Greetings, fellow Healdsburgers! After a hiatus, Idlewood 3 is back, and ready to note what’s happening in our town. “IDlewood 3” was the town’s original telephone exchange and now “Hedda Healdsburg” wants to know all. Send your newsy items to me in care of The Healdsburg Tribune.
Art news: happy 24th anniversary to the Upstairs Art Gallery (located inside Levin & Co.). When asked if it was the oldest gallery in town, artist Willow LaLand replied, “I think so, although, we may be neck-and-neck with Erickson Gallery.” While artists’ receptions have been on hold due to the pandemic, they will resume in August.
“This is a beautiful community of artists. We are so happy that restrictions have lifted and we have people coming in again,” LaLand said. She happens to be the featured artist for July, with her “Wine Country Living” collection. The Staircase Showcase presents Ron Sumner’s rural vignettes.
Another art note, after many years in the same location at 130 Plaza Street, the nonprofit Healdsburg Center for the Arts is moving to 334 Center St., where Plaza Paint and Supplies has been. (Don’t worry, Plaza Paint is relocating to the former B&B Lounge building on the north end of town.) Artist Candy Anderson said the new building will provide space in back for kids’ and adults’ classes, “We’re looking forward to a whole new vision, and to building the arts in the community.”
It may have been a bit smaller than in past years, but the Boy Scout Troop 21’s annual pancake breakfast at the Villa Annex still had a steady stream of people attending. (Last year was take-out only.) A display of teepee poles, rustic signs and canteens decorated the front. Guests could dine inside, or down at the picnic tables. Scoutmaster Matthew Doyel expressed that they were excited about holding the breakfast again.
“We’ve had great support from lots of people. Scouts were also selling tickets beforehand,” he said. He added that Troop 21 was celebrating its 90th year, and is the oldest troop in the region. One ex-scout had remarked that this is the 40th annual all-you-can-eat breakfast. Bonus entertainment this year: the goats retained for fuel reduction on Fitch Mountain arrived during the breakfast, clambering up the nearby hillside and munching away. It was all-you-can-eat for them, too.
The annual Fourth of July “Kids’ Parade and Duck Dash” resumed at the Plaza, sponsored by Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise and the city. State Senator and local Healdsburger Mike McGuire was the day’s MC. By the 10:30 a.m. start, kids in costumes, bedecked dogs and adults mingled about.
The Healdsburg Fire Department raised the flag over the Plaza, using a tall aerial ladder. Uncle Sam (aka Kip Miller) strolled through the convivial crowd and handed out flags. In the gazebo, the Community Band tuned their instruments, and opened the event with a rousing “Washington Post,” by John Philip Sousa. On Center Street, there was an inflatable tricycle speedway for kids. Next to it, aspiring young pilots could climb aboard the Pacific Coast Air Museum’s Blue Angels cockpit simulator. “Sam” the duck led a spirited kiddie parade around the Plaza. Did you spot “America’s birthday cake,” George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and astronauts marching in it?
With water at a premium, the duck dash this year utilized the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market zucchini track for the races. Folks enjoyed free popcorn, hot dogs, lemonade and street corn. Bubbles floated in the air, as the band Court ‘n’ Disaster performed toe-tapping songs in the latter part of the day. At a T-shirt booth, Rotary volunteer Kathy Tremblay commented, “It’s been fabulous. People are ready to get out and celebrate. And, there are more people here than we expected.” Donations collected benefitted the many community organizations that Rotary supports.
The Tuesday concerts in the Plaza have resumed — and with that, the Sonoma County Bike Coalition will again be offering free bike valet service. Coalition Executive Director Eris Weaver said, “It’s the same as a car valet. Drop off your bike, we give you a ticket, and you just pick it up later. We’ve never lost a bike!” Look for the corral; in the past, they have set up on Plaza Street.
Marie Butler is a freelance writer and a full-time Healdsburg resident for over 33 years. Growing up, she spent delightful summers at her family’s Del Rio Woods home, and had an Idlewood phone number. She is the author of the children’s book “Herbie – A Toy’s Adventures in Healdsburg,” and has written various articles about our area.
