🌱 New Play At Raven + Citizen Fire Grant + Fall Events Galore

Guys! We made it to Friday! To celebrate, here's your weekend edition of the Healdsburg Daily, full of some very summery weather predictions and a ton of very autumnal events — plus all the local news that's fit to print, of course. Have a good one everybody, and stay safe out there.

First, your weekend weather:

• Friday: Warm and sunny. High: 89 Low: 51.
• Saturday: Still warm and sunny. High: 91 Low: 51.
• Sunday: Hottest day of the weekend, with plenty of sunshine. High: 92 Low: 50.
• Monday: Warm and sunny once again! High: 90 Low: 49.

Here are the top 5 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. The Red Flag Warning this week for the mountains near Healdsburg — cautioning residents about optimal fire conditions, aka high heat and wind — ended peacefully yesterday evening, thanks to firefighters who pounced on a half-acre fire in the Armstrong redwood forest. It was almost the same spot where the Walbridge Fire broke out last summer, devastating rural communities along Healdsburg's western outskirts. Crews responded quickly last night and reportedly sprayed "retardant around the majority of the fire line" in the Armstrong woods, containing the fire within about an hour. So we're safe for now! (Healdsburg Patch & Facebook)
2. There's a new, one-act play called "Fully Committed" coming to the Raven next weekend. It's running Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 14-17. The play, starring Raven Players actor Troy Thomas Evans, "follows the day in the life of an out of work actor who’s working as a host at a high-end Manhattan restaurant," the Tribune reports. "During the course of the play, the character, Sam, must deal with a slew of customers trying to get a table at the swanky eatery."Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test is required to attend. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
3. The founders of the three-Michelin-star, farm-to-table SingleThread restaurant at Center and North streets wrote a piece in the Financial Times this week on their favorite things to do in Healdsburg — "the beating heart of the county" — and environs. Their ideal itinerary includes a trip to the Armstrong redwoods; canoeing down the Russian River or tidepooling and foraging for mushrooms and "delicious sea plants" out at Shell Beach on the coast; grabbing tacos at one of Healdsburg's many Mexican food joints; browsing stands at the Healdsburg Farmers Market; and the list goes on. (Financial Times)
4. Two state bills authored by Healdsburg's State Senator, Mike McGuire, were just signed into law by the governor. The first, as we understand it, will help prevent the railroad that runs along the Russian River through Healdsburg from being used for nefarious purposes like transporting coal, and instead dedicate the rail line and the land surrounding it to SMART passenger trains and the planned 316-mile Great Redwood Trail. And the second has to do with requiring local telecommunications companies to be more transparent and communicative about outages and other stuff that affects customers. In the same sweep, Gov. Newsom also signed three bills that will reportedly "relax restrictions for wineries on opening an extra tasting room, pouring wine into consumer containers and promoting charitable contributions." (Office of Governor Gavin Newsom & North Bay Business Journal)
5. The Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies (COPE) chapters of Northern Sonoma County, including various in Healdsburg, just got a $25,000 resiliency grant from a state wildfire fund supported by PG&E. COPE leaders will reportedly be using the money for more "education, planning and community outreach campaigns." Over the past few years, COPE has grown from a network of neighbors communicating via GroupMe to its own regional agency of sorts, funding vegetation-clearing projects and running fire safety campaigns and taking residential inventories to help firefighters save homes. Or, if it comes down to it, even save their own. (Sonoma County Gazette)

Today's Healdsburg Daily is brought to you by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Healdsburg!

Healdsburg pic of the day:

Want to see your local photo here? Submit it for consideration. Please confirm in the email that you own the rights to the photo, and that Patch has permission to republish it.

This weekend in Healdsburg:

Friday, October 1

• Foggy River Farm Pumpkin Patch Open on Eastside Road (Oct. 1-3, 10AM-4PM)
• Food Truck Friday at Bacchus Landing (4-7PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Friday Critical Mass Run at Alley 6 Distillery & Longboards, With BBQ Finish (5PM)
• Friday Evening Wine & Song at Hudson Street Wineries: East Bay Groove Line (5-8PM)
• Dustin Saylor Live at Hotel Healdsburg (6-8PM)
• Wilson Wines Summer Music Series: deLorimier (6-8PM)
• Doc Kraft Dance Band Live at Coyote Sonoma (7-10PM)
• Live Music at Elephant in the Room: The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash (8PM)

Saturday, October 2

• Healdsburg Running Company Saturday Morning Run at Sugarloaf Ridge, With BBQ Finish (8AM)
• Healdsburg Saturday Farmers Market, Feat. Fall & Holiday Craft Market (8:30 AM)
• Outdoor Yoga Above the River at Wildhaven Sonoma (10-11AM)
• The Botanical Bus at Sonoma County Library: Bilingual Mobile Herb Clinic (10-11:30AM)
• Open Barn & Sale at Dorr Show Cattle on Dry Creek Road (10AM-4PM)
• Bella Vineyards Backyard Summer Concerts: Sebastian Saint James (11AM-4PM)
• Dry Creek Vineyard 2021 Harvest Release Tasting (11AM-5PM)
• Meet the Artist: “Vineyards Plus” by Donna Shaffer at Upstairs Art Gallery (Oct. 2-3, 11AM-6PM)
• Courtney’s Pumpkin Patch Live Music & Kids' Fun in Cloverdale (11:30 AM)
• Women's Rights & Voting Rights Rally in Santa Rosa (12-2PM)
• Oktoberfest at Cloverdale Citrus Fair (12-6PM)
• Autumn Pickup Party at Alley 6 Craft Distillery (2:30-5:30PM)
• Live Music by Adam Lieb at Spicy Vines (3-6PM)
• Harvest Dinner at Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery (6-9PM)
• Maxx Cabello Jr. Live at Coyote Sonoma (8-11PM)

Sunday, October 3

• Bella Vineyards Backyard Summer Concerts: Steve Pile (11AM-4PM)
• Meet the Artist: “Vineyards Plus” by Donna Shaffer at Upstairs Art Gallery (Oct. 2-3, 11AM-6PM)
• Live Music Under the Oaks at Wildhaven Sonoma: Jacob Benning (6:30-8:30PM)

Monday, October 4

• Mindful Mondays Yoga for Teens at Sonoma County Library (4-5PM)
• Healdsburg City Council Meeting (6-11PM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• The results are mostly in for the 2021 wine grape harvest. Overall, local wineries' grape hauls have been "early, fast, light and — so far — smoke free." (North Bay Business Journal)
• The City of Healdsburg is looking for both paid employees and volunteers right now. Open paid positions include police officer, geographic information system technician and park maintenance worker. And they're recruiting volunteers to sit on two commissions: the Parks & Rec Commission and the Senior Citizen Advisory Commission. (Facebook & Facebook)
• Meanwhile, West Side Elementary School's school district is in need of a new board district trustee, seeing as 11-year trustee Ann Davis is retiring in December. "It's a plus if you’re a parent or alumni who is familiar with the West Side community and also understands the needs of the school." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• The Healdsburg Tribune has the backstory on the old millstone that sits on the front lawn of the Healdsburg Museum — a "Pioneer flour and saw mill built on Mill Creek in 1849 by Samuel Heald and William March." (SoCoNews Healdsburg )
• Google Maps is getting a new wildfire layer that will help residents see the developing footprint of a fire. (CNN)
• PG&E says its power shutoff program is helping prevent wildfires. But some Sonoma County residents think the utility company has gone "a bit too far" with it. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• There was a small earthquake yesterday in Santa Rosa, along the Rodgers Creek Fault that runs between Healdsburg and San Pablo Bay. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• A couple more food-and-wine bloggers from out of town visited The Matheson recently. Here's what they thought. (7x7 & San Francisco Chronicle)
• Healdsburg author Leonard Curry just released his first book, "The Irresistibles." It explores how "a friendship between a Sequoia tribal chief and a marine biologist opened up the ancient and bucolic world of the Sequoia River and its people to a group of fishermen from the outside world." You can find the book at Healdsburg's own Plank Coffee and Levin & Company, according to the author's daughter. (Facebook)
• Someone left their little guitar in the Safeway center parking lot. A neighbor is holding onto it for now. (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Add your business here

For sale:

• hardwood mix firewood for sale (Details)
• Add your item

Job listings:

• Caregiver (Details)
• Add your job listing

That's all for now. See you next week! If you're loving these newsletters, consider bringing some of your 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? Email me at simone.wilson@patch.com.