Opinion

Greetings, fellow Healdsburgers! After a hiatus, Idlewood 3 is back, and ready to note what’s happening in our town. “IDlewood 3” was the town’s original telephone exchange and now “Hedda Healdsburg” wants to know all. Send your newsy items to me in care of The Healdsburg Tribune.

Like everyone else, library staff are currently pushing back some in-person programming plans and making adjustments in order to meet the moment and help “bend the curve” of the pandemic. We’re really looking forward to storytimes, meetings, and other community programming inside soon, but in the meantime, we are pushing forward with virtual programs as well as items you can take with you outside. This month, we want to let you know about engaging opportunities on the way for 2022.

The Healdsburg Farmers’ Markets have been open four weeks now; both of them. We used to open in May, Saturday at the beginning of the month, and Tuesday market at the end. But last year, as the reality of the pandemic was ramping up, the city asked if we could open early. They saw the need for outdoor shopping options and a way for community to stay connected. The response to our mid-April season debut (of Saturday market: Tuesday opened at the end of May because the plaza was closed) was overwhelmingly positive, so we decided we’d extend both markets this year.

It’s been almost nine months since the fraudulent presidential election last November. Things are not looking good that the illegitimate Biden presidency will be overturned. This means all of us in Sonoma County and all other parts of the United States will have to endure the socialist and communist programs the far left Democrats are cramming through Congress. One can hardly wait for the 2022 mid-term elections to replace Nancy Pelosi with Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.

The 32nd annual Summer Olympics have come to a close in Tokyo, Japan. There were moments of lifetime achievements, world records, tears and raw emotions, a few lessons about mental health and stress, transgender milestones and, overall, a surprisingly successful collection of games, competition and camaraderie — all under a cloud of a global coronavirus pandemic.

When faced with big and nasty challenges like fighting off the current surges of local COVID-19 coronavirus cases there is no better motivator than a promise of a delicious reward just waiting for us at almost arm’s length. It’s like the child’s lollipop a doctor offers after a show of bravery for getting a measles shot.

It is impossible to imagine Sonoma County without its majestic redwood trees and stunning oaks. Besides giving shape and definition to our hills, valleys, ridges and rural scenery, their likenesses are etched on our county seal, town logos, highway markers, school monuments and countless commercial labels. We live in a “redwood empire” where the original people here centered their culture around acorns.

The following snippets of history are drawn from the pages of the Healdsburg Tribune, the Healdsburg Enterprise and the Sotoyome Scimitar, and are prepared by the volunteers at the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society. Admission is always free at the museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Return our fire services tax dollars to Fitch Mountain

A message to the Healdsburg community from Mayor Evelyn Mitchell