🌱 Summer Water, Fire Outlook + New Tribune + Moonlight River Paddle

Hello, dear community! It's me, Simone, your host of the Patch daily newsletter for Healdsburg. I'm back in your inbox today with your Cinco de Mayo edition of the Daily, full of everything you need to know about what's happening in town. Come follow me down the rabbit hole...

First, your daily weather:

• Thursday: Mostly cloudy, and much cooler than yesterday. High: 68 Low: 53.
• Friday: Cloudy and cool again. High: 67 Low: 48.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. The first issue of the Healdsburg Tribune under its new ownership is out! It's only four pages, but with a promise at the top that a "full edition returns next week." I haven't gotten a chance to read the issue too closely yet, but it looks like the front page above the fold is dedicated to a story on the Tribune's new era as part of the Weeklys publishing group, alongside the Bohemian and 13 other local papers across the greater Bay Area. "As Mark Twain would have cabled, reports of the Healdsburg Tribune's demise were greatly exaggerated," the story begins. "Or as Yogi Berra famously observed at baseball's 1973 National League pennant championship, inspiring a Lenny Kravitz song: 'It ain't over till it's over.'" The paper's new editor is Bohemian vet Daedalus Howell of Petaluma, who will now reportedly "rebuild the editorial team, since the Tribune staff had moved on to other jobs and personal pursuits by the time the short-lived closure occurred." Also in the new issue, written by Bohemian staffers, is a story on Skylaer Palacios' resignation from the City Council; another on a Sonoma County Farm Bureau "water summit" next week at the LBC; another on the Ford electric vehicle technology being offered to wine-grape farmers; a favorable piece on local co-working spaces, including CraftWork on Center Street, where the Bohemian and now the Tribune are headquartered; some legal notices; and an obituary. Plus a full back-page ad from Oliver's. Here's to the little paper that wouldn't die... (Healdsburg Tribune)
2. Healdsburg's city manager gave a couple of big water updates at the City Council meeting on Monday. The first was that the Lake Mendocino water supply feeding Healdsburg is looking healthier after recent rains — so much so, that the city expects the water conservation mandates this summer to be more around 20 or 30 percent less usage than normal, versus 40 percent in summer 2021. And "some outdoor irrigation will be allowed," unlike last year. At the meeting, the city manager also informed the community about a massive water leak that happened Sunday afternoon on Healdsburg Avenue toward the north end of town. He said it took crews all the way through to Monday morning to fix. "Unfortunately this is verification of what you know, which is that we have a lot of these pipes in our system right now, and many are close to experiencing failure," he said. "I was told this morning that this was one of our new pipes, which made it discouraging that it broke — but I was then informed that our new pipes mean 1961. So that gives you a sense of our system here." (Facebook)
3. While this summer's water situation in Healdsburg might be looking better than last year, meteorologists aren't as optimistic about wildfire conditions. AccuWeather just released a "2022 Wildfire Season Forecast" that, as the Press Democrat puts it, "has added a couple of gut punches to this year’s outlook for flame-battered Northern California and the North Bay region." From the PD: "Chief among them is the prospect of dry lightning associated with tropical storms off the coast of Mexico in mid- to late-summer and continued dry La Niña conditions heading into fall and early winter — and perhaps beyond. That could mean a potential fourth year of abnormally low rainfall and the threat of lightning-sparked wildfires like those in August 2020 that ravaged the region and much of California. ... Three years of lower-than-average rainfall in Sonoma County and neighboring counties has left reservoirs wanting, withdrawals from the Russian River watershed curtailed, consumers forced to conserve and vegetation increasingly parched. And even some recent late-season rain that dampened the region last month mostly just encouraged grasses and brush to bloom, creating more wildfire fuel." (Press Democrat; paywall)

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Thursday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo! 🇲🇽)

• Black Oak Coffee Celebrates One Year in Healdsburg With Free Cups of Small Drip Coffee (7AM-5PM)
• Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce Presents "Good Morning, Healdsburg!" (8AM)
• Sonoma County Barrel Auction: Lot Tasting Preview Event at Bacchus Landing (11AM-4PM)
• Tasting at Thumbprint Cellars: 2017 Cab Franc Paired With Mole & Chile Relleno (11AM-6PM)
• Happy Hour Margaritas at El Faralito (12-5PM)
• Virtual English Conversation Class at Sonoma County Library (Weekly, 2-3:30PM)
• Governance Council Meeting for Healdsburg High School's Marce Becerra Academy (4PM)
• Kick-Off Webinar: Rainwater Rebate Program for Sonoma County Residents (5:30-7PM)
• Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) Meeting for Healdsburg Elementary School Parents (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Cinco de Mayo Run: In-Town 5K With El Faralito Finish (6PM)

Friday, May 6

• Mothers Day Market at Westside School (All Day)
• Healdsburg City Zoning Administrator Hearing on Converting Two East Street Residential Units to Short-Term Vacation Rentals (9AM)
• Healdsburg Library Family Storytime at Giorgi Park (11AM-12PM)
• Sonoma County Barrel Auction: Lunch & Live Auction at MacMurray Estate Vineyards (11AM-4PM)
• New Miniatures Exhibition at Healdsburg Center for the Arts (May 6-June 19, 11AM-5PM)
• Funeral Mass for Former Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke at St. John's Church (11AM)
• Celebration of Life for Kevin Burke at Healdsburg Plaza (12PM)
• Alexander Valley Film Festival (AVFest): Screenings of "After Yang" & "Women of Slender Means" at Healdsburg Community Center (1PM, 4PM)
• AVFest: Screenings of "Stateless" & "Hit the Road" at Orsi Family Vineyards (1:15PM, 4:15PM)
• UFO Night at Purls of Joy Healdsburg (4:30-7:30PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Friday Night Kids Run to Wicked Slush for Free Slush (5PM)
• First Friday Cigars at Viszlay Vineyards (Monthly, 5PM)
• Happy Hour Crafts at Riverfront Regional Park: Discover the Magic of Clay (5-6:30PM)
• Opening Night: Friday Evening Wine & Song Series at Hudson Street Wineries, Featuring Live Music by Rootstocks (5-8PM)
• Summer Night Sweets + Sips at GrapeSeed Wines, Featuring Live Music by Garrison Krohn (5-8PM)
• Sonoma Shakers Live at Coyote Sonoma (6-9PM)
• Marshall House Project Live at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)

Healdsburg pic of the day:

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From my notebook:

• I spelled someone's name wrong in yesterday's newsletter! And the victim was Healdsburg Farmers Market Manager Janet Ciel, no less. Apologies to a local superstar.
• Has anyone spotted a Healdsburg Tribune in the wild yet today? I'm not in town and would love to see what it looks like. Hit me up.
• The local petition to create dedicated pickleball courts in Healdsburg has gotten a whopping 1,500 signatures so far, according to Pamela Kelly, a member of the "Healdsburg Pickleball Community." She says the group will be attending the city's special budget meeting on Monday to advocate for the courts. You can sign the petition via Google Forms. (Inbox & Google Forms & City of Healdsburg)
• It's full-on bud break time in the vineyards of Healdsburg right now. (Facebook)
• These streets surrounding the plaza will be blocked off tomorrow from around 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., to accommodate the memorial events for Healdsburg's former police chief: Matheson Street between Healdsburg Avenue and East Street; Plaza Street between Healdsburg Avenue and East Street; and Center Street between Matheson Street and North Street. (Facebook)
• And next Tuesday, the Foss Creek Pathway will be closed all day between Grant Street and the Healdsburg Community Center, according to city officials. "The closure is necessary to perform pavement sealing associated with the recent construction project," they say. Here's a map of the exact closures and detours. (Facebook)
• And the Wednesday and Thursday after that, the runway at the Healdsburg Airport will be closed so that a city contractor can "perform an engineering evaluation of the existing Airport pavements and develop a pavement maintenance plan." However, "access to hangers and airport services will remain open" during the eval. (Facebook)
• Farm to Fight Hunger, a nonprofit Healdsburg farm that donates "everything it grows to fight food insecurity in Sonoma County," just got a small grant to plant a "300-foot long hedgerow of native, drought-tolerant plants, fruit, and nut trees" on its 2-acre property. (PR Newswire)
• The head chef at Little Saint just shared his "split pea dal" recipe with the world. Looks like it's made with "pea tendrils, coconut milk, sunflower seeds and opal basil." (Wine Enthusiast)
• As fire season approaches, Cal Fire officials serving Sonoma County would like to remind you that even just mowing your lawn can spark a fire. "Avoid creating the sparks that cause wildfires by only mowing before 10 a.m. and never when it’s windy or excessively dry," they say. Click through for more tips on preventing fires this year. (Facebook & Facebook)
• I just found out the old Manzanita Schoolhouse along Dry Creek Road, located just after Norton Road on the way out of town, is up for sale. The price tag is $1.7 million. For that you get the main 2-bedroom house — aka the converted schoolhouse, apparently still emblazoned with the original "Manzanita School" sign — plus "several outbuildings" including a "huge shop for your tools, tractors, and/or hobby cars"; a "nice flat area" above the house "for you to utilize the view and imagination" and a yard full of "walnut, lemon, peach, & apple trees, as well as a hobby vineyard with Zinfandel grapes." (Redfin)
• There's a pretty fun-looking "RiverArts Festival" happening over in Guerneville on Saturday. It will reportedly feature work from artists across the county, food and drinks, street theater, sidewalk drawings, a mural reveal and live music including a "finale performance by Midnight Sun." (Facebook & Sonoma County Gazette)
• Meanwhile, Healdsburg river tour company River's Edge Kayak & Canoe, based at Memorial Beach, is planning a "moonlight paddle" to Badger Park a couple Tuesdays from now. "Voyage costumes encouraged." (Facebook)
• The Guiso Latin Fusion restaurant on North Street just expanded their hours. They say they'll now be open every day except Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Facebook)
• The Times ran a spotlight recently on Aeris wines, the newly opened Healdsburg winery serving a rare Italian white called carricante. (New York Times; paywall)
• Healdsburg cookbook author Claudia Jack Sutton just released a "Campfire Cocktail Hour" guide, featuring 120-plus "appetizer and drink recipes for Airstream & RVers." (Facebook)
• Healdsburg's own amateur collegiate baseball team, the Prune Packers, have been rolling out their 2022 player lineup over the past couple months with a "Welcome to #TheBurg" campaign on social. Home games at Rec start next month! You can view the full schedule on Pointstreak. (Facebook & Pointstreak)
• There's a beautiful new dog at the Healdsburg animal shelter named Mr. Hollywood. This 1-and-a-half-year-old pitbull-terrier mix is an "endearing, down-to-earth, lovable young lad," the shelter says. (Healdsburg Patch & Petfinder)
• So that's what Shiloh Sophia, former owner of the Healdsburg Gallery downtown, has been up to since closing the gallery in 2016. She and her partner just opened a new combination "gallery, workshop, film studio, and event venue" down in Sonoma. (Sonoma Valley Sun)

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Good on you for following along and staying informed. See ya tomorrow...

— 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