🌱 Fast Car Fury + Memorial Bridge Savior + Thanksgiving In Town

Hello, neighbors! Simone here with your Thanksgiving edition of the Healdsburg Daily. I'm sitting in front of the wood stove at my parents' house in the hills out West Dry Creek right now, with some hot apple cider on the stovetop and our family dog at my feet — and it's got me feeling incredibly grateful to call Healdsburg my hometown. I'll be off tomorrow, but I'll see you back in your inboxes Friday morning. Hope the holiday is a beautiful one for you all.

First, your Thanksgiving weather:

• Wednesday: Oodles of sunshine. High: 66 Low: 38.
• Thursday: Sun in the morning, with some clouds moving in later on. High: 64 Low: 40.

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Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Healdsburg native Ben Brock has passed away, according to friends and family. He was in his early 30s. Ben was famous around town for playing the little boy in three big Robin Williams movies in the late '90s: "Flubber," "Jack Frost" and "What Dreams May Come." Friends posting tributes online said he "lit up any room" and that his "smile could light up the world." Ben's mom Laurie asked her community on Facebook this week to "please consider making a donation of any size to The Herren Project in Ben's name." The Herren Project is an addiction recovery support group that "sponsored Ben in recovery for 6+ months in Delray Beach Florida," Laurie said. "Ben thought very highly of this generous group." May he rest in peace. (Inbox & Facebook & Herren Project)
2. We lost another "unforgettable" Healdsburgian last week when Carmelo "Mel" Amato died at age 86. He volunteered for decades at the Healdsburg Museum and was super involved in St. John the Baptist Church. But Mel was perhaps best known for almost singlehandedly saving Healdsburg's historic Memorial Bridge from demolition by the state in the early 2000s— and overseeing its glorious rehabilitation circa 2015. Before he died, Mel got to see the bridge listed in the National Register of Historic Places. R.I.P. (Facebook & Facebook & HistoricBridges.org)
3. Looks like the luxury car event at the Montage Healdsburg resort last week — and the resulting ire of Alexander Valley residents, who "claim visitors drove past their houses at speeds exceeding 100 mph" — was enough to catch the eye of the Press Democrat. From the PD: "To residents of a bucolic rectangle northwest of Healdsburg, the recent Car of the Year event amounted to a sideshow for middle-aged rich dudes. 'I’m just glad nobody got killed,' said Tonya Whelan, who lives just off Geysers Road. The locals want to know who sanctioned this activity, why there were no alerts to neighbors about what was going on — and why, in their eyes, the California Highway Patrol did little or nothing to slow the roll through Wine Country." (Press Democrat; paywall)

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Healdsburg pics of the day, 'giving edition:

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Wednesday, November 24

• Packet Pickup for Healdsburg 5K Turkey Trot (10AM-7PM)
• Sonoma County Library Family Storytime on Zoom with Miss Kim (10:30-11AM)
• Meet the Artist at Upstairs Art Gallery: Willow LaLand, Wine Country Small Works Collection (11AM-2:30PM)
• Redwood Gospel Mission's Great Thanksgiving Banquet 2021 at Sonoma County Fairgrounds (11AM-6PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma, Feat. Food From F. A. Nino's (5-8PM)

Thursday, November 25

• Healdsburg 5K Turkey Trot (8AM)
• Turkey HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) at Healdsburg HIIT (9AM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• Feel like picking up Thanksgiving dinner to go this year? I just called Big John's and a guy in the meat department told me they'll have grab-and-go turkeys and other sides like mashed potatoes available today and tomorrow.
• There's also a big thread in the "What's Happening Healdsburg" Facebook group about what other local groceries and restaurants are serving Thanksgiving fare. Lots of good suggestions in there! (Facebook)
• And if you're having trouble making ends meet this year, there are a few places around the county to grab a free Thanksgiving dinner — including the Rohnert Park Senior Center, Sonoma Community Center and Sonoma County Fairgrounds. (Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)
• Related: Healdsburg's Chamber of Commerce has been compiling a handy list of holiday hours for local restaurants and other businesses on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. (Facebook & Google Docs)
• The Tribune published a heart-melting set of letters this week from students at the Alexander Valley School about what they're grateful for. Here's a highlight: "I love my family because I feel so free when my mom takes me hiking to Riverfront Regional Park. Once when I went to the park I was drinking water and my brother said something really funny and water came bursting out of my nose! It was so funny. My family makes me so happy." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• Check out these great pics from the Thanksgiving drive-through luncheon for seniors yesterday, hosted by the Healdsburg Rotary Club. A human in a full-body turkey costume was present. (Patch Neighbor Posts)
• The Northern Sonoma County Fire District, which protects Healdsburg, has been running a "7 Days of Gratitude" campaign on social media this week. A couple standouts: 1) The district is grateful for the grassroots Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies (COPE) teams helping them on the ground, and 2) They're grateful for Chief Marshall Turbeville's wife, Anneke, who essentially "runs this Fire Department" and "is the glue that holds us together... the one who has to make all of the Chief's idea come together, coordinate grants, pay all the bills and ensure everything runs smoothly." (Facebook & Facebook)
• Heads up: State highway patrol officers say they'll be out in full force in our area this Thanksgiving to keep an eye on wayward drivers. They're also "increasing patrols on freeway corridors adjacent to major shopping centers" after the "high-profile burglaries in the Bay Area this weekend." (Healdsburg Patch)
• If you saw some smoke coming from the Poppy Hill vicinity yesterday, that's likely because the Healdsburg Fire Dept. did some "pile and slash burning" on the Callahan Private Open space near the water reservoir, at 1100 March Ave. (Facebook)
• A sweet-looking "female lab mix" named Cocoa was found running loose near Center and Mill streets yesterday. She's now waiting for her owner at the Healdsburg animal shelter. (Nextdoor)

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That's it for now. See you soon! And BTW, if you're feeling these newsletters, consider bringing some friends and neighbors into the fold. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— 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? You can reach me at simone.wilson@patch.com.