Hey, friends. Happy Juneteenth to all. It’s been about a week since we last talked, and boy has it been a big one — filled with sweeping protests and deportation mayhem and shocker after shocker on the national (and international) news stage. Hard to stomach it all, really. So let’s use today’s newsletter to focus on what’s happening right in front of us, here in our small-but-major town of Healdsburg, shall we? Things like:

• Why Fitch Mountain looked like a smokestack yesterday

• The historic weekend protest that took over the roundabout

• What local city and nonprofit leaders are doing to make Healdsburg a safer place for immigrants

• The plan for Fourth of July here in town

• When our main river beach will open to swimmers

• And more to know as a member of this community 💪

BUT FIRST, HOW’S THE WEATHER?

After a couple days of pretty intense heat, the forecast is promising some reprieve over the weekend: Looks like Healdsburg will be sliding into summer with a string of pleasantly warm and breezy days in the 70s and low 80s. Temps are then expected get back to the upper 80s next week. Of course, with the land as dry as it is, this looks a whole lot like wildfire weather, so stay alert. Here’s the full National Weather Service forecast:

• Today ☀️ Sunny and windy. High 82° Low 50°

• Tomorrow ☀️ Sunny and windy again. High 75° Low 47°

• Saturday ☀️ More sun, more wind. High 78° Low 50°

• Sunday ☀️ Sunny. High 82° Low 51°

• Monday ☀️ Still sunny. High 85° Low 51°

• Tuesday ☀️ Sun, sun, sun. High 85° Low 52°

• Wednesday ☀️ Same deal! High 87° Low 52°

You might also have noticed some serious smoke in the air during this week’s mini heat wave. As you’ve probably figured out by now, it was coming from two different sanctioned burns here in town: one on 22 acres in the “foothills above the Fitch Mountain Villa Commons” near Sunnyvale Drive, and a second on 18 acres of Fitch Mountain itself, along the “upper slopes.” Officials from the Healdsburg Fire Department, the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire spent days spreading the word beforehand, reassuring the public that they had done “hundreds of hours of site preparation” to ensure the flames wouldn’t get out of control. Still, come burn day on Tuesday and Wednesday, the smoke plumes were so up close and freaky looking that the City of Healdsburg had to send out a Nixle alert on the first afternoon and another the next morning, telling everyone not to panic. “There is no danger to the city,” the alerts said. Also: “These prescribed fires are key tools in our wildfire mitigation strategy. We appreciate the continued support from our local and state fire partners as we work together to keep Healdsburg wildfire-ready.”

As for the second fire atop Fitch Mountain yesterday: Neighborhood reps from the Northern Sonoma County chapter of the COPE group — which stands for Communities Organized to Prepare for Emergencies — were there at the burn, and said it felt quite historic. They wrote on Facebook afterward: “As far as we know, there hasn’t been fire on the mountain for 150 years. It may be that the local indigenous people were the last to put fire on the ground. The purpose of the burn today was to reduce fuel load and restore the health to the native plants. We had a Pomo person on site to offer a blessing and to educate us about the importance of not just focusing on the flames but the plants, how they are burning and what their role is in the environment. It was a special day!”

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Now enrolling for fall — infant care coming soon!

Looking for the right local preschool to care for your child and help them grow? Little Lambs Preschool at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on University Street is one of the highest-quality, most affordable and best bilingual options in town. The school’s mission is to inspire children both in mind and spirit — through individualized attention, hands-on and play-based projects, kindergarten prep and positive praise in a gentle and fun Christian environment. Little Lambs currently accepts children 2-6 years old and offers half-day and full-day programs. (Infant care is also coming soon; stay tuned for the details.) You can learn more about enrollment and rates on the school’s website. And we recommend you arrange an in-person visit to experience the warm, loving and cozy environment at this hidden-gem Healdsburg preschool to see if it’s the right place for your family. Call (707) 433-5779 or email [email protected] to set up a tour today. (License #493005003)

AIR OVER HEALDSBURG

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