At one point, the Healdsburg City Council was discussing the possibility of switching to drone fireworks for our town’s annual Fourth of July show, largely as a fire-safety measure. Judging by the city website, it looks like they decided to stick with the old-fashioned kind. But last Friday night, a group of Healdsburg’s most outrageous party planners — aka, the folks behind the TOWN dinner series, which stands for “Traveling Off-Season for Wine Night” — showed us what the new-fangled version might have looked like. As the grand finale for their extravagant, revolution-themed dinner at Dry Creek Kitchen in Hotel Healdsburg, they staged a surprise drone fireworks show out back, looking toward the west plaza parking lot.
Basically, hundreds of little drones with lights on them were programmed to go form fun shapes in the sky. Sonoma Magazine had said before the dinner that organizers were planning on “taking their dining theatrics to new heights in Healdsburg” with some kind of big, surprise show that the public could attend downtown around 9:15pm. Indeed: A video they posted on Instagram showed the whole spectacle, from start to finish. (I’ve included some screenshots below.) Travel writer Dana Rebmann reposted the video, writing: “Reinventing the wine dinner. And the sky’s the limit with the folks behind @towndinners.”
Friday night’s fancy food-and-wine event, billed as a “historical homage to both the French Revolution and the Bohemian Revolution,” also included a fruit guillotine, burlesque dancers (some on stripper poles) and plenty of crazy costumes, per usual. Next up, the final TOWN dinner of the off-season — already sold out, at $250 a head! — will be a Spaghetti Western-themed progressive in Geyserville on April 4. Here’s how organizers describe it:
“Saddle up for a night of rustic charm and unexpected artistic encounters with our Spaghetti Western-themed dinner taking place throughout downtown Geyserville. Four amazing restaurant partners — Diavola, Geyserville Gun Club, Catelli’s, and Cyrus — will be serving you a taste of the frontier, blending Italian influences with Western flair. Throughout the night, you’ll encounter art-inspired surprises woven into the dining experience, bringing to life the drama, fun, and adventure of the Wild West. With inventive dishes, creative storytelling, and amazing wines to match, this journey promises to capture the spirit of exploration and bold creativity.”
Hard to top the sky theatrics over Healdsburg last Friday night, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on what these party people get up to in the lawless frontier hamlet of Geyserville next month…
Note from Simone: This piece originally appeared in the weekly email newsletter I write for the Healdsburg Tribune, called Healdsburg Today. Subscribe here!
