🌱 Red Flag Update + 'Huge Loss' For Little League + New Hydrants

Hello again, dear Healdsburg! Simone here with your Tuesday edition of the Daily. We're most of the way through this Red Flag Warning now — hold strong and keep your eyes peeled for smoke. Below, more info on the fire weather situation and everything else you need to know about what's happening in town today.

First, today's weather:

Sunny, windy and cool. Red Flag Warning lasts through 5 p.m. this evening. High: 72 Low: 42.

Here are the top 5 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. Coming off night two of this current Red Flag Warning, issued because of optimal fire conditions (aka dry and windy), there still haven't been any fires or PG&E power shutoffs reported in Healdsburg or its rural parts. Around six miles south of Healdsburg in Windsor, near Chalk Hill Road and Pleasant Avenue, there was a half-acre fire yesterday that was quickly extinguished. Firefighters also nabbed a couple other small fires in Rohnert Park and Sonoma proper. But the worst of the fires in the North Bay yesterday was the Newell Fire down in American Canyon near Vallejo, which prompted evacuations and got dangerously close to civilization. Officials reportedly suspect arson. Thankfully, after burning around 150 acres, "the flames ran into dirt (and a small army of firefighters)," one reporter tweeted. It's now on its way to being contained. Way down in the Santa Barbara area, there's also a huge blaze called the Alisal Fire burning thousands of acres along the 101 right now. (Twitter & Twitter & Press Democrat; paywall)
2. Did you notice a big, red “5 for farmworkers in fires” sign posted in the plaza over the weekend, along with a bunch of booths and people in blue bandanas? They were part of a "Puesto Popular/Farmstand for Justice" event held Sunday by North Bay Jobs with Justice. The group was handing out "bandanas, N95 masks, work gloves, hand sanitizer and sharpening stones" to farmworkers and raising awareness about their campaign, which "calls for better working conditions and language justice for Sonoma County farmworkers" during wildfire season — as well as "disaster insurance, community safety observers, premium hazard pay and clean bathrooms and water." Some wineries with tasting rooms lining the plaza also agreed to hang their signage in the window. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
3. Healdsburg resident Denny Drowty, famous for his "decades long support, leadership, dedication and passion" for the Healdsburg Little League, passed away last week, according to friends and family. Tributes to this "extraordinary sweet soul" have been flooding social media in the days since. "A big loss to the community and huge loss for Healdsburg Little League," one neighbor says. Another calls him "one of the best humans I have had the pleasure to know." Just a few years ago, Denny received the Community Service Award from the California Park & Recreation Society. From a report on the honor: "Denny was influential in the development of Healdsburg Little League’s Fair Play Initiative that is the core of Little League's culture today. ... It is through his efforts and love of the game that hundreds of Healdsburg youth have learned to play ball." (Facebook & Facebook & Facebook)
4. Finally, the latest extension of the Foss Creek Pathway trail running through Healdsburg is nearing completion! City officials say an "opening ceremony event" is planned for Oct. 30. We're not sure how many segments are still left to build after this one, if any — but we do know that once it's complete, the entire Foss Creek Pathway will "provide a 4.1 mile long bicycle and pedestrian facility through the city," connecting to bike lanes at the north and south ends of Healdsburg. It will serve as our very own stretch of the planned 316-mile Great Redwood Trail from Humboldt Bay to San Francisco Bay. (City of Healdsburg)
5. The dog people of Healdsburg are abuzz about local dog celebrity Leo, a fluffy 3-year-old Bolognese with an epic hairdo who stars in his very own pandemic photo book by his owner Pat Lenz, titled “Leo’s Lockdown Lexicon." The book is reportedly a study in "ennui” — or that "feeling of weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest." According to the Tribune, "dogs of all shapes and sizes gathered at the Fideaux pet store in Healdsburg recently" to meet Leo. The event was a fundraiser for Compassion Without Borders, "a nonprofit that aims to find animals that are in the most urgent need of help yet the least likely to be helped due to geographic, cultural and socioeconomic barriers." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)

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Today in Healdsburg:

• Healdsburg City Planning Commission Meeting (6AM)
• Healdsburg Tuesday Farmers Market, Feat. Folk Singer David Hamilton (9AM-12:30PM)
• Healdsburg High School Class of 2023 Fundraiser at Panda Express in Windsor (10AM-10PM)
• Virtual Pride Club for Teens at Sonoma County Library (4-5PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Ladies Night Run, Ending With "Out & Back" Book Club Discussion (6PM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• In a San Francisco Chronicle story on local restaurants struggling to order basic supplies, chef Dustin Valette of Healdsburg's The Matheson says construction took months longer than expected because of supply-chain delays. Among the delayed items were construction materials such as "screws of a specific size" and fireproof glass for skylights, as well as simple utility kitchen items like sheet pans. At one point, the chef reportedly had to send a U-Haul on a trip down California, "stopping at stores to pick up five or 12 pans at a time." Valette remembers: "The most obscure things just stopped, and we were scrambling." (San Francisco Chronicle; paywall)
• Update on the fire-abatement goats (and sheep!) who were munching their way across Healdsburg all summer: They've now "completed over 150 acres along the perimeter and fire roads" of the Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve at the north end of town, city officials say. (City of Healdsburg)
• In another fire-prevention project just south of the Open Space Preserve, from Highland Circle to Scenic Lane, the city just "completed installation of a new 8-inch water main" and two new fire hydrants. The hydrants "greatly improve the ability of responding fire departments to have a reliable water resource while fighting a structure or vegetation fire," officials say, instead of having to "rely on water tenders to extinguish the fire." (City of Healdsburg)
• In the mood for gawking at local real estate? The most expensive home for sale in Healdsburg right now is this pink $8.8 million mansion on 63-plus acres out Mill Creek. It has a gym, a swimming pool, a pergola, a covered courtyard, a "festive party barn," a "redwood grove with meditation/yoga platform," a couple miles worth of hiking trails and — most importantly — a well. (Redfin)
• There's also this amazing $1.7 million "roundhouse" out Dry Creek Road with its own "private valley & year-round creeks." (Redfin & SF Gate)
• Did you know Healdsburg has a women's golf club? They just played their annual Fitch Mountain Cup tournament and Club Championship on the Healdsburg golf course — and one of the finalists is 88 years old. Here's how to join, if you're interested. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• The Healdsburg Museum's fresh set of high school interns are "interviewing, recording and sharing photos of community members to contribute to our future exhibition, 'Many Paths to Healdsburg.'" They're also helping set up a TikTok account for the museum. (Facebook)
• If you work in Healdsburg's agricultural sector and are looking for a home, local nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg has some options for you. (Facebook)
• A neighbor says there's a "new locked gate" on the fire road between Parkland Farms and Healdsburg Avenue, and he's wondering why. Anyone know? (Patch Neighbor Posts)
• A devastatingly cute lost puppy was found on Lytton Station Road near Hassett Lane in Geyserville yesterday. Everyone in the "What's Happening Healdsburg" Facebook group is pretending it belongs to them — kiddingly, of course. (Facebook)
• This much older but likewise very cute dog was also found on Brown Street this week. "He’s sitting on our front porch trying to get in," his finder says. (Nextdoor)

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— 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? I'm all ears. You can email me at simone.wilson@patch.com.