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Jazz will again make itself heard in Healdsburg this June, songwriters will gather in the vineyards in July and Santa will light the Holiday tree—all thanks in part to the Chamber of Commerce’s Stay Healdsburg grants. A total of $95,000 has been granted to 20 local event organizers...

Mayor Evelyn Mitchell said it best. “Through this naming process, the council came to better understand Mayor De Luna’s legacy and his impact on our community. It also became clear this facility had become an extension of his legacy with the many services it provides to our residents.”

Healdsburg residents have grown used to the traffic control signs on both Matheson Street and Powell Avenue that warn that the road ahead, at 1846 North Fitch Mountain Rd., is closed and not expected to open until the end of September. Is it on track to open on time?

It ain’t BottleRock, and that’s a good thing. Although the Napa-based music festival shares the same initials as Healdsburg’s BloodRoot, one won’t find miles-long traffic jams, $250 tickets or caviar corndogs here—nor is one likely to find stars like Justin Timberlake, Green Day or Public Enemy. But BloodRoot has plenty of talent taking the stage: four bands over an eight-hour day of music, including one certified international star, Ziggy Marley.

While all the nominated plants are found in the area, Healdsburg Garden Club did limit its list to native plants, though some are widely found outside Healdsburg’s city limits. The proposal included four flowers: the Douglas iris, the yellow mariposa lily, scarlet fritillary and blue-eyed grass, the once ubiquitous California native grape, and the familiar oak trees of the region.

The modernization of Healdsburg’s library includes new carpet, paint, lighting, windows and of course room for books. Fanciful tree shapes and innovative reading cubbyholes surround the expanded Children’s Area. Adults can investigate extensive new shelving, and the Sonoma County Wine Library has expanded storage.

A recent thread on Facebook suggests that the large mural on the west side of Smith Robinson Gym might be painted over and that its history is lost. Principal Tait Danhousen and District Supervisor Chris Vanden Heuvel both say there are no plans to paint over or otherwise change this artwork at the Healdsburg High School campus. A quick search of Healdsburg Tribune archives discovered the following article, from February 1989.

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival seems as if it must be modeled after a film festival, with multiple venues offering different artists throughout the day. There are the featured events, sure–a Juneteenth Celebration, a Father’s Day Concert, headline shows at Bacchus Landing – but it’s the little gigs that count. 

“Scholarship Night is truly a testament to the generosity of the community of Healdsburg and how much our town cares about our young people,” said Shelley Anderson, the school’s scholarship coordinator. “Because of our robust and bountiful scholarship program and donors, many of our HHS graduates are able to get their four-year degrees with minimal or no debt.”

Words like “visionary,” “electrifying,” “exhilarating,” “transcendent” and “breathtaking” get thrown around with abandon (by myself included) to describe much lesser films than Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. So I will try not to be overly precious in relating to you how special this movie is.