The Healdsburg Tribune 9-29-2022

CANDIDATES RETURN TO THE RAVEN ON OCT. 9

2ND CHANCE TO HEAR FROM CITY COUNCIL HOPEFULS

By Christian Kallen

Following the wellattended candidates’ forum at Coyote Sonoma on Sept. 14, the Healdsburg chap ter of the American Associ ation of University Women (AAUW) has announced plans for a similar forum to be held at the Raven Per forming Arts Theater on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 6:30pm.

The AAUW’s Tyra Ben oit told the Tribune that they took on the project “just a couple of weeks ago when we learned that the League of Women Voters would not be doing a forum in Healdsburg.” The League frequently hosts non-parti san candidate forums, but this year they were short of volunteers and budget to cover the Healdsburg City Council races.

“All of the candidates have said that they will par ticipate, so we are thrilled by that news,” said Benoit, the new public policy direc tor for the chapter. She said they have lined up a Spanish translator and will be doing real-time translation, with help from Corazón Healds burg. “We hope to make this a very inclusive event.”

A livestream on Facebook, in conjunction with the Raven Theater, is also being planned. The AAUW committee is pre paring the questions that will be asked; questions will also be solicited from the audience, and the team will decide (and potentially translate) which of those questions will be asked, to avoid duplication.

Unlike the Chamber of Commerce, which hosted last month’s candidate event, the AAUW does not endorse any candidate. In this it is similar to the League of Women Voters, in taking a neutral, hands-off position. (The Chamber endorse ments were made following their candidate forum and announced on Facebook.)

Doors will open at 5:30 pm. There are no tickets required. Admission is free, on a first come, first seated basis. The Raven Theater is located at 115 North St., Healdsburg.

Indigenous Poets to Read at The 222

‘ECOLOGY, CULTURE AND THE HUMAN CAPACITY FOR VIOLENCE’

Healdsburg Tribune Staff

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

“Indigenous Voices” is a two-part literary pro gram celebrating the works of acclaimed Amer ican poets, Jennifer Foer ster and Lucille Lang Day. Hosting the evenings of conversation and read ings will be Denise Low, the former poet laure ate of Kansas and current Healdsburg resident. All

three women have Indige nous heritage.

The first event is Sun day, Oct. 9, at 7pm, fea turing “ecopoet” Jennifer Foerster, a member of the Muscogee Creek nation. Foerster explores the lan guage and culture of her heritage in her writings. Other themes include ecology, history and the human capacity for vio lence. As assistant to for mer U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo, Foerster gained and will share unique insights into the workings of the poetry world.

On Nov. 12, the sec ond event in the series will feature poet-activ ist and small press pub lisher Lucille Lang Day, of Wampanoag heritage. The founder and publisher of Scarlet Tanager Books, Day will discuss the work ings of the book world and her experiences as a writer and small-press editor.

Healdsburg’s Denise

Low, of European and Lenape/Munsee heritage, will emcee both events. She is also a prize-win ning poet and co-pub lisher with her husband of Mammoth Publications, which specializes in Indig enous American authors.

The two readings are additions to The 222’s announced literary events for the coming year, pro grammed by Laurie Glover. “As many cele brate holidays at this time of year dedicated to the first European contacts and settlements in North America, we are going to hear directly from mem bers of cultures whose lives were changed by those events,” she said.

‘Indigenous Voices,’ two poetry readings at The 222, located in the Paul Mahder Gallery at 222 Healdsburg Ave. Details and ticket links at the222.org.

FOOTBALL REACHES THE SEASON’S MIDFIELD

5 GAMES DOWN, 6 TO GO IN ROUGH YEAR FOR THE ’HOUNDS

By Christian Kallen

The boys of early autumn are out on the practice field every wan ing day of the school week, and carry that energy into their varsity foot ball games. It doesn’t con vert to many points, but

nobody finds an easy oppo nent in the Healdsburg High Greyhounds.

And fans of local high school football will cer tainly tell you that even if they carry a 0-5 record as they near the season’s halfway point, any football is better than none—like the ill-starred season of 2018, which was called off after just two games that saw the team lose by scores of 41-0 and 61-0.

Not so this year, although the scores seemed all too famil iar. The year’s first games found the Hounds los ing 49-0 against Novato on Sept. 3, and falling to Coverdale, 40-7 on Sept. 9. Lower Lake 36, Healdsburg 30 Usually, lopsided scores

Photo by Joe Rowland

HOUNDS Freshman running back Alexander Harms (42) heads downfield with a posse of Greyhounds against the Trojans of Lower Lake on Friday, Sept. 16.

The Healdsburg team came up short in the exciting game, 36-30.

POET Jennifer Foerster, a member of the Muscogee Creek nation, reads at The 222 on Oct. 9.

Photo by Richard Blue Cloud Castaneda

Photo by Stephan Anderson-Story

EMCEE Healdsburg’s Denise Low of Mammoth Publications, who is of European and Lenape/Munsee heritage, will emcee both events.

California

Todd Snider Back in the ’Burg

SINGER, SONGWRITER, STORYTELLER

BACK ON THE ROAD

By Christian Kallen

Todd Snider is pretty much who, and what, he says he is: an alright guy. He’s a bit shaggy, his wardrobe does not appear well thought out, and for years he performed bare foot on stage, with his dog, Cowboy Jim, nap ping a few feet away.

As he ran through his 15-20 song show, the dog would sometimes get up and wander around, go off stage to sleep it off. But Snider said he’d always come back for “Mr. Bojangles.”

“Yeah, I sure miss him,” said Snider last week when we spoke with him from Nash ville. Snider regularly performs the song, and recorded it for his Jerry Jeff Walker album, one of 19 he has recorded in his 28 year career. It’s not really clear if he’s talking about the songwriter, or the dog. Or both.

Now he has never really been a chart topper, but to a certain audience his songs are legendary: “Beer Run,” “Talking Seat tle Grunge Rock Blues,” “Statistician’s Blues,” “Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, Amer ican Males” and espe cially the one about that “Alright Guy.” (youtu.be/ FGL-2Zg2bqw)

“Just then a friend of mine came through the door Said she'd never picked me for a scumbag before Said she didn't ever want to see me anymore And I still don't know why.

I think I'm an alright guy…

I really do! I’m alright!”

Almost as well known are some of his tall tales, some of which make it into songs eventually, and the ones that don’t he delivers from the stage in an informal meandering

style that lands with a laugh.

Not just a cosmic comic or prankster, Snid er’s songwriting relies on humor to slip in the knife, and he’s a sharp wit. For instance, his “Talking Reality Television Blues” skewers TV, TV view ers, TV reality shows and reality show hosts and— you can see where this is going. It’s so dry and clever, it has a brilliant techno cover version by Tom Jones: (youtu.be/ khgdwZmWkXc).

His return this time, dubbed the Ameri can Troubadour Tour, is nearly 50 dates long, swinging from New Eng land to cross the moun tain states, down the West Coast, through the Heartland and Southeast to end in Texas. Of course.

Healdsburg comes just after Arcata and before San Francisco. It’s a return to the Raven for him— he was here just a year ago, and his 2020 gig was canceled by, you guessed it, COVID. Unlike many artists of his ilk (though truthfully there aren’t a lot of artists of his ilk), he’s pretty familiar with Sonoma County. In fact, a case could be made that his musical career began here.

After he graduated from Beaverton High in Oregon in 1985—where he was on the football team, as he hilariously recounts in one of his tall tales—he enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior Col lege. He didn’t attend too many classes, he admit ted, but fell in with a musical crowd.

“I met some Samoan kids, and they played gui tar and harmonica. It was harder to learn to play the guitar, but they showed me a lot of play ing harmonica is knowing which key to play. And so that was the beginning of learning harmonica. First you gotta know what key they're playing the song, and then you gotta play cross or straight after that. It's pretty simple.” Players know.

When his academic and athletic career crashlanded, his brother sent him a ticket to Austin, and when Snider arrived, he found his harmonica skills were not in high demand. “So I learned how to play guitar,” he said, picking his way into a musical trend of Amer icana (or “uncommercial country,” he calls it). “I learned that the differ ence between a free spirit and a freeloader was three chords.”

Touring comes natu rally to Snider; he was 19 when he learned gui tar and pretty much since then he has been playing somewhere. Rock stars have their favorite cus tom-made multi-thou sand dollar guitars, but Snider’s a troubadour, so he has got a guitar in every town. “I leave them at people’s houses, so they're there when I get there”—and if he’d have his druthers, life on the road would be his first choice.

But that life is not all fun and games. His alli ance with an Americana “super group” (and one can only imagine what that means), the Hard Working Americans, ended when one of the band members commit ted suicide. Snider’s dog, Cowboy Jim, died. And his doctor told him he really should be wearing shoes.

“I guess it's disgust ing, some people say. I never cared,” said Snider. It was one of several life style changes that the self-described “lazy-ass hippie” went through in about 2015, when he left behind most of the pain killers and intoxicants— except weed. He told Rolling Stone in 2019 that he’d have a joint after AA meetings. “That’s all I do now. When I smoke weed, people act like I’m sober.”

COVID-19 shut down his peregrination, but not his playing. Once a week, he’d leave his place east of Nashville and go to a rehearsal studio nearby to perform an informal

show called the Get Together. “It had good cameras and lights and stuff, so we’d do just a set, I’d do like 70 min utes.” Tips were accepted on the YouTube page, and the Todd Snider Empire managed to stay afloat. “It was like busking online,” he said.

Needless to say, there are a lot of stories in those 70-minute episodes. And a handful of songs, too, from a variety of song writers he admires—Jerry Jeff and John Prine, of course, and Guy Clark, Jim Croce, Justin Townes Earle, Robert Earl Keen, back to Woody Guthrie, artists armed with a gui tar and an attitude who make it rhyme.

The pandemic years were hard. He lost sev eral of his friends and mentors, including Prine, to COVID in April, 2020 and Jerry Jeff to cancer in October of that same year.

Their influence is self-evi dent in many of his songs, but there’s no deny ing that Snider’s origi nal wit and craft comes through—honed by his 55 hard-lived years.

His newest release is, appropriately, “Live: Return of the Story teller,” culled from over 75 concert dates last year. It includes his betweensong tales and solo acous tic performances from old favorites to new, like the wistful elegy, “Sail On My Friend.”

The day after it was released, Snider played the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry, shar ing the bill with Ramb lin’ Jack Elliot, then he headed out for the road.

“Since the pandemic, I’ve performed almost every night. I live for it. It’s all I know.”

Todd Snider plays Oct. 13 at the Raven Theater, 115 North St., Healdsburg. Ryan Montbleau is opening the show, who Snider said shares his enthusiasm for the Black Crowes. Tickets at raventheater.org.

Photo by Stacie Huckeba

SING Troubadour Todd Snider has his eye on the Raven Theater, where he'll perform on Oct. 13.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Art of the Yard

By Pierre Ratte

SPECS Yard art around town comes in many forms.

Whimsical. Creative. Unique. Here are a fun few. These cacti sport ing sunglasses and straw hats are out on Dry Creek Road. The watersaving rock spiral lawn with pink flamingos is along University Avenue.

If you look closely,

especially when walking, yard art jumps out at you. Noticing hidden art can be like buying a new model car and suddenly seeing it everywhere. Much of the time, it is in plain sight, yet stopping to notice what’s in front of us is overlooked.

Noticing is a skill helped by slower move ment, and time to be curious. It seems slow ing down was, or is, a

silver-lining of the pan demic. Pausing. Being present. Going slower. Sensing with senses.

If you see whimsi cal yard art, let me know. Send me a picture. I’m col lecting pauses, oh and pic tures of yard art. Email: pjratte@icloud.com.

Fun facts: Palm trees are found here in North ern California, and all the way up in Washing ton State on the Alki

peninsula. The one pic tured here is a Canary Island date palm (Phoe nix canariensis). Only one type of palm is native to California, and oddly it’s called Washingtonia filifera. It grows in sandy soils fed by springs east of Los Angeles. Hence, the place name Palm Springs.

There are about 2,500 different species of palm, with about 25 being common plants in the U.S. Palm trees are often associated with Los Angeles’ landscape,

possibly because 25,000 trees were planted to line major streets for the 1932 Olympics. Since palm trees last about 100 years, LA’s palms are senescing.

The cacti pictured above, with the hat and sunglasses, is an organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi). These plants flower at night, with their spectacular blooms with ering and dying in the morning. Native to an area in South Texas and Mexico, Sonoma’s hot and mild environment

Fun fact: There are about 2,500 different species of palm, with about 25 being common plants in the U.S.

allows them to thrive.

The cute little Arizona barrel cactus is Ferocac tus wislizeni. There are approximately 2,000 cactus species.

Photos by Pierre Ratte

ART HOUSE THEATER PLANNED FOR HEALDSBURG

NONPROFIT PROMISES NEW ‘PLAZA CINEMA CENTER’ NEAR FOSS CREEK

By Christian Kallen

The news that a new movie theater might be coming to Healdsburg swept through town like advance notice on a block buster, but it wasn’t sup posed to be that way.

At a recent private after-hours gathering at Comstock Winery, a local tasting room, displays of the theater’s storefront, seating schematics and other visuals were pre sented about a proposed educational and com mercial “cinema center,” details that were leaked on social media over the weekend.

Visuals in an Insta gram post from @shop localhealdsburg showed a modern well-designed entry, comfortable screen ing chairs and a seat ing chart for three small screening rooms of between 26 and 56 seats, meeting and classroom space, plus an event space in an adjoining courtyard.

In a video, Kathryn Hecht, executive direc tor of Alexander Valley Film Society (AVFilm), explained that the edu cational nonprofit had looked at the Raven Film Center as a possible loca tion for a combination commercial and art-house venue. “But at the end of the day, it was the num bers, the numbers didn’t work—the theater is too big.”

What they sought, she said, was an “opportunity to create a state-of-the art, responsive, smaller footprint, more respon sible carbon footprint—a cinema that reflects con temporary understand ing of the movies and the audiences.”

That meant a differ ent theater. From the real estate available in down town Healdsburg, a loca tion was found for the planned Plaza Cinema Center, in the 300 block of Healdsburg Avenue. The entrance would be off North Street, facing over Foss Creek to the large Plaza Parking Lot that hosts the farmers’ mar ket every Saturday in sea son. It should be available to provide public parking for the theater and other commercial businesses in town.

Old timers might remember the site as the backstage of the old Lib erty Theater, later the

Plaza, a 1,000-seat stage and movie palace that was torn down about 1965.

More recently, the building held brewing tanks for the Bear Repub lic, which left town for Cloverdale three years ago. It is accessible by a breeze way from Healdsburg Avenue which connects to West Plaza Park. The courtyard could be used as an event space, according to the plans previewed at Comstock.

But while the lease for the building has been approved by the AVFilm board, it is far from a done deal: The group is seek ing financing sponsors, and they’ve got a ways to go before their hoped-for 2023 buildout.

As AVFilm’s commu nications manager Chel sea Kurnic said, “That is certainly the aim, but it depends on a lot.” The group is seeking fund ing for the project, and while their donations have exceeded $1 million so far, the goal is thought to be more than twice that.

regular movies in 2005, when it became the Raven Performing Arts Theater; in 2020, the Tocchinis let their lease on the Film Center lapse.

Several outside the ater groups have inquired about the Film Center location since it closed, at 415 Center St. Even while it was the Raven Film Center, however, it always struggled. With the Airport Stadium 12 multiplex only 11 minutes south down U.S. 101, the audience for even a small theater in Healdsburg is limited.

According to more than one regional inde pendent theater owner, the amount asked for the Film Center location was just too high, especially given the uncertain future of movie attendance dur ing and following the pandemic. The 1,500 square foot facility, with four screening rooms of various sizes, remains for lease at $1/square foot a month.

“The post caught us by surprise,” said Kurnic, who said the Sept. 24 gather ing was by invitation only. Still, she added she was heartened by the “excite ment and anticipation” the post generated. “It’s really great to see that.”

Lining Up for Tickets

The news struck a chord because since early 2020, Healdsburg hasn’t had a movie theater. The Raven Film Center closed with the pandemic, and a few months later the Toc chini family’s Santa Rosa Entertainment Group of Santa Rosa, which had operated the Raven since 2006, announced it would not be reopening.

The Film Center was started in 1996 by Don Hyde, who had taken over the venerable Aven The ater on North Street in 1987, remodeled it and renamed it the Raven. It quickly became a popu lar traditional movie the ater and concert venue in town. When the former JC Penny’s became avail able in the nearby Mitch ell Shopping Center, Hyde ambitiously took it over and built the four-screen Raven Film Center.

But Hyde left Healds burg in 1999 and the Film Center lost momentum.

The main Raven on North Street stopped showing

The news that a wellregarded local nonprofit was cooking up a plan to open a year-round cinema in the heart of Healdsburg was welcome. Still, ques tions about the prospects for success persist. The screens at the Raven Film Center were significantly larger than those planned for the Plaza Cinema Cen ter, yet the Tocchinis gave up on the Healdsburg location in 2020 because it didn’t make money.

Kurnic insisted, “There are other theaters oper ated by nonprofits; there is absolutely a model for it. Folks are committed to keeping the community experience of going to the movies alive.

There are a handful of other nonprofit-run the aters in the state, the near est being the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Cen ter in San Rafael, oper ated by the California Film Institute.

“We’re excited to add a community gathering space that will be exciting for locals, exciting for vis itors and add something for everyone that doesn’t presently exist,” finished Kurnic.

For more information about the Plaza Cinema Center, email the executive director of AVFilm at Kathryn.Hecht@ avfilmpresents.org.

GONE DARK The defunct Raven Film Center in November, 2021, a year and a half after it closed on March 17, 2020.

Photo by Christian Kallen

What they sought was an ‘opportunity to create a state-of-the art, responsive, smaller footprint, more responsible carbon footprint—a cinema that reflects contemporary understanding of the movies and the audiences.’

Football

have an element of luck for both teams—bad luck for the losers, good luck for the winners. So the mood changed for Healdsburg with an excit ing game against Lower Lake on Sept. 16, which found the Greyhounds scoring several times based on the way the ball bounced.

Senior Cameron Pippi, who played on both sides of the ball as do many of his teammates, recovered a fumble, which was fol lowed by a 29-yard offen sive drive. Pippi’s own 9-yard touchdown run capped the drive, and a 2-point conversion run by sophomore Jeremiah Tinsley.

On the first play after the kickoff from that touchdown, Lower Lake fumbled and sophomore Nate Rowland recov ered the ball. Two plays later, quarterback Wyatt Dugan, a junior, threw a 43-yard pass to Tinsley, leading the Hounds to a second touchdown, fol lowed by another 2-point conversion run by Pippi.

As the third quarter began, the scoreboard read 20-16, Visitors, but the home team wasn’t finished. Starting off the second half, Alexander

Harms (42) took the kick off for 40 yards. A grind ing ground game opened the door for Pippi to run it in from five yards out, and another 2-point conversion.

For the first time this season, the Greyhounds were ahead. But their streak of three straight TDs wasn’t over. Lower Lake fumbled once again following the kickoff, and junior Alan Avalos jumped on it. Once again it was Pippi who made the score on a 16-yard run, though the 2-point con version failed.

Sitting on a 10-point lead, Healdsburg was feel ing pretty confident as the final quarter began, but the sleepy Trojans from Lower Lake woke up, and scored the winning two touchdowns and 2-point conversions to win it.

Junior Wyatt Dugan played the game in the quarterback position, focusing on handoffs and keepers, gaining 62 yards on the ground. He con nected only once in four aerial attempts, but it was the 42-yard touchdown pass to Tinsley. But he also had two of his passes picked off, and in a close game mistakes matter.

Senior Pippi rushed for the Greyhounds’ three other TDs, picking up an impressive 153 yards on 32 carries overall. Pippi gave up the ball on a

fumble, too, as did Moie ses Lopez, a junior.

Surprise standout was freshman Harms, whose exciting 40-yard kickoff return to open the second half brought the crowd to their feet.

Kennedy 44, Healdsburg 8

Things returned to normal last Friday, Sept. 23, when visiting Eagles of Kennedy High amassed 44 points to the Greyhounds’ 8. Healds burg beat Kennedy last year—one of their three wins in 2021—but this time the Richmond team gained almost dou ble the total yards that

Healdsburg did, 284 to 147, and ran twice as many plays, 51 to 25. They scored more, too, 22 points in the first quarter alone and 6 in the second, which would prove more than enough.

Healdsburg’s only scoring came in the third quarter, as Cameron Pippi had a 54-yard run followed by a 12-yard scramble by Jeremiah

Tinsley for a touchdown. The conversion failed, but that rarest of scor ing plays followed as the defense pushed Kennedy back into their end zone for a safety in the third quarter.

Pippi had another good game, leading the rushers with 90 yards on 19 carries, making five tackles and three sacks. Rowland also made an impact on defense with three tackles and two sacks.

Junior Max Suazo carried only four times but gained 18 yards, and Tinsley got 26 yards on six carries. Harms once again had some nice kickoff returns, getting 57 yards in four chances.

Thanks to assistant coach Brad Duffy for the statistics and game overviews.

The next Healdsburg High football games to be played at Rec Park are against Irvington (of Fremont) on Oct. 7, followed by the first North Bay Redwood league game against Ukiah on Oct. 14. Varsity kickoff time is 7pm, JV at 4:30.

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Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final KENNEDY

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HEALDSBURG

PEP TALK Assistant coach Jeremiah Michener encourages sophomore Nate Rowland as halftime approaches in the Sept. 19 game against Lower Lake. After taking the lead, the Greyhounds fell, 36-30.

Photo by Joe Rowland

Revisiting Hopland

SMALLER CROWDS, CASUAL TASTING

By Brooke Herron

Hopland is happen ing. Downtown tasting rooms welcome walkins and boast affordable fees, and are happy to share their wines with anyone they have the capacity to serve.

Low Tasting Fees

Tasting fees at downtown Hopland tasting rooms range from $5 to $25, with most ranging be tween $5 (McNab Fam ily Vineyards) and $15. When was the last time you saw a $5 or $10 tast ing fee?

Wine tasting experi ences at the vineyards/ winery estates are also

very inexpensive, ranging from $10-$45, depend ing on the experience. A seated tasting at Saracina Vineyards, for example, costs only $15, while a gourmet picnic and tast ing experience costs $45.

At Alta Orsa Vine yards (perched on a hill side, and offering fan tastic views), visitors can enjoy complimentary

tastings in the cellar or under the trees and a tour of the vineyards with either the wine maker, Martin, or his one employee.

The Dining Options Are Better Than Ever

On my most recent trip, I was pleased to find some great dining options in

OBITUARIES

Hopland, including a couple of new-to-me res taurants: Stock Farm and Rockseas.

Stock Farm

Serving up fantastic wood fired pizzas, small plates, sandwiches and salads made with fresh, local in gredients, Stock Farm is a welcome addition to downtown Hopland. The restaurant here is open for lunch and dinner and is connected to the Thatch er Hotel. The building and complex house Stock Farm, Campovida’s new tasting room, the bar at the Thatcher Hotel (think elegant craft cocktails) and Café Poppy.

The Golden Pig

While the front restau rant is only open for din ner, The Golden Pig also has a more casual space and a patio in the back that is open for lunch, as well as a walk-in area where diners can pick up items from the bak ery and cafe to-go. From burgers made with lo cally raised and sustain able meat, to salads made with veggies grown on the restaurant’s organic farm, The Golden Pig of fers casual and filling yet sophisticated food made with high quality, locally sourced ingredients.

Rock Seas

Self-described as “low country farm-fusion

fare,” Rock Seas is a local favorite. Re-opened as of August and open for din ner Tuesday through Sun day, Rock Seas focuses on comfort food and classic dishes elevated with high quality, locally sourced ingredients. Examples include caesar salad with fresh white anchovies, macaroni and cheese with crawfish, and grits with pork from locally and sustainably raised pigs. The restaurant doesn’t currently have a working website and isn’t on Open Table, so I recommend calling to make a reserva tion, 707-670-6054.

The Wines Are Better Than Ever

If what you envision when you think of Hop land are ripe, oaky and powerful or rustic reds, think again. There are plenty of well balanced, fresh and elegant red wines, as well as bright, fresh and aromatic whites and rose wines.

Some highlights for me were the Malbec (fresh, structured and elegant) at Saracina, the high toned, fruit-driven, elegant and surprising red Italian varietal wines (Nero d’avola, Negroa maro and Sangiovese) at Campovida, the hill side vineyard wines at Alta Orsa and the ever so quaffable (and ridicu lously affordable) wines at McNab.

FINLEY, SR. May 2, 1947 - September 11, 2022

Kenneth

“Ken” Gene Finley, Sr., passed away on September 11, 2022, in Santa Rosa, California at the age of 75.

Ken was born in Palo Alto, California to Floyd and Opal Finley on May 2, 1947.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years Kathleen, children Jessica Finley Lyeth and Kenneth Gene Finley, Jr. (Sara), and 4 grandchildren Elijah, Trenton, Remy and Presley. Ken is also survived by his dogs Cooper and Millie who were always by his side.

After graduating Sunnyvale High School, Sunnyvale, California, class of 1965, Ken joined the United States Marine Corps and served from 1965 to 1968. He served in the 3rd Marine Division, 4th Battalion for two tours of duty in Vietnam. The first tour in Hue Phu Bai and the second tour aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk.

Ken graduated from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in business in 1975 and the same year formed his construction company, Ken Finley Construction, with his wife Kathy. A selftaught master carpenter and craftsman, teacher to so many of the trade, Ken was a respected builder of high-end custom homes and wineries in Healdsburg and Sonoma County, passionate about his work for 46 years until his retirement.

His construction projects have been published in numerous magazines, and Ken’s work has appeared on the cover of national magazines over the years, something he was exceptionally proud of.

Ken and Kathy were grape growers in Dry Creek Valley, Healdsburg where they raised their children for 30 years in the home he built. He was a Harley Davidson rider, traveling the United States, and traveled the world with Kathy the last several years.

Ken had an infectious laugh and everyone who knew him loved him.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

GLORIA CHRISTENSEN June 2, 1928 - September 18, 2022

Gloria Christensen passed away peacefully at the age of 94, on September 18, 2022. Gloria was a beloved wife, aunt, sister and a friend to many.

Gloria was born in San Francisco to Eda and Joe Nicoletti June 2, 1928, and was raised on their prune ranch in Healdsburg, California, with her sister Ernestine and late brother Eddie. She graduated from Healdsburg High School and shortly after she joined Bank of America. She had a 50 year career at the bank and was a long time branch manager in various cities in Northern Sonoma County. She had countless friends and coworkers that loved and respected her in the community.

She was named the Healdsburg Harvest Festival Queen in 1947 and she was very active in the community. She was also active in the Healdsburg Boat Club with her husband Art and many friends water skiing in the Russian River above Memorial Bridge.

Gloria was preceded in death by her husband, Art Christensen and later in life, her partner Charles Burgans; her father, mother, brother and her nephew, Carl. She is survived by her sister, Ernestine Reiman; nephew Tom Rochioli (Theresa); nieces Becky Richardson (Jeff), Gia Barger (James) and Stefani Nicoletti and all of their families.

A special thanks to her friends and caregivers Sam and Monica and their beautiful family, along with their staff at Caring Home Care of Santa Rosa, and Dr. Harry Carr at Sutter Mark West Hospital.

Services will be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Healdsburg on September 30, 2022 with viewing at 12 pm and the service at 2 pm. A celebration of life to follow at St. John Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. John in Healdsburg and the American Heart Association.

LEGALS

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KENNETH GENE

HOP TO IT With low to no tasting fees, new dining options, fantastic wines, and friendly, warm vibes, it’s a good time to consider revisiting Hopland hot spots like Saracina Vineyards.

Photo by Brooke Herron

“The Butternut Squash Turnover appealed to me as an appetizer for the upcoming fall season. The simple flavor profile of the butternut, caramelized onions and goat cheese encased in puff pastry feels like a wonderful and comforting snack or side dish.” Mary Durham, Cotati Executive Chef

“When I think of fall, it’s cooler temperatures and warm spices that come to mind. With our poached pear galette featured in our Chef’s Deli Case, we take juicy D’Anjou pears and poach them in red wine with cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and citrus. Paired with creamy herbed ricotta and 12-month Manchego Cheese, chopped candied walnuts, and spiced red wine reduction, these autumn flavors are bundled in a flaky puff pastry that will have you falling in love with this galette.”

– Stephen Murphy, Montecito Executive Chef

“My Fall item is a Sweet Potato and Roasted Beet Stack with Whipped Feta Cheese available in our Chef’s case here at Windsor! I love this dish because it blends hearty fall root veggies with warm spice, a light and creamy filling with a surprise from the caramelized shallot and fennel.”

– Liz Guerra, Windsor Executive Chef

“I wanted to put together two amazing ingredients as the bulk of this salad. Butternut Squash and Kale. I added a lot of textures to this salad. Crisp crunch of apples, a salty bite of pecan and feta cheese, pulled together with the fun pop and color of the pomegranate. Topped off with a fresh Citrus Vinaigrette. The taste and colors of the salad really speak to the Fall season.”

– Pedro Cortez, Stony Point Executive Chef