift for yourself or a loved one, but you can feel good that you’ve supported a really awesome organization at the same time.

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Here’s another reminder that Country Gardeners of Webster will hold their annual Garden Club Holiday Sale on Saturday December 6 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive. This huge sale features fresh wreaths, arrangements, poinsettias, centerpieces and gifts that are created by hand by the club members. This is always a very popular event, so you want to get there early. Admission is free.

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

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(posted 11/19/2025)

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Patriotic pride on full display at Maplewood Nursing Home

3 Jul

Drivers along Main Street in the Village of Webster couldn’t help but smile Thursday morning as they passed a heartwarming scene outside Maplewood Nursing Home. A group of residents, adorned with patriotic hats and headbands, lined the sidewalk with American flags in hand, waving enthusiastically at every car and truck that drove by, soliciting honks and waves from passing motorists.

A speaker placed in the middle of the crowd of residents blasted music, and staff members and volunteers danced, sang and did their best to encourage drivers (especially big trucks) to sound their horns.

Maplewood’s Director of Recreation, Gary Sacco, coordinates these holiday mini-celebrations every year, either the day before the Fourth of July, or on Flag Day, and he’s been doing so for about ten years. They’re weather-dependent of course, but when they do happen, it’s a very special occasion for the residents and certainly the highlight of their day. Any resident who wants to attend can do so, assisted by volunteers and staff members who patiently roll their wheelchairs up the hill from the facility to Main Street and line them up along the sidewalks.

Today, the crowd of festive, flag-waving residents numbered more than 30. Volunteers, staff members and family members brought the crowd to almost 50. There were so many smiles, and the whole scene was filled with an infectious, cheerful energy that turned an ordinary morning into a celebration of community spirit that certainly brightened the day of everyone it touched.

I love this village.

Volunteer Chris Bousman got up close and personal with the cars

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

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 7/3/2025)

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Local Nurse Corps veteran recognized

20 Nov

In this month of November, when we make a point to recognize and thank our nation’s veterans, here’s a nice story about one of Webster’s own.

On Friday Nov. 11, Town of Webster Deputy Supervisor Patti Cataldi and Cherie Wood, from the Daughters of the American Revolution, Canandaigua Chapter, attended the Veteran’s Day ceremony held at the Maplewood nursing home. They made the trip especially to present a Certificate of Appreciation to Maplewood resident Marie Gyles.

Marie had been invited to a Thank You Celebration held on July 30 at Webster Union Ceremony to recognize first responders, veterans and the military. But due to COVID restrictions, she was unable to attend. So Cataldi and Wood brought the certificate to her.

Marie Gyles was a member of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II. In her remarks at the presentation, Cataldi explained,

The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps was the nation’s first integrated uniformed U.S. service corps. It fulfilled an urgent need for nurses during World War II. During that time many nurses were called to military service to care for soldiers overseas, creating vacancies of approximately 17,000 nursing positions in civilian hospitals in the United States. Many hospitals were on the verge of collapse. In 1943 President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Nurse Training Act to provide accelerated nursing training. The federal government covered the cost of tuition, room and board, a monthly stipend and the Cadet Corps uniforms. By 1945, Cadet Nurses were providing 80% of the nursing care in the hospitals in the United States. The Corps celebrated the 75th Anniversary of their creation in 2018.

Marie began her training and was admitted to the United States Cadet Nurse Corps in August 1944 at just 18 years old. She began working as a registered nurse at a tuberculosis hospital in Auburn. She later worked in maternity and pediatric care at Wilson Hospital, where she had trained for the Cadet Corps.

Cataldi also pointed out that the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps remains the only uniformed corps members not to be recognized as veterans. An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act is pending approval, so hopefully that will soon change.

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

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(posted 11/20/2022)


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Two stories of holiday kindness

19 Dec

Here are a few quick stories that will brighten your day.

The first comes from one of my faithful readers, whose daughter Julia dances with the local studio Dancing With Denise, located on Gravel Rd. in Webster.

Owner Denise Baller has always supported our community in so many ways, most recently participating in the recent Webster Holiday Parade of Lights, where she and her dedicated dancers kept going through rain and snow until the very last car drove through the parade.

Last week Sunday she and her “Happy Feet Dancers” dancers took that commitment to The Maplewood senior living community and created their very own Dancing Parade around the outside of the building. Each resident was treated to their own private dance show right outside their windows.

The photo above is of the dancers in their holiday gear. Go on over to Denise’s Facebook page to see more photos and a really cute video.

I picked up this next tidbit from a Facebook post created by Jamie Nodine about her son Josh.

I wrote about Josh back in March when he was treated to a very special birthday parade past his house, kind of a consolation prize for when his Dream Factory trip to Walt Disney World got canceled.

On nice days, Josh likes to sit outside his State Rd. home and wave at the cars and trucks driving by. When he was doing that a little more than a week ago, he was surprised by a very special visitor.

Jamie wrote,

The weather was beautiful yesterday! It was a perfect day for Josh to sit in the driveway and wave to passersby. As I looked out the front window, I saw a truck slow down and stop in the driveway. Much to my surprise, Santa hopped out to greet my son! Josh was beside himself! With a “ho ho ho,” he handed Josh some candy canes and wished him a Merry Christmas.

Josh was thrilled, Jamie added, and talked about the experience all night long. A big thank you to the the kind Santa in the pickup truck for taking the time to make a special memory this special young man.

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

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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