🌱 River Dog Rescue + Lunar New Year Recap + Wine Raisin Recycling

Hey, everybody! It's me, Simone, your host of the Healdsburg Patch newsletter. I'm back in your inbox today with a quick rundown of all the most important things happening in town. Let's get right down to it.

First, your local weather:

• Tuesday: Mix of sun and clouds. High: 63 Low: 34.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High: 67 Low: 35.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Did you catch the Lunar New Year celebration in the plaza on Sunday? "Despite the almost hourly change in weather 🌧️ ☀️ — what was ever constant and present was the heartfelt and immense love and energy at the Plaza 🙏🏼," say the folks behind the Shop Local Healdsburg blog and social media account, who helped organize the event. They posted some beautiful footage on Instagram, writing: "Healdsburg made history today in celebrating its first ever Lunar New Year: the Year of the Rabbit — planned in a hopping three weeks 🐇 🧧🎊." The day's activities reportedly included a Tai Chi demo and workshop, a Taiko drumming performance, a traditional Chinese "Lion Dance," rabbit pastries from Quail & Condor, street food from Dim Sum and Then Sum, paper lantern kits handed out by the Healdsburg School, and much more. It looks like quite a few people showed up, and all the Asian-American food vendors had sold out of their offerings by the end of the day, according to Shop Local. "Thank you so much to all our performers and partners," organizers say. "More Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) events will be programmed in May for AAPI month in Healdsburg: movie nights by [AVFilm], chef dinners, cocktails & conversations, and more. Stay tuned for updates!" You can see a bunch of pics and video from the event here. (Facebook Groups & Shop Local Healdsburg)
2. Local and regional emergency responders made a dramatic dog rescue on the shores of the Russian River in Healdsburg last week. A "doodle pup" got "stuck in the brambles on a steep bank of the Russian River," according to the North Bay Animal Services nonprofit based in Petaluma. They say they responded to the scene along with the Healdsburg Fire Department and Cal Fire "to assist in extricating this stuck pup when he got loose from his dog walker." With their strengths combined, responders "had the dog freed and reunited with his family in no time," the nonprofit says. "A little more adventure than he had bargained for, but all's well." See before-and-after pics from the rescue below. (North Bay Animal Services via Facebook)

3. Finally, a fancy home for the unwanted raisins of wine country! Healdsburg winery Aperture Cellars, run by local winemaker Jesse Katz, is partnering with a couple of local chefs to "repurpose the winery's sorted out excess raisined fruit into creative dishes," the winery says in a press release. Chef Dustin Valette, owner of Valette and The Matheson, and Kyle Connaughton, owner of SingleThread , are reportedly on board. "The record setting 2022 heat spike in Northern California resulted in an abundance of overripe fruit in parts of the cluster that was overexposed," the press release says. "Thanks to Aperture's state of the art facility, they were able to remove all of the raisins through an array of sorting tables and optically with air guns to precisely separate the raisins from the fresh fruit. ... The sustainable endeavor has been successful in reducing waste while creating delicious and unique culinary experiences." And Valette, for his part, says: "Here at Valette and The Matheson we use Aperture's 'heavily sun ripened' (my way of saying raisined) fruit in a variety of culinary applications. We use it everywhere from braising Venison, a tart glacage for ice cream, though my favorite is to utilize it in our house made mustard. The depth of flavor, acid and tannins add amazing complexity to any dish!" Read more here if you're interested. (Yahoo Finance)

From our sponsor:

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Healdsburg pics of the day, Lunar New Year edition:

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Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Tuesday, February 7

• Spanish Music & Movement for Kids Aged 0-6 at the Healdsburg Library (11AM)
• Healdsburg Brown Bag Book Club: "Light from Uncommon Stars" by Ryka Aoki (12PM)
• Alexander Valley Film Society (AVFilm) Hosts Educational Dinner at Lo & Behold: Star Chefs Prepare Dishes Inspired by Their Favorite Films (5PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Hosts Ladies Run at Lake Sonoma (6PM)
• "Writing Between the Vines" at the Healdsburg Library: Author Adam McHugh Reads From His New Book “Blood From a Stone” (6-7:30PM)

Wednesday, February 8

• SOLD OUT: Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event in Healdsburg (All Day)
• Wine Industry Network Hosts Virtual "Bold Predictions" Conference for Wine Industry Leadership (9AM)
• Sonoma County Government Hosts Virtual Home Resiliency Workshop: "Understanding Heat Pumps for Residential Water Heating" (11:30AM-12:30PM)
• "Game On!" for Teens at the Healdsburg Library (1:30PM)
• Homework Help at the Healdsburg Library (Weekly, 4PM)
• "What Moves You?" Spiritual Reflection & Communal Meal at THE 222 (5:30PM)
• City of Healdsburg Parks & Rec Commission Meeting (6PM)
• Canon Book Group at the Healdsburg Library: "The Mountains of California" by John Muir (6PM)
• Copperfield’s Books Hosts Book Release Party at Thumbprint Cellars: "Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun" by Elle Cosimano (7PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (7-9PM)

From my notebook:

• FYI, Center Street will be closed at the intersection with Sherman Street until 4 p.m. today, as Healdsburg city crews repair a wastewater mainline. The city is asking drivers to "choose alternate routes and pay attention to construction signage." (Healdsburg Patch)

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Events:

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Alright, that's it for today... see ya 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at simone.wilson@patch.com