Featured

On top of last-minute permitting issues, it has been a wildly hectic week at Pepper’s, according to Haidar—full of scheduling staff shifts, ordering food and supplies, and getting everything ready for opening day - which could come as early as May 31.

Steve Castelli, a model car enthusiast and drag racer, had a toy vehicle collection that was legendary; with the assistance of his daughter, Tina Castelli, the Healdsburg Museum assembled these mechanical wonders, "a tribute not only to Steve, but to forward motion itself.”

With the onset of spring last week—despite the cold and rain—Healdsburg is beginning to wake up from its sleepy winter months and get back in gear as the food/wine/music destination city it has become, with five significant celebrations coming to town in the coming months.

Mark Themig, a close friend of Jen’s in recent years, was in a position to coordinate both city and community resources for the ceremony. “I think it was exactly what Jen would have wanted and enjoyed herself,” he said of the April afternoon gathering at Villa Chanticleer.

That big clock is finally ticking for the train’s arrival in Healdsburg—it’s no longer only a memory or a pipe dream. Last week brought the news that the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District had been awarded an $81 million grant from the state to extend the rail service from its current terminus, at the Sonoma County Airport, though Windsor to Healdsburg’s northern city limit by 2028—including construction of a new or remodeled rail bridge over the Russian River.

Not to be overlooked in the return of the Healdsburg International Short Film Festival—a one-day banquet of narrative inspiration, 22 films spread over two screenings on Saturday, Sept. 23—is the name. It’s an international festival, with films from Argentina, Cameroon, Germany, Ireland and other...

Healdsburg’s annual Dia de Muertos festival returns to the Plaza on Sunday, Oct. 30, complete with marigold-adorned altars, a classic car show and live musical performances. Cosponsored by Corazón Healdsburg and the City of Healdsburg, the day-long celebration connects many of the region’s large Latino...

The art gallery-turned-performance space at 222 Healdsburg Ave. has announced its coming season of music, film, lecture and performance arts, to be kicked off with the high-flying dance acrobatics of Bandaloop, at the Aug. 5 Gala for the Arts. Bandaloop, a “vertical dance company,” combines...

The crash and clatter were familiar, but not the whir and whine of the garbage truck itself. In fact, the noise the truck made was more familiar to owners of Prius’ and other EVs. The truck was a McNeilus side-load electric vehicle, or EV. Tracking its progress were City of Healdsburg Public Works engineers, evaluating the future of all-electric garbage trucks for everyday waste hauling.

Healdsburg Fire Marshal-Division Chief Linda Collister, a champion of fire prevention and preparedness, a well-respected figure in the community and a mainstay of the Healdsburg Fire Department, is set to retire this May after working with the department for 15 years. “You have to have...