Tag Archives: Webster NY

She’s baaaaack!

22 Feb

You would think, with a week off of school, I would be taking advantage of all the free time I have to be writing up a storm.

Turns out, that has not quite been the case.

I did, indeed have a long list of things I wanted to accomplish this week. It included buy a dishwasher, buy a printer, clean off computer files, clean out crawl space, finish column, start new column, make gig bag, finish EPK, work on bowling program, buy socks…. and tucked somewhere in there was the word “blog.” In large part because the column was on deadline and the “clean off computer files” task took more than 3 days, I never quite got around to updating this blog in the last week.

Today I try to correct that oversight.

I’ve already blogged about Spry Middle School’s production of Bye Bye Birdie Jr., which will take the stage for three performances March 9 at 7:30, and March 10 at 2:30 and 7:30. Tickets are $7 each and will be available beginning Monday February 26 by clicking here.

Spry Middle School is at 119 South Avenue in the village of Webster.

Just a few weeks later, Webster Thomas High School will present their spring musical, Pippin.

pippinPippin is the story of a young prince, told by a traveling troupe of actors led by the cunning and charming Leading Player. The prince is heir to the throne, searching for his own “corner of the sky.” Pippin returns from university certain that he will find a fulfilling purpose in life. As encouraged by the Leading Player, Pippin dabbles in bloody battle, temptations of the flesh, and savvy political maneuvers, only to discover that true happiness is more complicated than he thought.

The show is peppered with infectious tunes by Stephen Schwartz and classic choreography from Bob Fosse, and promises to be a humorous, exciting adventure.

Pippin will be presented on Thursday March 22, Friday March 23 and Saturday March 24 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday.

Tickets are $12.00, available online now by clicking here. They’ll also be available at the door.

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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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Webster Thursday Mailbag

7 Feb

Enjolras and cast

First thing I want to do in today’s mailbag is remind everyone that Les Miserables opens Thursday night at Webster Schroeder High School.

If you know the story and the music, you know why you want to see this production. If you don’t know the story or the music, trust me — you’ll want to see this production. I got a taste of it several weeks ago when I was working on another article for the D&C, and even though the numbers were still very rough around the edges, I came away very impressed.

I got my tickets about a week ago, and they were already pretty scarce. You can take your chances at the door, or go online here to purchase them for will-call.

Showtimes are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 each and reserved seating only.

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A quick shout-out to the Webster Rotary Club, who this Saturday will be welcoming home members of the 3-126 AVN Army National Guard platoon, who are returning from a 6-month tour in Afghanistan.

 

This is the eighth platoon the Rotary has sponsored in the last nine years. Normally the platoons have been from Fort Drum, but this time the Rotary was able to connect with a local unit from the New York Army National Guard.

To date the Webster Rotary has sent 536 care packages to the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The celebration is being held at the National Guard Reserve Center in Chili.

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Show the love this Valentine’s Day by donating blood. Two blood drives coming up in Webster next week make that easy to fit into your schedule.

The first is Monday February 12 at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Road (east of Phillips Road), from 1 to 7 p.m. The second is Tuesday February 13 at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, 813 Bay Road, from 1 to 6 p.m.

Call 1-800-RED CROSS  (733-2767) to make an appointment, or just stop in. It will only take ah hour out of your day, and will help save three lives.

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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 February proceeds will benefit RESOLVE, a group dedicated to intervening and preventing domestic and sexual violence against women.

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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Do you have a little one starting kindergarten this fall? This notice is for you.

The first opportunity for parents to register their children for kindergarten is during Kindergarten Parent Orientation on Tuesday, February 27, at 6:30 p.m. at your student’s school.  Parents will have an opportunity to learn about the kindergarten program, meet staff, and tour the school.

Kindergarten registration packets and all related paperwork for the 2018-19 school year are now available on the district website and in all elementary schools. To download the packet, go to websterschools.org, click the Central Registration button, then the REGISTRATION – 2018-19 Kindergarten link located on the left side of the page. The packet and related paperwork are located at the bottom of the page under Downloads.

Parents who cannot attend Kindergarten Parent Orientation may take the completed paperwork and all necessary documents to their children’s school during Walk-in Registration Days, February 28-March 2, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Staff will be available to review your paperwork as you wait.

 

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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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Bella’s Bumbas feeling the love

5 Feb

Marty with chair

A few weeks ago, you might remember seeing a story in the D&C (which I reposted here in my blog) about Bella’s Bumbas, a terrific Webster-based organization run by Rebecca Orr and her husband Marty Parzynski, dedicated to building miniature wheelchairs for children with a wide variety of mobility issues. Already, more than 250 have been shipped around the world.

Marty and Rebecca don’t charge anything for the chairs they build, asking only that each family cover the shipping cost.  So, basically, Bella’s Bumbas relies on donations of money and materials like seats, tires and bubble wrap.

They’ve already been getting a lot of support from local businesses and kindhearted individuals. But since my article appeared … well, let me quote the excited text I got from Rebecca:

Just wanted to let you know something’s going on since/due to your article. (Webster Library staff members) are now collecting air packs and bubble wrap and have an ENTIRE can full so far and more to pick up. Webster Presbyterian Church donated $500, a local businessman’s club brought us a check for $2,000, someone is sending us 100 summer seats, and 15 high backs, plus some smaller cash donations and (we) have made about 30 more chairs!

I wanted to share that text with everyone for two reasons:

  • Thank you to everyone who have sent donations of any kind to Marty and Rebecca. They are wonderful people who are making children smile, in most cases providing these children the ability to move around on their own for the first time in their lives.
  • Please consider showing your support. Believe it or not, one of the things they really need is bubble wrap. Just like the staff members at the library, perhaps the people at your place of work could start saving the bubble wrap in the deliveries you get.

Monetary donations are being collected at Bella’s Bumbas GoFundMe page, or you can send a check directly to Bella’s Bumbas, 1170 Ridge Road, PMB 208, Webster, NY 14580.

And definitely visit the Bella’s Bumba Facebook page, where you can get more information and see videos of many of the kids these chairs has helped. So many smiling faces, as these children discover mobility for the very first time in their lives.

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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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Good news from the Filling Station

3 Feb

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This is news everyone has been waiting for … sort of.

The new Filling Station Pub and Grill will open beginning tomorrow, Sunday February 4, for lunches only. They’re still working on getting a transfer of their liquor license, so thy can’t serve liquor yet, but hopefully that will also happen soon.

So for right now, hours will be Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

The Filling Station is located at 77 East Main Street in the old Burger King/Original Mac and Cheez building.

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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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Capt. Brad Ball named Firefighter of the Year

2 Feb

Ball-Brad-9955_57_thumbThere are lots of benefits to writing this blog. One of the best is that I get to meet — and become friends with — some of the finest people who ever walked the streets of this town. Captain Brad Ball of the Webster Volunteer Fire Department is one of them.

That’s why I am pleased to pass on the news that Capt. Ball was recently named the Webster Volunteer Fire Department’s 2018 Firefighter of the Year.

Here’s an excerpt from the write-up on Capt. Ball from the WFD website:

A lifelong resident of the Town of Webster, Brad chose to serve his community as a volunteer firefighter. Words often used to describe Brad include reliable, responsive, competent and resolute. As one of Webster’s most active and dependable firefighters Brad rose through the ranks to the rank of Captain. …

The ability to serve and protect the community ultimately relies on a department’s most vital asset, its people. … For nearly a decade Captain Ball has coordinated and conducted the recruit training for Webster’s nearly 75 new firefighters. …Captain Ball instills in his recruits a feeling of welcoming camaraderie that has helped foster an outstanding retention rate for new firefighters.

For nearly 4 decades Brad Ball has served his community as a volunteer firefighter. Brad’s service includes 11 years as a Line Officer. He has performed his duties and responsibilities in a remarkable manner and to the highest standards. From his recruit training efforts, to his Line Officer contributions, to his everyday rock solid firefighting performance, Brad has continuously demonstrated his dedication to community and commitment to excellence. Brad is considered a true leader by his peers and the Webster Volunteer Fire Department and the community we serve are extremely fortunate and grateful for his service.

We in Webster owe a huge debt of thanks to the dedicated men and women of our fire departments. “Cap” epitomizes the commitment each one of them shows every day, and the kind of quality people they are.

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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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Puzzle me this….

26 Jan
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Just some of the puzzles that have already been collected at the library for National Puzzle Day. 

Did you know that this coming Monday is National Puzzle Day? No better way to celebrate than to visit the Webster Public Library and play with family and new friends.

As part of the activities, the library will have a jigsaw puzzle exchange all day long. Bring a puzzle (or puzzles) you’ve enjoyed and get one that’s new to you! They’ll also have some brain teasers to try. All ages welcome.

For more information, call the library at 872-7075 and dial 3 for reference, or visit www.websterlibrary.org and click on Events and Classes.

The Webster Public Library is located in the Webster Plaza, 980 Ridge Road. The entrance is located on the north side of the building, off Van Ingen Drive.

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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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ROC & Soul Fitness opens this weekend

11 Jan

exterior

Webster’s newest business, ROC & Soul Fitness, is slated to open on Saturday, and the community is invited to check it out for free.

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Malena and Joe Guadagnino (E. Rosenberry)

Owners Joe and Malena Guadagnino call ROC & Soul a “boutique fitness studio,” offering barre, yoga, and other classes in their sparkling new studio at 43 East Main Street. You’ll find it tucked down in the new little “Shops at Main Street” plaza behind Prime, kind of where the OTB and Rubino’s once were.

Joe and Malena plan to start offering classes on Saturday (hopefully the weather isn’t too nasty). The first, Vinyasa Flow, is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., followed by a SOUL Barre class at 9 a.m. Four other Vinyasa and Barre classes are scheduled throughout the rest of the weekend. And every one of them is free, in  honor of their grand opening.

To register for the classes, and more information about their drop-in and package fitness class rates, visit their website and Facebook page.

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Here’s an important program update from the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.

Thanks to the winter storm that’s headed our way, Saturday’s comedy hypnotist show at Webster Schroeder has been cancelled. The diocese hopes to be able to reschedule the event this summer sometime.

Eventbrite.com is issuing refunds for all tickets purchased through their website. Check there for more information.

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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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Kate Lee and the O’Connor Band are coming to town

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

The O’Connor Band, with Webster native Kate Lee, will be coming to town the week of January 18.  Kate, second from left, is pictured with Forrest, Maggie and Mark O’Connor.

Grammy-winning bluegrass/Americana group the O’Connor Band– including Webster’s very own Kate Lee (Webster Schroeder ’10) — will be visiting from Nashville in a few weeks to perform at the Eastman Theatre and share their skills in our schools.

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.

Before their Eastman Theatre performance, the group will spend two days educating students through Mark O’Connor’s O’Connor Method: An American School of String Playing. The O’Connor Band will perform at both high schools for Webster Central School District instrumental and choral ensemble students in grades 4-12 and high school junior-level social studies’ students. Mark will provide educational narrative regarding the historical time and place of the band’s bluegrass genre across generations. The O’Connor Band will also be visiting Rochester City School District’s School No. 19 to give a performance and master class to the school’s Strings for Success program.

On Friday night January 19, the band will conclude their visit with a performance at the Eastman Theatre, beginning at 8 p.m. Singer-songwriter Chris Wilson will open the show, which 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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Oak Tree Award nominations still being accepted

2 Jan

oak leafAs students and staff members head back to school again, this important reminder about the Oak Tree Award.

Nominations are still being accepted for the annual Oak Tree Recognition, given to an outstanding WCSD teacher.

Co-Sponsored by the Webster Teachers’ Association (WTA) and the Webster Central PTSA, the Oak Tree Award recognition program is an annual award that is designed to recognize teacher excellence in Webster Central Schools.

Any Webster resident or district employee, current or former student, parent, teacher, or administrative colleague may nominate a teacher for the Elementary or Secondary Teacher of the Year Oak Tree Award.

Award nominees must meet the following criteria:

  • Currently teaching in a full-time position in Webster Central School
  • Have a minimum of 5 years teaching experience in Webster Central Schools
  • Plan to continue to teach the next school year in, or retire from Webster Central Schools
  • Be a member of both the Webster Central PTSA and the Webster Teachers’ Association

Nominations must be submitted by February 1, and must include a 1-page typed narrative describing:

  • How the teacher has demonstrated expertise in the subject matter, connects well with students, engages students using a variety of teaching methods and strategies, and/or incorporates a variety of teaching approaches to best benefit all learners.
  • Special talents or commitments of this teacher, including extracurricular or school community endeavors.
  • How has the teacher touched your life or the lives of his or her students.

Click here for the nomination form.

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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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