Heritage Square Museum is a 19th-century living history museum, located just 12 minutes east of the Village of Webster on Ontario Center Rd. It features ten individual buildings spread across 13 beautiful acres, which illuminate what life was like for many of the Town of Ontario’s earliest settlers.
I only really discovered the museum myself last September when I accepted an invitation to stop by during one of their community open house days and see what it was all about.
It’s a pretty cool place, offering a very educational and entertaining experience for the entire family. (Here’s theblog I wrote about my visit.) It’s really a hidden gem, which is why I’m happy to pass along news of some of their upcoming events.
The museum is opening for the season next weekend, with guided tours on Saturday June 1 from 1:30 to 4 p.m., and an ice cream social on Sunday June 2, also from 1:30 to 4 p.m., featuring live oldies music by Patrick Runne and Cheap Datez.
Opening weekend is a great chance to check out the museum, maybe absorb some history, and sit outside eating an ice cream while enjoying good music.
Can’t make it on opening weekend? The museum is open every weekend through Sept. 29, offering guided tours from 1:30 to 4 p.m. for a small fee. (Last tour starts at 3 p.m.)
If you like what you see, consider signing the kids up for one of Heritage Square Museum’s Stepping Back in Time children’s programs:
Thursday June 27, 10 to 11:30 a.m.: Games and Toys of the 1860s (register by June 13)
Thursday July 25, 10 to 11:30 a.m.: School Fun in the 1860s (register by July 11)
Thursday August 22, 10 to 11 a.m.: Daily Life in the 1860s (register by Aug. 8)
The programs are designed for children ages 5-10, and all three programs are free, but registration is required by calling Judy at 585-271-4925.
Each child may be registered for one or more programs, and each child must be accompanied by an adult. Children are encouraged (but not required) to dress like a child of the 1860s.
Heritage Square Museum is located at 7147 Ontario Center Rd., Ontario.
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Are you a guy who loves to sing, or do you know a guy who loves to sing? Webster’s very own Chorus of the Genesee is hosting a Guest Night on Tuesday, June 4 at 7 p.m. at the Harmony House, 58 E. Main St. in the Village of Webster.
Learn more about the Chorus, who they are and what they do. There’ll be singing, snacking and socializing. Click here to find out more.
Yoga at the Gazebo
Molly Flaherty, owner of M/Body Webster, is hosting FREE outdoor community yoga classes in Veterans Memorial Park on North Ave. every Sunday morning from 10 to 11 a.m. through Sept. 8.
While there’s no charge, registration is required. Click here to register. This event is being held in conjunction with the Webster BID and Webster Chamber of Commerce.
Day of Caring at The Webster Arboretum
Thursday May 23 was the annual Day of Caring, and the Webster Arboretum sent along this report on what their volunteers got accomplished:
“The Day of Caring, sponsored by United Way, is the community’s single largest volunteer effort, helping local nonprofits with projects, or ‘needs’, that they may not otherwise have resources for. We would like to thank Carestream Health, TRSS, Rockwell Automation, Hillside Children Center, Excellus, Paychex and Bond, Schoennay & King for supporting the Webster Arboretum. (Thursday) these groups came out in force to weed, mulch and beautify the Webster Arboretum. Thanks to their hard work we look better than ever. Stop by and enjoy the benefits of their labor.”
And don’t forget about these upcoming June Events at the Arboretum:
Composting workshops, Wednesday June 5 from 10 to 11 a.m. or Tuesday June 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The presenter will be Barbara Cummings from the Wayne County Master Gardener Program. No registration is required.
Program about peonies, the “queen of flowers,” Sunday June 9 at 6:30 p.m. Arboretum board member George Riehle will give a tour and present the program, focusing on the care and cultivation of peonies and tree peonies. Please register at theWebster Arboretum website.
The Music at the Arb series continues this summer when Jazz Generation performs at the Arboretum gazebo on Thursday June 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The performance is weather-dependent. Bring your chairs, blankets, snacks and beverages. There’s no cost and registration is not necessary.
The Webster Arboretum is located at 1700 Schlegel Rd.
Miracle Field announces inaugural golf tournament
This is exciting news from our friends at Challenger Miracle Field. They’ve just announced they’ll be hosting their first-ever golf tournament on Monday Sept. 9 at Irondequoit Country Club.
The Early Bird Golf Package will go for $1,000 a team if purchased before June 30, when the price will go up to $1,100. Packages include a round of golf for four people, golf carts, lunch and dinner.
Sponsorships are available for individuals and businesses beginning at $200.
Click here to register for the tournament and click here for more information about sponsorships.
Special Olympics Returns to Schroeder Campus
This notice from the Webster CSD:
Webster Central School District will once again host the Northeast Monroe County Special Olympics Track and Field Day.
Student athletes from nine area schools will compete throughout the day on Wednesday, May 29 at the Webster Schroeder High School track. Opening ceremonies will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the New York State Police Torch Relay slated to arrive around 10:15 a.m. Competitions will begin immediately following. Webster Schroeder, Webster Thomas, East Irondequoit, West Irondequoit, Penfield, Creekside, Mary Cariola, Greece Athena, and Fairport high schools will all be represented, competing in a variety of track, field, and adaptive events.
New this year will be several unified events. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and ability.
Additionally, Special Olympics NY will again offer more opportunity for age-appropriate sport activities for younger children. Their Young Athletes program, for ages 2-7, offers a variety of motor learning stations that introduces athletes to play and develops skills that lead to sport-specific movements and activities. Developmental Sports, for ages 8-11, is a step up from Young Athletes and focuses on skill development in sport activities. Both of these Special Olympics programs are designed to prepare younger athletes for authentic Special Olympics competition.
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After more than three years of TLC, including planting new grass, trees and flowers, and installing a new stone and memorial plaque, Edna Struck Memorial Park is looking beautiful again. On Thursday May 9, a dozen local officials gathered to officially rededicate the 130-year old park in honor of the village’s “neighborhood gardener.”
Edna Struck Park is the little grassy median on the east side of the village where Lapham Park makes a slight jog at the corner of Elm St. Those of us who live in the village and walk those streets have come to take the pleasant little green space for granted. But not everyone knows the park’s rather interesting history, or that at one point many years ago, it was almost eliminated altogether.
Back in the 1890s, where the park now stands was actually part of a baseball field. Russell Lapham owned the property, which he rented to local businessmen for a baseball diamond, complete with a grandstand and ticket office. Home plate was located about where Edna Struck Park is now, and the pitcher’s mound was in the front yard of the home at the southeast corner of Lapham Park and Elm.
The Town of Webster team used the village field for four years, hosting teams from all around the county, until the Lapham family decided to convert the tract into building lots.
As the neighborhood grew, so did the little traffic island park. Early photos show a peaceful green space shaded by stately elms, with a sign warning drivers to “go to the right.”
Even with that warning in place, the island has been known to befuddle drivers. In the late 1960s, Curt Gerling, then editor of the Webster Herald, wrote an article suggesting the island be removed after he had trouble negotiating the curves one night. Concerned about the article, several neighbors came together and decided the best way to save the park was to make it more attractive, planting crabapple trees and petunias.
One of those neighbors was Edna Struck, who lived on Park Ave. and became known as the “First Lady of Lapham Park.” For years, Edna carefully tended to the trees and flowers. She also took care of many gardens on Park Ave. and Lapham Park and the flowers at the United Methodist Church. After she passed in 1991, her neighbors erected a marker in her honor, identifying Edna as the “Neighborhood Gardener.”
The unpretentious little green space quietly beautified the Lapham Park neighborhood for more than 25 years, and in 2005 was designated an official local landmark. Then, in 2019, it once again befuddled a driver.
In February of that year, someone was driving down Lapham Park much too fast and, instead of navigating the jog in the road, plowed right through the park, mowing down the trees and plants, and inflicting significant other damage.
Once everything got cleaned up, efforts began to bring the island back to its original beauty, led by the village’s Historic Preservation Committee. It was slow going, but eventually a new design was drawn up, trees and shrubs were planted, and the stone and memorial plaques replaced.
And on May 9, Edna Struck Memorial Park was officially rededicated in honor of “our neighborhood gardener.” So next time you stroll by, pause a moment to appreciate this little park’s long history, and remember Edna.
Assembled local officials at the dedication
Many thanks to Karen Buck and Webster Town Historian Lynn Barton for the photos and background information for this blog.
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Webster’s Memorial Day Parade, kind of the unofficial kick-off to the summer season, takes place on Memorial Day, Monday May 27.
Here are the details:
9:00 a.m.: All groups participating in the parade will assemble at Spry Middle School on Sanford Street. All active duty and ex-service men and women are invited to take part in the parade. Any veterans who would like to ride in the bed of an Army truck are asked to be at Spry by 9 a.m.
9:50 a.m. (approx.): Parade arrives at Webster Rural Cemetery.
The Remembrance Ceremony will begin at approximately 10 a.m., or whenever everyone arrives and gets settled.
9:30 a.m.: Parade moves out from Spry, down South Avenue, turning west on Main Street and proceeding to Webster Rural Cemetery.
In addition to honored active military members, auxiliary members and veterans, also expected to march in this year’s parade are the Webster High School Marching Band, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, firefighters and more. Click here to see a gallery of photos from last year.
This is always a very nice parade, and the ceremony that follows it at Webster Rural Cemetery is always moving. I highly recommend bringing your children to see both the parade and the ceremony, so they might begin to understand the huge debt we owe our servicemen and women.
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I’ve always loved a good home-town festival. That’s why I love the annual St. Rita Fiesta; even more than the Firemen’s Carnival, it brings me right back to the days of the fair I looked forward to every summer when I was growing up in small-town Owego.
And when I heard that this year’s festivities were going to be even bigger and better than ever, I immediately put it on my calendar.
The 69th annual St. Rita Fiesta will take place on Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1 at St. Rita Church, 1008 Maple Drive in West Webster.
Everyone’s favorite features will be back this year, including the famous Fiesta Food Tent with the also famous fish fry (Friday only) and Chicken BBQ (Saturday only), the Sweets Booth, carnival games with prizes, inflatables for the kids, the money wheel and pull tabs, a plant sale, book sale, and lawn games.
PLUS Irish dancers, karate and Robotics team demos, a talent show, an inflatable archery game, art station, the “Dunk the Deacon,” and live music from Roll the Dice, All In Brass Band and Count On It All Joy.
PLUS PLUS this year, the Fiesta is introducing pony rides for the kids, and is bringing back line dancing. Newer attractions will also include a mini golf course, giant spin art, a corn hole tournament and free bingo. And don’t forget to take a chance (or several) on the raffle baskets and $5,000 Spectacular Raffle Drawing.
Basically, there’s a TON of stuff going on both days for children and adults. Admission is free, and there’s plenty of free on-site parking, with handicap spaces available. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Meals on Wheels.
Here are the details:
69th annual St. Rita Fiesta, Friday May 31 from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday June 1 from 2 to 9 p.m. Check the flyer below for details on when your favorite activities are happening. You can also visit the Fiesta Facebook page or website for regular updates
St. Rita Church is located at 1008 Maple Dr. in West Webster.
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That’s the message the great local group Color Webster Green wants to share with you at a free composting workshop being held at the Webster Recreation Center from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday June 1.
Color Webster Green is a group of Webster residents committed to helping our community be more green, improve energy efficiency and use environmentally-friendly practices. They invite everyone in the community — adults, kids, whole families — to join that effort and learn about composting at the hour-long workshop.
Doug Carney from Impact Earth will make a presentation all about composting, including the benefits, dos and dont’s, and how to get started. It will take place in room 303 at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr., and light snacks will be provided. Registration is NOT necessary.
Please bring the kids. It’s good for them to learn at an early age how important it its to care for our environment. And they can even plant a seed in compost to take home.
email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
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Every May, to recognize National Historic Preservation Month, the Webster Museum honors a historic property with a handsome plaque. This year, that honoree was not an individual property, but an entire neighborhood.
At the Webster Town Board meeting on Thursday May 17, Sharon Pratt from the museum’s Historic Properties Committee presented a plaque to the Forest Lawn neighborhood, represented by current Forest Lawn resident Mark Gunther.
Forest Lawn is a lakeside community neighborhood with its own mayor and a long history. Samuel Pierce, an early settler, bought and farmed 73 acres along the lake beginning in 1850. His son Horace and an attorney friend, George D. Forsyth, saw potential commercial opportunities in developing the land due to its proximity to the lake and proposed a railway line. In 1888, the Forest Lawn community began with the construction of a hotel. Shortly after, the land was divided into lots which were sold for summer cottages. In the years since, the cottages were all replaced with permanent homes. It is that date — 1888 — which is inscribed on the plaque.
The plaque program grew out of a survey of historic properties which a small group of museum volunteers tackled about more than 20 years ago. They especially were looking for homes that were built before 1902 which had enough of their historical integrity that their original owners would still recognize them.
The list they came up with was a long one. There were so many properties that it took a few years to compile their information, going to each house in turn, filling out a form and taking photos. In 2007 they decided to take all that information and propose a commemorative plaque program to the town. It would be a great way to recognize the town’s visual history, they argued, and a way for the town to say thank you to the homeowners who are putting in the time and effort to maintain the homes so they retain their original charm.
The town agreed. In 2008 the Historic Properties Committee presented its first 10 plaques, and have continued the program with the Town’s blessing every year since, handing out several plaques every May to commemorate Historic Preservation Month.
Most of the plaques that have been presented have gone to homes and business properties, but the committee has recently decided to start recognizing entire neighborhoods as well. Forest Lawn is the first historic neighborhood to receive that recognition.
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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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Congratulations to Webster Comfort Care Home (WCCH), honored as the May Business of the Month by the Webster Chamber of Commerce.
Located at the corner of Holt and Klem roads, WCCH has been a sanctuary for terminally ill patients, providing free hospice care, since 2003, The dedicated staff members and volunteers there uphold the dignity and ease the suffering of its residents, while supporting their loved ones in a warm, home-like atmosphere.
Julianne Groff, MSW has been the Executive Director of WCCH since December 2021. She was prepared to assume this role from her professional experiences serving through UR Medicine Hospice. To continue to provide this level of around-the-clock care, Julianne engages the skills and hearts of 14 staff members and more than 56 weekly volunteers. This team includes Board Chair Jackie Carosa, Esq, Primary Nurse Cheryl Hosey, and Volunteer Coordinator Ruth Rappaport-Kristal.
WCCH also provides a safe and supportive learning environment for promising future nurses and physician assistants through collegiate internships.
Beyond one-on-one care, WCCH has hosted weddings, birthdays and pet visits, celebrating life daily. Groff likes to say, “We laugh more than we cry.”
The Comfort Care Home relies in large part on community donations to fulfill its mission. Right now they’re especially looking for wheelchairs and walkers, which can be re-purposed or donated to causes around the world. Click here to find out about other ways to help.
Pictured above: Webster Chamber of Commerce Bard Chair Carolyn Montanaro (2nd from left) presents the award to WCCH representatives Cathy Gearinger, Julianne Groff, Amanda Parsons and Scott Gosert.
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All of your favorite special events are coming back to the Village of Webster this summer, thanks to the efforts of the village’s Business Improvement District (BID).
The official summer schedule was recently announced, with events planned pretty much every month beginning in June, through the end of the year.
Wine Walk fans will be pleased to hear that the next Wine Walk will be held on Saturday June 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. The logistical problems which caused the last Wine Walk to be unexpectedly canceled have been worked out, so put this date on your calendar now. Tickets will be available soon; keep an eye on the Webster BID website for when they do, because it always sells out.
Family Game Night and Beer Garden (Saturday July 27 from 4 to 7 p.m.)
Webster Jazz Festival (Aug. 9-10), featuring the New Prime Time Funk, Judah Sealy and more.
Health Fairand Shredding Event (Saturday Oct. 12)
Trick or Treat Trail (Saturday Oct. 26)
Bourbon Bash (Saturday Nov. 2)
Winter Wonderland (Saturday Dec. 7)
As we work our way through the spring and summer, more events will be added (I hope the Bed Races will be rescheduled), so stay tuned. The BID website will be updated regularly, so be sure to bookmark that, and “like” the Webster BID Facebook page. And of course, as I find out more, I’ll pass along the information.
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A few years ago I wrote a blog about a unique band that draws its members and directors from all over the Rochester area, and welcomes adult musicians of all ages, regardless of how long they’ve been playing their instrument.
The group is called Eastman-Rochester New Horizons, and it prides itself on being a no-audition program open to beginning and experienced musicians of all levels. Members enjoy rehearsing, playing, singing and performing with others in bands, small ensembles, orchestras and/or a chorus. It was founded by Roy Ernst in 1990 and is affiliated with the Eastman Community Music School.
I was reminded of the program recently when I found out New Horizons will be presenting their spring concert this coming Wednesday, May 22, at Eastman Theater. The symphonic band concert will feature international music from Scotland, Spain and Italy, and include pieces from Edvard Grieg to Cole Porter.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m., and it’s totally free and open to the public. You might just see some people you know, from the musicians in the ensembles to former band directors from our area, including conductor Larry Neeck, a retired music teacher from Willink Middle School.
The New Horizons program includes bands, orchestras, a choir, big band, jazz ensembles, and many smaller ensembles. You won’t see them all on Wednesday night, but what you will see is a bunch of very talented musicians who simply love making music and love sharing it with their community.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday May 22 in the Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theater, 26 Gibbs St.
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).
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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