100 years ago – July 2, 1925
Films to be made of local celebration
The Sonoma county Fourth of July celebration to be held in Healdsburg July 3, 4 and 6, will live in the movies. Chamber of Commerce officials have made arrangements to have International News Reel, Fox, Pathe, Kinegram and P. and A. picture men to be here during the celebration to take pictures of the main attractions to be given here. These films and pictures will be shown all over the country.
75 years ago – July 7, 1950
First summer band concert a success
The first summer band concert of the season was held last Saturday night in the Plaza Square with a large crowd in attendance. Vincent Trombley, the new band leader, was introduced by Lee Whitwell, member of the Board of Directors of the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce. The band played ten selections including “National Emblem, “Fortuna Overture,” “I Love A Parade,” “Blue Moon,” “Ciribirin,” “Donkey Serenade,” and “Lastspiel.”
St. John’s Country Fair’s Maynard Boulden, acting as master of ceremonies, gave a special program consisting of two songs by the Italian Songsters, “Road To Mandalay,” sung by baritone Harry Truax and “Danny Boy” and “Take Me Home Again Kathleen” sung by Johnny Andrews. Mrs. Charles McCord accompanied the Italian Songsters and Andrews. An unexpected entertainer, who was well received, was Sylvia Ruth Fitch who gave two piano solos.
50 years ago – July 3, 1975
Nation’s Bicentennial year begins tomorrow
The first big event in the Healdsburg Bicentennial Committee’s plans for celebration of the nation’s 200th anniversary will be a chicken barbecue held at the Villa Chanticleer tomorrow afternoon. For those who would prefer a family picnic basket there is plenty of room under the trees at the Villa. The Healdsburg Country Dancers will “cut” a few corners, with the public encouraged to join in. “We want the whole community to look upon the barbeque and picnic as their event,” says Bicentennial Chairman Ed Langhart. “We’re hoping to have an old fashioned, family atmosphere and we think it will be a pleasant, relaxing way to spend the Fourth.”
The Chamber of Commerce has revived a tradition of foot races around Fitch Mountain, and while the mountain scenery has changed a bit in the intervening years the chamber’s 4-mile course should provide about as nice a setting as possible for contestants. The race gets underway at 12:30 pm from the Plaza and will proceed up Matheson Street to Fitch Mountain Road and on around to the Villa.
When John Taylor’s homemade cannon signals the start of the annual Fitch Mountain International Tube Race tomorrow afternoon there’s no telling what odd assortment of craft might have assembled along the beach below the Del Rio Woods Dam. But it’s a lead pipe cinch what will happen next.
With the traditional Le Mans start, everyone who is anyone in the world of inner tube racing will be flying toward the river, grabbing for his inner tube and starting the mad paddle for the beach at Camp Rose, an officially measured unmeasured mile away. Once afloat or the nearest thing to it the contestants are free to do anything in their power to get down stream, short of clawing, kicking, biting, or assaulting other racers, using any other paddle than what God gave every inner tube racer, or touching the bank, streambed or ground.
‘Flashbacks’ is compiled by docents of the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society. The museum is open 11am to 4pm Wednesday through Sunday, at 221 Matheson St.
