🌱 E-Bikes For Healdsburg + Scarecrow Fest + Rain Gauge + Car Huffing?

Hello, everybody! It's a wet, happy Monday in Healdsburg and I'm back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in town. Because community news matters! In today's issue, you'll find these stories and more:

• How much glorious rain we got over the past few days
• This year's scarecrow festival in Healdsburg
• A huffing arrest near Sunnyvale Drive

But first, your daily weather:

• Monday: Mostly cloudy and rainy, with possible thunderstorms. High: 72 Low: 54.
• Tuesday: Mix of sun and clouds. More chances of rain and thunderstorms! High: 72 Low: 54.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 4 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. How about this wild summer weather, y'all? The Press Democrat ran a great, Abbey Road-ish photo of four women walking through the wet streets of Healdsburg yesterday with umbrellas popped. By this morning, Healdsburg proper had gotten at least an inch of rain, the PD reports — with some of our hilly outskirts pushing 2 inches. Weather forecasters are predicting more scattered showers and possible thunderstorms through the end of tomorrow, and maybe even into Wednesday. From the PD: "While rain in September is not unusual for the Bay Area, this storm has been a particularly wet one for this time of year, meteorologists said. Normal September rainfall in the region ranges from 0.05 to 0.15 inches, and some locations have seen upward of 1,000% of the monthly normal since the weekend, according to the weather service." (Press Democrat; paywall)
2. A quick review of the agenda for the Healdsburg City Council meeting tonight shows that city leaders may let the Bird bike and scooter company add a fleet of e-bikes to the streets of Healdsburg for a "three-year pilot program" where residents can pay a small fee to ride an e-bike around town. We already have eight bike-share stations set up from a previous pilot program a few years ago, now "vacated by the previous operator," city officials say. They add that "the public expressed the need for bike share to provide last mile service by siting bikes near parking and the future SMART depot" and that "throughout the process, feedback has been overwhelmingly in support of bike share and the cancellation of the program has generated strong interest from the public to start a new program." The city has received a big $250,000 federal grant to pay for the majority of the Bird partnership, and officials say they're hopeful that this new test could be "financially sustainable beyond the subsidized pilot." Also on the agenda for tonight's meeting is a proposal to spend around $37,000 repairing the parking lot along Healdsburg Avenue between North and Piper; another proposal to impose overnight parking restrictions on Exchange Avenue, after "numerous complaints about vehicles parked for extended periods of time"; some stuff about the city's power sources and "reach code"; and much more. You can attend the meeting in person or online tonight at 6 p.m. (City of Healdsburg & David Hagele via Facebook)
3. A helpful reader reached out to remind me that it's time for Healdsburg residents to enter the annual Scarecrow Festival! Which must mean autumn is officially upon us. The original deadline to enter was yesterday, but fortunately it has now been extended to this coming Saturday, Sept. 24, according to festival organizer Linus Lancaster. Basically, to participate, you'll build and display a scarecrow in your front yard — "preferably festive, whimsical, charmingly creepy, kid friendly and non-violent" — and cart it over to the high school pool's parking lot on the weekend of Oct. 7-9. It will then be auctioned off alongside all the other scarecrows of Healdsburg to benefit local homelessness charity Reach for Home. As such, your scarecrow should be "reasonably portable, sturdy enough to be transported and at least somewhat weatherproof," organizers say. If you've got questions or need "materials or technical assistance," you can contact Lancaster at landbuoyproject@gmail.com. (Inbox & Healdsburg Scarecrow Festival)
4. Healdsburg police say they arrested a shirtless guy from Geyserville for huffing stolen dust canisters in his Corolla while parked along Healdsburg Avenue near the Chevron gas station at the corner of Sunnyvale Drive on Friday afternoon. They also shared a photo online of the dozens of canisters he was allegedly hoarding in his car. From the police announcement: "An officer observed the individual who was sitting in the driver’s seat, the individual put a canister up to his mouth and proceeded to inhale the contents. The individual immediately displayed signs of being under the influence of an inhalant causing a condition of intoxication. Out of concerns that the individual could turn his vehicle on and drive away while under the influence, officers contacted the individual, detained him in handcuffs, and requested medical assistance. The individual was identified as 45-year-old Geyserville resident Nickolas Majerus. During the investigation, it was determined that Majerus had stolen dozens of air dust canisters from the Rohnert Park Home Depot earlier that day. A search of Majerus’ vehicle revealed 57 dust canisters, with the majority being empty." Police add that they arrested the same guy on "similar charges" last month. (Healdsburg Police Log & Healdsburg Police Department via Facebook)

Healdsburg pic of the day:

Want to see a photo of yours featured in the Healdsburg Daily? You can send it to me here. Please just confirm in your email that you took the photo, and that Patch has permission to republish it... 📸

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Monday, September 19

• Sonoma County Economic Development Board Workshop: How to Stabilize Your Business in Uncertain Times (12-1PM)
• Healdsburg Garden Club September Monthly Meeting at the Villa Chanticleer (12:30PM)
• Healdsburg City Council Meeting (6PM)

Tuesday, September 20

• Farm to Pantry Apple & Garden Glean at Home Farm (9AM-12PM)
• Healdsburg Tuesday Farmers Market (9AM-12:30PM)
• "Food Smarts" at the Healdsburg Library: Free Nutrition Classes for Parents of Preschool-Aged Kids / Clases Gratuitas de Nutrición Para Padres de Niños en Edad Preescolar (5PM)
• Westside School Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Dry Creek Run Out to Comstock Winery (6PM)
• Healdsburg Museum "History Lives" Dinner & Auction at the Alexander Valley Community Hall (6-9PM)

From my notebook:

• At the big Viking Opener cross country meet in Spring Lake over the weekend, star Healdsburg High School runner Kaeden Anderson reportedly "won the sophomore race with a time of 10:34.1, which was the fifth best in the entire field." (Press Democrat; paywall)
• I was tickled to see an email in my inbox recently from Ray Holley, a former Healdsburg Tribuner who's apparently head of PR for the Sonoma County Library now. He says the library is celebrating "banned books week" this week, so keep your eye out for some library displays to that effect. And click through for a list of the "10 most challenged books of 2021." (American Library Association & Sonoma County Library via Facebook)
• The only incumbent in the Healdsburg City Council election this fall, Evelyn Mitchell, says she just got the endorsement of the Sonoma County Democratic Party. (Evelyn Mitchell via Facebook)
• City leaders are looking to fill two open seats on the Senior Citizen Advisory Commission. Anyone interested? (City of Healdsburg via Facebook & Nextdoor)
• Speaking of local senior services: The Healdsburg Senior Center on Matheson reminds you to come try out their in-house restaurant, The Bistro, on Mondays and Wednesdays between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Lunch costs $5 for seniors and $10 for everyone else. Here's what's on the menu for September. (Healdsburg Senior Center via Facebook)
• A rep for the "Healdsburg Climate Action" group has a column in the latest Trib about everything they're doing to make our city a leader in environmental sustainability — and how you can do your part. (Healdsburg Tribune)
• And the executive director of the Reach for Home nonprofit wrote a piece on the "trauma-informed" approach the org will be taking at the new L&M Hotel shelter taking shape at the south end of town, in response to recent coverage in the Trib. (Healdsburg Tribune)

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Events:

• Kingsborough - Orsi Concert Series (September 24)
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Thanks as always for following along. I'll be back soon with more!

— 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 Daily? Contact me at simone.wilson@patch.com