Lifestyle

Always a cheerleader for Healdsburg, Sen. Mike McGuire was an energetic highlight of the Fourth of July celebration in the Plaza, introducing the winners of the Kids Parade...

While in normal times cooking a big meal at home is possible if not enjoyable, this year’s ballooning guest list makes it all but essential to call in reinforcements and pick up a Thanksgiving meal in advance, in order to be ready for the holiday.

The first major event that comes our way in 2025 is the annual Lake Sonoma Steelhead Festival, on Saturday, Feb. 8. This one-day science fair of all things steelhead (and their allies, anadromous and otherwise), draws about 10,000 people on its single day of exhibitions and activities to the Milt Brandt Visitors Center, Lake Sonoma.

This coming Monday will begin a bit differently for most Healdsburgers, as the dawning hours are celebrated with a parade and a party. That doesn’t usually happen, but March 17 is the date of one of the town’s favorite holidays—St. Patrick’s Day. And with...

Much has been written about the awarding of culinary stars, ratings of 90-point wines and the ascendancy of the million-dollar, two-bedroom home. But one award made to a Healdsburg business should not slip through the cracks—the naming of the Healdsburg’s location as North America’s “World Gym of the Year.”

Is there such a thing as “the most coveted New Year’s Eve party in Healdsburg”? According to the Quinn Public Relations firm, there is—and it’s at the new Appellation Healdsburg. Considering it only opened for business in September, that’s quite an accomplishment.

When one thinks of celebrations at The Matheson in downtown Healdsburg (the town’s de facto club room), one usually goes straight to the top, literally the top-floor Roof 106 brasserie and bar where all manner of shindigs have occurred over the years. However, this year’s release of Valette Wines, which shares a proprietor with The Matheson, was a decidedly ground-floor affair.

At the start, Molti Amici gave every indication of hitting Bingo. The location was much-loved by locals, having housed Ari Rosen’s Campo Fina for 10 years, only a few steps off the Plaza, and featured not only a large stone pizza oven but a bocce court as well (both left over from Campo Fina). Then the ingredients didn't mix any more.

With the closures and limitations of the pandemic fading into memory, restaurant dining has regained its position as one of Sonoma County’s most popular, close-to-home recreations.

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.