After a 100-year history, 25 years of active discussion and five years of construction, a new public space will open in Healdsburg this weekend. Long envisioned as a public space to provide an alternative to the over-used Healdsburg Plaza, and a new home for the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market, the new location gets its trial-by-fire this weekend with three different events, speaking to three different parts of the community.
There have been a couple of “welcome” events at the location—some call it the Foley, some the Pavilion, some by its full name, the Foley Family Community Pavilion. The most recent event happened before Christmas, on Dec. 15. The stage was decorated with holiday trees, a sample farmers’ market wagon (from Noble Goat Farms, whose Shalie Gaskill Jonker is the market board chair) and a panel for former farmers’ market managers, among others.
Appropriately the first official city event to be held at the Pavilion will be held Saturday morning, when the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market holds a “pop-up” starting at 6:30am. “We can’t wait to test the space,” said Janet Ciel, the current market manager. “The first day of spring seems a perfect date to give it a go.”
Ciel said many vendors will be familiar to market-shoppers from last year. “With the exception of a small handful,” she said, “the vendors will be those you know and love. There will be more craft than we normally have, so we can really test out the maximum number of vendors we can fit in the space.”
Space for vendors has always been a concern for the Farmers’ Market organization and the vendors themselves. “I’ll confess to not being a fan of it initially,” Ciel said. “I realized it would be challenging to put vendors up there (on the stage area), as they can’t drive a car onto it. Everything will have to go up via stairs or a ramp.” But as she’s become used to the space, she’s recognized its potential.
“We can do our Pumpkin and Zucchini Festivals” on the stage, she said. “Our Info Booth will be up there, and our nonprofit vendors. Musicians will be located at the front, left side, plus there will be plenty of seating. If there’s heavy rain and vendors want to relocate, there’s space for at least a dozen booths on the platform.”
The regular weekly Saturday Healdsburg Farmers’ Market season begins April 11.
That same Saturday, from 4-9pm, Vamos North Bay re-introduces its monthly third Saturday (through December) open-air market or “tianguis” at the Community Pavilion, featuring art, music, food and goods by local entrepreneurs, plus imported artisan crafts. That event should be a good place to shop for gifts, food and crafts, with music and Indigenous dance. Similar Vamos al Tianguis events will be held throughout the year on the third Thursday of the month, at the Community Pavilion.
The next day, Sunday March 22, a Community Housing and Resource Fair will take over the Pavilion from 1-5 pm, showcasing valuable local resources, information and programs related to housing, utilities and sustainable living in Healdsburg. Attendees can explore booths hosted by community partners and City staff, learn about programs that support residents, and discover ways to make their homes more efficient and affordable.
Participants can also enter a prize drawing for a chance to win an e-bike (limited to Healdsburg CARE income-qualified residents), or an induction burner with pots and pans (limited to Healdsburg residents). Visit SmartLivingHealdsburg.org to learn more about Healdsburg’s e-bike and electric cooking programs.
Mark Themig, the city’s community services director, feels that all the pieces are in place. “I think we should be ready. I don’t anticipate any major issues with the facility,” he said. “Everything seems to be functioning, like the Wi-Fi and security cameras and electricity and the sound system and all that. So it should be ready to roll.”
As the year progresses, more events will be scheduled for the Foley Family Community Pavilion. Keep checking on the city’s website at healdsburg.gov/foleypavilion.
