🌱 REIBT Preview + Local Sports Stars + Trouble For Tasting Rooms?

Hey, everybody! It's me, Simone, your host of the Healdsburg Patch newsletter — back in your inbox with all the most important things happening in town these days. Today you'll get updates on...

• This year's big REIBT basketball tournament at the high school
• Our local sports stars from the fall season, recognized by the league
• The larger implications of SIMI Winery's tasting room closing
• And more!

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Now, your daily weather:

• Wednesday: Fog and frost in the morning, turning to sun. High: 60 Low: 38.
• Thursday: Rainy, windy and cold. High: 52 Low: 35.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. It's high school basketball tournament season! And the Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament hosted at Healdsburg High School — better known as REIBT — starts tonight in the school's two gyms, and lasts through Saturday. There are some other b-ball tournaments happening around the same time across the county, according to the Press Democrat — including the Rose City tourney at Cardinal Newman, the Lady Pumas Invitational at Maria Carrillo and the Windsor High School Holiday Classic. But REIBT is the "longest-running tournament in Sonoma County," the paper reports, and arguably the best-known. It's now in its 73rd year. Both of Healdsburg's teams are doing pretty amazing this year: The boys stand undefeated after their first five games, and the girls are No. 1 in the league after winning eight games and losing just one to Middletown about a week ago. Last year at REIBT, "the host Greyhounds finished runners-up behind Justin-Siena in both the boys and girls tournament," according to the PD. "The Braves shape up to be the favorite again this year, but the road to repeat won’t be made easy by Healdsburg, Windsor and Ukiah on the boys side and McKinleyville, Healdsburg and Middletown on the girls side." You can see the schedule, brackets, etc. on the REIBT website. (REIBT.org & Press Democrat; paywall)
2. And some more sports news, from the fall high school season that just ended: Each year, league officials pick the top players in each sport across all schools, to create an all-star lineup they call the "all-league team." They also name a "player of the year," and create a "first team" and "second team" with the runners-up. This year for fall, five athletes from Healdsburg High reportedly made all-league; two were named player of the year; and a dozen more made first or second teams. From the Healdsburg Tribune: "Cross country phenom Kaeden Anderson, a sophomore, was named Runner of the Year, and Tehya Mitchel, also a sophomore, was the Player of the Year in girls golf. 'You have to give it to Kaeden Anderson. He started the season this year intent on making it to the State Championship in Fresno, and he has torn up his competition in the league as well as at every invitational we attended,' said Anderson’s coach, Mike Efram." And although the HHS football team had a super rough season overall, senior Cameron Pippi made the all-league team as "Defensive Back of the Year." Congrats to all! Click through for the full list. (Healdsburg Tribune & Press Democrat & Press Democrat; paywall)
3. In case you missed it: SIMI Winery plans to close their tasting room at the north end of Healdsburg this coming February. This is especially significant, the Healdsburg Tribune writes, because of how old and historic their local tasting room is. SIMI "was the second winery in the region — and the first in Healdsburg — to promote wine tourism," the head of the Healdsburg Museum tells the Trib. SIMI began "entertaining visitors in 1934 in a tasting room made from a 25,000-gallon cask attached to the stone winery,” she says. And the Tribune writes that the winery's "signature wine-barrel tasting room was a landmark on Old Redwood Highway when it served as 101 North." You can read all about the tasting room's full illustrious history in the Tribune. And the North Bay Business Journal has a foreboding story about other wineries across the region that may be forced to close their tasting rooms as visitor traffic declines. (Healdsburg Tribune & North Bay Business Journal; paywall)

From our sponsor:

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Healdsburg pics of the day, plaza holiday edition:

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Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Wednesday, December 7

• Teen Knits & Knots at the Healdsburg Library, With Experts From the Purls of Joy Co-Op (3:30-5PM)
• Adult Knits & Knots at the Healdsburg Library (6-8PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (Weekly, 7-9PM)
• Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament (REIBT) at Healdsburg High School: HHS Girls Team Plays Kelseyville (8PM)

Thursday, December 8

• Healdsburg Library Staff Meeting (9-11AM)
• Wine Industry Accreditation Program at Bacchus Landing: Petaluma Gap Viticultural Area (9:30-11AM)
• "Coffee with the City" at the Healdsburg Library: Casual Chat With City Manager Jeff Kay & Other City Staff (5:30PM)
• Healdsburg High School Girls Soccer Home Game Vs. Roseland University Prep (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Hosts Windsor Run Through the Xmas Trees to Barley & Bine Beer Cafe (6PM)
• Trivia Night at Fogbelt Station Beer Garden (Weekly, 6-8PM)
• Parent-Teacher Organization Hosts BINGO Night & Coat Swap at Healdsburg Elementary School's Fitch Mountain Campus (6-8PM)
• REIBT Tournament at Healdsburg High: HHS Boys Basketball Team Plays Kelseyville (8PM)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• TD 128 Sip, Soup and Sweaters (December 10)
• Healdsburg Chorus Concert - "Season of Light" (December 10)
• Add your event

That's it for today! I'll see you 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