Tuesdays In The Plaza + FEMA Funds + RIP Healdsburg 'Mainstay'

Happy Friday, Healdsburg! Simone here with your Fourth of July holiday weekend edition of the Healdsburg Daily. FYI, I’ll be off the grid in the desert over the long weekend (including Monday), so you won't get your next newsletter til Tuesday, July 6. I'll miss you dearly in the interim...

Let's start with some weekend weather:

• Today we'll see clouds through mid-morning, but they should clear by noon. High: 89 Low: 50.
• Tomorrow will be a little cooler, with similar cloud patterns. High: 86 Low: 47.
• The Fourth should be even cooler — but still plenty warm and sunny to enjoy the holiday. High: 84 Low: 45.
• Monday is expected to heat up again. Oodles of sunshine and clear skies. High: 89 Low: 46.

Here are the top 5 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. T minus like four days til the Tuesdays in the Plaza series makes its 2021 comeback, after taking a year off for COVID. The city still needs to raise $40K in order to keep the event running weekly through the end of August, but one gets the feeling some donors will come through. "Tuesday concerts are a big deal," city events supervisor Matt Milde tells the Trib ahead of opening day. It's an understatement. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
2. Neighbors are mourning the death of Pete Foppiano, a lifelong Healdsburgian who served as mayor twice in the '80s and '90s. He reportedly died from thyroid cancer. Pete was a "mainstay in Healdsburg politics," his friends at the KSRO radio station write — as well as a "gentle giant" and "one of the kindest people we know." R.I.P. (Facebook)
3. The San Francisco media is deeply impressed by the City of Healdsburg's recycled water distribution program, despite its somewhat rocky rollout. "Healdsburg has become the Bay Area's leader when it comes to emergency water conservation," CBS' John Ramos says in a new video report. "Not because they want to — they really don't have any choice." The hero of this story? A guy named JoJo, who the city is paying to drive his big white truck around town, filling up everyone's tanks. If only we had like 10 more JoJos. (CBS San Francisco)
4. How did we miss this! POTUS himself presented lil old Sonoma County with a big old FEMA grant Wednesday for wildfire prep. "Today I'm announcing a $37 million grant to Sonoma County, California, in support of fire mitigation efforts that are underway," President Biden said. "Because Sonoma knows all too well the devastation wrought by fire, they are the first to apply for the mitigation funds." Here's how county officials plan to use the money. (Patch Press Release Desk)
5. Sonoma Mag has the scoop on three new Healdsburg wine tasting rooms currently in the process of opening their doors. They just keep comin', don't they... (Sonoma Magazine)

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:

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This weekend in Healdsburg:

Friday, July 2

• Bagels, Donuts & Coffee at Healdsburg, a Pacifica Senior Living Community (8AM)
• 4th of July Opening Weekend at Montagne Russe Wines (11AM-5PM)
• Virtual Teen Trivia Night at Sonoma County Library (4-5PM)
• Summer Music Series at Matrix Winery on Westside Road (6-8PM)
• Spring Music Series: Dustin Saylor at Hotel Healdsburg (6-8PM)
• Live Music: The Remedies at Coyote Sonoma (6-8:30PM)
• Mamma Mia! at the Raven Theater (8-9:30PM)

Saturday, July 3

• Healdsburg Saturday Farmers Market (8:30AM-12PM)
• West Wines' 4th of July Weekend Popcorn & Wine Pairing (11AM-5PM)
• Adam Lieb Live at Spicy Vines (3-6PM)
• Live Jazz at Hotel Healdsburg: John Mackay Trio (5-8PM)
• Prune Packers Game at Rec Park (6PM)
• Mamma Mia! at the Raven Theater (8-9:30PM)

Sunday, July 4

• 4th of July Kids' Parade and Duck Dash on the Plaza (10:30AM-1PM)
• Brunch White Flight at Comstock Wines (11AM-12:30PM)
• Red, White & BBQ with KINSmoke at Rodney Strong Vineyards (11AM-3PM)
• Prune Packers Game at Rec Park (5PM)

Monday, July 5

• In The Net Coed Summer Soccer Camp at Healdsburg Community Center (9AM-3PM)
• Youth and Family Summer Camp at Bishop's Ranch (All Day)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• The Sonoma County Bike Coalition will be offering free bike valet at Tuesdays in the Plaza. "Just ride right up to the plaza, find our bike corral, drop your bike off, and pick it up when you want to head home," the coalition says. They're also looking for volunteers! (Facebook)
• Ever need a seven-second dose of unadulterated joy? Bookmark this video of three Healdsburg preschoolers' reaction to the Kona Ice truck pulling up at their school yesterday, and replay whenever for some free summertime serotonin. (Facebook)
• Here lies a delightful photo gallery of Sonoma County's Independence Day festivities in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Turns out Petaluma circa July 4, 1911, was lit. (Press Democrat)
• Healdsburg city officials just posted an update on "several important public improvement projects" in the north part of town — including the Montage Resort project, the Parkland Farms Boulevard-Passalacqua Road connection and the Foss Creek Pathway extension. Complete with pics and infographics. (Facebook)
• Meanwhile, some residents have expressed skepticism that big new housing developments such as the one near Chiquita and Grove are being held to the same water conservation standards as everyone else. A neighbor named Carla says in an email that she's watched landscapers "using water to clean driveways" and "hand watering a lot of new landscaping in the middle of summer." We haven't investigated; just saying, the townspeople are talking... (Facebook & inbox)
• Russian River lawsuit alert. The California Coastkeeper Alliance is suing the county over something related to groundwater pumping and Coho salmon survival. Sounds serious. (California Coastkeeper Alliance)
• The Sonoma County Sheriff is looking for volunteers to sit on the sheriff's new "Community Roundtable for Equity, Engagement, and Diversity." Applications are due by July 15. (Facebook)
• Did you know there's a free wrestling camp for kids aged 9+ coming up next week at Healdsburg High? It's a collab between the coaches of the Healdsburg wrestling programs and MIT University. Sign your kid up here. (Facebook)
• Don't you dare set off any fireworks in town this weekend, warn the fun police Healdsburg Police. And yes, that includes any fireworks otherwise "deemed safe and sane by the State Fire Marshal." (Facebook)

Thanks for following along and staying informed, y'all. I'll be back in your inbox Tuesday morning with the next local update.

— 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? Reach out anytime to simone.wilson@patch.com.