Healdsburg Highlights

Recently when I asked Will Howard, my friend and neighbor, what he values most about living in Healdsburg he blurted out, “I can walk downtown without worrying about being robbed or shot at.” I didn’t expect to hear that from this 13-year-old young man but it is true that in Healdsburg we feel relatively safe walking around. Sometimes people even leave their wallet and keys outside the barber shop on Healdsburg Ave. as one gentleman did last Sunday afternoon. I saw it sitting there and popped my head into inquire who had left their wallet on the bench. One man getting his haircut laughed and said, “oh well, it’s Healdsburg; it’s safe here.” 

On April 22, more than one billion people around the world will participate in the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day. But in Healdsburg we’ve lost some Earth Day traditions just like we are losing more redwood groves and heritage trees. We no longer celebrate Arbor Day in the Plaza with former City Arborist, Matthew Thompson. The Healdsburg High School Progressive Club use to produce an Earth Day celebration with environmental awareness programs and speakers but that too has fallen away. 

Welcome to The Best of Sonoma! Each month I will be highlighting unique businesses in a specific Sonoma county town or city. This month, Healdsburg. Next month I will be featuring Petaluma, so send me your suggestions and be sure to support your locally owned Sonoma county businesses!

Sprucing up downtown

Recently I spoke with David Mickaelian, Assistant City Manager, to confirm that the City of Healdsburg is accepting bids for creating a roundabout for the awkward 5-way intersection at Healdsburg Ave., Vine St. and Mill St. “We’ve sent out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for design firms who have experience in roundabouts; the design phase alone will take about 6 to 12 months and then it will go for public review,” said Michaelian.

In Healdsburg, with a population close to 12,000, we are fortunate to have many forms of assets that make living here a rich experience. Lots of towns and cities across America face urban blight, poverty and socially isolated people but potholes and parking are among our top issues. Healdsburg is beautiful with redwood forests and spacious parks. We have Fitch Mountain. The bucolic Russian River meanders through town. We have a local government committed to and engaged with the community. Our farmer’s market provides convenient access to fresh food. We have Healdsburg General Hospital, Alliance Medical Center, the Villa Chanticleer, and a multitude of shops and restaurants within walking distance.

It seems that 2012 brought more change and upheaval than usual. We endured a contentious presidential election, struggled to cope with a slow moving economy and the impending fiscal cliff, and grieved as a nation for victims of mass shootings, but particularly the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT in December. 

For the holidays, we are focusing on an eclectic mix of stockings and stocking stuffers. We have an assortment of handcrafted traditional Christmas stockings made from vintage quilts.

In late 1912 Woodrow Wilson was elected President of the U.S. in a rare 4-way race; Thomas Edison produced the first talking motion picture; a black teddy bear was created to mourn those who lost their lives on the British ocean liner Titanic and in Healdsburg, CA a baby boy was born.

My mother died in the middle of spring, as the flowers began to bloom. After many years of illness and six months of hospice, her death was anticipated. I had a long time to prepare for it. Girlfriends who already lost their mothers warned me about the big shift that would occur. But when she died I was unprepared. Once the intense grief passed questions popped up. Now that I didn’t have to be her caregiver what would I do with my life? How would I reinvent myself? What kind of work would make me happy?

On Tuesday, November 6, people across the country will vote for our next president. Although voter turnout is higher in a presidential election year it isn’t necessarily so with local elections. Many people don’t take the time to vote for local candidates and measures.

Summer may be sliding to a close but the fun continues for foodies and winos.  With harvest just around the corner there are more food and wine events than you can imagine taking place in Healdsburg in September.  

Fabulous Prefab “Breezehouse” Debuts in Healdsburg

Have you heard the buzz? Sunset Magazine selected Healdsburg to introduce its 2012 Idea house. A partnership between Sunset and SF-based Blu Homes, the Breezehouse, is a modular home that seamlessly blends indoor living with the outdoors. 

Gina's mother died after a long illness this month, so she is publsihing the winner of this year's Healdsburg Museum Essay Contest.

1st Place winner of Healdsburg Museum Essay Contest about family history:

Emma Esquivel, 6th Grade, West Side School, Healdsburg, CA

My Dad

Many kids’ parents grew up with family vacations and everything else you could possibly imagine.  My dad didn’t get to do any of that.  His name is Andrew Ramirez Esquivel III and he grew up working with his family as a migrant worker.

As a kid I remember piling into the family station wagon with my parents and six siblings on Sunday afternoons, and driving to Sonoma County to visit friends. I always sat in the rear seat with my sister Monica and we counted things as we drove north on Highway 101—old bathtubs in pastures, horses, and the number of people who littered. It wasn’t unusual to see someone tossing garbage or a cigarette butt out the car window. But today if you throw anything from a moving vehicle you are slapped with a $1000 litter fine (if you’re caught). No one asked us at the time what we thought about instituting a litter law; government just stepped in and mandated it. Litter is still an enormous problem today. CalTrans pays approximately $41 million annually to clean up the California highways but can you imagine what it would be like if there wasn’t a litter law in place?

Lately I’ve been thinking about the meaning of community. What is community? Why does it matter? Is it an overused concept to play down our society’s individualism? Author Ram Dass says as Americans “we’re so focused on separateness that we’ve lost interconnectedness, and the inherent gregarious nature of humanity where we need others to give us meaning.” 

Valentine’s Day

This day is always interesting. Sometimes it’s a slippery slope not to feel blue when everyone else is covered with red hearts. The whole Valentine’s Day love thing can be even trickier without a mate. But instead of stressing out about it, why not focus on creating loving acts for others?