Columns

February is celebrated in the United States as Black History Month. The idea was conceived by Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950), author of more than twenty books. He dedicated his life to educating African Americans about the achievements and contributions of their ancestors. February was then officially recognized in 1976 by President Gerald Ford, to “seize the opportunity and honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

While the Commander-in-Chief back in Washington, D.C. fantasizes about having his own military-themed parade later this year, here we’re too busy getting ready to launch our own year of parades. All of them honor our veterans with a lead-off color guard and salute but all our local seasonal and themed parades mostly honor our culture, traditions, our young people and our diversity. For the most part, they are more like peace parades than martial processions.

Trump replacements

Back in 1975, 50 years ago, the first big event in the Healdsburg Bicentennial Committee’s celebration of the nation’s 200th anniversary included a chicken barbecue held at the Villa Chanticleer the following afternoon. For those who preferred a family picnic basket, there was even then plenty of room under the trees at the Villa.

Arrangements for the proposed annual one-mile swim on the Russian river at Healdsburg, beginning August 30th,1925, were completed by Secretary George Sanborn with Olympic Club officials in San Francisco. The directors of the chamber of commerce have provided a very beautiful sterling silver trophy, which will be officially known as the “Healdsburg One-Mile Swimming Trophy.” This trophy is in the hands of the manufacturers now being engraved. The cup will be on display in the Olympic Club for a time and will subsequently be shown in various places in San Francisco.

I write this on March 1, Saint David’s Day. Saint David is to Wales as Saint Patrick is to Ireland. Saint David, Dewi Sant in the native tongue, was born about the year 500. Like Saint Patrick in Ireland 100 years earlier, Saint David established schools and monasteries in the westward protruding belly of Britain that is Wales.

Sitting at a table with wine, food, family and friends was where Kathleen Kelley Young was truly happy. I think of the last project into which she poured herself collaborating with her husband and daughter establishing their Cloverdale Kelley & Young Wine Garden Inn. Early on she described the endeavor as sustainably farmed, passionately prepared, gratefully shared. It is the ‘gratefully shared’ part I hold on to now, as I remember Kathleen who died early last week.

Pleasant surprise