July
New directional and traffic signs were approved by the city to be installed in the downtown area in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and increase foot traffic around the plaza.
The Rotary Club held its first July 4 picnic which included a kids parade, demonstration of Wonder League baseball and the Duck Dash.
New mythological features sculptures were installed in downtown Geyserville.
Edgar Deas was honored by the Healdsburg Museum with the 2012 Pioneer award.
Despite some misdirected rumors, the city said that changes wouldn’t be made to the Villa Dog Park, even though the city was looking to contract out management at the center.
A deal was met after a contentious battle between Cyrus restaurant and Hotel Les Mars, and an announcement was made that Cyrus would close in October.
The Healdsburg Museum dedicated an entire exhibit to local Latino history when it opened its Ancestors of Mexico display.
Bells Ambulance received a new ambulance donated by the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians.
The second annual Healdsburg Water Carnival was held at Memorial Beach. Organizers estimated the event brought out about 5,000 people.
The county of Sonoma announced it would increase efforts to prevent the spread of invasive mussels out of Lake Sonoma.
Geyserville’s “Celebrate the Arts” event, on the verge of cancelation, was reborn as “Art at the Oasis” and Isis Oasis Sanctuary hosted the event, including more than 75 exotic and unusual birds.
August
Carla Howell was chosen as the new interim director of the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce, taking over for Mo McElroy, who resigned in June.
Lydia Wright and Joan Passalacqua were named as honorees for the 2012 Healdsburg Relay for Life event.
Fitch Mountain residents “reclaimed their walls” after a series of volunteers workdays to scrape, wash and paint a series of retaining walls along their windy river-side roads.
New wine librarian Jon Haupt was welcomed at the Healdsburg Library.
The city council voted to make Foss Creek Circle a one-way street to address what they described as a dangerous traffic pattern near the post office.
Summer donations kept the Food Pantry full for people in need.
The Healdsburg Police Department launched a new volunteer program for non-enforcement community concerns.
Three incumbents to the Northern Sonoma County Healthcare District Board re-filed intentions to run for their seats and no new candidates filed, meaning the district didn’t need to hold an election.
The city of Healdsburg launched new website features to try to make the city more accessible to its residents.
A grass fire burned close to homes in the Parkland Farms neighborhood, consuming more than an acre of land.
Six candidates filed for three seats on the Healdsburg City Council — Tom Chambers, Gary Plass, Shaun McCaffery, Tim Meinken, Vern Simmons and Dennis Brown.
A proposal by the Seghesio family to open Healdsburg Meat Company on the corner lot of Center and North streets (where the former post office was located) was approved.
Geyserville Fire and the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians agreed to a deal to continue fire support in the area. Rodney Strong held its annual Blessing of the Grapes to kick off the 2012 harvest season.
September
The Healdsburg Animal Shelter filed a lawsuit against the architect, builder and several sub-contractors of the dormant $2.9 million building, citing faulty work.
The Highway 128 bridge was under construction by Caltrans, who were working to prevent river bank erosion.
Construction crews wrapped up work in downtown Healdsburg on phase one of the Streetscape Project.
The Healdsburg Center for Arts expanded its annual art festival, adding an international short film series.
The community dedicated the new 9/11 memorial during a ceremony on the Plaza.
The Russian River cleanup was held after a summer of river-use typically leaves large amount of trash on the banks.
High expectations were set of the 2012 winegrape crop, as weather was cooperating and pests were light.
H-Town Youth Theatre performed the musical “Dear Edwina, Jr.”
Val Cronin won the Women’s Golf Club’s annual 54-hole championship tournament.
The city hosted its first Celebrate Health Fair on the Foss Creek Community Center field.
October
The state of California declared the Heladsburg Armory as surplus property with the intention to sell the 2-acre property.
Dry Creek Valley’s Pezzi King Winery won two of the top three Harvest Fair awards — Red Sweepstakes and Best Specialty Wine Sweepstakes.
Evan Rayner announced he was resigning from his job as CEO of Healdsburg District Hospital.
The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians officially opened up its first fire station on the rancheria after an agreement was reached with the Geyserville Fire Protection District.
City council candidates participated in a forum moderated by the League of Women Voters.
Syar Industries was cited for a bad smell that was produced when the company made rubberized asphalt for a roads project.
The city agreed to implement a second tier of pensions, bringing pension reform for newly hired city employees.
Healdsburg High School senior Chiara Nicastro was crowned Homecoming Queen.
Healdsburg Senior Living Center hosted the United States Arm Wrestling Championships, drawing large crowds to Healdsburg on a busy weekend.
Heavy rains caused the roof of O’Reilly Auto Parts to collapse.
November
A shift in county funding of roads added $4.7 million in fixes to north county roads.
Picking wraps up in what was called the “Perfect Harvest.”
Shaun McCaffery, Tom Chambers and Gary Plass won seats on the Healdsburg City Council. Measure V, a half-percent sales tax measure, passed with 55.6 of the vote and Measure W, extending the Urban Growth Boundary, passed with 75.3 percent of the vote.
Lisa Wittke Schaffner was elected to serve the north county on the Sonoma County School Board.
Tom and Kay Reed and John and Kim Lloyd were honored with the 2012 Wetzel Community Leadership award.
Carla Howell’s interim title was removed from her job as Chamber President/CEO.
The Rotary Club hosted its annual Thanksgiving dinner for the senior community.
The city agreed to send out a request for proposal to contract out the management of the Villa Chanticleer.
The Healdsburg Library launched a new e-books program.
Locals lined the streets for the 5th annual Geyserville Lighted Tractor Parade on the weekend after Thanksgiving.
December
The 29th annual Senior Appreciation Dinner was held at the Villa.
Tom Fincher and Octavio Diaz won Spirit of Sonoma awards.
A historic deal was made official announcing that the county Ag and Open Space District would purchase the top of Fitch Mountain, opening it up to the public as a park in the coming years.
A series of storms dumped more than 10 inches of rain in areas around Healdsburg, prompting flood warnings and power outages.
A community birthday party was held for Water Murray, who celebrated his 100th birthday.
Judi Adams was hired as the new Director of Animal Services at the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Program was extended and made permanent in Healdsburg with classes continuing in the winter and spring programs at the Villa.
Area wineries participated in a friendly challenge to see which valley could collect the most toys for the Toys for Tots programs. Together the Russian River Valley wineries and the Alexander Valley wineries collected more than 2,000 pounds of toys.
“Fifty Shades of Grey” topped best selling book lists for 2012.
