🌱 Park And Ride + Source Of Smoke + Another $2.5K Foodie Ticket

Simone Wilson
Updated ·7 min read

Good morning, my people! Simone here with your latest issue of the Healdsburg Daily. I've got some pretty interesting local tidbits for you today, including paparazzi shots of one of Healdsburg's most-loved downtown characters in their natural habitat. Keep scrolling for the scoop...

First, today's weather:

Dense morning fog giving way to clouds, then sun. Still pretty warm. High: 70 Low: 44.

Shoutout to our premier local sponsors:

  • Have you stopped by Amy's Wicked Slush near Memorial Bridge lately? Amy's has Slush in glorious flavors like root beer, mango, and orange cream and soft serve in flavors like Cupcake, Blueberry and Brown Sugar Cinnamon. Can’t decide? Get the Split — half-slush, half-soft serve layered up like a parfait! Do yourself a favor and stop by ASAP.

  • Looking to buy or sell a luxury property in Sonoma County? Healdsburg’s Sotheby’s International Realty is a local firm with global reach that specializes in luxury real estate, vineyards, wineries and land in Sonoma County. Healdsburg's Sotheby's: local expertise, deep market knowledge, and a passion for the community. Whether buying or selling, it pays to work with the best. Call Healdsburg’s Sotheby’s at 707-433-4800.

Click here to get your business featured in this spot.

Air over Healdsburg:

This is what the air over Healdsburg looked like early this morning. (Photo courtesy of Holly Wilson)
This is what the air over Healdsburg looked like early this morning. (Photo courtesy of Holly Wilson)

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

  1. The smoky skies over Healdsburg yesterday can be attributed to a seven-acre forest fire in the hills above Monte Rio to our west. Healdsburg fire officials warned around 6 p.m. that the blaze was "producing smoke that may be moving to the north" and that "you may smell smoke from the fire." There have been multiple forest fires in the Guerneville/Monte Rio area in recent weeks. Yesterday's broke out around 3 p.m. and was contained by nightfall, but firefighters were expected to still be monitoring it this morning. And to add to the chaos and confusion, there was a manhunt going on in Monte Rio at the same time yesterday. "The afternoon fire prompted response of firefighting teams already on the ground as a search was conducted for a man who was suspected of killing another man a few hours earlier," the PD reports. (Facebook & Facebook & Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)

  2. There's ANOTHER $2,500-ticket wine and food event coming to Healdsburg at the end of this month. Not to be confused with the Healdsburg Wine and Food experience, a similarly themed and priced event planned for May, the first-ever "Sonoma Epicurean" will be held from March 31 through April 3 at locations "primarily in and around Healdsburg." It's reportedly a project of the V Foundation, the same charity that hosts the annual "Wine Celebration" over in the Napa Valley to raise money for cancer research. So this is their new Sonoma County offshoot. The folks at Healdsburg's Aperture Cellars are heavily involved, as are famed local chefs Dustin Valette of Valette restaurant and The Matheson; Charlie Palmer of Dry Creek Kitchen and Hotel Healdsburg; and Jaron Dubinsky up at the Montage. Organizers say the four-day event "will feature curated adventures in food, wine and wellness, with activities and experiences focused on lifestyle, wellness and sustainability." (Sonoma Magazine & Sonoma Epicurean & Facebook)

  3. The Tribune has an interesting writeup on the annual update from the Healdsburg Police Dept. at last week's City Council meeting. The main takeaway is that "while the overall crime rate in Healdsburg is going down, 2021 did see a steep increase in cases related to individuals experiencing homelessness." More fom the Trib: "One particular area in Healdsburg that’s been seeing an increase in homeless individuals and related camping, is the park and ride at Healdsburg Avenue and Grant Avenue. 'In the last 90 days, we have been to the park and ride on 61 occasions for a mixture of reasons — including for reports of abandoned vehicles, suspicious persons, and suspicious vehicles; for verbal arguments; and for security checks. In addition, officers have made one arrest for a drug related charge,' [Chief Matt Jenkins] told SoCoNews." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)

From our sponsor:

Today's Healdsburg Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at GoodRx — the best way to save money on your prescriptions. GoodRx helps you locate the lowest prices for medications at local pharmacies, so you're not overpaying. Works for pet medications too! To see how much you can save, go to GoodRx.com.

Healdsburg pics of the day, CVS cat edition:

Susan Thrash-Kinsey took this pic of Healdsburg's famous CVS cat "patiently waiting for CVS to open at 9." (Photo courtesy of Susan Thrash-Kinsey)
Susan Thrash-Kinsey took this pic of Healdsburg's famous CVS cat "patiently waiting for CVS to open at 9." (Photo courtesy of Susan Thrash-Kinsey)
And Julie O'Brien asks: "Excuse me - can you tell me what aisle I can find an adorable kitty?" (Photo courtesy of Julie O'Brien)
And Julie O'Brien asks: "Excuse me - can you tell me what aisle I can find an adorable kitty?" (Photo courtesy of Julie O'Brien)

Want to see your local photo here? Submit it for consideration. We especially love pics of community members! Please just confirm in your email that you own the rights to the photo, and that Patch has permission to republish it.

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Wednesday, March 2

  • COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Alliance Medical Center (10AM-12:30PM, 2-6:30PM)

  • Sonoma County Government Resiliency Workshop: Solar Power and Battery Back-Up Basics (10:30-11:30AM)

  • Healdsburg Swim Center Reopens for Public Lap Swim (10:30AM-12:30PM)

  • Dungeons & Dragons Meetup for Teens at the Healdsburg Library (1:45-4:45PM)

  • Graphic Novel & Comic Book Creation Class at Healdsburg Community Center (Weekly, March 2-April 13, 3:30-5:30PM)

  • Sonoma County Sheriff Transparency Forum on ICE Access (6PM)

  • City of Healdsburg Bilingual Community Budget Meeting, Feat. Budget Simulation Tool Workshop (6-8PM)

  • Zumba With Chuy at TCElite Gym (7:15-8:15PM)

Thursday, March 3

  • Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce Presents "Good Morning, Healdsburg!" Feat. Lorez Bailey, New Publisher of the North Bay Business Journal (8AM)

  • Healdsburg American Association of University Women (AAUW) Forum: "Interpreting Works of Art - Your GPS for Visual Literacy" (10-11:45AM)

  • AARP Tax Help at Healdsburg Library (10AM-3PM)

  • Pentimento Antiques & Interiors Pop-Up Shop on Healdsburg Avenue, North of Big John's (March 3-April 4, Thurs-Sun, 11AM-4PM)

  • City of Healdsburg Zoning Administrator Hearing (3PM)

  • Healdsburg Running Company "Will Run for Tequila" Run, Feat. Skinny Margs in the Parklet (6PM)

From my notebook:

  • The winners of this year's spelling bee at the Healdsburg Junior High are Lily Villano for 7th and 8th grade, and Cora Harkey for 6th grade. Congrats! (Facebook)

  • There's an awesome-sounding "succulent swap" happening at the Sonoma County Library branch down in Petaluma one month from now, on Saturday, April 2. Basically you "bring succulent cuttings to share and take cuttings from new succulents home." (Facebook)

  • The Healdsburg Senior Center is reviving their lunch program, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Healdsburg Forever nonprofit. Lunches were paused during COVID. Since then, they've been "the most requested service to be reinstated for the both the nutritional value and the social interaction," the city says. It could start "as early as April 2022." (City of Healdsburg & City of Healdsburg)

  • Did you know Healdsburg has a women's golf club? They're encouraging more people to join their "weekly informal golf meet-up of women who play every Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Tayman golf course in Healdsburg." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)

  • Last week, Healdsburg city officials say they "applied nearly $300,000 in billing credits to qualifying customer’s utility bills" — part of a program "designed to help utility customers who fell behind on electric and water bills due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic." If you qualified, you should "automatically receive a credit and notification insert" on your next bill. More info here. (City of Healdsburg)

  • A sax player who just moved to Healdsburg says she's looking for other musicians to jam with. (Facebook)

  • This heartbreakingly cute 5-week-old pitbull puppy was just found near Healdsburg Avenue and Center Street. She's waiting at the Healdsburg animal shelter for someone to claim her. (Facebook)

  • Also: A neighbor spotted a "beautiful" Australian Shepherd with a black harness running loose on Kinley Drive yesterday, FYI. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Job listings:

Loving the Healdsburg Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

That's it for today! I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with your next update.

— Simone Wilson

About me: I was born and raised in Healdsburg, CA, where I was the editor of the Healdsburg High School Hound's Bark. I have since worked as a local journalist for publications in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City and the Middle East. I'm currently a senior product manager for Patch.

This article originally appeared on the Healdsburg Patch