🌱 Big Climate Fest, Film Fest Coming Up + Healdsburg Beehive Drama

Hello there, Healdsburg! I'm back in your inbox today to get you up to speed on all the local news you need to know right now. Keep reading for the latest...

First, your local weather:

• Tuesday: Mix of clouds and sun. High: 62 Low: 39.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny and warmer. High: 69 Low: 39.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny again. High: 71 Low: 43.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. This Saturday is Earth Day — and it's gonna be a big one in Healdsburg. A "dedicated group of residents" under the umbrella org Climate Action Healdsburg will be throwing a "climate fest" in the plaza Saturday, where "up to 60 climate-related organizations, businesses and agencies will share their vision with the public through displays, activities, music and inspiration," according to the Healdsburg Tribune. And the Sonoma County Gazette reports that the plaza will be "filled with interactive informational booths, an 'earth protectors' parade, a bicycle rodeo, an electric car/vehicle exhibition, kid-friendly creative crafts, live music, knowledgeable speakers with translations and bilingual information, and more." This event the "culmination" of around five years of focused efforts by these environmentally concerned locals to push the City Council's climate agenda forward, the Tribune reports — "first demanding that climate become one of the City Council’s goals for 2022-23, then working to keep the process energized when it began to falter." More from the story: "At the urging of Climate Action Healdsburg, the city signed with experienced environmental advisors Rincon Consultants in November 2022, for a budgeted $106,000, to research, outline and deliver a Climate Mobilization Strategy to the City Council. That work, now ongoing, includes several public meetings and two surveys enroute to a final CMS for Healdsburg to be delivered in August." You can stop by the climate fest this Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to learn more. (City of Healdsburg & Climate Action Healdsburg & Sonoma County Gazette & Healdsburg Tribune)
2. Another big, exciting local event on the near horizon is the Alexander Valley Film Festival, or AVFest, scheduled for the weekend after next. From the Tribune: "The ninth annual AVFest will return to northern Sonoma County Friday, April 28 through Sunday, May 7, bringing 10 days of indie film screenings with wine country flavor to Cloverdale and Healdsburg, promises AVFilm. ... This year, executive director Kathryn Hecht’s team restructured the festival to streamline the experience for attendees and visiting filmmakers. It will also ensure fuller houses at each film, Hecht said. 'There will only be one screening at one venue at a time, so a patron could buy an all-access pass and go to everything,' she explained." Events scheduled for Healdsburg itself reportedly include: "Tuesday, May 2, Healdsburg’s Lo & Behold will host an AAPI Heritage Night, featuring a screening of the Indian-American romantic comedy 7 Days, with a multi-course meal prepared by local Asian-American chefs. Other Healdsburg spotlight nights will include 'Arthouse at the Madrona' on Thursday, May 4, with a screening of Italian sci-fi film Freaks Out; a 'World Shorts Showcase' at Longboard Vineyards on Friday, May 5; 'Plaza Cinema Center Celebration,' plus a screening of the documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything, on Saturday, May 6; and a closing night screening of the critically-acclaimed documentary 26.2 to LIfe, followed by a reception at The Matheson on Sunday, May 7. ... AVFest fan-favorite event 'Neighbor Night,' which takes place each year at Geyserville’s Alexander Valley Hall, will also highlight local filmmakers." Click through for more background and the complete schedule! (Healdsburg Tribune & AVFilm)
3. There's some controversy brewing around the county's new bee colony at the north end of Healdsburg, according to an article in the North Bay Business Journal. Basically, after an unusually cold winter, other local beekeepers are seeing a big decline in their beehive populations — and they say the county's installment near the dump on Alexander Valley Road, set up in the name of "climate action," won't help. From the story: "The three-year agreement, which calls for four hives per 5,000-square-foot area at least 100 feet away from occupied structures, was approved by the Board of Supervisors in December and signed in February. The plan has drawn dissension among some dismayed small-scale beekeepers in the region who fear Tauzer’s large-scale operation in Healdsburg may infiltrate other small hives by dominating food sources or spreading diseases. A handful of the small bee businesses plan to approach Sonoma County to intercede. The beekeepers wrote a statement declaring that 'hundreds of hives to be placed in areas that cannot ecologically support that many hungry bees' presents a problem that threatens the hobby beekeepers’ livelihoods. 'Weather is the least of our worries with this,' said Candice Koseba, who tends beehives at the Montage Healdsburg resort, about a mile away from the refuse site. 'It’s unnatural to put 120 colonies in that spot,' Bee Conscious owner Chris Conrad said, further pointing out the bees have been known to travel 3 to 5 miles for food and water." Full story here... (North Bay Business Journal; paywall)

From our sponsor:

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Coming up in Healdsburg:

Tuesday, April 18

• Felta Education Foundation (FEF) Meeting at West Side School (10-11AM)
• Annual "Shake Out" Earthquake Drill Across Sonoma County: Wherever You Are, Stop, Drop & Roll! (10AM)
• Healdsburg High School Tennis Team Plays at Home Vs. Ukiah (4PM)
• Healdsburg High School Softball Team Plays at Home Vs. Piner (5PM)
• West Side Elementary School District Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30PM)
• Poetry Open Mic Night at the Healdsburg Library (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company "Trail Sisters" Host Dry Creek Run to 32 Winds Winery, Ending With Yoga (6PM)
• Mexican Folk Ensemble Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán at the Luther Burbank Center: "Mexicano Desde La Raíz" (8PM)

Wednesday, April 19

• Odyssey Wine Academy Course at Bacchus Landing: Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Award in Wines (April 19 & 26, 9AM-5PM)
• Sonoma County Government Hosts Virtual Workshop on "Making Improvements for a More Resilient Home" (11:30AM)
• "Game On!" for Teens at the Healdsburg Library (1:30PM)
• Homework Help at the Healdsburg Library (4PM)
• Healdsburg High School Track & Field Team Hosts Home Meet Vs. Cardinal Newman (4PM)
• "Crafted Conversations" at the CraftWork Healdsburg Co-Working Space: "Sustaining Us – Bringing Awareness & Mindfulness To Work" Featuring the CEO of Enso Village, America’s First Zen-Inspired Senior Community (5:30PM)
• "Apreciación de Voluntarios" at Corazón Healdsburg (5:30PM)
• Healdsburg Police Host Community Meeting on Military Equipment Use (5:30PM)
• Healdsburg Unified School District Board Meeting (6PM)
• Healdsburg High School Baseball Team Plays at Home Vs. Lick Wilmerding (7PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (Weekly, 7-9PM)

Thursday, April 20

• Great Redwood Trail Agency Board of Directors Hold Public Meeting at Healdsburg City Hall (10:30AM)
• Homework Help at the Healdsburg Library (3PM)
• Healdsburg High School Softball Team Plays at Home Vs. Elsie Allen (5PM)
• Corazón Healdsburg, Legal Aid of Sonoma County Host Tenant Rights Workshop / Taller Educativo Sobre Sus Derechos Como Inquilino (6PM)
• "420 Party" at the Elephant in the Room, Feat. Live Music by Bossa Funka Nova, Nick Otis & Matt Silva (6PM)
• Marty O’Reilly Live at Little Saint (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Hosts Rohnert Park Run to Old Caz Brewery (6PM)
• Copperfield’s Hosts Book Release Party at Thumbprint Cellars: "Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club" by J. Ryan Stradal (7PM)
• Trivia Night at Fogbelt Station Beer Garden (Weekly, 7-9PM)
• Karaoke Night at Coyote Sonoma (Weekly, 7-10PM)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Passport to Dry Creek Valley - Sonoma County's Premier Wine & Food Festival (April 29)
• 5th Annual Garagiste Wine Festival: Northern Exposure (April 29)
• Add your event

Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. See you soon...

— 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Healdsburg Patch newsletter? Contact me at simone.wilson@patch.com