Tag Archives: town of webster

News from the Greater Rochester Peep Show

29 Jan

Good news for those of you who love those marshmallow Peeps candies. The 2023 Greater Rochester Marshmallow Peep Show is right around the corner.

If you’ve never heard about this really fun event, you’re going to want to keep reading, especially if you like eating those yellow (and now pink and purple and whatever other colors) marshmallow chicks and ducks. I’ve never been a big fan. I put them in the same category as those faux-orange circus peanuts. They squeak when you bite into them.

But I LOVE the Peep Show. This is a two-day event at the Webster Recreation Center, where at least four entire rooms are filled with incredibly creative sculptures, dioramas, and various other works of art created with Peeps. It’s simply the cutest thing ever.  Plus, there are craft vendors, a kids’ activity room, pizza and a snack bar.

This year’s show is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday March 25 and 26 at the Webster Recreation Center. More details will come (but it’s free and great family fun). But for now, Peep Show organizers are looking for Peep creators.

Businesses, organizations or individuals are encouraged to enter a display for judging. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the show for the display that gets the most visitor votes.

Not feeling very artistic? You can support the event in other ways as well. You can hang a poster, donate a prize or become a partner in underwriting the show. Several levels of sponsorship are available, and all proceeds will benefit the Webster Community Chest.

I’ve posted some photos from last year’s show below. You can see more photos, check out last year’s winners, find out more about the show and how you can help by visiting the Rochester Peep Show website here, or email peepshow@frontier.com.

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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 1/29/2023)

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Webster community mailbag

27 Jan

I’d like to start off today’s mailbag with news of a neat little fundraiser sponsored by Webster Comfort Care. They’re calling it their “Souper Bowl,” and it’s a great way to supplement your Super Bowl party in a few weeks, while supporting an incredibly worthy organization.

For just $15, you can place an order for a quart of delicious soup, prepared by one of a half dozen local restaurants. Your choices are:

  • Jambalaya, provided by the Filling Station
  • White Chicken Chili, provided by the Chicken Coop
  • Chicken, Cheddar, Broccoli Jalapeno, provided by Temple Bar and Grill
  • Italian Wedding Soup, provided by Mama Lor’s
  • Tomato Bisque, provided by La Bella Vita
  • Clam Chowder, provided by Pub 235

For another $5, you can even add four breadsticks to your order.

Orders need to be made online by Feb. 5, and pick-up will be on Saturday Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon at Webster Presbyterian Church, 550 Webster Rd. Click here for more information and to order.

Most of the following announcements I grabbed from the Town of Webster weekly newsletter.

  • Our Town of Webster Highway Department is creating some additional parking at the Whiting Rd. Nature Preserve. The project should be completed by spring and will go a long way to relieve some of the crowding up there, which has required some hikers to park on busy Whiting Rd.
  • The Webster Recreation Center has a way to keep your kids busy during February Break. Their February Break Fun Camp will run from Tuesday through Friday Feb. 21-24, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and feature games, crafts, games in the gym and more. Cost is $185. To sign up, visit the Webster Parks and Recreation website and register for program #121006-A.
  • The Webster Association of Senior Program Supporters (WASPS) will be holding a Volunteer Training Class for anyone interested in helping provide transportation for residents to their medical appointments, salons, barbers and banks. The commitment is only about two hours a week. The first class will be held on Wednesday Feb. 1 at LifeSpan of Rochester. To learn more, visit the WASPS website.

A couple of fun Webster Public Library programs coming up:

  • The National Puzzle Day Puzzle Exchange takes place on Monday, Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. This is a great time to trade in some of your gently-used puzzles for something new to you. Bring as many as you want.
  • The annual Preschool Drive-in is happening this year on Tuesday Jan. 31 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The morning will begin with decorating the kids’ box cars, followed by a drive over to the community room to watch a short movie. You can even bring the car home. The program is open to children ages 2 to 5. Registration is required, and boxes (I mean, cars) are limited.
  • Also happening at the library on Tuesday Jan. 31, a showing of Top Gun: Maverick, playing on the big screen in the community room beginning at 1 p.m. Running time is about 130 minutes. All ages are welcome and no registration is required.

The Webster Public Library is lpocated at 980 Ridge Rd., at the back of Webster Plaza.

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(posted 1/27/2023)

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Town Highway Garage, up-close and personal

17 Jan

I found myself the other day in a spot I never would have expected: face-to face with a 15-ton snowplow.

Actually, to be more accurate, I was face-to-face with MANY snowplows, parked so close together that I had to do some fancy maneuvering to get through and around them. The occasion was my recent tour of the Town of Webster Highway Garage on Picture Parkway, which I took to learn more about the plans Webster has to expand the current facility, which has become outdated and too small.

My visit early last week was the first in a series of tours the town is offering to community residents interested in getting a close-up look at the current facility’s condition and first-hand information about the Highway Facility Modernization Project. My tour guide was Webster’s Superintendent of Highways Supervisor Patrick Stephens, who walked me (and two other town residents) through the facility’s current equipment and materials storage buildings, the administration offices and the salt barn. On the way, he pointed out several specific instances of the buildings’ poor condition, like crumbling support beams and outdated electrical equipment.

The physical condition of the property aside, it became very clear during the tour that there simply is no longer enough room for all of the town’s equipment to be safely stored. As the town grew, administrators tried to keep up with the addition of new and much bigger equipment by adding onto the existing buildings bit by bit, to the detriment of efficiency. So right now, the main truck fleet is parked in multiple buildings, and are angled in, double-stacked and cross-parked one in front of another just to fit them all. In the main storage building, the trucks are parked nose-to-nose, which requires complicated maneuvers around other trucks, and backing out of narrow doorways to get out. Space is at such a premium that a lot of equipment is stored outside, unprotected from the elements.

The drivers do what they need to do, and have become rather adept at playing what amounts to a shifting-squares puzzle. But, “We’d like to spend our time on other things rather than being good at jockeying things around,” Patrick said.

A third consideration for replacing the current building are the staff facilities. Originally designed to accommodate a staff of 18, the break room, kitchen, small restrooms and limited locker space now must serve a full-time staff of 40, plus seasonal staff. The new facility would include separate men’s and women’s locker rooms, larger bathrooms and a break room that would comfortably and safely accommodate 50 to 55 staff members.

As he conducted our tour, Patrick patiently answered all of the questions I had, no matter how ignorant I thought they sounded. But that was exactly what the tours are all about, Patrick said.

The purpose of the tours is to give as much information to the community as possible at the beginning of this process, in as many first-hand, face-to-face meetings as possible. …  Once we get into the budget process, a lot of people will have concerns. We want as many people as possible to understand why (we need a new building), that it’s not just for convenience.  

When we say ‘need,’ they understand what that need is.

In these images from the Town of Webster, you can see the size difference between the vintage plows and today’s

The final design plans are mostly complete, but some financial details still need to be hammered out. Town officials hope to be able to present a preliminary cost proposal to the Town Board in February. In the meantime, community members are encouraged to learn more about the project by signing up for one of the half-hour tours. They’re offered two or three times a week through March 3. They’re a half hour long, and are limited to ten participants, 18 and over. The Town Highway Garage is located at 1005 Picture Parkway, off of Hard Rd.

If you can’t attend one of the in-person tours, you can watch a virtual online tour here.

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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 1/17/2023)

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Check this out: the history of the Webster Public Library

9 Jan

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine living in a town that does not have a public library. A public library is a vital part of any community, for all ages and for so many reasons. In particular, the services our Webster Public Library provides for our town can’t be overstated.

So it’s difficult to imagine a time when there wasn’t enough interest among the residents of our young town to support a public library. That fact alone led me to dig deeper into the history of our very own Webster Public Library for my January Webster History Bit. With significant assistance from Esther Dunn’s authoritative Webster Through the Years volume, this is what I found out:

The first Webster library was established in 1881 by a group called the Literary Society. Mary Jane Phillips kept the books in her home on Main St. in the village, just west of what is now the Cobblestone on Main restaurant. Society members, who paid $1.20 annual dues, were the only ones who could check out books.

The second town librarian was Mary Jane Andrews, who moved the books to her store on the south side of Main Street, just west of the four corners. In 1889, the library moved again, to 11 South Ave., in the building now occupied by B3 Beauty and Carl’s Pizza Kitchen. 

Soon afterwards, community support for a town library waned. In 1894, the library was disbanded, and the 1000 books were distributed among the board members. and for almost the next 30 years, Webster had no library at all

For almost the next 30 years the town of Webster had no library at all, until 1923, when the Monroe County Traveling Library was established. It traveled to 222 stops about every six weeks, mostly at schools but also crossroads or well-known shops. In Webster, the principal stations were at Dewitt and Bay roads, Vosburg and Lake roads, Forest Lawn, Nine Mile Point, Union Hill, Hard and Ridge roads, and West Webster.

Finally, in 1929 the first Webster public library was officially established at the new Webster High School (now Spry Middle School). It had 657 books, 265 borrowers and a circulation of 6,246. 

The library has moved several times since those early days, first to the Reitz Building on West Main (now Yesterday’s Muse Books), then to Webster Town Hall, to what is now the Town Court building at 1 Van Ingen Drive, and finally to its current location in Webster Plaza. It’s also grown – a lot. Today, the Webster Public Library has more than 260,000 items in its collection, 34,000 borrowers, and circulates about 334,000 items a year. 

So next time you have a chance — especially if you’ve never been there — stop by the Webster Public Library and show it some love. It’s come a long way.

The Webster Public Library is located at 980 Ridge Rd., in the back of Webster Plaza.

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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 1/9/2023)

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Webster is getting a dog park

6 Jan

As you can see from the headline, our canine friends are finally going to have an outdoor dog park of their own.

A few weeks ago, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello announced that the county will be constructing a new dog park in Webster Park, which should be completed before the end of the summer.

The 1.5-acre park will be located in the large grassy area just south of Lake Rd., at the corner of Park Rd., which leads into the campground. It will include separate areas for large and smaller dogs, agility equipment and drinking stations.

According to the county’s press release, the project is being funded by a $250,000 grant secured by Assemblymember Jennifer Lunsford, part of the Go Outside Monroe Initiative, dedicated to modernizing the county’s parks system. The funds will also be used to repair and replace existing equipment on the nearby playground.

Chris Bilow, Commissioner of Webster Parks and Recreation, already knows that the park will be popular with town residents. He wrote,

I am excited that the county is making this possible for the Webster community. The request for dog park space is something we hear from residents quite regularly. As we worked with county staff on a potential location and operation it became clear that partnering with the county on the project and having the county operate their current system for dog parks made all sorts of sense.

Thank you to all of the people and agencies who are making this project a reality. It’s something we’ve needed here in Webster for a long time.

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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 1/6/2023)

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Webster community mailbag

4 Jan

Even when there’s not much going on in the great wide Webster world for me to write about, I can always count on three of my most reliable sources — the Town of Webster, Webster Public Library and Webster Rec — to throw me some tidbits via their regular newsletters.

Daphne Geoca at the Webster Recreation Center sent along her monthly Webster 55+ newsletter, which is always packed with information about fitness programs, social opportunities, dining opportunities, entertainment and more, so many that I can’t list them all here. But they range from the Lunch Club, Senior Stretch and Balance Bootcamp to Decluttering Dynamics, Mindfulness and Bingo.

There were a few highlights, however, like the three-course Pasta Palooza dinner on Thursday Jan. 26 beginning at 4:30 (check out the flier for details); Pizza and a Movie on Friday Jan. 20 beginning at 12:30, featuring The Lake House, and a whole page full of Talks on Tuesdays including “The Science of Color” and a chance to meet Webster Supervisor Tom Flaherty. And don’t forget about the spaghetti dinner being hosted by the Masonic Temple this Friday Jan. 6, to benefit the Webster Association of Senior Program Supporters. (Check that flier, too.)

Click here to see the whole newsletter.

As always, there was a ton of great information in this week’s Webster This Week newsletter. Here are a few highlights:

  • You can sign up for a tour of the Town Highway Facility on Picture Parkway between Jan. 9 and March 3 to see the current facility conditions and learn about planned improvements. Visit the website here or call (585) 872-1443 to register for a half-hour tour.
  • Three nearby blood drives are coming up later this month. Click here to make an appointment:
    • Jan. 5, Xerox building 209 on Mitcheldean Drive from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
    • Jan. 19, Immanuel Lutheran Church on West Main from 1 to 6 p.m.
    • Jan. 23, the American Legion on Ridge Rd. from 1 to 6 p.m.

The Red Cross is offering a great promoton this month, too. Anyone who donates in January will be entered into a contest for a chance to win a trip to this year’s Super Bowl. Click here for details.

  • The Women’s Club of Webster‘s January general meeting and luncheon takes place on Thursday Jan. 19 at Proietti’s Restaurant, 980 Ridge Rd. beginning at 11:15. Mark Dwyer from Foodlink will be speaking. Cost is $23. Register by Jan. 12 by sending a check to Carolyn Rittenhouse, 405 County Line Rd., Ontario 14519.

The Webster Public Library‘s January schedule is packed with all sorts of adult programs and family fun. Here are some highlights from their latest email:

  • You can pick up your very own Webster Public Library tote bag for just $10 on your next visit. They’re pretty good looking, especially if you like purple.
  • Learn about Argentina and Chile at a travelogue presentation on Tuesday Jan. 10 from 2 to 3 p.m. Your tour guide will be WPL Director Adam Traub himself. Registration is required.
  • Hear the story of Rochester’s 100-year old airport told by former Airport Director Rick Iekal. The program takes place Thursday Jan. 26 from 7 to 8 p.m. and registration is required.
  • Read with the Amerks on Monday Jan. 23 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., when an Amerks player will stop by the library for storytime, a brief hockey demonstration and an autograph session with the Moose. Every child who attends will get a free Amerks ticket. All ages are welcome and no registration is required.
  • Monday Jan. 30 is National Puzzle Exchange Day. This is a great opportunity to trade in your gently used puzzles for something new to you. It’s going on all day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • January’s make-and-take crafts include a marshmallow snowman for kids, snowflake paper lanterns for teens and a CD case desk calendar for adults. Materials are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  • The library will host a Preschool Open House on Monday, January 9 at 6:30 p.m. Representatives from preschools and nursery schools in the Webster area will be available to chat with parents and provide information about their programs. Registration is not required.

Visit the Webster Public Library website for even more crafty events, a preschool drive-in, World Read Aloud Day storytime, and more.

Congratulations to Webster Comfort Care for winning this year’s Festival of Trees competition at the Webster Museum. The beautifully decorated tree received more votes than any of the others scattered throughout the museum during the event. Thank you to everyone who voted and helped make the Webster Museum festive this year!

This press release actually came from the Webster CSD before Christmas. I LOVE this idea.

Throughout the school year, the lost and found items at each of the district’s schools pile up, despite the schools’ concerted efforts to return the items, including spreading them all out on tables at open houses. Some students in Cari Horn’s class at Willink Middle School had a great idea on how to put those items to good use.

The students and their teacher gathered the lost and found items from Willink and other schools. They washed, dried, folded, sorted and packed the items, and then donated them all to Webster NY Hope (formerly Hope House), a social ministry agency located on Ridge Rd. in Webster that provides clothing and other household items to Webster residents in need.

In all, the students were able to donate 36 copy paper boxes filled with lost and found items to Webster Hope. Plus, four bags and one box of items were handed over to a Willink retiree who brings the items to various places that service families in need.

The program was so successful this year that Horn is planning to repeat it.

“We had such a great time and are looking forward to doing it again in the spring.” she said.

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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 1/4/2023)

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Where to recycle your Christmas tree

2 Jan

According to the metrics I’m seeing on my blog page, a lot of people are searching Google for information about how and where to recycle their Christmas trees, and the search results are directing them to Webster on the Web.

Unfortunately, I’ve learned from experience that people don’t look at the dates posted next to their search results, and don’t notice when the information they’re seeing is two years — or more — old. So I figured it might be a good idea to put some updated information out there so I don’t get any more angry emails.

Here’s where you can recycle your Christmas tree (2023 edition)

Village of Webster: The Public Works Dept. will collect your Christmas tree as part of their normal brush pick-up runs, which take place during the first full week of every month. The next two scheduled runs will begin Jan. 9 and Feb. 6.

Put your tree at the curb no later than the Sunday night before pick-up week, because the crews will be making only one pass through the village.

Town of Webster: According to the Town’s website, you can drop your tree off at the Town Highway Department, 1005 Picture Parkway. Follow the signs for the drop-off location when you get there, and make sure you’ve removed all the lights and decorations.

Penfield: According to the Town of Penfield website,

The Department of Public Works is accepting non-artificial trees for recycling at the Highway Garage located at 1607 Jackson Road. Trees can be dropped off at any time, being placed just to the right side of the facility gates. Look for the sign labeled “X-Mas Trees.” All trees will be ground up and made part of the mulch pile, which is available on the westside of the Town Hall complex. 

Irondequoit has a Trees for Trails program, which is described on their Facebook page:

Holiday Tree Recycling at Helmer Nature Center! Starting December 26, bring your trees to our parking lot for recycling. The trees will be transformed into wood chips to control erosion on our trails. Volunteers will be on hand to help unload your tree and load them into the chipper on Saturday January 14 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Make sure to remove all ornaments, lights, twine, string, wire, or bags from your tree. And note that they cannot accept any trees after 1 p.m. on Jan. 14.

Helmer Nature Center is located at 154 Pinegrove Ave.

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(posted 1/2/2023)

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Wreath Day is almost here

14 Dec

We’re just a few days away from Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday Dec. 17, when the Webster community will come together to place a wreath on the grave of every veteran resting in Webster Union Cemetery.

We’re talking 650 wreaths, so we really need a lot of help from the community. This is a great opportunity for entire families to come out to honor our veterans, and perhaps begin a brand new holiday tradition. The ceremony will begin at noon at the cemetery, 345 Webster Rd., at the corner of Rt. 250 and Woodhull. Click here to sign up, and plan to arrive a little early so you don’t miss any of this solemn observance.

In the meantime, stay tuned for news about when the Wreaths Across America truck will be driving through town to deliver our wreaths to Webster Union Cemetery. The latest update indicated the truck might be arriving as soon as Thursday afternoon, or perhaps Friday morning. We’d like to get as many Webster residents out on the streets as possible as the truck passes, to cheer it on. The Webster PD will be providing an escort, and the fire departments are hoping to hang a huge flag between two ladder trucks, depending on how much lead time they have to set it up.

I’ll post more details as soon as I get them on my Webster on the Web Facebook page.

Here’s a fun side note: the truck drivers, who transport about 3 million wreaths from Maine to more than 3,700 cemeteries all across the country, all volunteer their time, their trucks, and the cost of gas. So when they arrive at each town, it’s customary to present them with a gift bag as our thanks.

Webster Union Cemetery and the Blue Star Mothers have put a thank-you bag together for our driver, filled with snacks, Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards, nuts and everything in between. Location Coordinator Cherie Wood said that it’s kind of got “the entire junk food aisle of Wegmans” in it and weighs about 20 pounds.

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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 12/14/2022)

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Senior Singers make beautiful music at the Rec Center

8 Dec

Singing just for the fun of it.

That’s the philosophy behind the Senior Singers, an enthusiastic group of older adults who meet every Tuesday at the Webster Recreation Center to sing, socialize and — two or three times a year — share their love for music with the greater Webster community.

For almost 40 years, the Senior Singers have offered older adults a no-cost, no-stress opportunity to rehearse and perform music. Comprised of both men and women 55 and over, the group rehearses every Tuesday at 11 a.m. in a small room at the Recreation Center from September through June, taking two months off during the summer. And two or three times a year, especially before their summer break and at holiday time, they move into the Center’s large multipurpose room to present community concerts, performing Broadway show tunes, old standards and holiday favorites.

The group is expertly led by Sylvia Vazzana. A long-time member of the chorus, Sylvia only stepped into the directorial role recently, a consequence of the pandemic.

Before the pandemic hit, the group was going strong, with about 20 regularly-attending members. But like everything else, during the shutdown, they had to stop meeting for a while. When they were finally able to reconvene, the group had dwindled to only 9 members. And they had lost their director.

“We used to have a director from Hochstein,” Sylvia remembered. When she didn’t return, “I went in to (Senior Coordinator Daphne Geoca) and said, ‘I’m a musical director. I’d be very happy to volunteer my time.'” Since then, the group has become stronger than ever, boasting about 25 members.

Sylvia is assisted by her husband Tom, who usually acts as emcee for the concerts. She, Tom, the singers and the musicians who accompany them, are all volunteers.

The concerts are true crowd-pleasers. At their end-of-season concert last June, the group performed a selection of classics and old-time favorites, including “No Business Like Show Business,” “Second-hand Rose,” “Good ‘Ol Summertime,” “Memories,” and a ragtime piece on the piano. Their holiday concert is coming up next Sunday, Dec. 20, and will be packed with vocal and instrumental holiday favorites.

And don’t be fooled. Even though the chorus members have put a lot of years behind them, their voices are still strong and beautiful. “They’ve all been singing for many, many years,” Sylvia noted.

But that doesn’t mean you need to have a lot of experience to join the group. No auditions are necessary; the only things you really need are the desire to make beautiful music and make a lot of new friends.

At the June concert, Tom captured the Senior Singers philosophy best when he told the audience, “Music has the power to make you smile and bring us to all types of tears. It can carry us back in time and inspire us to dance in the moment. For all our happiest days and our saddest, there is music. We love to entertain you. We love show business.”

The Senior Singers will present their Holiday Performance on Tuesday Dec. 20 at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr., beginning at 11 a.m. There’s no charge and registration is not necessary. So take a moment out of your day, stop by to hear some beautiful music, and perhaps consider joining this fun group.

Rehearsing for the holiday concert
Tom and Sylvia Vazzana
Rehearsing for the holiday concert

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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 12/8/2022)

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Webster community mailbag

1 Dec

Now that December is upon us, holiday events are coming fast and furious.

Several opportunities to visit with Santa are coming up in the next few weeks.

  • St. Martin Lutheran Church will host its annual Evening With Santa on Friday Dec. 2, 6 to 8 p.m. at the church, 813 Bay Rd. The event includes games for the kids, cookie making, free pizza, story time and free photos with Santa. The evening is free, but participants are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the St. Martin food cupboard.
  • Santa will be at Webster’s Winter Wonderland this Saturday afternoon Dec. 3, greeting children at the gazebo on North Ave. from 2:45 to 5:45 p.m. And after your visit, make sure to check out all the Santa’s Workshop activities, and the ’round the world displays on Main Street. Click here for the full schedule.
  • The Webster Golf Club, 440 Salt Rd., will host a Breakfast With Santa on Sunday Dec. 4 from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Breakfast (and of course your visit with Santa) are free, but donations will be accepted to benefit Webster Hope, Webster Community Chest and Lions Club charities.
  • On Saturday Dec. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m., Santa will pop up again, this time at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr. (off of Phillips). This free event will feature hot cocoa and a cookie station. No registration is required.

Still gift shopping? While you’re at Webster’s Winter Wonderland this Saturday Dec. 3, stop by the Harmony House at 58 East Main St. to check out their Holiday Craft Fair and Open House. Before, during and after the parade there’ll be lots of crafters, live music, beverages and snacks. Click here for more details. The event is sponsored by the Webster Grange and the Chorus of the Genesee.

Also from Dec. 3 through Dec. 8, the Webster Thomas High School/OWL PTSA will sponsor a book fair at Barnes & Noble Webster in Towne Center Plaza. All week, when you present the Book Fair ID# 12641403 at checkout, the PTSA will get a percentage of your purchases. To kick off the event, this Saturday Dec. 3, you’ll enjoy some live music presented by Thomas students from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Webster Public Library has all kinds of fun events scheduled this month, from crafts to storytimes to live music. Check out the flier below for some details, but here’s one I want to highlight:

On Tuesday Dec. 6 from 7 to 8 p.m., the Chorus of the Genesee will present a free holiday concert at the library. The Chorus will be sharing a cappella music that spans traditional barbershop to contemporary to some holiday selections. The concert is free, but the library would like to make sure there’s enough seating, so please register here.

Just a few days ago I got the latest edition of the Webster Senior Center newsletter. It’s packed with news of all sorts of great events for the 55+ gang, including exercise classes, Talks on Tuesday, a holiday ball at the Doubletree and more. I wanted to highlight two events, however …

  • first is the Senior Singers annual Holiday Show, scheduled for Tuesday Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. This would be a great opportunity to find out more about this group and meet some of the members if you’re at all interested in joining. IN any case, it will feature some beautiful holiday tunes. Admission is free,
  • second is the Holiday Party on Wednesday Dec. 21 from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $8/person and registration is required.

Now some important information from the Webster Central School District:

The district will run its annual Emergency Preparedness Early Release Drill, designed to test the district’s plan for the early dismissal of students, on Friday, December 23.

Parents should be prepared for their children to be dismissed early that day. Below are the bus departure times for that Friday Dec. 23 day only:

● Schroeder, 3:15 p.m. departure
● Thomas, 3:15 p.m. departure
● Spry, 3:15 p.m. departure
● Willink, 3:15 p.m. departure
● DeWitt, 2:10 p.m. departure
● Klem North, 1:50 p.m. departure
● Klem South, 2:00 p.m. departure
● Plank North, 1:50 p.m. departure
● Plank South, 2:00 p.m. departure
● Schlegel, 2:10 p.m. departure
● State, 2:10 p.m. departure

For parents/guardians who pick their student(s) up from school, the pick-up window will also be different that day. cConsult your school newsletter/ notifications for details.

* * *

As we enter the winter months, Webster CSD reminds families of its closing and early dismissal protocol. Closing and cancellation information is available through a variety of sources:

● online at websterschools.org
● social media at Facebook.com/WebsterCentralSchools and Twitter @wcsdproud
● parent/guardian notification through ParentSquare
● local media

If the district needs to dismiss early, bus riders will return home in the same order as a regular school day. Parents are asked to be prepared with a plan in the event of an early dismissal and discuss it with their children.

Weather conditions vary widely across the district. Parents/guardians are the final authority in deciding whether or not to send a child to school. Weather-related absences are legal absences; however, parents are required to notify schools if their children will
not be attending.

When school is closed due to weather, all aquatics, community education classes, and evening activities are cancelled as well. WonderCare may be an exception; consult their website and social media pages for updates.

* * *

The district is surveying the community to forecast student enrollment for the foreseeable future. The annual young child census launched on the district website December 1. If you have children residing in your household who are birth to 5 years old, please visit websterschools.org to complete this brief census. Don’t delay! The census closes Jan. 6, 2023.

* * *  

In an effort to create a more welcoming environment for all families, the Webster CSD is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) class to the community.
 
The adult ESL class is open to any adult interested in learning English as a Second Language. To support our growing number of families in Webster due to the war in the Ukraine, the class will be taught by a Ukrainian speaker; however, individuals from all language backgrounds are welcome and participants do not need to reside in Webster. 
 
The class takes place Monday through Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Road. The class is ongoing so students may attend as many or as few as they wish. No registration is required, and there’s no charge.
  
For more information, call (585) 467-7683 or visit https://oaces.net/enroll-now/

Finally, this notice from the Town of Webster:

In January 2023, the Town will formally start the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan. This was last done in 2008. In anticipation of this venture, they are trying to get as much feedback from Webster citizens as possible.

The Town has developed a short, simple, 6-question survey and are hoping to get more than 2,000 surveys completed by Dec. 31. To participate, click the link above.

* * *

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

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(posted 12/1/2022)

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