The growing, annual Healdsburg Arts Festival took over the Plaza for what organizers believe to be its 10th year last Saturday. An estimated 500-plus people showed up to peruse the 50 booths that artists set up that day to show off and sell their paintings, sculptures, jewelry, woodworks, metal art, ceramics, glass works and fiber-arts creations like hats and felt flowers. A poet was even present, writing poems for attendees in real time.
Pumping live music from the Plaza gazebo during the event were the Healdsburg Ukulele Club, the Trad Jass Jammers and Moon Alley Music. And on hand to feed the masses were Gino’s Greek Food, Crepes du Jour and the Downtown Bakery’s famous pizza bus.
Kathy Birdsong of the Healdsburg Center for the Arts, the event’s main organizer, says that “art vendors were so happy with the turnout” and “all had a successful day in terms of sales and contacts.” She adds: “We have received dozens of thank you’s from the vendors, including comments about how beautiful it was, how friendly everybody was and how helpful our volunteers were. Although planning took months of hard work, we left feeling uplifted.”