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Murals have become a popular means of public artistic expression, from big city to small town.  Locally, the five-panel historical mural at Healdsburg High’s Smith Robinson Gym dates from 30 years ago, while the recent Monarch Project mural on Alley Three off Center Street was...

The music of Sir John Stainer (1840-1901) will be featured at the second in a series of free pipe-organ concerts on Sunday, Oct. 9. The concert, a choral evensong, begins at 5pm at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Healdsburg.   Paul Blanchard, director of music for St....

The City Council made an honorary proclamation of California Native American Day at their Sept. 19 meeting, but the local culture scene is taking it further—recognizing three Indigenous poets over the next two months with readings and conversation from the stage at The 222.  “Indigenous...

The view of Fitch Mountain looming to the east of Healdsburg is as much a signature of the town as the Russian River itself, a natural landmark that defines the region. It’s a small wonder—its 991-foot altitude is no Everest or Denali, but as...

Ever since the American Institute of Architects (AIA) came to Healdsburg, the town has turned increasingly self-reflective, attentive to its brand in a way that goes beyond just tourism. It’s now not just a wine destination but a design destination, where city planners, architects, sustainability...

On Sept. 1, the workers’ trucks finally started rolling into the parking lot at the former L&M Motel at 70 Healdsburg Ave., as crews started replacing walls, installing appliances and converting what were once the most affordable motel rooms in town into something else—a...

In what can only be described as a big win for the hometown team, the three-day Healdsburg Arts Festival attracted over 1,000 people to the Plaza, where acoustic music drifted over the booths, local food was prepared and served on site, kids played and...

Joe Rochioli was one of those people whose chosen trade had an impact far beyond his friends, his family or the town in which he grew up—Healdsburg. He helped start the Future Farmers Fair (still held on Memorial Day weekend), hit home runs for...

The Healdsburg Arts Festival, an anchor summer event at the city’s Plaza for over a decade, returns after a challenging two-year hiatus for three days of visual, performing and culinary arts, Aug. 26–28. “The festival demonstrates how art and creativity can lift all voices in...

Images of the Tubbs Fire devastation that swept across Sonoma County just under five years ago, in October 2017, invariably trigger reminders of just how sudden and complete the disaster was. That’s understandably how Embers of Awakening begins, but that is not where it ends:...