Healdsburg Tribune April 18 2024

LOCAL SKILLSUSA WINNERS DREAM OF ‘SOLARPUNK’ FUTURE

By Simone Wilson

Among the 70-plus environmental information booths slated to line the Healdsburg Plaza for the town’s second annual Climate Fest this Sunday, April 21, is one that might stink a little: Three teens from Healdsburg High School have plans to show off a large battery pack they made out of living algae. “Our dream is basically a solar panel of algae, using photosynthesis to power homes,” says team member Ross Fitzpatrick, a junior at Healdsburg High School. He calls it a “true realization” of the solarpunk movement, which he describes as “a utopian idea of the future with all solar-powered technology.”

Healdsburg’s awardwinning young algae whisperers will be displaying their prototype at their local Climate Fest, also called Festival del Clima , in the plaza this Sunday.

The focus of the second annual Climate Fest, much like the inaugural event, is “how we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, both individually and collectively, in Healdsburg,” says one of the organizers, Climate Action Healdsburg member Tyra Benoit. More than 2,000 people attended last year—and organizers expect an even bigger crowd this year.

Leading up to the festival, the local “Move! Healdsburg” group will be hosting a community bike ride this Friday night, starting at 5:45pm in the plaza. The festival itself will then hit the ground running on Sunday morning with a 5k run/walk

RECORDS SET DESPITE SLOPPY CONDITIONS FOR MARATHON, LS50 DISTANCES

By Christian Kallen

The annual Lake Sonoma 50, the local ultrarunning classic that’s bringing international talent to the April competition, faced the unexpected for last Saturday’s races—cold weather and rain that put a damper on the event and created an often muddy course, especially for those who followed the leaders.

Regardless, high-caliber runners turned the challenge into course records—perhaps finding the damp 50-degree weather preferable to the

80-degree-plus temperatures of previous years.

Francesco Puppi, a 32-year-old professional mountain runner from Como, Italy, set a new course record of 6:30:17, 14 minutes and 3 seconds faster than Drew Holman’s 2023 time of 6:44:20.

Puppi is a Nike-sponsored trail runner, and world champion at 2017 World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships.

Second place was claimed over an hour later by 37-year-old Daniel Button of Idaho (7:48:59), while Healdsburg’s Grant Hotaling, 40, placed third (7:52:19).

Hotaling, who grew up in Healdsburg and now manages Santa Rosa’s Treehorn Books, said it

was his fourth time competing in the Lake Sonoma 50. “The course is pretty good, mostly single track— not a lot of rocks or roots,” he said. But it had rained much of the night before, and that eventually made an impact.

Skip Brand, of Healdsburg Running Company, was especially proud of Hotaling appearing on the same podium as a worldclass athlete like Puppi. “He runs Lake Sonoma every single Saturday,” Brand said. “For him to be able to compete against 20-year-old pups at this level is the story.”

Said Hotaling, “I didn’t have an issue running toward the front, but there were a couple areas where the water just sat

in—on the return leg, it was crazy to see how transformed the surface was thanks to the pounding of a thousand feet.”

There were 627 registered runners for the race, though not all of them finished.

Women’s Times

The women's division for the 50-miler was a nailbiter, as the top three women ran closely together throughout the entire race. Lindsay Allison, 28, from Telluride, Colorado, took first in 8:44:11, only 33 seconds faster than Anna Fisher, 31, of Midway, Utah, in 8:44:44. In third place was 28-yearold Andrea Stofko, of Salt Lake City, in 8:47:48.

“Watching the runners

work through unpleasant conditions for multiple hours always leaves me feeling so inspired and excited for next year's event,” said Gina Lucrezi of Trail Sisters, which took over operation of the run in 2022. “Lake Sonoma 50 founder John Medinger really did create a relentless and grueling race, and I truly believe that runners who take on the course are some of the toughest in the country and abroad!” The full distance of the race, from the Warm Springs Recreation area around the narrow Warm Springs Creek arm of Lake Sonoma and back, was 50.8 miles. A shorter marathon-length run returned over the Skaggs Springs bridge.

signs (“No Kill-Tech in our County” and “General Dynamics Profits Off Genocide”), echoed antiwar chants and beat hand drums for almost two hours on Grove Street, not far from City Hall.

another.

The Healdsburg action has been in the works at least since Saturday, when a press release was distributed with an embargo time to prevent early publication until 6:30am Tuesday, April 16. Sonoma County for Palestine, which labels itself a grassroots coalition of Sonoma County residents, coordinated the effort.

The group held banners and waved their

Ma’ayan Pe’er, a 24-year-old Petaluma resident and self-described “trans girl” who identifies in the plural, served as spokesperson for the group. “As a Jew I was raised as a Zionist and thus pro-Israel as well, so I’ve been around this topic since I was born,” they told the Tribune as the chanting continued in the background. “It’s not since the past few years that I’ve really started engaging with Israel and Zionism from an anti-Zionist lens, in Sonoma County.” They said they were in

➝ Muddy Course, 6 ➝ Climate Fest, 4

Photos by Lets Wander Productions

GOINGS ON AROUND TOWN THIS WEEK & NEXT

Farmers’ Market

The Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market starts up again, every Saturday until Dec. 21. Fruits and vegetables, flowers, cheeses, honey, olive oil, bread, wild fish, pasture-finished meat and fresh eggs from local vendors. From 8:30am to noon in the West Plaza Parking Lot.

Beatles Jazz

Guitarist Christian FoleyBeining brings together a small ensemble to perform classic Beatles

in a jazz style, with Tom Shader on bass and Kendrick Freeman on drums. Said Foley-Bening, “The songs seem to be very simple and you just sing along, but when you analyze the structures and harmonies, you realize how deep the musicality was.” At Furthermore Wines, Friday, April 19, 8pm. No cover, 328-A Healdsburg Ave.

Jazz Education

Marcus Shelby, artistic director of Healdsburg Jazz, begins a free, two-part jazz education series on the legacy of Duke Ellington. Commentary and recordings at the Healdsburg Library, 139 Piper St. First

part runs from 2-3pm on Saturday, April 20; second part runs during the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, from 2-3pm on Tuesday, June 18.

Saturday Smokes

It’s a casual holiday many celebrate year-round, every afternoon at 16:20 military time. Coyote Sonoma will hold a block party from noon on at their Mill Street den, with participation from the Elephant in the Room, Jane’s Dispensary, the Parish Café and Impalas Car Club, with live music from Pazifico and food available for purchase. Saturday, April 20, no cover, 44-F Mill St.

$150, available at www. bgcsonoma-marin.org/ healdsburg-en-blanc.

Neo-Brazil

Rare U.S. appearance by Brazilian musician Vinicius Cantuária on both Saturday and Sunday, April 20-21, introduces Healdsburg audiences to a legendary singer-songwriter and his blend of bossa nova, jazz and avant-garde music. Shows 7pm at The 222, 222 Healdsburg Ave. Tickets $35 and $75, at the222.org.

Climate Fest

Annual Earth Day and Climate Fest celebration in the Healdsburg Plaza, Sunday, April 21. It’s an all-ages opportunity to come together to celebrate and plan for a healthy environmental future. See story in this issue.

Cocktail Class

Jazz in the Lobby

Healdsburg’s Spirit

Hotel

Bar presents free weekly Saturday jazz in the hotel’s lobby area, from 6-9pm. This week vocalist Stella Heath is joined by guitarist Ian Scherer with Robby Elfman on reeds; at 25 Matheson St.

Club Fundraiser

The Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma-Marin hosts its third annual “Healdsburg en Blanc” fundraising dinner at the Villa Chanticleer, 900 Chanticleer Way, at 6pm on April 20. Guests wear all-white and bid on extravagant auction items to support kids in Healdsburg and Geyserville. Tickets start at

A plant-focused workshop called “Your Drink Is Trash” is the third of three mixology workshops in Healdsburg this month. It’s Sunday, April 21, from 3-5pm on April 21. Tickets are $65, at Little Saint, 25 North St.

Bluegrass

Concert

Super session-man John Jorgenson leads a bluegrass quartet concert follow-up to the album “From the Crow’s Nest” on Sunday, April 21. Impeccable musicianship, incomparable songwriting, incredible harmony vocals and seasoned showmanship promise a memorable night at the Raven Theater, 7:30pm. Tickets $25-$75, 115 North St.,

www.raventheater.org.

Planning Commission

The city’s Planning Commission returns to its consideration of projects and proposals at 6pm on Tuesday, April 23, at 401 Grove St. Agenda for this and other meetings at healdsburg.gov/543/ Agendas-Minutes.

Dad Country

Oakland-based Whiskerman, fronted by Graham Patzner, brings a thunderous stage show to the Second Story stage on Thursday, April 25. Show is 6-9pm on the Second Story stage, upstairs at Little Saint, 25 North St.

City Offices

Closed Friday, April 26, is the once-every-two-weeks closure of the City Hall offices at 401 Grove St. Building permits and Public Works inspections will continue by appointment.

Community Chorus

“What the world needs now is love,” says Healdsburg Community Chorus Director David Martin. So they will deliver an afternoon of love songs from the local to the global, in performance at the Raven Theater on both Saturday and Sunday, April 27-28, at 3pm. Tickets $20 at www.healdsburgchorus. com/concerts-tickets.

tunes

Foley-Beining FAB THREE Working their way through the Beatles songbook are, left to right, guitarist Christian Foley-Beining, drummer Kendrick Freeman and bassist Ton Shader. They will play at Furthermore Wines on Friday, April 19.

JOHN JORGENSON AND PALS TAKE

AMERICANA ONE STEP BEYOND

By Christian Kallen

When done right, bluegrass sounds like old-fashioned music, almost antique— a sound from the narrow draws of the Appalachians, where cricks gurgle and grackles squawk. Surprisingly, though, it’s a 20thcentury music, like jazz or swing or even hip-hop.

So when the John Jorgenson Bluegrass

Band—J2B2—takes the stage at the Raven Performing Arts Theater at 7:30pm on Sunday night, it won’t be a tribute band or a nostalgia act but the real thing, American music played to the hilt by four of the best musicians around.

The first bluegrass band, the group that gave the music its name and signature style, was Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, who only began playing together in 1940 (though the Monroe Brothers preceded them

in time and style). Guitar, banjo and mandolin are mandatory, though a fiddle often appears as well. Add a standup bass, and that’s pretty much the same configuration J2B2 brings to town on April 21.

What makes J2B2 worth a listen is the skill its four pickers bring to the music. Its principals are guitarist-mandolin player Jorgenson and banjo-guitarist Herb Peterson, both of whom played in the Desert Rose Band with country rocker Chris Hillman. Desert Rose was a lineal descendent of the legendary Flying Burrito Brothers, started by Hillman and Gram Parsons in 1968.

This is the royal lineage of country rock, but like many royal families there are cousins and kinfolk hiding in the strangest places.

Hillman, formerly of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, seeded rock music with country influences, and took 1970s music in a direction far afield of the more electric Southern rock or glam rock or disco that

characterized the reset of the decade. That Jorgenson and Peterson were in the mix can’t be overlooked, but it can be overstated. Both of them are exceptional musicians—Jorgensen ably plays an embarrassing assortment of instruments including dobro, piano, clarinet and bouzouki, and his talents have been a reservoir for everyone from Emmylou Harris to Elton John, Johnny Cash to Bob Dylan. Peterson is no slouch either, his 50-plus-year career spanning a BaskinRobbins-like array of musical flavors, from the Dillards to Tony Rice, Linda Ronstadt to Tom Petty.

Bass player Mark Fain has toured and recorded with the [Dixie] Chicks, Dwight Yoakum, Allison Krause and even jazz combos, while Patrick Sauber rounds out the stringfellows with guitar and mandolin. They all sing, bringing that “high lonesome sound” of classic bluegrass to life. Jorgenson’s the leader and star—J2B2 is just one of four outfits the 67-yearold musician currently fronts, including a gypsyjazz quintet and an electric band (he played in the crazy-apt Hellecasters not so long ago).

But Healdsburg gets the bluegrass band, between gigs in Livermore and Czechia. Lucky us. Show begins at 7:30pm on Sunday, April 21, at the

beginning at 9am, with Mayor David Hagele taking part as a guest DJ.

During the festival, which runs from noon to 4pm, Plaza Street will serve as a “transit fair” with various alternative means of transportation, including e-bike information from Get-Away Adventures — plus 12 bikes available for test rides. Center Street, meanwhile, will be filled with booths offering plant starts and ecofriendly food, including free popsicles and “Earth Cookies” provided by many of the same bakeries that donated last year.

Algae Power

Among those booths and displays is the high school students’ contraption — four transparent, footlong PVC pipes filled with natural water and bluegreen algae. It actually harnesses enough power through photosynthesis

to charge a common cell phone. But one day, the students who built it hope to create much larger models that could provide enough electricity to run a household—much like solar panels, but potentially cheaper.

Fitzpatrick and two friends from school— sophomore Henry Herrod and junior Jac Campbell— won gold for their algae battery at the statewide SkillsUSA competition for excellence in the vocational arts, held in SoCal in early April. Their battery took the top prize in the “engineering technology/ design” category, besting more than 20 teams who had won regional competitions across California. At universities in other countries, researchers have announced in recent years that they’re experimenting with harnessing photosynthesis as a power source—a field called “biophotovoltaics.” Some, like a team at

Gaza War Protesters

➝ Demonstration, 1

kibbutz and killed some 1,200 people; they joined the movement after that date.

“I saw the horrors of the genocide that Israel was enacting on Palestinians and Gaza. I was there for the Palestinian uprisings, for Gaza’s uprisings, and experienced and saw the Israeli retaliation.” That counter-attack by Israel has killed over 34,000 people, and it continues, they said. “Since then I’ve been moving into working here in Sonoma County.”

The Target General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company, according to its website at www. gd.com. The American Friends Service Committee, at afsc.org, reports it is the country’s sixth-largest defense contractor. It originally developed the F-16 fighter jet and now makes the metal casings of the MK-80 bombs widely used by Israel in the Gaza conflict, as well as 155mm artillery shells. The current Healdsburg location, at 511 Grove St.,

YASUKO “SUZIE” BUCHIGNANI

March 9, 1945 – April, 5, 2024

asuko

Y9, 1945 in

in San Francisco in 1949

the age of 4. Growing up in San Francisco,

then took a job for Harper Robinson, import/export brokers. There, she met her husband Ken. They married in 1968, living in San Francisco, where their daughter was born. A few years later they moved to Healdsburg, Ken’s hometown.

Suzie worked in the wine industry for 30 years, retiring from Marietta Cellars in Geyserville. She was known for her love of cooking and hosting family and friend gatherings.

In her free time, she enjoyed creating art; working with watercolors and pastels. She also had a love for photography and travel. She traveled to all the western states and abroad to Japan, Italy, Germany, Greece, and Egypt.

She is survived by her husband Ken of 56 years; her daughter, Jennifer Buchignani; her grandson, Joshua Buchignani and Joshua’s father, Thomas Loos.

A Celebration of Life is planned for summer 2024. Date and time to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the local Animal Shelter.

Suzie will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Her kindness, love, and warmth will always be remembered.

Cambridge, are even using algae in particular. But the Healdsburg students haven’t found any evidence of large-scale commercial endeavors that leverage this technology. “We’re looking at scaling up,” Herrod says.

The students’ project advisor, Healdsburg High School math teacher Bernadette Calhoun, agrees that the battery pack “could be scaled up easily for much grander energy

possibilities.”

While the student team’s main sources for water and algae have been the Russian River and Fox Pond on the Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve, there’s also an unlikely third source a couple of blocks from Herrod’s house, which he and his friends use as home base to work on their battery project. It’s a mysterious urban

algae patch in the middle of the sidewalk, seemingly fed by a few leaky pipes sticking out of a retaining wall. Herrod’s dad Chris, a city councilmember, has taken to calling it “that slime pit over there on Sanns Lane.”

Speaking from the Herrod family dining room, where the table has been overtaken by scienceproject odds and ends, the councilmember adds: “I

builds “control actuation systems, which are used to guide flight trajectory of ordnance (rocket, missile)” under the Precision Systems strategic business unit, according to afsc.org.

General Dynamics has resided in Healdsburg for decades, previously as a company called Versatron in the 1500 block of Healdsburg Avenue. According to the information Sonoma County for Palestine distributed, the local facility “has acquired at least one contract in the past directly related to Israeli technology”—a border surveillance technology also in use along the U.S.-Mexico border. Calls to General Dynamics offices while the demonstration ensued were answered by a male who refused comment and hung up. The number given on the website was evidently disconnected.

Since Oct. 7, several other demonstrations have targeted General Dynamics facilities—in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Garland, Texas, among others.

The Pressure

“These are people from the community that know each other, that have worked together, that feel passionate about stopping a weapons factory, um, in Healdsburg and continuing to produce weapon parts for these massive, 2,000-pound bombs,” said Pe’er of the demonstrators and Sonoma County for Palestine.

They said they had shown up at both Santa Rosa and Petaluma city halls, and have not successfully changed any city policy through zoning or other means. Their purpose was to “really understand, like, who in Sonoma County is profiting off this genocide, who’s benefiting off this genocide.”

They made it clear the protest was “not against the workers at General Dynamics,” but against the company itself and “the people on top of the company.”

“We are frustrated that the workers at General Dynamics are being exploited to fuel this genocide, exploited to create

her best friend Margaret.

grew up in this neighborhood, and that sidewalk’s been that way for at least 40 years. I really don’t know why.”

Because they won state, the three boys will now represent California at SkillsUSA nationals in Atlanta this June—a trip which has raised some logistical questions around algae transport.

Derek Corsino, who oversees the SkillsUSA program at the high school, will be supervising and staying with the algaebattery team in Atlanta. These kids “are going to be the ones solving the big problems in the world, going forward,” Corsino says.

Climate Fest officially begins at noon in the Healdsburg Plaza, with information booths, activities for kids and grown-ups. It concludes with a concert by Rocio, La Dama de la Cumbia, beginning at 4:30pm. Additional information about Climate Fest at climateactionhealdsburg.org.

these weapons,” they said. “And ultimately, this is all a part of the ceasefire movement. So we can also call for a ceasefire.”

When asked what they hoped the protest could accomplish, they responded, “We can lobby our representatives in Healdsburg, the planning commission could zone out General Dynamics. We could put pressure on the company itself, like we’ve seen in other countries, on their defense contractors … We can put pressure on our local representatives to stop sending U.S. weapons to fund Israeli genocide.”

Jeff Kay, Healdsburg’s city manager, was well aware of the demonstration just over a block away from City Hall at 401 Grove St. He said, “First off, we support and respect the right to peacefully demonstrate and protest. We had some officers on site just to make sure everyone was safe, but otherwise made a point of

not interfering with freespeech activities.”

He added, “It is generally not legally feasible for a city to change zoning and force a business to change operations or relocate.”

It was pointed out to Pe’er that although the Healdsburg City Council held a regular meeting the previous evening, none of the protesters had shown up. “We have spent the last months working with city halls all over Sonoma County, to try and call for ceasefire resolutions. And because of that failure, that is why we’re showing up here today,” they said.

In January, the City of Cotati unanimously passed a resolution in support of an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire. It was the first and so far only Sonoma County governing body to do so.

About 10:30am, the protesters began to disperse and plan their next action. The hand drums started up again to beat the cadence of the movement.

Photos by Christian Kallen

Photos by Simone Wilson

“Suzie” Buchignani , 79, of Healdsburg, Ca. passed away on April, 5, 2024. She was born on March

Fukuoka, Japan. She arrived with her mother

at

she

Lady Greyhounds Fight for League Position

HIGH SCORES MARK BOTH WINS AND LOSSES

By Caleb Knudson

Coming on the heels of two high-scoring wins over their Redwood League rivals, the Healdsburg Greyhounds absorbed a 13-7 loss on April 11, ending a five-game winning streak in games played on their home diamond.

Sophomore Claire Berry on the mound absorbed the loss, but she did get a solo home run to help out on offense.

Sophomore Ashley Jenkins and junior

Celia Vallotton got two hits each, with Vallotton driving in a pair of runs.

But the lively game went both ways, and the Mustangs from Petaluma, led by Makayla Bignardi’s three RBIs and 11 strike-out performance as pitcher, ended up with the win. The loss to St. Vincent gave the Lady Greys a 2-1 league record, 6-5 overall, in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive softball season this spring. It followed two highscoring wins at home as Healdsburg downed Elsie Allen on April 2 by a 14-4 score, and a week later

outpointed the Santa Rosa Panthers 21-11. Healdsburg’s senior ace Laurel Heaney shut out the Lobos for four innings as the Greyhound girls built up a 12-run lead going into the fifth inning. But Heaney struggled in the fifth inning and all four of Elsie’s runs were charged to her, three of them earned. Berry came in for the save to get the final two outs. Berry also sparked the offense with two triples and two RBIs. Senior Mia Falberg, sophomore Izzy Osborn and freshman Hannah Levine-Smith also got two hits each.

The April 9 Santa Rosa game was a close one until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Lady Greyhounds exploded for 12 runs to put the game out of reach. Once again Berry tripled, driving in a pair, and two RBIs each were also logged by Fal

berg, Osborn, freshman Stevie Mitchell and junior Hannah Sellards.

Two road games this week found Healdsburg falling to Ukiah on April 15 with a taxing 16-0, and losing to Piner High the next day, 13-3. The games resulted in a 2-3 league record, 6-7 overall for the Greyhound girls.

Baseball Hounds Prove Dogged Foes

SHUTOUTS FROM HEALDSBURG PITCHERS MAURO-MANOS, COLLINS

By Caleb Knudson

Part one of the 2024 varsity baseball season is well underway, and so far the Healdsburg Hounds are putting up the wins to stay abreast of the league leaders.

As we go to press, their record is 4-4 in the North Bay Redwood league, 7-9 overall, but they managed to hand league-leading Montgomery their only loss so far, in a 7-0 shutout on the Vikings’ home diamond on April 5. Sophomore Alex Mauro-Manos went the distance for the

win, giving up three hits and striking out eight.

The win was made possible by a steady stream of runs in one- and two-run innings, on 10 hits overall. Tyler Swanson, Xander Harms and Wyatt Dugan got a pair each, with Dugan producing four RBIs in his four appearances at the plate.

Mauro-Manos turned around to toss another shutout four days later, corralling the St. Vincent Mustangs in a 6-0 win at home on April 9. The sophomore’s win-loss record is 4-2 so far this year, and he leads the team with a 0.99 earned run average (ERA). “He’s the horse,” said coach Mark Domenichelli. Of the slight sophomore, he said, “He doesn’t look

like much in his uniform, but he gets the job done.”

But Mauro-Manos is not the only ace on the squad. Austin Collins showed he had the right stuff on March 28 with his own shutout, this one a nail-biting contest that was only decided in the bottom of the ninth. Giving up only two hits over the distance, the 6-footfive-inch-tall senior kept the Piner Prospectors offbalance throughout.

For their own part, the Greyhounds offense could not produce any runs either, loading the bases twice without bringing home a run. But neither starter Anthony Cordoza nor reliever Cesar Gomez allowed any runs, until that fateful bottom of the ninth.

The inning began when Dugan reached on an error by the shortstop. After holding at first on a fly-out to center, Dugan advanced to second on a hard single to left by Xander Harms.

With runners at first and second, Henry Smith popped a grounder to second, but Piner’s Kellan Toolan blew the throw to first. Smith was safe, Harms advanced and Dugan raced home from second for the walk-off win, 1-0.

As we go to press, Healdsburg faces Kelseyville in a Division 4 game at Rec Park. That’s followed by two more non-league division

matchups, until the Santa Rosa Panthers come to town on Wednesday,

Photos by Michael

-

Photo by Michael Lucid

OUT BY CONTACT Retrieving a wild pitch, catcher Mia Falberg throws to pitcher Claire Berry (11) for the out at home in the St. Vincent-Healdsburg game. But that wasn’t enough to stop the galloping Mustangs, who won 13-7.

PREGAME Confident Healdsburg softball players are all smiles before the March 11 game against St. Vincent. From left, Claire Berry (11), Hannah Sellards (14) and Mia Falberg (5). But St. Vincent won, 13-7.

TOO LATE Healdsburg third baseman John Wallace awaits a throw from second to cut off a St. Vincent runner during the April 2 game at Rec Park. The runner was safe, but barely.

FLASHBACKS

GLIMPSES OF HISTORY CURATED FROM THE HEALDSBURG TRIBUNE

By Healdsburg Museum

100 years ago: April 24, 1924

Wine Moves East from Healdsburg

Another movement of wine from a bonded winery of the Healdsburg section under permit from the federal authorities is reported by G. Mezzasalma of the Diana Packing Company. Mr. Mezzasalma has just shipped three carloads of wine to eastern buyers and within a short time expects to make other larger shipments. He states that he will have shipped a very considerable quantity of wine before the end of June. The wine being moved has been sold in advance shipment, indicating a reawakening in the market for wine for sacramental, medical and scientific purposes. His is the second large shipment recently reported.

75 years ago: April 22, 1949

Band Concert Memberships

Gratifying Response of area residents in support of the Healdsburg Summer Events Association’s call for one dollar memberships in

the organization to help finance the summer band concerts in the Healdsburg Plaza, were termed as gratifying by one member of the group, who announced that to date more than 300 individuals have sent in membership money with subscriptions ranging from one dollar to five dollars.

Date for the first concert this year was not set at the last meeting of the Summer Events Association, but one spokesman presumed they would start early in July. Support of area residents by their subscriptions serves as an added endorsement to the popular summer concerts, a committee man said. He produced many letters commending the Summer Events Association for their work in organizing the band concerts.

50 years ago: April 18, 1974

Dam Foes See Poison Threat

Warm Springs Dam Task Force spokesmen claim that “no fishing” signs may have to be posted because

‘Relentless’ Lake Sonoma 50

Marathon Records

of mercury poisoning when the proposed project is completed. They are Dr. Ephraim Kahn, California Department of Health medical officer; and Dr Selina Bendix, environmental review officer for the City and County of San Francisco, who is a member of the state attorney general’s Task Force on Environmental Problems of the Bay Area. The proposed dam and reservoir will inundate by 130 feet an abandoned

mercury mine and Skaggs Springs geothermal area, whose hot springs are claimed to be laden with mercury compounds. Both term "insufficient, incorrect, incomplete and inadequate" the Corps of Engineers’ examination of the predictable mercury and other chemical problems connected with construction of the dam.

Dr Kahn stated, “it is most probable that fish in the Lake Sonoma project would contain levels

of mercury in their flesh far above the acceptable level.” Dr Bendix goes on to question whether levels of boron, fluoride, asbestos and mercury will render the water from the project unusable for irrigation, human drinking water, livestock watering, or fish and wildlife habitat. The Healdsburg Museum, at 221 Matheson St., is open 11am to 4pm, Thursdays through Sundays.

Course records were set in the marathon distance as well. Rod Farvard, of Mammoth Lakes, finished first in 3:14:23, cracking Coree Woltering’s 2023 record of 3:43:35. Among the women, Brittnay Charboneau, of Denver, finished first in 3:41:23, taking Jennifer Lichter’s 2023 record of 3:49:26.

just shy of Klaire Rhode’s 2023 record time of 1:46:27.

Trail Sisters also sponsored a Women’s Half Marathon on Friday, April 12. Ruby Lindquist took home the prize for the 13.1-mile race in 1:48:50,

“Course Director Skip Brand marked the course to perfection, so there was no problem for runners finding their way in the muck and wet conditions,” Lucrezi said.

Brand said more than 100 volunteers helped prepare for the race weeks prior, as well as on race day. They do it for different reasons—not just for the love of running, but for the cause. The Lake Sonoma 50, founded in 2008, is a benefit for the Vineyard Workers Scholarships Fund. “Though the conditions were unfavorable for some, the cool temps and soft footing certainly benefited others,” Lucrezi said. “I’m incredibly proud of everyone who toed the line this weekend. They showed up and fought hard, and hopefully celebrated properly … we are in Wine Country!”

➝ Muddy Course, 1

MUDRUNNER A competitor shows off his muddy shoes, legs and shirt (and a welcome bottle of wine) at the finish line of the Lake Sonoma 50 on April 13.

CROSSING Paddy O’Leary (right) and Gus Gibbs cross Warm Springs Creek during the Lake Sonoma 50 on April 13.

Photos Courtesy of Healdsburg Museum

WINE MERCHANTS Loading 50-gallon barrels of wine for shipment to the Eastern United States, circa 1915.

PLAZA MUSIC A community band concert in the Healdsburg Plaza circa 1946, with Owen Sweeten, conductor.

MINE SHAFT Everett Lampson pointing to a mercury mine tunnel at Skaggs Springs resort, March 1969.

IT ALL STARTED WITH MEXICO’S MONTEZUMA

By Pierre Ratte

Chocolate making. Gosh, not easy. Even with cheat codes on YouTube and borrowed equipment.

Reportedly it all started in Mesoamerica 4,000 years ago. In 1528, Cortez received cacao seeds from the Aztec emperor and introduced them to Spain. Spanish aristocrats mixed the seeds with honey and water. It took nearly one hundred years and the marriage of the daughter of Spain’s king to King Louis XIII of France till the French got jiggy with chocolate drinks.

Two hundred years later in 1828, a Dutch chemist, C. J. van Houten, invented a hydraulic cocoa bean press separating fats from solids. Then my main man C.J. added alkaline salts, increasing cocoa powder’s ability to mix with warm liquids. When emulsified, cocoa

powder became malleable and cooled into hardened forms. Bam—modern chocolate was born.

Fun facts: Cacao is the plant; cocoa butter and powder are by-products. The process of adding carbonates for alkalinity is called “Dutching,” now known as Dutch chocolate, dark with a mild flavor. The process of adding milk creates Swiss milk chocolate, lighter and milder still. Chocolate was mostly a hand-made specialty for well-to-do Europeans. Then Milton Hershey, America’s chocolatier with a fourth-grade education, arrived on the scene. After three unsuccessful tries as a candy maker, he succeeded in caramels. By 1894, his caramel company employed more than 1,300 workers. Despite its success, Hershey felt caramel was faddish; a better future might be had in chocolate. So, in 1900 he sold the caramel company’s three factories, machinery, formulas and inventory for

$1 million to bring Swiss milk chocolate to America. Developing his own formula and mass production process, Milton Hersey designed and built the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing plant in 1905.

The Hershey chocolate bar was developed in 1900; the Hershey chocolate kiss in 1907. In 1909, business success led to philanthropy. Hershey created and endowed a K-12 school for orphan boys. That school operates today as an elite private high school where all tuition and costs are paid.

Hershey also designed and built a model town for his workers with decent housing, jobs, cultural activities and free schooling. That town is Hershey, Pennsylvania. Little known is the fact that Hershey built a virtually identical town in Cuba for non-white employees. He also endowed a similar high school with free attendance.

DRUNK DRIVING, HIT-AND-RUN AND PILLOW THEFT

Monday, April 1

2:09am The Reporting Party (RP) indicated a possible drunk driver was near the 7-Eleven on Healdsburg Avenue. The RP observed the vehicle swerve prior to exiting Hwy 101 at Dry Creek Road and continue to swerve southbound on Healdsburg Avenue. An officer responded, but the vehicle was gone on arrival and unable to be located.

• 9:28am The RP stated that a man was slumped over the wheel of a van at Dry Creek Inn on Dry Creek Road. Officers responded. A 38-year-old (YO) man was cited and released on outstanding Sonoma County warrants regarding shoplifting, possession of marijuana while driving and misuse of vehicle registration.

9:59am Reckless driving was reported on Vine Street. Officers responded, but the vehicle was gone on arrival and unable to be located.

11:02am RP emailed the department to report that her roommate had stolen the laptop she had rented from the Healdsburg library. An officer spoke to the RP and clarified that the theft took place in Oregon. 5:14pm A subject verbally harassed and followed the RP at Foss Creek Court on West Grant Street. An officer gave advice to the RP.

11:43pm Officers contacted two people at the Healdsburg Community Center on Healdsburg Avenue. A 23-YO man was arrested and transported to county jail for carrying a loaded firearm, possession of a switchblade and violating probation.

Tuesday, April 2

10:10am The RP indicated that a person went into the RP’s office on Foss Creek Court on West Grant Street, grabbed a bunch of papers off her desk, then crumpled and threw them on the floor. The person also scratched the RP’s hand, leaving visual scratch marks. The RP was willing to press charges. Officers responded, made contact with the victim and tried to contact the suspect, who refused to open the door for officers. Officers planned to return at a later time.

11:27am Officers contacted a 39-YO man at Big John’s Market on Healdsburg Avenue. He was arrested and transported to county jail for possession of a switchblade, unlawful possession of prescription drugs, violating probation and on an outstanding Sonoma County warrant regarding trespassing.

12:59pm An employee of Gallo Winery Storage on Healdsburg Avenue reported there was a man on the property who appeared to be transient. The business wanted assistance removing the subject from the property. The subject left on a bike. An officer responded and spoke with the RP. 3:40pm A hit-and-run accident occurred on Healdsburg Avenue at Sunnyvale Drive, leaving minor scratches on the back of the RP’s vehicle. The RP did not want contact with law enforcement, but only wanted the issue documented.

Wednesday, April 3

• 11:48am Threats occurred at Healdsburg High School on Prince Avenue. The RP, the Assistant Principal, stated a student wrote a letter threatening to kill a teacher. The student also had a picture with the teacher’s tombstone.

The student was in the office and his belongings were removed from him. Officers responded and took a report.

11:58am Officers arrested a 57-YO woman at Foss Creek Court on West Grant Street for assault, assault and battery, resisting arrest and criminal threats. She was also served a Ramey Warrant on a previous case, a type of warrant granted by a judge before a prosecutor files formal charges.

12:32pm The RP, a 28YO man, spoke with an officer on the telephone and then went to the lobby of the Healdsburg Police Department on Center Street. The man was arrested and transported to county jail for burglary, receiving stolen property related to two previous cases, and on an outstanding Solano County warrant regarding driving without a license and possession of methamphetamine.

1:15pm Petty theft occurred on Grant Street. The RP indicated pillows were taken from the guest house of her property. A report was taken.

11:24pm A driver was stopped on Redwood Highway at Lytton Springs Road for violating the display-of-license-plate rules and for having a non-working tail light. A 53-YO woman was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine and violating probation.

Thursday, April 4

1:12pm Officers arrested a 27-YO woman at the L&M Motel on Healdsburg Avenue and transported her to county jail on outstanding Sonoma County and Humboldt County warrants regarding failure to appear in court, public intoxication, possession of drug paraphernalia,

disturbing the peace, vandalism and illegal use of a controlled substance.

Friday, April 5

• 1:00am The RP stated he separated a man and woman in a physical fight at Grape Leaf Inn on Johnson Street. Officers responded and arrested a 38-YO man for domestic violence. He was transported to county jail.

1:41pm Reckless driving was reported on Healdsburg Avenue at Matheson Street. The RP observed a vehicle attempting to hit another vehicle and running a red light. Officers responded but the vehicle was gone on arrival and unable to be located.

10:23pm A battery occurred on Powell Avenue at Healdsburg Avenue. Three males and two females jumped the RP’s sister after school, causing injuries. The victim knew one of the suspects. An officer met with the family and took a report.

Saturday, April 6

8:36am Graffiti was reported on Grant Street on the retaining wall.

1:11pm Officers made contact with a 48-YO man on Philip Drive regarding an earlier incident. The man was arrested and transported to county jail for theft or misappropriation of lost property, violating probation and on an outstanding Mendocino County warrant regarding violating probation. 1:55pm Grand theft occurred near Dry Creek Kitchen on Healdsburg Avenue. A bike valued at more than $950 was stolen. The owner