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Healdsburg
January 2, 2026

Bonjour From Paris! A Postcard From the Olympics

Lady Liberty in Paris
Most people have a dream. A dream for their future: A dream job, a dream house, a dream of who they will become or a dream trip of a lifetime. My husband, Louis, always dreamed of attending the Olympic Games—a dream made even more special when it was held in one of our favorite cities, Paris. The City of Lights...

Meet Mella, Stella’s Identical Pup

Mama dog Stella and clone Mella
Now when most winemakers talk about “clones,” they’re talking about varietals selected for specific qualities, such as flavor, color or intensity. The Dijon clones of pinot noir or chardonnay are well known; but the canine clone of a winery dog is a new thing entirely.

Setting the Stage for the Holidays

Decorating the tree
This year’s Merry Healdsburg party is, surprisingly, only the fourth for this still-fresh city celebration, though the tradition of a tree-lighting the first week of December is much older. But it used to be a quieter affair—maybe the Community Band would play a program of holiday music from the gazebo stage or something, but the glamor and the glitz of Merry Healdsburg didn’t start until 2021...

Rail Trails, an Idea Whose Time is Summer

Path and sculpture
Enter the rail trail. The concept developed in the 1980s as railroads across the country were decommissioned and a growing population sought new trails to travel. Thus the Rails to Trails Conservancy was formed out of timely necessity. Nearly 2,500 rail trails nationally now span 25,000 miles, as practical a reuse of a transportation corridor as one could conceive...

Lowrider culture shows its colors at local winery

Lowrider car 'Final Score'
The exterior parking lot of Bacchus Landing was filled with gorgeous lowriders and classics, with several food trucks off to the far side. When I walked into the interior courtyard, I found a “lowrider museum.” Many of these cars had been in actual museums and exhibits, and featured in numerous publications ranging from the car-centric to the Smithsonian.

It’s Not Spring till the Market Opens

New chair of the Healdsburg Farmers Market, Shalie Gaskill Jonker, in a sprouting tent at Noble Goat Ranch.
“I think one of the things that people don’t think about is how long the produce lasts,” said Janet Ciel, Healdsburg Farmers Market manager. “So you buy from a farmer’s market that was picked that morning or the night before, but when you buy from a grocery store, that same head of lettuce, it’s three or four or five days in a freaking truck before you ever get it to your home!”

Does Labeling Mean the End of the Wine Boom?

A pair of champaign bottles and a lot of flutes
Earlier this month, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new advisory highlighting the connection between alcohol consumption and a higher risk of cancer. Alcohol use ranks as the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, following tobacco use and obesity, and is linked to an increased risk for at least seven different types of cancer. That's not good news for the wine industry.

Summer Brings Music, Dance to Wine Country Towns

Party at the Ranch
Summer afternoons are filled with live music most days of the week in Wine Country But one popular local venue for weekly music in town is closing at the end of the month—and its future is anything but clear.

Another Utopian Vision Stirs in Cloverdale

Vision of Utopia
Remember in June, when 1,000-plus “techno optimists” from around the world convened in Healdsburg for a mysterious month-long series of talks, salons and workshops on how to build a utopian future? They weren't kidding.

Food aficionados embrace the Healdsburg experience

Under the big tent at the Healdsburg Food & Wine Experience
Though the price of admission may prove daunting to some, it’s the only way to attend the Welcome Celebration at Mayacamas Golf Course on Thursday, May 16, and Friday’s Platinum Lunch at MacMurray Estate and a Platinum Dinner at Chalk Hill Estate, each with celebrated chefs and winemakers or sommeliers - or both....
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Arts & Entertainment

Actors Elliot Davis and Katie Watts-Whitaker

Critics pick theaters’ top tix

It’s that time of year when critics look back and attempt to encapsulate an entire year’s worth of productions into one easy-to-read list of the “best of” the year. Why? Because ...
Raw oysters with squeezed lemon

New Year’s Eve dining ideas