🌱 Historic Home Hub + Ethnic Studies Update + Post-Xmas Snow?

Hey, everybody! Simone here with your holiday weekend edition of the Healdsburg Daily. Also here to wish a very merry Christmas Eve to all of you who celebrate. And to wish a happy Day Off — and quick, beautiful break in the rain! — to everyone else in town. Here's your final drop of local news before the weekend begins. Enjoy...

First, your weekend weather:

• Friday: Mix of sun and clouds, with a small chance of rain. High: 52 Low: 43.
• Saturday: Rain and possibly a Christmas thunderstorm. High: 47 Low: 36.
• Sunday: Very chilly and cloudy with some showers. High: 45 Low: 39.
• Monday: Rain expected in the morning, turning to sun. High: 45 Low: 29.

Air over Healdsburg:

Shoutout to our premier local sponsor:

If you still need a Christmas tree and would rather find it locally than go to one of those big pop-ups, Grandma's farm at 17740 Healdsburg Avenue, just north of the Alexander Valley Road turnoff, is your best bet. They've got some beautiful, fresh-cut, 6-to-7-foot Noble, Douglas and Nordmann firs, as well as wreaths, garlands and mistletoe. If you wanna hang out a while, there are other fun things to do, too — like sit on tractors, listen to grandma's wild stories, check out the farm animals, buy some eggs, make some s'mores, sip hot drinks, etc. You can even bring your dog! Stop by today before 6 p.m.

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Here are the top 5 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. It's official: "Starting next year, all Healdsburg High School freshmen will be required to take a one-semester ethnic studies course," the Tribune reports. "The implementation of the course comes after several years of work to address inequality in the school district." It's designed to be more "inquiry-based and conversational" than some other classes, and will be something of a "survey of different marginalized groups in the United States" that gives students "an opportunity to explore their own identity," school officials say. And since more than 60 percent of the high school is Hispanic, kids will reportedly "spend more time on the Latinx section of the course." Next, Healdsburg's school district plans to put in place similar programs at other campuses for younger kids. (SoCoNews Healdsburg )
2. The COVID case count for Sonoma County just keeps going up and up. We're now at a 7-day average of 92 new cases per day — almost double where we were last week, and higher than we've been since the big delta surge back in September. This increase is "expected... as the Omicron variant takes hold and because of holiday gatherings," county health officials say. "Omicron accounted for 73 percent of new infections in the U.S. last week, whereas two weeks ago, the CDC said Omicron accounted for just 1 percent of U.S. cases." One good way to stay vigilant during the holidays is to take a home test every day, which you can get at most chain drug stores — although you should call ahead, because they're in high demand. (County of Sonoma & NY Times & Nextdoor)
3. We just learned of a well-known Healdsburgian who passed away recently: John Carriger, a Healdsburg High School grad and Vietnam vet whose dad used to own the old Ben Franklin store downtown. John was "very active in the Redwood Empire Council, serving as its president for two years," his obituary says. Late in life, he ended up marrying an old HHS classmate, Diane Schmidt Johannsen, after they ran into each other at their 40th class reunion. They then spent "many years of RVing to locations such as Ashland, Glacier and Grand Canyon." May he rest in peace. (Legacy.com)
4. We also lost Nancy Brown Umphenour this month, another HHS grad — class of 1968 — known for her contagious joy and love of people. She "could strike up a conversation with most anyone, finding common ground and connection and she had a diverse array of friends from all walks of life and age groups," according to her obit. Nancy was big into "raising and showing registered Black Angus cattle," and served as president of the California Angus Association. She also worked in real estate and in the Benziger Winery tasting room. R.I.P. Nancy, and love to family and friends! (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
5. Good news for local history nerds: The Healdsburg Museum just digitized the big "Cultural Resources Survey of Healdsburg" conducted in 1983. It's now available to browse online, sorted conveniently by street and address. This inventory "was the City’s first attempt to assess the quality and quantity of historic buildings, structures and sites in the greater Healdsburg community," museum officials say. It covers nearly 50,000 acres in and around town, documenting the history of "hundreds of pre-1941 structures." Check out the new online hub to see if your house — or some of your other favorite Healdsburg properties — are in the archives. (Facebook & Healdsburg Museum)

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Healdsburg pic of the day:

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This weekend in Healdsburg:

Friday, December 24

• Community Posada Navideña at March Avenue Apartments (5PM)
• Friday Evening Wine & Song at Hudson Street Wineries (5-8PM)

Saturday, December 25

• Healdsburg Running Company Christmas Morning Run on Fitch Mountain (8AM)
• Christmas Feast at Spoonbar (2-8PM)

Sunday, December 26

• Mindful Mondays Virtual Yoga for Teens at Sonoma County Library (4-5PM)

Monday, December 27

• New Year's Break Basketball Camp at Healdsburg Junior High (Dec. 27-30, 9AM-3PM)
• Kids' Virtual Media Maker Meetup at Healdsburg Library (6-7PM)

From my notebook:

• Hot tip: One of the best places to go for last-minute gift shopping, IMO, is the big Mill Street Antiques warehouse in the shopping center next to the roundabout, near Coyote Sonoma and Parish. They've got aisles and aisles of the coolest old stuff. I go there every year before Christmas and always find something awesome for every member of my family. This is not an ad, LOL — I truly am just obsessed with this place. They're open til 5 p.m. today if you wanna swing by! (Google Maps)
• I don't know what to make of this, but it says there is possible snow in the forecast for the Healdsburg area this coming Tuesday morning, since overnight temps will be below freezing and some precipitation is expected. Wouldn't that be crazy? Might call for a trip up Pine Flat Road for some snowball action... (NWS & Google Maps)
• Healdsburg resident Bonnie Stinski and her little turtle figurine with a Santa hat, "made by a special auntie and presented to her when she was a teenager" some 70 years ago, are featured in a Press Democrat story about "timeworn treasures that recall Christmases past." (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Sonoma's local newspaper also just wrote a touching piece on Angie Sanchez, former head of programs for Corazón Healdsburg who realized during the pandemic that she missed serving her own community in the Sonoma Valley. So she went home to start her own nonprofit, VIDA. Here's how it's going. (Sonoma Index-Tribune)
• There are excited whispers in the fishing community about salmon and steelhead spotted in the Russian River this season. (Ukiah Daily Journal & Community Voice)
• A couple fancy Healdsburg hotels, H2hotel and Harmon Guest House, are hosting big New Year's dinner parties, if you're into that kind of thing. (Pacific Sun)
• A reminder from Healdsburg nonprofit Farm to Pantry: "More citrus, persimmons or winter garden extras than you can use? Call the Gleaners! We come, gather and share your abundance with others so it doesn't go to waste!" (Facebook)
• Earlier this week, a ladder was stolen from a local church — the Evangel Assembly of God on Fitch Street — while some handymen were repairing a leak in the church roof ahead of the rains, according to Pastor David Royer. He's calling on the culprit to please return the ladder, no questions asked. "I just don't like this to happen at our church — or our wonderful community!" the pastor writes on Facebook. "If they just bring it back and leave it on the ramp or on the basement stairs, even if I see them, it's all good." (Facebook & Facebook)
• Last week, workers from Healdsburg's Russian Riverkeeper org headed out to Mill Creek to check on areas where they had "installed erosion controls after the Walbridge Fire" last year — and made a wonderful discovery. "Many areas were resprouting with a diverse plant community," they wrote. "The burned redwood trees were all coming back. The creek was flowing after the rains. The soils here were so dry and absorbent that there were very few mudslides. It’s inspiring to see sensitive habitat regenerate after fire…with a little help from our restoration team!" (Facebook)
• This guy up in Cloverdale, a true local legend, has been dressing up as Santa and pulling up to holiday events on his Harley for nearly 25 years. “I get to ride my motorcycle with a Santa Claus outfit," he says. "That’s what it’s all about." (SoCoNews Cloverdale)

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That's all for today. I'll be back with more news next week, after the holiday! Hope it's a wonderful one for you and yours.

— 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.