The Healdsburg Tribune
WAPPO, POMO CULTURAL FIGURES PROMINENT IN COMMUNITY SUGGESTIONS
By Christian Kallen
One of the largest city parks in Sonoma County, set to begin construction next year, still doesn’t have a name. That circumstance is about to change, in the wake of Healdsburg’s Parks and Recreation Commission’s hearing of proposals from a public survey that concluded earlier this year.
Currently known as Saggio Hills Park, the 38-acre plot of land adjacent to Parkland Farms development stretches to Healdsburg Avenue and Foppiano Road, the access to the Healdsburg Montage Resort. The property was negotiated as a civic benefit to the resort’s development on Healdsburg’s northern edge.
The city completed the master-plan development for the new park and took ownership of the property in 2023, and the design development and construction drawings are now underway. Bidding and construction is expected to start in the fall. Details on the park development are found on the city’s website at www.healdsburg.gov/ saggionhillspark.
The naming procedure was based on the City of Healdsburg’s Park Naming Policy, adopted in 2002, which asks that naming of parks or recreation facilities “enhance the value and heritage of and are compatible with community interests.”
More than 30 people proposed names for the
➝ Parks and Recreation, 7
VARSITY TAKES CHARGE, DOMINATES CLOVERDALE 35-21
By John Linker
It had been three years, or as the whisper throughout the crowd put it more exactly, 1,072 days, since the Healdsburg Hounds Varsity football team had won a game. But last Friday night, in front of a jam-packed home crowd, the Hounds ended that losing streak with a 35-21 win over the neighboring Cloverdale Eagles.
Led by the strong and accurate arm of quarterback Nova Perrill II, the Hounds’ offense showed confidence, sharp attention to details and an unparalleled desire to keep pushing. Under the guidance of new head coach Criss Rosales, they never let up.
Alexander Harms scored the Greyhounds’ first down of the season, and the team never looked back. Though not scoring on their first drive, the Hounds controlled the clock until they had to punt with 5:57 left in the first quarter.
The Hounds’ defense took over with a powerful show of focus and determination led by Nathaniel Rowland. Rowland made numerous rush tackles and his presence was felt in nearly every play.
The defensive pressure of Rowlands and Harms, along with an impressive front line, forced an early fumble, setting up a thrilling fake handoff and 19-yard pass to Hayden Mariani for a touchdown. Christian Camacho Ruiz kicked his first of many successful extra points.
The next Eagle drive was quickly extinguished as well, again led by the relentless Rowland, causing an Eagle mistake on a bad snap, and with 14
end of the quarter the Hounds were up 14-0.
The Eagles finally got something going on a broken play that led them to the Hounds’ 23-yard-line. Out of an I-formation, sophomore halfback Carson Brown, with 7:42 left before the half, ran from the five-yard-line for a touchdown, making the score 14-7.
The Buzz
The Eagles’ joy was shortlived. On the next play, sophomore Frank Rea, known for wearing his buttoned-down collared shirts in the classroom, ran behind a thick cordon of blockers before running ahead of the crowd and down the field for a return of 95 yards. To celebrate, he held the ball for the extra-point kicker, Camacho. Minutes later, on another potential Eagle drive, Rea intercepted with 4 minutes left to get the ball back for the Greyhounds.
With 2 minutes left in the half, and after a strange string of penalties coupled
‘INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS’
UPSTAIRS’ A WORK OF SELF-DISCOVERY
“I’m a child of the Holocaust,” playwright Francine Schwartz begins our conversation. “It’s definitely in my DNA, there’s no doubt
The Ger, the new play premiering in Healdsburg next weekend at the Raven Performing Arts Theater. Though she now lives in Roseland, outside
with a few broken plays, the Eagles’ drive finally fizzled beneath the tenacious Hound defense. It was 21-7 at the half, leaving the crowd buzzing and full of hope that the three-year drought since the last victory was about to be broken.
Second Half
More of the same continued in the second half with Rowland, Christian Flores and Rea combining for numerous tackles to stop the Eagles and quickly give the Hounds’ offense the ball again. With completions to Harms and Mariani, and some creative catch-andruns by Areum Romero, Perrill continued to confidently move the team down the field. An eight-yard pass to Mariani, screening wide to the right, inflated the score to 28-7. Not until the fourth quarter did the Eagles break through with a solid string of running gains, followed by a fake hand-off and pass for 30 yards that led to their second touchdown. The extra point
of Sacramento, until a few months ago she lived in nearby Windsor, where she built a relationship with the Raven Players.
For the Raven, she wrote the Mike Blake Mysteries, an ongoing “theater noir” radio series presented by Raven Performing Arts during the pandemic. Two other short plays by her, All About Me and The Dream were also read or produced at the Raven.
The Germans Upstairs, originally slated to open in March 2020, is Schwartz’s first full-length play to be presented locally. That earlier production was fully cast and ready to go, then canceled due to the pandemic.
Next weekend’s opening marks the culmination of 10 years of research, inspiration and introspection for Schwartz, now 75, along with a lifetime of memories. That decade
missed, bouncing off the bright yellow uprights of the brand-new goal posts. With 9:35 left on the clock, the score was 28-13, Healdsburg. For the Hounds, the fourth quarter was full of pass plays, showing off the arm of Perrill, who finished the game completing 14 of 23 attempts, for 116 yards. The senior loves to throw, and first-year coach Criss Rosales is not afraid to make use of that skill. The Eagles, however, did not give up and continued to rely on their running game. With the help of a pass-interference call, and what looked like a knee injury to center Eli Zepeda, Cloverdale finally moved down the field. Brown went into the end zone for the third time, and he followed it up with a 2-point conversion to make it 28-21.
With 6:32 left, coach Rosales was clearly keeping an eye on the clock. The passing offense, mixed with the frustrations of
5
began in 2014 while she went through family possessions in the family home, cleaning things out because her mother had moved into assisted living.
“It was full of memorabilia of all kinds, and beautiful furniture that goes back to Europe, Austria, Romania, France … And so I was separating things, some for auction and some to come back with me, when I came across all these photographs,” she said.
“I was just flooded with real memories of my childhood by the photographs of my mother and grandmother during the war,” she added—memories of family stories told almost threequarters of a century ago, when she was a young girl.
“I honestly don’t remember how old I was when my mother and grandmother started telling me that at the beginning of the German occupation of Paris, ➝ New Play, 3
➝ Greyhounds,
Photos by Joe Rowland
NO GAIN Healdsburg defenders swarm Cloverdale’s Jorge Guerrero (number obscured) during the first half of the Aug. 30 game, won by the Greyhounds. Healdsburg players include, from left, Eli Zepeda (77), Andrew Barr (7), John Wallace (44), Isaiah Robles (59), Nathanial Rowland (54), Dillan Jocius (45) and Nova Perrill II (10), as Cloverdale’s Evan Hieserich (70) looks on.
GOINGS ON AROUND TOWN THIS WEEK & NEXT
Fitch Mountain
The Healdsburg Museum continues its newest exhibition, “Trails to Fitch Mountain,” about the human and natural history of our local landmarks, the mountain and the river, until Oct. 13. Free admission, Wednesdays through Sundays, 11am to 4pm, 221 Matheson St.
Upstairs
Downstairs
Francine Schartz’s new play, The Germans Upstairs , inspired by true events, premieres this week at the Raven Theater. The audience will be seated on the stage for this intimate drama. Plays Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm, until Sept. 15 only. 115 North St., tickets $25, $10 students at www. raventheater.org.
Dad Country Weekly appearances of singer-songwriters percolating just under the Hot 100, on Thursdays. Sept. 5 it’s durable (25 CDs) Damien Jurado; on Sept. 12, hear Santa Clara Valley troubadour Margo Cilker. Shows often free, start at 6pm. www.littlesainthealdsburg.com/ music.
Spoken Word
Kurt Schweigman is the latest poet to read in Denise Low’s Indigenous Voices Series at The 222, on Thursday, Sept. 5. Reading and conversation starts at 7pm, $20. 222
MEASURE O
DEBATE HEATS UP
Healdsburg’s Measure O is a Pandora’s Box. Measure O may try to lure voters under the guise of affordable housing for the middle-class workforce, but the only thing it will guarantee is largescale development in a town of less than 12,000 people. Measure O takes off all the guardrails for multifamily housing construction. The current limit of 30 homes per year would become unlimited building in three areas of the city. The 16-units-per-acre limit would be raised to 65. The proposed construction in the downtown corridor alone is 852 units. When you include the train station area and the 88-acre riverfront south entry, there could be well over 2,000 units built. Besides the environmental threat, Healdsburg’s infrastructure cannot handle this expansion. Residents were asked to reduce water consumption by 40% in the last drought. There are no mandates in the measure to assure affordable housing will be built. Ultra-luxury condos would be considered multifamily housing. The City Council failed to deliver a feasible plan. Measure O puts Healdsburg residents at the mercy of the developers backing this measure. Please Vote No on O. D an P izza Healdsburg
HEALDSBURG HAPPENINGS
Healdsburg Ave., www. the222.org.
Friday Night Lights
The 2024 prep football season rolls into its second week Friday, Sept. 6, when the revitalized Healdsburg Greyhounds face off against the St. Helena Saints, 7pm at Rec Park. Go Hounds!
Americana Idol
Feeling the absence of Friday Night Live, the Cloverdale Arts Alliance will present Forestville’s David Luning, a former TV talent show contestant, in a concert debuting his new album, Lessons , on Sept. 6 at 7:30pm, $40. 204 N. Cloverdale Blvd.
Farmers’ Market Drop by the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market at North Street and Foss Creek on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 8:30am to noon, for the best local produce in the area.
Chili Cook-Off
Annual spicy savory showdown organized by the Windsor Chamber of Commerce, Saturday, Sept. 7. It’s in support of Food for Thought, and includes panel-judged winners for both traditional and homestyle chili, with live music. Noon to 4pm at the Windsor Town Green; tickets $35 adults, $10 kids, at windsorchamber. com/chili-cook-off.
Jazz Combo
The Rainbow Jazz Collective is a classic jazz combo, playing their home stage at Furthermore Wines in Healdsburg on Saturday, Sept. 7, 5-8pm, no cover but good local wine available for purchase. Music usually Thursdays through Sundays at 358-B Healdsburg Ave.
Jazz Trio
Brazilian jazz and American standards from the Stephanie Ozer Trio, in which the Sonoma pianist performs with her regulars Peter Barshay on bass and Kendrick Freeman on drums. Chill with the regular Saturday night jazz at Healdsburg Hotel’s Spirit Bar., Sept. 7, 6-9pm. No cover, partial Dry Creek Kitchen menu available, 25 Matheson St. Season Finale
Sol Horizon will play their last show of the summer at the Elephant in the Room, Saturday, Sept. 7. Showtime 8pm, tickets $20 at the door. The “pub” frequently has music Fridays and
Sundays, sometimes Tuesdays, maybe Thursdays— check out the Elephant, 177 Healdsburg Ave., www.elephantintheroompub.com.
Bach by Popular Demand
Celebrated concert organist Jonathan Dimmock returns to Healdsburg to perform a concert of all-Bach selections on Sunday, Sept. 8, at 5pm. Free performance at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 209 Matheson St., one block east of Healdsburg’s downtown Plaza.
Election Preview Find out more about Healdsburg’s Measure O,
LETTERS
The above letter was sent to several local papers including the Healdsburg Tribune. It appeared in print last week elsewhere, which led to the response below.
Beware! The opposition to Measure O has shown a penchant for absurd exaggeration. Witness their weird doomsday prophecies of runaway growth, often based on numbers taken completely out of context. It’s infuriating.
Measure O is designed to do one thing: Make a specific modification to our existing Growth Management Ordinance (GMO) so we can convert under-utilized places (that eyesore abandoned gas station anyone?) to multi-family, middle-class homes like townhouses and apartments. It affects less than 15% of our town. Importantly, existing residential neighborhoods and the area around the plaza are off-limits. Virtually no homes of this type have been built in the decades since the GMO was enacted. The GMO is a primary driver for the proliferation of hotels and the high cost of housing here. Measure O was crafted through numerous planning efforts, with tremendous community input and impassioned pleas from residents demanding that we diversify our housing stock. Just this week, the Council began work
on zoning reforms to further encourage the affordability of new units. The commitment is real.
It’s unclear how many homes Measure O will create, but you won’t see a construction boom or “unchecked growth”—and you won’t see anything like the preposterous “2000 ultra-luxury units” recently trumpeted by Dan Pizza. But Measure O confidently sets the stage for us to create enough watersmart and climate-smart homes to meet our modest housing goals.
Greater housing equity is the outcome— which is part of why Corazon and the Sonoma County Democratic party (and many others) have endorsed it.
A Healdsburg where our friends and families aren’t priced out, and we have enough housing for all income levels. Measured, intentional and in tune with Healdsburg’s charm and diversity. I ask you to vote “Yes” on Measure O.
Chris Herrod Healdsburg
Another View
Here’s a surprise: The proposed plan for the City Council to increase density limits in the Downtown Commercial district from 16 to 65 dwelling units per acre—together with Measure O if passed— would authorize 284 dwelling units in the short stretch of Center Street between North and
Sonoma County Measure J and Proposition 4, and the State of California Climate Bond at this election preview held by Climate Action Healdsburg. It’s Monday, Sept. 9, at 6pm at Paul Mahder Gallery, 222 Healdsburg Ave.
Upcoming Sept. 14: “Pachanga & Art, After Dark" highlights the local art grant recipients and celebrates Latin Heritage Month with live music, art exhibitions, food for sale, crafts, dance, children’s activities, a car show and more. Festivities in the Healdsburg Plaza and surrounding streets, Saturday from 5:30-9:30pm.
This event is free and family friendly. Sept. 27-29: Healdsburg International Short Film Festival returns to the Raven Theater for three days of riveting shorts, filmmaker meetand-greets, and other social occasions. Judges include Tom Waits, Ellie Foumbi, Ed Begley, Jr., Daedalus Howell and other luminaries. Passes and schedule at healdsburgfilm.com/. Post events on the Tribune’s online calendar at healdsburgtribune.com/ calendar and send special announcements to editor@ healdsburgtribune.com.
Piper Streets. This potential was created during the June 3 City Council meeting, when councilmembers unquestioningly embraced a last-minute proposal by Planning Commissioner Jonathan Pearlman to add the east side of Center Street to Measure O’s Healdsburg Avenue North exclusion zone, which at the time included only the west side. They seem not to have realized that adding the east side would authorize what city staff now says would be 64 additional dwelling units on top of 220 units that would be authorized for the west side.
Councilmember Herrod has written to me that if density standards were changed to authorize all those dwelling units, he thinks it “improbable” the city would allow such construction, which he claims is “something we can easily guard against.”
But once it’s authorized, the city will be powerless to stop it. The Housing Accountability Act restricts the ability of cities to deny an application to build housing that complies with city standards. Any denial on the basis of density for a project that meets a 65-dwelling-unitsper-acre standard would
surely face a successful litigation challenge. Now that Measure O will be on the November ballot, the only fix is for the city to abandon or substantially reduce this density boost—or for the voters to reject Measure O and send the City Council back to the drawing board. The GMO should be amended somehow—and density limits increased accordingly—to encourage construction of affordable housing. But doing so in a manner that authorizes those 284 dwelling units is not a good way to achieve that goal.
J on B. E is E n BE rg Healdsburg
Photo by Ray Mabry
UNDER SUSPICION A Jewish family outside of Paris is featured in the new play, ‘The Germans Upstairs,’ opening this week at the Raven. From left, Kathy Ping-Rogers, Grace Warden and Rickie Emilie Farah.
Photo by Christian Kallen
two German officers lived in their house,” she said. The soldiers were billeted there, upstairs from the two Jewish women whose house it was.
Her father, separated from the family at the time, later died at Auschwitz.
The situation is like a broken echo of The Diary of Anne Frank , the journal of a teenage Jewish girl hiding for two years in an Amsterdam attic. “It was the first play I ever saw,” Schwartz said. “I was 13. I identified with Anne … She was a budding writer and actor. I identified with her; I thought I WAS her.”
But The Germans Upstairs is in no way a retelling of the Anne Frank story—quite the opposite, in fact. It’s a romance.
Broken Echoes
When still a young girl, Schwartz heard the story of the two Germans upstairs. “My grandmother and mother both said that one of the two officers was very well-bred and welleducated, and super nice to them. He brought them anything from Cointreau to oranges; all kinds of foods that were difficult to get at the time,” she remembers hearing.
“The other one was coarser, kind of gruff. He sounded like the typical stereotype that we have of the Nazi soldier,” she added. Then the shoe drops, the seed of what became the play. “What really got me is my mother telling me, ‘I used to hear them talking late into the night and laughing,’” speaking of her mother and the gentlemanly German.
Initially appalled at the friendship, young Francine then began to appreciate that the two, a German officer and a Jewish mother, had formed an attachment. “They transcended the boundaries that were set by war and society,” she remembers thinking, “and were just dealing with each other as two people.”
But as she got older, she began to wonder: Was something else going on?
Her grandmother denied it, saying, “Oh no, we were just friends!” Yet even if that’s true, the germ of a story began then, decades ago, a story that will be staged at the Raven starting Sept. 5.
Under Lights
At first, Schwartz wrote a short story, and showed it to some friends. They encouraged her to do more
with it—to turn it into a play, or even a movie. It began to expand; subplots were created, other characters were introduced, eventually 14 in all. She sent the play to five theaters, the Raven among them.
“Steven David Martin wrote back and said, ‘Great story, great roles, terrific potential. Let’s get together and talk about this,’” Schwartz recalled. Actor-director Martin, now associated with the Raven for about 20 years, became its artistic director in 2014. After two readings, Martin and Schwartz worked to distill the play down to its essence.
“It’s got five characters now, which is much more manageable,” Martin said. “And the story is much more focused and much more vibrant than it was originally. I think she did a terrific job, especially
within the last year, of really focusing the story.”
For this production, the audience will be seated on the stage with the actors, like a theater-in-the-round.
“We’ve done this about eight times,” Martin said. “It just makes this whole theater a totally different environment, and it’s perfect for this play.”
Only 74 people will be seated for each performance, which will last about two hours with an intermission. Schwartz herself will see the play for the first time on opening night.
“I can’t wait to see the audience reaction,” Schwartz said. “I’ve waited long enough.”
‘The Germans Upstairs’ opens Sept. 5 and plays weekends though Sept. 15. Tickets available at www. raventheater.org.
PLAYWRIGHT A recent portrait of Francine Schwartz, whose new play ‘The Germans Upstairs’ is based on family lore.
GRANDMOTHER A framed photo of Francine Schwartz’s grandmother, part of the unearthed family treasures that inspired Schwartz’s play, ‘The Germans Upstairs.’
PRINCIPALS The main characters in Francine Schwartz’s new play, ‘The Germans Upstairs,’ including her mother and grandmother, center and right, and a helpful friend, left.
Photos courtesy of Francine Schwartz
Tennis Old and New
500 YEARS OF TENNIS HISTORY LEADS TO THIS
By Pierre Ratte
It’s Labor Day weekend and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships are in full swing—pun done— in Flushing Meadow, New York. Lawn Tennis describes the game we know. It’s played on a tennis court, as opposed to Court Tennis, which is played in a courtyard. Confused? Let me explain.
Court Tennis, a.k.a. Royal or Real Tennis, started in the 1500s when racquets replaced gloves in a French game known as jeu de paume —game with palm of hand/glove— played in chateaux courtyards. By 1600 there were reportedly 250 Royal Tennis courts in Paris.
Henry VIII popularized the game in England, and somewhere along the way
the courtyard for Royal Tennis was standardized to include a roof along one side, a net which sags 24 inches, netted galleries with a winning bell and a uniquely beveled side-wall only available to the serving player. Modern tennis nets sag 6 inches.
Lawn Tennis, a.k.a. Field Tennis or Long Tennis, started in 1874. Lawn Tennis quickly overtook croquet courses on Victorian estates. From English lawns it spread around the world. The only difference between Lawn Tennis and modern tennis is the surface. Tennis can be played on clay (French Open), grass (Wimbledon) or composition (U.S. and Australian Opens). In all cases, the game remains the same, though techniques change with the surface.
Fun Facts: The Open Era of tennis began in 1968 when professionals were allowed to play in Grand Slam tournaments.
Arthur Ashe won the first U.S. Open, and the main stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center bears his name. Dr. Robert Walter Johnson coached Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and my high-school teammate, John Fullenweider. Billie Jean King’s brother played for the San Francisco Giants. Randy Moffitt is enshrined on their Wall of Fame. Billie Jean King won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Francis Brennan coached Billie Jean King—and me. The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is located on the grounds of the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Louis Armstrong Stadium at the center was built by the Singer Sewing Machine company and later used for rock concerts including the Doors, Janis Joplin, the Who and Jimi Hendrix before conversion for tennis use.
PROHIBITION NEWS, HOPS SHIPMENTS AND FIRE CONTROL
100 years ago: September 4, 1924
DRY AGENTS RAID RESORTS HERE, ARREST 3
Complaints charging violation of the prohibition laws were filed against three residents of the Healdsburg section as the result of raids by federal prohibition officers Saturday. Mr. and Mrs. Adrien Cayre, proprietors of Chanticler Villa, and James Cuneo were named in the complaints filed with the United States commissioner at Santa Rosa.
The flying squadron of United States officers swept up the Redwood highway from San Rafael, where five men were locked up Friday night, following raids by dry agents, presumably the same who worked here this morning. Reports of further raids by the flying squadron, numbering six men, were expected later in the day.
In at least one instance the prohibition men failed
to get the evidence they sought. This was at the Italian American hotel at Fitch and Mason streets, where the sextette searched high and low without result. City Marshal James M. Mason and Officers McCord and Navas seized a quantity of illicit beverage there just a week before.
75 years ago: September 2, 1949 NEW HOP PRESS DEVELOPED AND BUILT HERE
Work has been completed and tests made on a new hop press built by the Sotoyome Machine Company in this city, which according to reports, will expedite the shipment of hops from growers to brewers, and will eliminate the dehydration process now used in hop production.
The machines, each a double unit, press frozen hops into cartons 16 inches square. In this compact form, the hops are shipped to brewers throughout the country. William Massoni, executive of the Sotoyome Machine Company, said by shipping frozen hops, it is not necessary to dehydrate them first and also makes it unnecessary to add moisture when the hops are finally used in the brewing
process. Green hops are brought in from the fields, frozen down to a temperature of zero, then pressed into the small boxes.
The bulk of hops, now eliminated by use of the machine, has long been a transportation problem, it was learned. The first
shipment went to Washington, and a second one now in process is destined for Sacramento.
50 years ago: September 5, 1974
CITY TRUCKS STAY IN CITY; MOUNTAIN
FIRE PLAN REJECTED
The City Council decided Monday night to keep its fire trucks at home and turned down a county proposal that it provide protection for Fitch Mountain. The action angered a full-house of Mountain residents who have been seeking city help all summer.
The council ruled unanimously that the county proposal could open a financial drainplug for the city, despite county funding of $500 per fire call. The county plan called for the city to not only cover the Fitch Mountain area but land across the Russian River on Bailhache Avenue, in the Peninsula, and in the Grove Street area, doubling the area of city coverage. Forestry would provide brushland protection only. Fitch Mountain residents have argued that the area is a close neighbor in need of city help. They say that it takes too long for Forestry trucks to reach them from either the Cloverdale or Santa Rosa stations. Fire Chief Jack Relyea said after the meeting that firemen will respond immediately if a life is endangered, however.
The Flashbackers are docents for the Healdsburg Museum. The Healdsburg Museum is open from 11am to 4pm Wednesday through Sunday, at 221 Matheson St.
ANTIQUE? A 100% woolen championship tennis ball, approved by the United States Lawn Tennis Association. It was made by Wilson Sporting Goods Co., circa 1945.
Photo by Pierre Ratte
The Joy of Running for HHS
NEW RECRUITS FOR CROSS COUNTRY TEAM BRING FRESH ENERGY
By John Linker
High energy comes in with the Healdsburg Greyhounds Cross Country team this year. With the surprise addition of 10 freshmen runners, the Hounds hope to boost their chances to make league champs. And although that might depend on the good health of their veteran runners, one can’t deny the fresh energy these freshmen bring to the team.
Friday afternoon, Aug. 30, on the mostly flat three-mile Rancho Invitational course that traverses both campuses of Rancho
Cotate High School and Sonoma State University, the Healdsburg Hounds joined several other schools of the Sonoma County League, showcasing their new runners. Freshmen boys and girls both looked competitive.
In the freshman boys race, first of the day, beneath a punishing sun, the Hounds’ Lucas Welty, Domenico Cornilsen and Jack Beckman jolted out with an impressive start, Welty out in front by at least 25 yards. And although one would think they might slow midcourse, all three ended up in the top seven finalists. Welty ran a swift time of 18:11, averaging a little over 6 minutes per mile and winning a third place medal; Cornilsen came in at 18:56, fifth place overall; while Beckman followed
extreme hard work on the field. They absolutely love the challenge. It was evident out of the gate they wanted this victory.”
the Eagles, resulted in two penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. The plays ate up the time and the yards.
The Hounds’ final drive was highlighted by some keeper runs by Perrill and a one-yard touchdown by Andrew Barr—the first time he touched the ball.
The final score was 35-21. The drought had ended.
Post-Game
Rosales praised the overall effort of his athletes, saying, “The players have been hungry since spring ball back in May. They have been responding to the long hours in the classroom and the
Giving credit to the Eagles, Rosales said, “They had a great game plan and they are very well coached. They made us work for sure.”
But the young coach introduced a note of caution, saying: “It’s a very long season so we can’t get overly excited by one week. We have a very tough opponent coming up next week, and our preparation has begun.”
The Hounds are not only back, they look focused, disciplined, proud and excited to play. There’s no more counting of days, except the next seven until they host the Saints of St. Helena, on Friday, Sept. 6.
in sixth place with a time of 18:57. Rounding out the freshmen boys were William Ullyott (running with a broken arm in a 3D cast he designed himself!) at 20:58, Max Hanson at 22:23, Tiarnan Kron at 23:47 and Jasper Wolske at 25:04.
In the freshman girls race, Maddie Herzberg blazed a path of her own, and led the pack for the first two miles before Emily Williams from Windsor High School passed her (Williams set a meet record). Still, for Herzberg to go out that fast and finish second shows tremendous promise for a good year. Her teammates were not far behind: Justina Domenichelli, with a strong last half-mile, finished at a formidable time of 25:24, while Savannah
Anderson finished just behind her at 25:59.
Many of the incoming freshmen coming from the Healdsburg Junior High received training from the high school coach, Amy Anderson. Their hard work showed up today as they seemed unafraid, confident and happy to be running.
Head coach Mike Efram expressed the excitement the freshmen bring to the team, especially after losing quite a few seniors from last year. He is hopeful they can contribute to a successful season, but perhaps more than that, maintain that sense of “joy they bring to the team, always ready to go, never late,” he said.
“Strong freshman group; three freshmen girls and seven freshmen guys came in as a surprise, and it’s been a special
surprise, bringing excitement to the team. [They are] dedicated, showed up every day, worked out hard every day and there’s joy—there’s a lot of joy on the team,” Efram said. Ross Fitzpatrick, veteran senior runner for the Hounds, said, “We had a lot of seniors leaving, but this new group of freshmen, they just hit the ground running for our team. They’ve come in and they’ve been just so good during the workouts— they’ve been dedicated, they haven’t been complaining; it’s been amazing to watch. It’s already paying off for them.”
Among the older girls, Beatrice Hawkes finished at 21:08; Joie Kozubal at 24:40; Sierra Anderson at 24:44; and Alisa Strykowski at 26:09. The race winner was, to no
one’s surprise, Hanne Thomsen, of Montgomery, with a blistering time of 16:24.
Among the upperclasses boys, Ross Fitzptrick finished at 20:36; Dash Willmore at 21:05; Wyatt Drew at 23:21; Max Hansen at 22:23; Brandon Hausman at 22:25; and Vadim Mielock at 23:46. Cormac Gaylord, of Analy, came in first among the boys with a time of 15:35. With this new class of freshmen, the Hounds promise a very exciting 2024 season. As long as the upperclassmen can stay healthy, they could be a Division 5 surprise. Their next meet is the Lowell Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 7, at Golden Gate Park.
John Linker is a former HHS English teacher and cross country coach.
Photo by Michael Lucid
OUT IN FRONT At the start of the Rancho Invitational freshman girls race on Aug. 30, Healdsburg’s Maddie Herzberg (far left) took an early lead, coming in second three miles later.
HERE THEY COME The Healdsburg Greyhounds
park, a few of them duplicates, during the six-month naming process. The commission’s ad hoc naming committee of Kristin Thwaites and Michiko Conklin reviewed them.
Out of those 28 names, 10 were initially proposed as a working list, and five names finally presented to the full commission at their Aug. 29 meeting last week.
Judging from comments from both the public and the commission members itself, there's a clear favorite in the naming race: Laura Fish Somersal, a Pomo basketweaver thought to be the last native speaker of both the Pomo and Wappo languages, languages she taught at Sonoma State University and elsewhere.
Two of the other proposed names also had a Native connection: PomoWappo Park, a committee suggestion based on several proposals for Pomo Park; and Sotoyome Park, after a local tribal name
that was adopted by the Spanish land grant that deeded the Healdsburg and Alexander Valley area to Henry D. Fitch.
The other names on the shortlist included Parque de Luna, after the still-living Abel DeLuna, Healdsburg’s first modern Latino mayor in the 1970s; and Smith Robinson Park, to honor the community leader of the 1940s and ’50s who attained national recognition for Healdsburg.
Given the historical and cultural heft of the shortlist, the city’s community development director, Mark Themig, said, “We made sure that the names that were being brought forward had solid historical context and didn’t have any potential issues,” by asking Holly Hoods of the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society.
Drawing upon her resources at the historical society and museum, Hoods presented brief arguments for each of the five nominations, which she had helped cull for the larger list of 10. She pointed out that she did not submit a proposal
herself, to retain some objectivity in the process.
The meeting drew fewer than a dozen spectators, and only four of them rose to the podium to offer public comment—all of them associated one way or other with local tribal interests, and all in favor of naming the park after Laura Fish Somersal.
Though little known to the wider public today, Fish Somersal, an influential member of her community as well as the larger historical context of the time, is still widely known as a “culture-bearer” by Pomo and Wappo people. One of California’s most celebrated traditional basketweavers, her work is included in the collection of the Smithsonian Institute and several other national repositories and museums, including at the Lake Sonoma Visitors Center.
Raised by a Pomo father and Wappo mother, she spoke both languages fluently and English eventually became her third language. As well as her crafts skills and knowledge, she worked with academic linguists on documenting native languages
over three decades. She died at the age of 91, in 1990, and is buried in Shiloh Cemetery in Windsor.
“Laura was one of my favorite people—she was a sweet, smart, powerful woman,” said Sherrie Smith-Ferrie, the tribal preservation officer for the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians. “I hope to grow up to be like her,” she joked.
Jack Pollard, chair of the Progressive Tribal Alliance, also spoke in favor of the name, saying that naming the park after her was “an opportunity to overcome historical traumas, some systemic injustices.”
Dillon Williams, of several Pomo-related tribes, and Scott Gabaldan, chair of the Mishewal (Wappo) tribe, also endorsed her. “Maybe you guys aren’t familiar with her, but everyone in the Indian community is. She was Aunt Laurie to so many people,” Gabaldan said.
The unanimity of their statements and clear respect and affection for Laura Fish Somersal quickly swayed the commission to support her
AUNT LAURIE Laura Fish Somersall, a nationally recognized native basketweaver and ‘culture-bearer,’ was favored by the Parks and Recreation Commission to lend her name to the Saggio Hills park development.
name for the park even as they submitted the other names. “I feel strongly that we should have a point of view, and not just present a list, if we feel that one name rises above the others,” Conklin said.
Given the cultural issues attached to the Spanish land grant name Sotoyome, that possibility was eventually dropped by unanimous
LEGAL NOTICES
agreement from the shortlist that will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration, and a potential vote, at the Oct. 13 meeting. Themig concluded the discussion with an acknowledgment of the role that public comment made in the final decision, saying, “Thank you for sharing your stories and your passion.”
LIBRARIES ARE FOR EVERYONE
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Photo by Coni Beeson
CRIMES AND CONCERNS, REPORTED
AUG. 19-25
Monday, August 19
• 10:58am A probation check was conducted at Carson Warner Skate Park on Grove Street. A 25-Year-Old (YO) man was cited for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, depositing debris near water, trespassing on posted property and violating probation.
11:49am A welfare check was conducted on Vine Street. A 34-YO man was arrested and transported to county jail on an outstanding warrant in Missouri regarding statutory sodomy.
3:29pm A person associated with a van at Rite Aid Drugstore on Healdsburg Avenue was asked to leave the preceding week, but had returned. The Reporting Party (RP) did not want to file trespass paperwork against the man, but wanted him to be asked to leave. Officers responded and the man left. The RP wanted Healdsburg’s marriageand-family therapist to follow up with the RP.
4:44pm The RP on Terrace Boulevard indicated that 11 fraudulent charges were made with her credit card. The charges were reported to the RP’s bank, and an officer took a report.
• 5:37pm The RP, an employee at McDonald’s on Healdsburg Avenue, said a customer yelled about a ranch packet. Officers responded, but the customer had left. The RP was asked to call back if the customer returned.
Tuesday, August 20
12:03am Two men outside 7-Eleven on Healdsburg Avenue almost became engaged in a knife fight. Officers responded, but neither party wanted
to press charges for the mutual combat.
1:42am Officers made contact with the driver of a suspicious vehicle near Villa Chanticleer on Chanticleer Way. A 36-YO man was arrested for drunk driving and transported to county jail.
3:53am The owner of Powell Avenue Laundry on Powell Avenue reported that a man was asleep on a table inside the business.
Officers responded and the man left the area.
4:49pm The RP on Sunnyvale Drive indicated that the caretaker of his disabled brother may have sexually assaulted the brother. An officer took a report and started an investigation.
Wednesday, August 21
• 10:20am Graffiti was reported on March Avenue at Lupine Road.
11:08am A 48-YO woman on Healdsburg Avenue at Alexander Valley Road was cited on an outstanding Sonoma County Warrant regarding possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
12:03pm A 29-YO man on East Street was laying on the ground and not moving. Officers responded and arrested the man for public intoxication. He was transported to county jail.
12:17pm The Healdsburg High School superintendent reported fraud to the United States Postal Service on Foss Creek Circle. An officer responded and took a report.
3:40pm The RP at Healdsburg Collision Center on Healdsburg Avenue indicated the RP wanted to give a 34-YO man his final check and wanted the man to leave, but a verbal altercation ensued. Officers responded and arrested the man for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, vandalism, child abuse, disorderly conduct under
POLICE LOG
the influence of a drug and trespass obstructing a business operation. He was taken to county jail. A residential probation search was also conducted.
Thursday, August 22
12:23am A vehicle was stopped for violating registration rules on Redwood Hwy at Lytton Springs Road. A 37-YO woman was cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with an open container of alcohol. A 58-YO man was cited and released for possession of methamphetamine and driving on a suspended license. A 47-YO man was cited and released for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
10:40am The RP threw a party on Aug. 17 on College Street. There were multiple people at the RP’s residence, including people the RP did not know. The RP’s laptop worth $1,000 was stolen during the party. Best Buy indicated that the IP address could be tracked after a police report was obtained. An officer responded and took a report.
Friday, August 23
• 11:53am The RP on Healdsburg Avenue indicated that a wagon worth $150 was taken from the RP’s property within the preceding couple of days. The RP did not want to press charges. The RP was provided an incident number.
3:17pm The RP at Victory Apartments on East Street said his ex-partner was opening his mail. The RP was referred to the United States Postal Service.
• 3:17pm The RP’s scooter valued at $150 was stolen from Plaza Park on Healdsburg Avenue. The scooter had two dufflestyle bags on it, and each bag contained clothes and personal belongings. There was also a backpack-style baby carrier attached to the scooter. An officer met
with the RP and provided an incident number.
3:19pm The RP indicated that an attempted burglary occurred at her residence on Johnson Street on Aug. 7.
6:21pm The RP indicated that a man at Jerry’s Valero on Dry Creek Road stole about $35 worth of merchandise. The RP wanted to press charges for shoplifting and trespass. The RP stated the man was across the street in the parking lot at Plank Coffee. An officer responded and cited a 22-YO man for shoplifting.
11:03pm An RP on Foss Creek Court at West Grant Street indicated several juveniles were fighting. Two of the juveniles tried entering an apartment, but were unable to and ran towards the bridge. A second RP, who believed she saw a firearm, indicated that a vehicle left traveling eastbound on Grant Street, followed by a second vehicle. Officers responded, but the subjects were gone on arrival and unable to be located.
Saturday, August 24
• 12:24am A 40-YO man was arrested and transported to county jail for violating probation.
11:24am An unlicensed driver was cited at Rotten Robbie on Healdsburg Avenue.
12:35pm The RP at Wine Country Chevron on Healdsburg Avenue indicated that a man walked around the property yelling obscenities at customers. An officer responded and advised the man not to return to the property.
12:51pm An unlicensed driver was cited at Casa Del Mole on Center Street.
5:28pm The RP at Bar Bravas on Center Street indicated that his vehicle was hit while he was at work. He had pictures of the possible suspect vehicle. An officer contacted the registered owner of the suspect vehicle, but the owner of the suspect vehicle denied the accident.
Sunday, August 25
2:21pm The RP at Longboard Vineyards on Fitch Street reported an intoxicated person behind the building. An officer responded and arrested a 40-YO man for violating probation and carrying a concealed dirk or dagger. He was transported to county jail.
• 2:40pm The RP at Plaza Park on Healdsburg Avenue indicated a person sang for three hours, and she believed he was only allowed to perform for one hour. An officer responded and advised the person about the rules.
Compiled by Carolyn Brenner
2 Arrested for June Stabbing
INCLUDES RECENT MARCE BECERRA GRADUATE
Staff Report
Two 18-year-old Healdsburg residents were arrested on Aug. 23 for attempted murder in a stabbing incident earlier this summer on Foss Creek Pathway, near Carson Warner Skate Park.
Their arrest followed a months-long investigation into a June 2 incident, when Healdsburg Police dispatch received an 11pm call from an employee at Healdsburg District Hospital, reporting that a victim with multiple life-threatening stab wounds had arrived at the emergency department.
The initial details of the incident were sparse as the victim was uncooperative with responding officers. “However, through diligent investigation, law enforcement officials identified two suspects in connection with the stabbing,” the police department reported on social media.
Following that investigation, Anthony Lucas Cruz, an 18-year-old resident of Healdsburg, and Katie Anne Beth, also 18, were arrested together in a traffic stop, and booked into the Sonoma County Jail on charges of attempted murder (Penal Code 664/187(a)) and conspiracy to commit a crime (Penal Code 182(a)(1)).
Beth graduated from Marce Becerra in June. Lucas Cruz, not a student in Healdsburg, remains in custody with no set bail. He was charged on June 2 with felony attempted murder, inflicting great bodily harm, using a deadly weapon and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime.
Initially booked on similar charges, Beth was released from custody and now only faces criminal conspiracy. They will both next appear in court on Sept. 6, Beth to file a plea.
The June 2 stabbing incident was separate from a stabbing on Foss Creek Pathway in April that injured two, and in which the victims were also not cooperative. That investigation is ongoing.
