🌱 Movie Theater Latest + Healdsburg Veteran Dies + Cool Chalk Art

Hey, everybody. Simone here with your fresh copy of the Healdsburg Daily, filled with all the local news you need to know right now. I write today's newsletter with a heavy heart as we all watch the devastating hurricane reports come in from the other side of the country. Hope all your family and friends are OK... and praying for the rest...

Back in Healdsburg today, I'll cover these stories and more:

• A slew of charges for the alleged public masturbator arrested Sunday
• More details on the movie theater being planned downtown
• An offshoot performance for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival at Little Saint tomorrow
• A beautiful piece of chalk art on the Foss Creek Pathway

But first, your daily weather:

• Thursday: Mostly sunny and pretty hot. High: 89 Low: 52.
• Friday: Mostly sunny and hot again. High: 91 Low: 52.

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Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Christopher Shawn Carter, the man from Oregon "accused of masturbating in public and threatening a Healdsburg police officer on Sunday night," has been charged with "indecent exposure, vandalism, making threats, resisting arrest and obstruction," according to county court records reviewed by the Press Democrat. More from the PD's followup story on the weekend arrest: "He was ordered jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail and is scheduled to enter a plea on Oct. 5. Healdsburg police described Carter as a 44-year-old transient from Oregon. He was arrested after police were notified around 6:20 p.m. Sunday that a man was masturbating in public outside a business in the 100 block of Healdsburg Avenue. An officer arrested Carter on suspicion of indecent exposure and put him in a patrol car. Carter then began kicking the interior of the vehicle and knocked out the partition between the front and back seats, according to the Healdsburg Police Department. He 'proceeded to spit on the transporting officer, as well as berating him with profanities and threatening to kill him,' police wrote in a Facebook post about the incident." (Press Democrat; paywall)
2. The Healdsburg Tribune has some more details on the "Plaza Cinema" movie theater being planned by the Alexander Valley Film Society nonprofit, aka AVFilm, near the plaza downtown. The org reportedly wants to show a combination of "commercial and art-house" films at the theater. But the whole thing is still just a dream at this point. "While the lease for the building has been approved by the AVFilm board, it is far from a done deal: The group is seeking financing sponsors, and they’ve got a ways to go before their hoped-for 2023 buildout," the Trib reports. "As AVFilm’s communications manager Chelsea Kurnic said, 'That is certainly the aim, but it depends on a lot.' The group is seeking funding for the project, and while their donations have exceeded $1 million so far, the goal is thought to be more than twice that." Also, here's a helpful description from the Trib on the planned theater site: "The entrance would be off North Street, facing over Foss Creek to the large Plaza Parking Lot that hosts the farmers’ market every Saturday in season. It should be available to provide public parking for the theater and other commercial businesses in town. Old timers might remember the site as the backstage of the old Liberty Theater, later the Plaza, a 1,000-seat stage and movie palace that was torn down about 1965. More recently, the building held brewing tanks for the Bear Republic, which left town for Cloverdale three years ago. It is accessible by a breezeway from Healdsburg Avenue which connects to West Plaza Park. The courtyard could be used as an event space, according to the plans previewed at Comstock." (Healdsburg Tribune)
3. We lost another local legend this September. Longtime resident and Vietnam vet Kenneth Gene Finley, Sr. reportedly died a couple of weeks ago at the age of 75. "After graduating Sunnyvale High School, Sunnyvale, California, class of 1965, Ken joined the United States Marine Corps and served from 1965 to 1968," his obituary says. "He served in the 3rd Marine Division, 4th Battalion for two tours of duty in Vietnam." And after returning home, he graduated from Sonoma State in 1975 "and the same year formed his construction company, Ken Finley Construction, with his wife Kathy." More from his obit: "A self-taught master carpenter and craftsman, teacher to so many of the trade, Ken was a respected builder of high-end custom homes and wineries in Healdsburg and Sonoma County, passionate about his work for 46 years until his retirement. His construction projects have been published in numerous magazines, and Ken's work has appeared on the cover of national magazines over the years, something he was exceptionally proud of. Ken and Kathy were grape growers in Dry Creek Valley, Healdsburg where they raised their children for 30 years in the home he built. He was a Harley Davidson rider, traveling the United States, and traveled the world with Kathy the last several years. Ken had an infectious laugh and everyone who knew him loved him." May he rest in peace. (Legacy.com)

Healdsburg pics of the day, shadow art edition:

Note from Simone: I would love to feature more pics from community members in the Healdsburg Daily. You can send yours to me here. Please just confirm in your email that you took the photo, and that Patch has permission to republish it, K? 📸

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Thursday, September 29

• Lavender Country Live at Little Saint (5:45PM)
• Healdsburg High School Girls Volleyball Home Game Vs. Ukiah (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Magnolia Loop Run, Ending at Westside Sparkling at Bacchus Landing (6PM)
• Raven Players Perform "Evil Dead, The Musical" at the Raven Theater, Featuring "Splatter Zone" in Front Row (Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 7:30PM)

Friday, September 30

• Sonoma County Economic Development Board Hosts Annual "Fall Economic Perspective" Conference in Santa Rosa (7:30-9AM)
• Final Day of Fall Sale at Pricket's Nursery (9AM-5:30PM)
• Friday Brunch at the Healdsburg Senior Center (Weekly, 11AM-12:30PM)
• Service & Celebration of Life for Healdsburg Resident Gloria Christensen (12PM)
• Little Monsters Culinary Kids Cooking Class at Merriam Wines (3:30-5PM)
• DJ Yuka Yu Plays All-Vinyl Set at BloodRoot Wines (4-7PM)
• Friday Evening Wine & Song at Hudson Street Wineries, Feat. Live Music by Adults in the Room (5-8PM)
• John Chevalier Live at Coyote Sonoma (5:30-8PM)
• Wilson Artisan Wines Summer Music Series at Mazzocco Sonoma Winery, Feat. Live Music by Revolver & Food by Nellie's Oysters (6-8:30PM)
• Healdsburg High School Football Game Vs. Irvington at Rec Park (7PM)
• Stand-Up Comic Sebastian Maniscalco Live at the Luther Burbank Center for His "Nobody Does This" Tour (7PM)
• Hardly Strictly Bluegrass "Out of the Park" Series: Aoife O’Donovan & Maya de Vitry Perform at Little Saint (8PM)
• Max Cabello Live at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)
• Deadline to Submit Grant Proposals to Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District for Events & Projects From November-April (11:59PM)

From my notebook:

• A bad crash just south of us on the 101 yesterday, near the Arata Lane exit, left a woman from Geyserville "seriously injured" and blocked the northbound lanes of the freeway for hours. (Healdsburg Patch & Press Democrat; paywall)
• All seven candidates for the Healdsburg City Council have confirmed they'll participate in a second candidate forum coming up on Oct. 6 at the Raven Theater. It'll also be live-streamed on Facebook, according to the Tribune. (Healdsburg Tribune)
• Today's issue of the Trib has a good, hard recap of the "rough" season so far for the Healdsburg High School football team. They've lost all five of their games, with six to go. You can watch them play Irvington tonight at Rec. (Healdsburg Tribune & MaxPreps)
• On the upside — the Press Democrat gives a shoutout to HHS football player Cameron Pippi, a senior running back, for his "19 carries, 90 yards, six tackles (four for loss) and three sacks" in a recent game against Kennedy. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Meanwhile, the girls volleyball team won their game against St. Vincent last night — bringing their season record to 10-7. They're third in the league right now! (MaxPreps & Press Democrat; paywall)
• After Sonoma County officials announced the results of their annual homeless count yesterday, the PD has a helpful analysis of what the numbers mean — as well as some even more dramatic stats released recently by the Census. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Did you know that, starting as soon as February, new phone numbers created in Sonoma County will get an area code of 369 instead of 707? (Press Democrat; paywall)
• A new film called "Elemental: Reimagining Our Relationship with Fire," shot partially in Healdsburg, is debuting at the Mill Valley Film Festival next month. It reportedly explores "how Indigenous knowledge can be applied to science as a way forward to live and thrive with the elementary force, as our fire seasons grow fiercer by the year." (Pacific Sun)

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You're all caught up for today! More 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 Daily? Contact me at simone.wilson@patch.com