Hello there, fair townspeople. Again I find myself back here in your inbox, as the sun sets on another stupid-pretty spring day in Healdsburg, with the express mission of giving you a peek through the glittering kaleidoscope that is our community calendar this May. We’ve got dinners, shows, games, runs, tours, sales, classes — plus loads of other local get-togethers — all packed into a single list, for your scheduling leisure. Among the many options:
Healdsburg Lumber’s yearly vendor fair and customer love day
Multiple trips to Healdsburg’s new public pavilion… for farmers markets, a Latino night festival and a SMART train party
Some great bands in town, including a ’90s alt-rock cover band
Floral workshops to help you prep for two critical holidays: Mother’s Day and high school prom
Three new plays to catch at the Raven, Heartizens and The 222
A big horse show kicking off our 77th annual Future Farmers parade and fair… and a volunteer fair setup day at Rec Park
Which of the fancy “Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience” dinners, tastings and concerts are discounted for locals
And every other fun local event in between 💫
But before we get into all that, I have a very important correction to share! Some of you might have noticed that in yesterday’s newsletter, I made the very embarrassing mistake of announcing last year’s “Tuesdays in the Plaza” band lineup as if it was this year’s schedule. (And if you’re wondering how that happened — basically, an old Facebook thread about the 2025 lineup resurfaced recently in the “Beverly Healdsburg” group, and I didn’t notice the year. Which is no excuse, but yeah, that’s my story.) Giant facepalm over here! Thanks to everyone who alerted me to the error, and apologies for any confusion I caused.
Oh and BTW, I did just ask Healdsburg city spokesman Ray Holley when we can expect the ACTUAL lineup to drop for the 2026 series, which will kick off the last Tuesday of May. He said: “As of this afternoon, the bands have been invited and most of the performance agreements are complete. Paperwork is flying back and forth by email and when we get the last few agreements signed, sealed and delivered, we will release the full line-up. It could be as soon as this Friday, but not a guarantee.” Guess we’ll just keep refreshing the city’s event page til then… 🤪
To set the mood while we wait for the new lineup to drop, here are a couple of my favorite pics that Healdsburg photographer Tenay Macmillan took at last year’s “Tuesdays in the Plaza” concert series — aka, our town’s No. 1 favorite way to party outdoors during the warm and sunny months. These particular scenes are from a rousing tropical cumbia set by La Luz Roja de Beto Campillo on July 8, 2025. And that’s our former mayor, Brigette Mansell, with her hands up in the bottom pic. A classic “Tuesdays” stance! (Photos: Tenay Creative)
And once you’ve pardoned me for my big Healdsburg faux pas of 2026... I’d love if you could keep sending this newsletter around to anyone else who you think might dig it, so we can get the whole town on board. Just text your people this link to subscribe, or forward them this very email you’re reading. Thanks, everybody — it’s great to be human on Earth with you all right now. 🫶
AIR OVER HEALDSBURG
Behold… tonight’s technicolor sunset over Healdsburg. 🍭 (Photo: Holly Wilson)
ON THE CALENDAR
Featured event (from my sponsor!)
Groundbreaking ceremony for the new Healdsburg extension of the SMART train at the Foley Family Community Pavilion (Fri, May 8, 1-3pm)
It’s been around 70 years since a passenger train last passed through Healdsburg — but the SMART train plans to break our dry spell in 2028, when Healdsburg’s old Hudson Street train station reopens for service. And this coming Friday, from 1-3pm on the afternoon of May 8, we’re all invited to come celebrate the official start of the construction process with a groundbreaking ceremony at the new Foley Family Community Pavilion on North Street. This will also be your first chance to hop on the SMART merch train! Attendees will enjoy “complimentary refreshments, commemorative T-shirts and swag,” say the folks at SMART. RSVP here. (Image: SMART)
Thursday, May 7
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