Healdsburg Tribune March 2 2023

$100,000 FOR FITCH MOUNTAIN PUBLIC ART CITY SEEKS

PROPOSALS BY MARCH 10 FOR ‘PERMANENT’ IMPROVEMENT

PROJECT

Professional artists are invited to submit ideas and qualifications for a signature public art project as part of the Fitch Mountain Access Improvement project, the City of Healdsburg announced this week.

The Fitch Mountain Art Committee is seeking an artist to design and implement a permanent (site-specific) public art project on Fitch Mountain, the 991-foot peak on the city's eastern boundary, surrounded on three sides by the Russian River.

“Fitch Mountain is a Healdsburg icon, and now that it’s open to the public, we want to enhance the experience of reaching the summit,” said State Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire, who spearheaded the acquisition of Fitch Mountain as a city-owned preserve while he served on the Healdsburg City Council and later as a Sonoma County supervisor.

McGuire helped secure funding for the art project, up to $100,000 in Coastal Conservancy funds that will pay an artist or team of artists to create, transport and install a work of art that reflects and celebrates the natural landscape and experience of being on Fitch Mountain.

This public art opportunity is for one artist or team of artists to create an installation that reflects and celebrates the natural landscape and experience of being on Fitch Mountain. The preserve includes hiking trails that will be improved this spring in another city project.

➝ Fitch Mountain Art, 6

TEDx Sonoma County Returns With ‘This Is Us’

BOLD IDEAS EXPLORED IN UPCOMING MARCH 4 LECTURE EVENT

By Christian Kallen

TEDx Sonoma County, the short-form lectures made popular by the likes of Bill Gates, Jane Goodall and Stephen Hawking, is returning on Saturday, March 4, to the Jackson Theater in Santa Rosa. This year’s theme is “This Is Us,” reflecting the topic of inclusion.

“We will be gathering in person, full strength, for the first time in three years—though we will continue to offer people the option to tune in virtually, either individually or with a watch party, at home,” said TEDx

Sonoma County board member Linda Streb of Healdsburg.

“TEDx events are specifically designed to inspire and bring people together,” Streb said. “The board’s goal is to leverage the power of this unique platform to foster deeper connections and provide people with more exposure and understanding of their neighbor’s ideas.”

TED talks are styled in the form of short, direct talks of 18 minutes or less. TED began in 1984 at a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design lectures were combined. Today, TED talks cover almost all topics—from science to business to global issues, in more than 100 languages.

The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia, though independently run TEDx

events help share ideas in communities around the world. This will be the eleventh year of TEDx Sonoma County. This year’s theme, “This Is Us,” reflects the board’s decision to “reposition and expand the event to include a wider representation of voices,” said Streb, and enable a greater number of communities to benefit from ”ideas worth spreading”—the slogan of the Technology-Entertainment-Design concept that gave rise to TED talks.

Among this weekend’s speakers is Melissa Nelson of The Culture Conservancy, on “Native Hands, Native Lands” or Indigenous rights and revitalization; educator Larkin O’Leary of the Common Ground Society on fostering differences; and clinical psychologist and author Jonah Paquette on “The Happiness Factor.”

DANCE GROUP IN NEED OF NEW PRACTICE, PERFORMANCE HUB SPACE

MARCH 4 LAUNCH PROGRAM AT THE RAVEN INCLUDES LIVE DANCE, FILM AND A DJ

By Christian Kallen

A new group of dance-related teachers, students and professionals, the Healdsburg Dance Collective (HDC), will premiere with “Let’s Dance,” a show and dance party at the Raven Theater on Saturday, March 4.

The launch event begins at 7:30pm and will include

Another of the 13 speakers is Dr. Ed Lu, who was a NASA astronaut for 12 years, flew aboard the Space Shuttle twice, and on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station, where he did a six-month tour. He is the co-inventor of the Gravity Tractor, a controllable means of changing the trajectory of an asteroid.

Tanya Knipplemeir and the UPside Dance Company are known for modern dance and performance art in unconventional settings, and are also scheduled on the program.

Full details about this year’s speakers are available at tedxsonomacounty. com/speakers.

performances by the UPside Dance Company, dance films and live music with local Americana band Mr. December, all followed by a dance party with DJ Glitterfox, set to last as late as 11:30pm.

The two dance films are from the UPside Dance Company, a contemporary dance company founded in Healdsburg in 2012 by Kate Ahumada and Tanya Tolmasoff. The local group emphasizes “bringing contemporary dance to unconventional spaces,” according to their website.

After Yoga On Center lost its 401 Center St. lease in 2021, the local UPside Dance Company lost its home and now operates out of Santa Rosa Junior College. With the pandemicrelated closure of other studios in town, such as the Healdsburg Ballet, the company has yet to find a place to dance in Healdsburg.

The HDC has just been

established as “a hub for all things dance” in Healdsburg by a group of local professional dancers and dance teachers, who recognized the need for a dedicated space for dance in town.

“With space at a premium, local dancers have had to move their practices to neighboring cities to teach, rehearse and create new work,” said Erin Meyers of the Healdsburg Dance Collective. “Local parents of young dancers must transfer their kids to Windsor, Santa Rosa or Cloverdale to find classes.”

HDC’s ultimate goal is to operate out of a shared community space dedicated to dance, where HDC’s founders and other local teachers can provide dance education and performance opportunities for children and adults. Such a center could eventually draw choreographers and companies

ONE-MAN BAND Rick Adam spreads joy to TEDx attendees at last year’s event, at the Jackson Theater. This year’s event is Saturday, March 4.

Photos by Mikala Kennon

HIGH STEPPING Erin Meyers, manager of Healdsburg Dance Collective and a member of UPside Dance Company, during a performance at the previous SHED in Healdsburg.

Photos courtesy of TEDx Sonoma

TEDX TALKER Melissa Nelson, of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, will speak on 'Native Hands, Native

GOINGS ON IN THE ’BURG

regular twice-monthly meeting. The agenda will be posted a week before the meeting. Attend live at 401 Grove St., 6pm, or view on facebook/ CityofHealdsburg.

Parks and Rec

The city’s Parks and Recreation Commission meets on Wednesday, March 8, at Council Chambers, 401 Grove St., 6pm, or view on facebook/CityofHealdsburg. The agenda will be posted a week before the meeting.

DEI Meeting

“Living Together: Housing and Planning for a Better Healdsburg” is the third of five Diversity, Equity and Inclusion meetings, on Thursday, March 9, from 6:30-8:30pm. The web page at healdsburg.gov/dei has full details.

Goal Setting

A special meeting of the City Council will take place on Friday, March 10, from 9am 2pm. This is an open goal-setting session of the City Council. To be held at Council Chambers, 401 Grove St., or view live or in replay at facebook/ CityofHealdsburg.

Community Band

A CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS IN HEALDSBURG

Jazz on the Menu

Dine out to support music programs in local schools on Thursday, March 2, from 5:30-8:30pm. Six participating restaurants donate 25% of food and beverage sales; each restaurant has live jazz in performance. Participating restaurants, musicians and other details at healdsburgjazz.org.

Barrel Tasting

45th Annual Wine Road

Barrel Tasting will take place March 3-5 at 50 area wineries, primarily in Dry Creek and Russian River appellations. Tickets $95

include Friday, Saturday and Sunday; Sunday only $75. wineroad.com.

Classic Soul

The Soulshine Blues Band rolls into town on Friday, March 3, for an evening of blues, soul standards and original tunes. Voted the “Best Blues Band” in the North Bay by the Bohemian Show from 6:30-9:30pm, at Coyote Sonoma, 44F Mill St. No cover.

Preschool Party In partnership with Corazon Healdsburg and the sponsorship of First 5 Sonoma County, the annual Preschool Fair will be Saturday, March 4, from 10am-noon at the Healdsburg Community Center, 1557 Healdsburg Ave. Free giveaways,

raffles, children’s activities, preschool options and educational and community resources. Parents, preschoolers and siblings are welcome.

Landing Party

At Bacchus Landing, Saturday March 4 brings live music on the Piazza, from noon to 4pm, featuring Jacob Philip Benning. This is a free event and open to the public. Wine will be available from the eight on-site wineries, and wood-fired pizza can be purchased from The Market at Bacchus Landing. 14210 Bacchus Landing Way, Healdsburg.

Talking Party

TEDx Sonoma County returns to a live format on Saturday, March 4, from 1-4:30pm, after two years

of virtual conversation. The talks are 18 minutes long, with local speakers discoursing on a global variety of topics. At the Jackson Theater, Sonoma County Day School.

Dancing Party

The Healdsburg Dance Collective (HDC) launches Saturday, March 4, at the Raven Performing Arts Theater with live dance performances by UPside Dance Company, dance films and live music—followed by a dance party with DJ Glitterfox. Starts at 7pm, tickets $25 adults, $25 kids, at healdsburgdancecollective.org.

City Council Healdsburg’s City Council will meet on Monday, March 6, for their

The Healdsburg Community Band presents “Music at the Movies,” at the Raven Theater on Saturday, March 11, at 7pm. This free concert will feature selections from films from West Side Story to La La Land and many others. More information at healdsburgcommunityband.org.

Poyntlyss

The Poyntlyss Sistars is an eight-piece, femalefronted dance band with four-part harmonies and choreographic delivery. They’ll take over the Coyote Sonoma stage on Saturday, March 11, at 7:15pm; $10 cover.

Piano Prodigy Alexander Malokeev, a young Russian pianist who shows preternatural mastery of classical piano

techniques, will perform on Sunday, March 12, at 7pm, on The 222 stage, 222 Healdsburg Ave. He has recently played all the major music capitals of Europe despite the Ukrainian conflict, which he strongly opposes. Malokeev will be making his debut at Davies Symphony Hall later in the month. Tickets $50$90 at the222.org.

Planning Commission

The City of Healdsburg Planning Commission meets on Tuesday, March 14, at 6pm. The agenda will be posted a week before the meeting. At Council Chambers, 401 Grove St., or view online at facebook/ CityofHealdsburg.

Skate Saga I, Tonya, a serio-comic film about the rivalry between Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) and Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver), will screen on Monday, March 13, at the Cloverdale Performing Arts Theater, 209 N. Cloverdale Blvd. AVFilms’ programming director Mike Traina will open with a 5:30 discussion; film at 6pm. $15, $5 for students.

Poet Laureate

Dana Gioia will read from his latest work, “Meet Me at the Lighthouse,” at the Healdsburg Community Center on Tuesday, March 14, at 7pm. Gioia, a Sonoma County resident, was the state poet laureate in 2016-18, and is a former chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts. The reading is free.

Green Friday

The traditional St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Celtic Concert will begin at 7am on Friday, March 17, for a round-the-plaza parade. Meet in the 400 block of Healdsburg Ave. at 6:30am, and wear green. From 10:30am2:30pm in the Plaza, Healdsburg Kiwanis Club celebrates its 100th anniversary with performances and shenanigans including Irish games, music and dance.

Photo courtesy Wine Road

THIEF Winemakers sample from the barrel using a ‘thief’ to pipette directly from it. Wine Road’s 2023 Barrel Tasting is this weekend, March 3-5.

Paid Parking Comes to Healdsburg—but Is It Legal?

AIRGARAGE

‘SMART PARKING MANAGEMENT SOLUTION’ IMPLEMENTED AT TWO DOWNTOWN PARKING LOTS

By Christian Kallen

Visitors to Healdsburg are now finding more public parking spots right downtown, in a large central lot formerly reserved for business use. The lot is getting heavy use on weekends, and the competition for those 30-plus slots can be stiff. There’s one catch—it’s not free.

The parking is handled by AirGarage, an app that collects a driver’s credit information, license plate and location. Logging in starts the clock ticking on a $3.50 per hour parking fee, up to a $24 daily maximum. In addition to the well-marked AirGarage spaces in the lot, there are several with signs for the exclusive use of nearby businesses.

For many weekend visitors, paying for parking right downtown is comparable with parking experiences in many other cities like San Francisco, or Austin. In Healdsburg, it puts the car right around the corner from the Matheson, across the street from Healdsburg Bar & Grill, and close to tasting rooms and visitorfriendly businesses surrounding the Plaza.

Yes, there’s the city lot at West Plaza Park, Lot A, which has over 300 stalls for free, some of them for unlimited time. There’s also free city parking downtown on Healdsburg Avenue just south of the new AirGarage lot, Lot E, with 48 spaces that fill up quickly. A couple other free city lots in the downtown area add another 52 spots, Lot D and Lot C. But despite the blue “P” signage, plenty of people seem willing to pay for parking on busy weekends.

But Is It Legal?

Recently, a second AirGarage lot has begun operating downtown, at the corner of Center and North streets across from the Raven Theater. A dozen parking spaces facing North Street now sport the white AirGarage signs, with only a QR code to begin the parking transaction—at $3 per hour, $12 max— though another 10 spots next to the building are still reserved for business tenants.

The owner of the lot, realtor and property manager Eric Drew, began working with AirGarage just recently, but he maintains that he was

pressed into offering the paid parking by the city’s parklet program, which converts parking spots in front of downtown businesses to commercial use.

“As premise owner for eight local businesses at the SW corner of North and Center Streets, I have the commitment to preserve the onsite parking as free parking for these businesses, their customers and employees,”

Drew wrote to the city staff, including city manager Jeff Kay, community development director Scott Duiven and public works director Larry Zimmer. Drew’s stated motivation is to honor the parking rights of tenants. He told the city staff, “what might appear to be ‘paid parking’ … is actually designed to maintain free parking for businesses paying rent and expecting free on-site parking for customers.”

The loss of on-street parking for Healdsburg visitors is an unfortunate side-effect of the parklet program. Some of the parklets are for dinner businesses that are open only in the evenings; some are for wineries that have their own indoor tasting rooms; one is for Healdsburg Running Company, a retail fitness business which coincidentally shares the North and Center street lot that Drew manages.

Drew itemized 15 lost parking spaces within a half-block of the North/ Center street lot, including three for the Healdsburg Running Company and five for Valette. Regardless of business or use, those parking places are, for the time being, gone for the foreseeable future, day and night, until the parklet program is re-evaluated in 2025.

According to the city’s most recent Parklet Program Guidelines, no more than 5% of the total parking stalls downtown can be permitted for parklets. That would be 70 stalls out of the total of 1,416 in Healdsburg’s downtown core.

There are currently 47 parking spaces downtown that are occupied by parklets, Duiven said last week, under the parklet program renewed at the end of last year.

City Policy

The city has discussed parking with regularity and at great length over the years—the most recent full “parking plan” dates to 2013. An in lieu parking charge has been implemented charging developers a set amount to offset the cost of building new parking (which the city has yet to do). The City Council discussed parking in 2017 and again

in 2019, though no recent changes in direction or policy have resulted.

However, the issue of paid parking on a private lot has not been discussed because of lack of jurisdiction—they are private lots, after all. Healdsburg resident Jon Eisenberg has raised several pertinent questions about the two AirGaragemanaged lots, among which is whether or not AirGarage has a business license to operate in the City of Healdsburg.

According to city clerk Raina Allen, they do not, and the city will be contacting them through code enforcement to request compliance.

More pertinent is Eisenberg’s contention that paid parking is not permitted by the city’s General Plan, and a state vehicle code regulation which only allows it if the city has an ordinance stating so. Eisenberg, a retired appellate lawyer who has served locally on the Healdsburg Museum board, gravitates toward the legal side of things in his conversation, and the simple subject of parking is no exception.

When a friend came to visit the Eisenbergs last October, she returned to her car to find it ticketed. Said Eisenberg, “I was with her, and I looked at it and I thought, there’s something wrong here. This doesn’t look right.” The ticket lacked a named authority, had no phone number, didn’t specify the violation and offered only a QR code to respond. “I said, I’m gonna get to the bottom of this, cause I smell a rat,” he added.

His research first led him to the discovery that AirGarage could not issue parking tickets—it was a violation of the vehicle code. “Vehicle Code section 21107.8 says a private property owner may issue parking tickets if—and only if— it’s authorized by a city ordinance. Healdsburg has no such ordinance,” stated Eisenberg flatly.

When he raised this issue with the city, Duiven responded. “The Healdsburg City Council has not adopted a city-wide ordinance or

a parcel specific ordinance allowing any private parking lot operator to issue citations, and therefore, the issuance of private parking lot citations is not allowed in Healdsburg, or in particular, at this site.”

Note his response is that private parking citations are not allowed. “I don’t believe there is an issue with them charging an hourly rate, but rather the ‘parking violation,’” Duiven continued.

“We understand that individuals have received citations or parking

violations from AirGarage due to non-payment of the hourly parking fee,” said Duiven. “In addition, we would agree that they have not taken adequate measures to not represent themselves as a government enforcement agency. I will follow-up with code enforcement to discuss this issue further and how we might address it.”

Part two of this series will focus on who is allowed to park in the 230 lot, and if other such paid parking lots are on the way.

Photos by Christian Kallen

PAY-TO-PARK Two lots in Healdsburg have implemented paid parking programs, including this one at Center and North streets, run by a service called AirGarage.

PARKLET The Healdsburg Running Company on Center Street has an outdoor shopping area that takes up three free parking spaces, around the corner from a lot where AirGarage is now taking payment.

Crescent Moonshine Rises at Furthermore

DUO DELIVERS ’90S PLAYLIST AT TASTING LOUNGE

Daedalus Howell

By

On a recent blustery night, there was no better sanctuary in Healdsburg than the warm glow and sonorous sounds emanating from Furthermore Wines Tasting Lounge.

There, hospitality and events manager Marty Paradise not only evinces a fine palate for wine but a well-developed ear for talent. The perfect pairing on the night in question was Furthermore’s supple 2018 Gap’s Crown pinot noir and the virtuosic Bay Area music duo Megan Schoenbohm and Jason Brentwood, a.k.a. Crescent Moonshine.

The talented twosome bring to life a playlist of ’90s deep cuts and classics—yes, there is such a thing now—via the former’s striking vocals and guitar playing and the latter’s nuanced and affecting percussion.

Between sets, singersongwriter Schoenbohm (who many may already know as an award-winning children’s artist) indulged a few questions for the following Q&A (edited for length and clarity).

DH: Your interpretations of the material are really strong and interesting—the combination of novelty and the familiar is amazing, such that I’m compelled to ask, why the ’90s?

MS: I really lucked out—I have this memory of being 12 years old, watching the Lilith Fair on pay-per-view in 1997. Sarah McLachlan and Jewel were up on stage, and they were singing ‘Water is Wide,’ and I’m sitting there, 12 years old.

I’m watching the screen, and my arms just totally like break out in goosebumps, and I’m like, ‘I don’t care what it takes, but that is what I want to do.’ And that just became it.

DH: When did you start playing guitar?

MS: I went to school as a drummer. I was a music therapy major [Schoenbohm is a graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music with a degree in music therapy], and they were like, ‘Well, you know, good luck—you’re going to have to be a guitarist.’ Basically, I learned to play with all the ’90s songs—I would sit and just play all the songs that I liked, and that became my repertoire. And then I started writing my own music.

DH: There’s an interesting sort of split in your music career—you have a separate and successful venture in children’s music (musictimewithmegan.com). Do you feel the same emotional investment as an artist when you’re interpreting a ’90s tune or writing a children’s tune?

MS: I would say the first word that comes to mind is ‘love’... There’s a lot of heart and feeling that goes into what I do. What I say is, ‘I write this music for the kids in our lives and the kids inside all of us.’ I take these things that we’re facing now in this world and [create] these heartwarming messages of self-empowerment and self-love. I take these things that we wish we would have learned when we were kids and I bring them down so that these kids are learning these messages at three and five years old, rather than learning them in their 30s and 40s. It’s also music that I feel like the parents can listen to as well—there’s no ‘Baby Shark.’ I was joking with Jason that it’s like the Ani DeFranco of kids’ music.

DH: What’s it like performing with your partner?

MS: Jason is incredibly patient. He lets me run the show and trusts my

vision. He wants to support me unconditionally. But I’ve got to tell you— I’ve always been a solo artist, so when we were dating and he’s like, ‘I’d really love to gig together,’ I was thinking, ‘I’m a solo artist and have always been.’ But, I said, ‘If you want, come along; you can learn the songs.’ He started listening to my albums more than I have. He would sit there and just study all the music and practice. I knew he was talented—he was totally dedicated, and I said, ‘All right, well let’s give it a go.’

DH: It’s a great sound with a lot of dimensionality. I also appreciate how you’re able to take the entirety of a decade’s music which you curate and interpret in a way that’s fresh, vital and relevant. When you choose a song, what is it that you're looking for, and how do you know this is your song?

MS: Well, first and

foremost, I have to feel a connection to it—not just an aesthetic thing, but an emotional connection or just, like, ‘I can kill this song’… How do we make it fresh? How do we make it unique in a way that people are like, ‘Wait, I know that!’ and that differentiates us from just being a cover band… It’s all about creating and facilitating an environment where people are just enjoying themselves. If the music takes them back and brings them into these memories and facilitates some conversation—that they may not have had with the people that they were with—I’m able to take part in that, contributing in that way.

DH: For those of us of a certain generation, ’90s songs are the sound of our youth—in some way, now it’s children’s music for grown children.

MS: Love it.

DH: What do you do if you’re performing in a

venue and there are people talking during your performance?

MS: I think to some extent, there needs to be some surrender. You can’t make someone listen or enjoy the song. And, I think when it comes down to it, you just have to continue on with what feels true to me to play. We read the vibe of the room, we play a little bit of this, maybe we switch it up a little bit to that, and you just kind of go with the flow. But for my own sanity, you have to surrender and just know that not everyone’s going to like everything we play. Some people may be like, ‘This sucks,’ and some people like, ‘Oh, my God, this is amazing!’ And you just have to let it go.

Furthermore Wines and Tasting Lounge is located at 328 Healdsburg Ave., Suite A, Healdsburg. For upcoming events, visit furthermorewines.com.

IN TUNE Crescent Moonshine is Jason Brentwood and Megan Schoenbohm.

It's all about creating and facilitating an environment where people are just enjoying themselves.

MEGAN SCHOENBOHM

Photo by Daedalus Howell

Grants for Career and Tech Ed at HHS

CTE FOUNDATION

AWARDS $11,400 TO HEALDSBURG HIGH’S SKILLSUSA PROGRAM

By Christian Kallen

The CTE Foundation, which supports the field of Career and Technical Education, announced on Feb. 22 that it is awarding $101,150 in grants to support 14 Sonoma County education programs, the goal being to “increase student engagement and connect classroom learning to real-world careers during the 2023-2024 school year.”

A $15,000 grant to Technology High School’s internships program topped the list. Three grants were awarded of $12,500 each, followed by an $11,400 grant to Healdsburg High’s SkillsUSA Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO), a program managed by culinary teacher Derek Corsino, also the SkillsUSA chapter advisor.

SkillsUSA is “a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce… to help each student excel,” according to its website.

A national educational nonprofit, SkillsUSA serves middle-school, high-school and college/ postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations with extracurricular programs.

Corsino said the grant is focused on expanding the school’s SkillsUSA chapter even further, such as “getting professional development for our faculty, getting some product knowledge out there. So if we have a student who wants to do construction or a woodworking skill, we're also able to get them the tools they need to be successful in that as well.

“We might not necessarily have those in our current facility, even though it's a great facility. It might be something specifically they need to be successful. And the grant is there to support that as well,” he continued.

Paired with the

recently described Academic Internship Program (Healdsburg Tribune, Feb. 23), the emphasis on career development is a signature of Healdsburg High’s role, according to principal Amy Jones. “Preparing students for their future careers, whether that is after college or after high school, is one of the most important things we do as an educational institution and a community,” said Jones.

The principal continued, “Career Technical Education (CTE), internships, career days, community speakers or other real world experiences all provide students with essential skills to succeed. For some students, it just takes that one field trip, that one internship, that one caring adult to inspire and motivate them to pursue a chosen career.”

Corsino said there are currently 206 students active in CTE courses at Healdsburg High, and 45 member business, a number that he would like to see doubled. “This grant is all about expanding our CTE,” he said of the career and technical education programs available to students.

The funds, which are earmarked for the next school year, 2023-24, will be “directed towards professional development with new advisors and mentors, student equipment and supplies, and conference cost,” said Corsino.

SkillsUSA also holds competitions, and the HHS culinary program is a regional and state standout. “Last year, we took first and third in the culinary arts state competition,” said Corsino. “Our regional competition just ended, and we got the scores two days ago—a first and second in culinary, first and second in baking, and first in hospitality management.”

However, Corsino repeated that though he is a culinary arts teacher, the SkillsUSA program is broader than just that. He pointed to a recent virtual regional competition, held via Zoom and shared video submissions.

The Healdsburg team won nine gold, four silver and two bronze awards, Corsino boasted. “We do engineering; we have

several gold medals in that,” he said. “And we just took a gold in related technical math.”

For the grants, the CTE Foundation received 28 proposals from 19 districts, schools and organizations, with a total requested funding of $670,726. Twelve schools and the Sonoma County Office of Education received grants.

(The Spring Lake Charter School received two grants totaling $14,000.)

The 14 programs awarded grants this year were exactly half of the number of proposals received.

Additional grants ranged from $12,500 to Adele Harrison Middle School for their Farm to Table program, to $1,500 for Maker Course Wheel Rotation support to Spring Lake Charter School.

Said Kathy Goodacre, CEO of CTE Foundation, “CTE Foundation is the only source of local funding dedicated to innovative strategies that connect students to meaningful careers in Sonoma County.”

Preparing students for their future careers, whether that is after college or after high school, is one of the most important things we do as an educational institution and a community.

HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AMY JONES

Photos courtesy of Derek Corsino

FIREFIGHTER Healdsburg High junior Thomas Peterson competed in the SkillsUSA Firefighting category in Ontario, CA, last year, though he gets his regular training closer to home.

MEDAL Healdsburg High junior Hadley Reuter and culinary teacher Derek Corsino show off the third-place finish at the national SkillsUSA competition last June in Atlanta.

Dance Group

to perform or create new work in residency programs, attracting audiences from throughout

Sonoma County or beyond. HDC also hopes to produce public events

WEEKEND OF FEB. 17-19

A partial list of reports received and logged by the Healdsburg Police Department

Friday, Feb. 17

• 8:16am. Person sleeping outside of Dollar Tree and smoking out of something that resembles a drug pipe, described as a white adult male, laying under blankets. Officers contacted and cited a 38-year-old man.

Saturday, Feb. 18

1:52pm. Graffiti reported at Carson Warner Skate Park on Grove St., on the Foss Creek Pathway behind the listed address. Photographs requested; report taken.

2:03pm. Graffiti reported on the pathway behind Big John’s Market on Healdsburg Ave. Officer responded; report taken.

3:10pm. Reckless driving reported at Villa Chanticleer on

that “get the general public dancing” and performances that “bring dance into unexpected places, in so doing highlighting our historic town and stunning natural

POLICE LOG

Chanticleer Way. Reporting party (RP) said he viewed a blue SUV “blow through a stop sign w/o stopping.” Driver was described as a heavy-set Hispanic adult male with children in the vehicle, possibly not wearing seat belts. Officer responded, unable to locate or gone on arrival.

3:11pm. Reckless driver reported at Old Redwood Hwy./Arata Ln. RP stated he was on the freeway traveling southbound and a vehicle was traveling 30 MPH. RP felt it was dangerous. Caller transferred to CHP.

3:30pm. Officerinitiated activity at Big John’s Market, Healdsburg Ave. A vehicle was stopped for speeding and reckless driving. Vehicle towed, Benjamin E. Forth was arrested and transported to county jail on charges including probation violation, driving under the influence, child endangerment, driving while under probation for DUI, driving over the speed limit.

6:17pm. A nurse from Kaiser reported that

at appx. 2:30pm a male employee of Lo & Behold went to John & Zeke’s on Healdsburg Ave. where he believes someone assaulted him. The RP listed several head and facial injuries. No description of the assailant was given.

Sunday, Feb. 19

5:47am. Graffiti was reported at Giorgi Park on University St. on the snack shack. Officer responded and report taken.

11:19am. Officer initiated activity at Parkland Farms Bl/ Rosewood Dr. Vehicle stopped for obstructed vision, driving without a license. A 17-yearold juvenile male was cited, and his father responded to the scene to pick up the vehicle.

12:05pm. Report of a subject laying in front of Almas Oilcloth shop on Healdsburg Ave. Officers responded, medical aid requested, subject transported to Sutter Hospital.

• 12:59pm. Gang-related graffiti was reported on subject's vehicle at Ferrero Dr./Jasmine Ct. Officer responded, report taken.

1:42pm. A two-vehicle accident occurred at Front St./Hudson St. No airbags deployed, medical attention requested for one 12-year-old. Officers responded; no injuries, property damage only, information exchanged.

• 1:58 pm. A woman reported that battery occurred at Coyote Sonoma on Mill St. the previous evening

settings,” said Meyers. Mark Themig, the city’s community services director, said, “Dance would be considered art in the context of the city’s focus on arts and culture,

and we would support working on options to support dance,” pointing out that the city hosts Ballet Folklorico at the multi-use Community Center.

‘Let’s Dance,’ a familyfriendly music and motion event, is on Saturday, March 4, from 7:30 to 11:30pm. Tickets are $25/adults, $15 for kids. Fun and festive dress encouraged.

where she was attacked and injured. Officer responded, report taken.

2:01pm. Report of multiple tags at the Boys and Girls Club, including on the northfacing side and westfacing of the mobile building. Tagging is in black and green.

3:49pm. Unwanted male reported yelling at customers and possibly defecating in a business on Powell Ave. Lee LeCarriere, 54, was arrested and transported to county jail for felony public intoxication, providing a false ID, and urinating or defecating in a facility or vehicle.

• 6:53pm. Hit and run accident occurred on Healdsburg Ave. at Sunnyvale Dr., next to Chevron. Suspect left, leaving a rear bumper and license plate behind. Officers responded and located the suspect vehicle, which was towed.

8:32pm. A burglary in progress was reported at North Street Storage on W. North St. Subject was reported to have run from the facility across the street to Safeway and then back to the storage facility. Described as wearing “dark clothing, maybe hoodie, carrying whatever he stole under this hoodie.” Officers responded, the situation was not as reported and declared unfounded.

Fitch Mountain Art

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The public art may or may not be interactive. Installations integrated with the landscape and/ or those with functional components will also be considered.

“We want to honor this majestic setting that has inspired our community,” said Healdsburg Mayor Ariel Kelley, who leads the volunteer team tasked with developing the art project framework. “It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. The artist (or artists) who are chosen will be installing their work in rugged terrain and on a deadline.”

The Fitch Mountain Art Committee is open to practicing, professional artists residing in the United States. Artists working in a variety of 3-D installations and permanent media are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to artists residing in Northern California or those with a connection to Sonoma County or the State of California.

All artists must be able to participate in an orientation and visit the summit of Fitch Mountain at least once during this process.

The maximum project budget is $100,000 and should be inclusive of all artist fees, and all expenses related to design development, including engineering; fabrication; travel, transportation and installation of the artwork; insurance; and all other project related expenses.

Finalists invited to submit specific proposals will receive an honorarium of $1,000 for their efforts and materials for a maquette (small preliminary model) of their proposed project.

Artists are invited to submit qualifications through the online form available at tinyurl.com/ yck5en9n no later than 5pm on Friday, March 10. For more information, email fitchmountainart@ gmail.com.

SCENIC VIEW Hikers near the summit of Fitch Mountain, overlooking the City of Healdsburg.

Photo by Kim Carroll Photography, courtesy of City of Healdsburg

SPACE Tanya Knippelmeir and Kate Ahumada Vazoller, both founders of UPside Dance Company, as well as other company members in performance at the former SHED, Healdsburg.

Photo by Christian Kallen

HEADQUARTERS The Healdsburg Police station at 238 Center St.

There’s Snow on Them Thar Hills

SOME AREA SCHOOLS GET RARE ‘SNOW DAY’

Pierre Ratte

By

Epic conditions in Sonoma County this past week. Snow warnings for one to two feet possible at elevations above

1,500 feet. Healdsburg’s elevation is 100 feet, Cloverdale’s about 350 and Hopland’s 500. Snow the prior week fell to about the 300 foot elevation, and four to six inches closed Cloverdale schools. Highway 101 was closed last Thursday between Willits and Cummings. On Friday, Interstate 80 to Tahoe was

closed.

Tahoe received over 450 inches of snow this year, which compares to a 360 inch seasonal average. The Sierras may be on pace to exceed a recent 600 inch inch season in 2016/17.

The picture above shows the Alexander Valley with snow levels below 1,000 feet in the

background and Spanish moss, a semi-tropical plant, hanging in the foreground. Amazing variety of conditions in Sonoma County.

Fun facts: Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is not moss, nor fungus, nor lichen, nor from Spain. It is, in fact, native to North America and related to pineapples.

A member of the Bromeliaceae family, more commonly known as bromeliads, Spanish moss is an epiphyte, which means a plant that grows on the surface of another plant. Host plants are technically known as phorophytes, and Spanish moss is commonly found on cypress and live oaks, both southern and coastal.

As a hanging plant, Spanish moss has a greatly reduced root system, mostly used for holding on. Its leaves, long and stringy, are designed to absorb water from the air. Hairlike in appearance but not structure, they have an open scalelike lattice composition, making them highly absorbent.

The long leaves were used as substrate in evaporative coolers, where water pumped onto a pad of Spanish moss evaporated while a fan pulled air through for cooling. These devices were also known as “swamp coolers.”

White-out is a term applied to blizzard conditions with low visibility. It is also the colloquial name of a product used to correct typing errors when typewriter keys manually tapped an inked ribbon. First known by the name “Mistake Out,” it was later patented as “Liquid Paper.”

The product was invented by a single mother working as a typist in a Dallas bank, struggling to raise her young son, Michael. She was fired for her efforts. Fourteen years later in 1979, she sold the company to Gillette for $47.5 million.

That woman was Bette Nesmith Graham, mother of Michael Nesmith of The Monkees musical group.

Photo by Pierre Ratte

WHITE OUT Snow fell upon the higher elevations of Sonoma County last week.