🌱 Fire Season Update + R.I.P. Healdsburg Icons + New Library Hours

Hello, neighbors! It's a beautiful fall Thursday in Healdsburg and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on all the most important things happening in our community. Today's issue includes updates on:

• The fire-weather forecast for the rest of the season
• Two recent deaths, of a local inn owner and emergency-services leader
• Expanded weekend hours for the Healdsburg Library
• Some very impressive pumpkins from the farmers market
• Much more...

But first, your daily weather:

• Thursday: Mostly sunny with a breeze. High: 66 Low: 37.
• Friday: Mostly sunny again, with even stronger winds. High: 70 Low: 49.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. Local fire officials are breathing a sigh of relief after our most recent rains, according to the Press Democrat. The paper reports that "Tuesday’s wet weather — the first significant rainfall of the season — and another storm in the offing have significantly reduced the danger of catastrophic wildfire this year, letting local firefighters, emergency officials and residents rest a little easier. The latest rainfall, along with another storm expected on Sunday, could bring Santa Rosa fire officials to declare the end of fire season as early as next week." But other officials warn that we're not quite out of the woods yet. From the PD: "The cumulative effect of years of drought has built up in a tinder-dry landscape with dying and diseased forests. Christopher Godley, director of Sonoma County’s emergency services division, said it’s going to take a lot more than one storm to completely dry out the parched and dead vegetation that fuels wildfires. Though such fuel might be wet on the outside, it remains extremely dry at its core, he said. He welcomed the change in weather pattern, which reduces the window in which three main drivers of catastrophic wildfires — high temperatures, low humidity and high winds — can coalesce this year. 'The combination of those things occurring is reduced now,' he said. 'We never quite let our guard down... never quite take our eye off the ball and all it takes is one significant weather event,' he said." (Press Democrat; paywall)
2. Two more Healdsburg icons died last month: Wayne Bell, former head of Bell's Ambulance Service, and Dane Pitcher, co-owner of the Raford Inn out Eastside Road. Wayne's parents Lea and Inez founded our local ambulance service, which serves much of Northern Sonoma County, in 1956. After they retired, Wayne "took over operations for many years and worked on the ambulances," according to the California Ambulance Association. He was "an amazing man," a friend writes in the comments of this obituary. "He alone set in motion the careers of hundreds of medics over the years. He was kind, witty, caring, funny with a heart of gold." Wayne was 71 when he "died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on October 31, 2022," his obituary says. A rosary service will be held for him tomorrow night at St. John's Church, with a funeral mass the morning after. And Healdsburg inn owner Randy "Dane" Pitcher also passed away in late October at age 74 "after a heroic battle with colon cancer," according to his obit. "Dane, along with his wife, Rita Wells, owned and ran The Raford Inn in Healdsburg for the past 18 years. Dane's greatest passions were making wine, giving tours and sharing stories on the front porch with guests." May they both rest in peace. (Legacy.com & Legacy.com & California Ambulance Association & Healdsburg Patch)
3. The Healdsburg Library — along with all other branches in the Sonoma County Library system — will now be open on Sundays, starting this weekend. The new Sunday hours will be 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. “This is another step in making our libraries more accessible to more people,” our county library director says. "Being open seven days a week at most libraries makes it easier for busy families to use their free public library." The library system is reportedly "utilizing funds from the voter-approved Measure Y sales tax" to support this change. The same pool of money is also funding "a growing collection of resources for all ages" and "the modernization of aging library buildings," according to library officials. (Sonoma County Government)

Healdsburg pics of the day, pumpkin fest edition:

Want to see one of your pics in the Healdsburg Patch newsletter? Send it to me for consideration. Please just confirm in your email that you took the photo, and that Patch has permission to republish it! 📸

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Thursday, November 3

• Healthcare Foundation Hosts Wetzel Awards at Dry Creek Kitchen (8:30-10AM)
• Farm to Pantry Olive Glean at Truett Hurst Winery (9AM-12PM)
• Friends of the Healdsburg Library Host Annual Book Sale (Nov. 3-4, 10AM-5:30PM)
• Jacob Smigel Performs Live at Little Saint (5:45PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Hosts Family Fun Run & "Trail Blader" Movie Premiere Party (6PM)
• Baile Folclórico at Corazón Healdsburg (Weekly, 6PM)
• Live Stand-Up Comedy at Furthermore Wines, Featuring Xander Beltran (6-9PM)
• Copperfield’s Books Celebrates Release of Dani Shapiro's New Book "Signal Fires" at Thumbprint Cellars (6:30PM)
• "The Edge Of Heaven" Film Screening at THE 222 (7PM)

Friday, November 4

• "Wee Read Bilingüe" Storytime for Kids Aged 0-2 at the Healdsburg Library (10:30 AM)
• Farm to Pantry Volunteer Food Delivery Shift: Pick Up in Petaluma & Deliver to Families With Corazón Healdsburg (1:30PM)
• Sonoma County Government Hosts Webinar on When to Call 911 & When to Call 211 (3:30PM)
• Friday Evening Wine & Song at Hudson Street Wineries, Feat. Live Music by the Fitch Mountaineers (5-8PM)
• "Kanpai!" Introduction to Sake for Wine Lovers at Bacchus Landing (5:30-7PM)
• Rosary Service for Wayne Bell at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (6PM)
• Healdsburg High School Football Team Plays "Senior Night" Home Game Vs. Piner at Rec Park (7PM)
• Raven Players Perform the Play "Clyborne Park" at the Raven Theater (Nov. 4-5, 7:30 PM)
• Soweto Gospel Choir Performs at the Luther Burbank Center (7:30PM)
• The Remedies Live at Coyote Sonoma (8-11PM)
• "Manifest Your Destiny" Hip-Hop Showcase at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)

From my notebook:

• The Healdsburg Tribune estimates that "about 4,000 people showed up" to the Día de Muertos festival in the plaza on Sunday — "and it seemed that most of them stayed all day, until the music stopped at 6pm." The consensus among attendees interviewed by the Trib? "It was the best one yet." (Healdsburg Tribune)
• Healdsburg High School's football team has had a rough go of it this season. From a recap in the Trib: "Although the 2021 record of 3-6 raised hopes that the Hounds could compete this year, to this point they are winless — with only one game left in the season. But the loyal fans keep showing up and it’s expected they will do so on Friday for the Senior Night match against Piner High at Rec Park, starting at 7pm." (Healdsburg Tribune)
• Meanwhile, the girls volleyball team had a couple of disappointing losses last month, to close out an overall impressive season — but still placed third in the league. (MaxPreps)
• The Downtown Bakery & Creamery, which has been serving pizza out of a white school bus in their back lot for the past few weekends — to raise funds to replace their broken oven — say they won't be doing it again this weekend. However: A trusted reader and local photographer writes to tell me the bakery is still "in dire need of community support." This could take the form of "buying gift cards or just shopping there in general," she says. "They also have a Venmo account that can receive straight donations: @karna-murphy." (Inbox & Downtown Bakery & Creamery via Facebook)
• Healdsburg city leaders are reminding residents that "it’s that time of year" when it's "more important than ever to give your irrigation system its seasonal rest." They ask that this fall, you "preserve and prolong our local water supply by turning off your irrigation timer if you have an automatic system." (City of Healdsburg via Facebook)
• And one of our city councilmembers, David Hagele, reminds you to vote before Election Day next Tuesday. "Only 27% of the Healdsburg Ballots have been returned as of yesterday," he says today. "The registrar of voters doesn’t count comments on Facebook or Nextdoor…only ballots 🙂" (David Hagele via Facebook)
• The Healdsburg Food Pantry is hosting a big square dance at the Villa this Sunday to raise money and celebrate 40 years "helping our neighbors." Check out the very festive flyer below. (Healdsburg Food Pantry)

You're all caught up for today! See you back here tomorrow...

— 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