1) Soooo the 75th annual Healdsburg Future Farmers parade and fair over this long Memorial Day weekend were a total smash, per usual. Aside from a guy I saw flag down a Bell’s ambulance in the middle of the parade route (not sure what happened, but he looked relatively OK) and a few straggling floats, there were no wayward incidents reported during the parade. “This is the biggest event of the year and it went off without incident,” the Healdsburg Police Department said of the parade and fair on Facebook. One parade highlight, of the 70-plus floats in the lineup, was the Oaxacan “Carnaval Putleco” group — aka, those dancers in big shaggy costumes and crazy masks, with a young “queen” atop a pickup leading the way. KQED public radio just published a great piece on their performance. Here’s an excerpt: “As the truck carrying [Iris Alejandra Arcos Cisneros, 18] moves through the streets of Healdsburg, dozens of dancers follow closely behind. Each dancer is wearing a tiliche — an incredibly colorful and elaborate full-body suit made out of hundreds of ribbons that move in all directions as the dancer deftly skips and jumps to the rhythm of the music. When one person dances with a tiliche on, you start noticing more details: a mask made of animal fur and an oversized hat made of palm straw. But seeing many tiliches together at once becomes an experience. … Dozens of blocks of nonstop dancing later, Carnaval Putleco finally made it to the end of the parade. They gathered at the house of one of the member families in Healdsburg. As the dancers streamed into the backyard to relax, they removed their masks. Everyone is soaked in sweat. Each tiliche weighs at least 20 pounds, and the more elaborate ones can weigh up to 40 pounds. It’s a serious workout under the hot Sonoma sun. Thankfully, a giant pot of delicious pozole is ready — perfect to replenish body and soul.” The fair, too, seemed like it went off without a hitch. All the usual fair foods were out in full force — pozole, elote, hotdogs, corndogs, tacos, BBQ, teriyaki, ice cream, funnel cake, you name it. Then there were the pens full of bunnies and chickens, the live music trailer, the Swan Brothers Circus, the rock-climbing tower, the bouncy houses, the garden exhibits, the kids showing farm animals and auctioning them off, the teen dramas unfolding under the bright lights of Rec late into the night. Healdsburg may be rapidly changing, but this is one tradition that sure hasn’t changed much. (Source: Healdsburg Tribune & Sonoma County Gazette & KQED & Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair via Facebook & Facebook Groups & Healdsburg Police Department via Facebook)

2) We could be getting a replacement for the Adel’s diner near the Dry Creek Road freeway exit, which shut down last November, as soon as this weekend — and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be too far a cry from the classic diner model we’ve gotten used to in that particular roadhouse. The Best Western Dry Creek Inn, which owns the space, says on its website: “Our newly remodeled on site family restaurant is opening on June 1, 2024. This brand new traditional American diner is located just across our parking lot, making it easily accessible for all our guests. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 6:00am until 9:00pm daily. They will serve delicious food in a casual, family-friendly dining room and have a large selection of local wines and beer. We are looking forward to their grand reopening.” One possible hiccup: There’s a city-issued “stop work order” currently posted on the restaurant’s front window, claiming that the Pepper’s crew went ahead with “construction and installation of signage/electrical” without a permit. I spoke with the restaurant’s manager yesterday, and for what it’s worth, he seems pretty confident that the whole thing will get cleared up in the next few days, in time for the June 1 opening date. (I’ve also reached out to the city for more info; will let you know what I learn.) Adel’s lived at that spot for more than three decades, but owner Danny Ibhrahim was struggling to make ends meet in recent years, and wasn’t keeping the diner open past 3pm — a setup that didn’t jibe with Best Western owners, who wanted hotel guests to be able to eat dinner there. In a press release issued last month, the Restaurant Realty Company said the space, where rent had been listed at around $10,000 per month, would be going to a restauranteur named Osama “Steve” Attalah. His family actually used to own Adel’s before the Ibrahim family took over around 15 years ago, according to the press release, and Steve himself “worked there many years ago.” More from the Restaurant Realty announcement: “Steve is an endearing man who is very friendly and often smiling. He is the owner of Pepper’s Restaurant in Fortuna and also Café Bellini in Garberville. … Steve will bring his Pepper’s concept to Healdsburg and reinvent the restaurant space at the Dry Creek Inn. He plans to modernize and upgrade the space and open it for extended hours, serving early breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch. Additionally, Pepper’s will as serve the hotel guests within an appealing in-room breakfast offering.” The Pepper’s up in Fortuna is known for its cheeseburgers ($12), chicken strips ($13) and milkshakes ($7), according to the DoorDash app — again, pretty aligned with the Adel’s vibe. We’ll have the latest on the Pepper’s opening in this week’s issue of the Healdsburg Tribune; stay tuned! (Source: Dry Creek Inn & Restaurant Realty Company & Healdsburg Tribune & Healdsburg Tribune & DoorDash)

3) We’ve been hearing about big potential increases to our water and sewer bills for some months now — and it appears the time has come. The Healdsburg City Council approved a series of rate hikes at their meeting last week, amounting to an increase of around $34 per month in utility bills for the average Healdsburg resident, come August. And that’s just the first of the hikes. Local water bills will reportedly go up 21% this year, another 20% next year and and another 13% the year after that. As for wastewater bills, which cover sewage services: They’ll go up 18% both this year and next year, then another 15% the year after. Some locals are understandably upset. Healdsburg resident Paulina Lopez, a leading activist for the North Bay Jobs With Justice group, tells the Press Democrat that the new rates “will push farmworkers out of the city.” She says: “It’s quite outrageous, considering many of us in town are barely recovering from the negative financial impacts of the pandemic and continue to face the challenges of climate change.” Here’s some previous coverage from Healdsburg Tribune news editor Christian Kallen on why we’re seeing our bills go up: “Inflation, lower-than-projected water sales (or usage; much of the decline is based on revised water use habits in the wake of the extended drought), new water treatment requirements and the need to replace centuries-old water pipelines are all driving these increases, according to Terry Crowley, the city’s utilities director. ‘One of the many challenges facing the city’s water and wastewater departments is the amount of aging infrastructure serving our community,’ Crowley said. ‘There are roughly 120 miles of water and wastewater pipes buried underneath the city; enough pipe to reach the Golden Gate Bridge and travel back to Healdsburg. Many of these pipes, over a third, are more than 50 years old with some dating as far back as 1910. Adequate funding for the replacement of these pipes has not existed for many years, creating a backlog of deferred maintenance.'” Kallen also reports: “Another factor in the rate studies is a continued reliable source of water for Healdsburg customers. The current rates are based on water allocated from Russian River flows, in addition to local wells. But the river flows are expected to be reduced when the Potter Valley project is decommissioned or dismantled, as is already underway. … As a consequence, Healdsburg needs to find an alternative water source in the near future. Crowley and Raftelis are proposing accessing water from Lake Sonoma previously unavailable for city use through new wells in the Dry Creek Valley.” Read more in the Trib! (Source: Healdsburg Tribune & Healdsburg Tribune & City of Healdsburg & Press Democrat)

4) The Press Democrat has an update on the shocking death in town last summer of Abel Garza, a 41-year-old father of three from Santa Rosa who police say attacked a group of hotel staffers in the pool area at Hotel Healdsburg earlier that day. One of the staffers, 34-year-old Santa Rosa resident Romario Morga Cisneros, was later charged with involuntary manslaughter — seeing as Garza was found dead in a parking lot off Matheson Street, near Williamson Wines, after the staffer allegedly fought back with his attacker’s own weapon, a metal object resembling a gardening stake. Now, the hotel staffer’s attorney, Charles Dresow, has asked the judge to dismiss the case entirely — arguing that his client acted in self-defense. From the PD: “A judge is set to consider Dresow’s motion on June 26. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office has not yet filed its response. … After a preliminary hearing in February, a judge upheld the existing charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon and said there is enough evidence to send this case to trial. Dresow continues to disagree. ‘Mr. Cisneros and his coworkers were just trying to do their jobs to support their families,’ Dresow told The Press Democrat on Friday. ‘They did not ask for or deserve the violent onslaught that they were subjected to. The situation was not of their making.’ Autopsy results found that Garza was under the influence of alcohol, fentanyl and methamphetamine when he twice came to the hotel and threatened staff. During one of the confrontations, authorities said, Garza was armed with a hammer and a 4-foot metal object, which has been described in various witness accounts as either a metal rebar, a pole, a bar, a rod or a landscaping stake. Staff took it from Garza, and Cisneros is accused of killing him with it. Dresow calls Garza the ‘architect of his own demise,’ noting that he brought the items with him to the hotel.” Still, Garza’s sister has filed an additional civil suit against Cisneros and the owners of Hotel Healdsburg, accusing them of “general negligence and negligent hiring supervision,” according to the PD. That case will reportedly begin to air out in August. (Source: Press Democrat & Healdsburg Tribune)

5) Two big Healdsburg wineries are up for sale right now: the Comstock winery at 1290 Dry Creek Rd., that giant wine-tasting emporium you see on your left as you drive out of town, and the Quivira & LaFollette winery out further in the valley at 4900 West Dry Creed Rd., right near Lambert Bridge and Rafanelli. The properties are listed at around $20 million and $15 million, respectively. Comstock is owned by the same family behind Comstock Development, the company building the new North Village neighborhood across Healdsburg Avenue from the Montage resort. It doesn’t appear that the Comstock wine brand is up for sale — just its physical, 17-acre location on Dry Creek Road. Here’s some more info from the Comstock real-estate listing: “Embark on a prestigious winemaking journey in the heart of Dry Creek Valley with this exceptional winery estate. Built in 2016, this property encompasses a 20,070 SQ/FT winery and production facility, permitted for 26,920 total SQ/FT with potential expansion, alongside a luxurious 6,310 +/- SQ/FT residence/guest retreat. With a coveted 35,000 case per year production permit and included winery equipment & tanks, indulge in the art of winemaking effortlessly. Entice guests with a welcoming tasting room, open to the public, seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor spaces event spaces permitted for a total of 22 +/- events up to 200 persons per event annually. Spanning across 17.26 +/- acres with two assessor parcels, including 10.5 +/- acres of premier estate-planted vineyards with a legacy 100+/- year Old Vine Zinfandel block, this estate embodies the rich heritage of Sonoma County winemaking.” Quivira, for its part, has actually been on the market since last fall, but was just re-listed for much less than the original asking price of $24 million. From what I can tell, that’s because the large rural property is now split into two parcels: the public-facing winery and Quivira and LaFollette wine brands, listed at $15 million for 43 acres, and the private home estate, listed at $7 million for 45 acres. Each property includes around 30 acres of vineyards and access to Wine Creek. Over the past two decades, Quivira owners — including the founding Wendt family and then the Kights — have poured significant time and energy into restoring Wine Creek as a spawning stream for salmon and trout. Congressman Jared Huffman from San Rafael even gave the winery a certificate of recognition for its sustainability practices in 2013, saying: “I am very impressed with the steps that Quivira has taken to restore waterways, conserve energy and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Small businesses like Quivira are leading the fight against climate change­­ — and Washington should take note.” (Source: Comstock & Coldwell Banker Realty & Quivira & Redfin & Redfin & Jared Huffman & Healdsburg Patch)

Speaking of Quivira: Henry Wendt, who founded the West Dry Creek winery with his wife Holly, passed away last month. Henry was known for his extensive collection of maps, many of which he displayed at his tasting room; in fact, he named winery “Quivira” because that’s what one of his old European maps had labeled the Sonoma County region. In 2004 and 2010, the Sonoma County Museum reportedly curated two exhibits of antique maps from the Wendt collection: “Mapping the Pacific Coast,” then “Envisioning the World: The First Printed Maps, 1472-1700.” Henry was 90 years old when he died. He grew up on Long Island, where legend has it he would ride his Appaloosa horse, “Smoky,” bareback after school. Then, according to his obituary, Henry went to Princeton and spent around four decades as a bigwig at pharmaceutical companies and health-care investment firms — at one point authoring a book called “Global Embrace: Corporate Challenges in a Transnational World,” according to his obituary. Amid all of that, in the early 1980s, Henry and his wife Holly moved here to Healdsburg, where they lived for a very impactful 20 years or so. From his obituary: “Mr. Wendt served multiple terms as Chairman of the Community Foundation of Sonoma County. In 2007, he was awarded the Wetzel Community Leadership Award for “his leadership in making the Healdsburg District Hospital campaign a success, as well as his superb guidance and experience to help the Foundation expand its resources and reach. Through the Foundation of Sonoma County, he and his wife contributed $100,000 to the Healdsburg High School Library, allowing for significant modernization of the facility which is now named after the Wendt couple. In later years he made large contributions to various environmental causes, helping set aside large tracts of land from further development.” At Quivira in rural Healdsburg, in particular, he launched a restoration project for Wine Creek, “the Coho salmon and Steelhead trout spawning stream that winds through the center of the estate,” according to the winery’s website. (Source: Legacy.com & Quivira & North Bay Biz & Amazon)

A funny thing happened recently where a $2 million rural Healdsburg property with only a pool went semi-viral online. It all started when an X account called “Zillow Gone Wild” tweeted out a link to the 5-acre property on Chalk Hill Road, writing: “Everyone wants a pool, but having a house can be a lot of work, fortunately for us, this property solves that issue.” Of course, there are tons of properties around here like that — former sites of nice country homes that burned in wildfires, leaving only their fireplace or pool behind. And indeed, listing agent Tatiana McWilliams tells SF Gate that the house at 10547 Chalk Hill was destroyed in the 2019 Kincade Fire. But its sparkling infinity pool survived — which does make for a stark image. “All the pools survive the fires,” the local Realtor says. “Always.” (SF Gate & Zillow Gone Wild via X)