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DOWNTOWN AND DEPOT LOCATIONS DISCUSSED FOR SMART
Healdsburg, California Healdsburg, California
August 24, 2023 Date, Date, 20202020
RESIDENTS TO REVIEW STATION OPTIONS IN UPCOMING COMMUNITY MEETING By Christian Kallen
Photo by Christian Kallen
The Healdsburg City Council met on Monday night to discuss an issue that many thought had been decided long ago: where to locate a SMART passenger boarding station in town. The choices were whether to choose between two downtown locations just a few minutes’ walk from the Plaza, or stick with the former Northwestern Pacific Depot on Hudson Street— in a residential neighborhood that would be a bit farther walk to the downtown businesses. Each location had its pros and cons, and each its supporters, but the decision remains several months off: A community meeting will be planned to gain wider input, and further council meetings are expected as well. SMART—the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit district—has long included Healdsburg among its planned destinations, as well as a northernmost depot in Cloverdale. The transportation district struggled to gain ridership and grow its footprint over the past decade. With the arrival of Eddy Cumins as the new general manager in January 2022, it has been successful in fundraising through grants and government funds. Latest among these was the June 28 award from the California Transportation Commission of $30 million toward completing the rail system and bicycle/pedestrian pathway extension to Windsor— an award that also enables SMART to begin engineering and construction of critical segments of the
SLUSH SISTERS Kali Douglass, a long-time employee of Amy's Wicked Slush, looks to owner Amy Covin (right) during a break in a busy lunch-hour at the original Healdsburg location. The slush and ice cream shop is set to close at the end of the Labor Day weekend, on Sept. 4.
Amy’s Wicked Slush to Close Memorial Beach Shop DESTINATION FOR SUMMER ICED TREATS BROUGHT A BIT OF BOSTON TO HEALDSBURG By Christian Kallen
Amy Covin, who parlayed a life-long affection for Boston-style “slush”—a fruity ice confection with drizzles, sprinkles and playful attitude—into a Healdsburg dessert destination, announced over the weekend that she would be closing the flagship shop in early September. “I think we outgrew this facility the day before we opened in 2017,” said Covin in a social media post on Aug. 19. “There are some serious infrastructure issues that make it too difficult and too expensive to keep this location open.” To judge by the eager lunch-time crowd of
children, parents and pets, the Memorial Beach location isn’t closing due to any lack of popularity—it’s got five solid stars with a slew of eager endorsements on Yelp—and the foot traffic only lets up when the sun goes down, and sometimes not even then. So it’s a safe bet that folks will be eagerly lining up from now until the last day of Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 4, to savor the flavorful icy sweetness of the diner’s offerings—the signature Slush, the softserve Straus Dairy ice cream and the mixture of the two called the Split. Although the business at 13840 Healdsburg Ave., just across the street from Veterans Memorial Beach Regional Park, was put on the market earlier this year, it has yet to find a buyer. Still, there’s a slim possibility that it will find one before the end of the
month and remain open— perhaps changing the name, perhaps changing the business and perhaps not. “But whether they do or not doesn’t change that it’s time for me,” said Covin, during a brief lull in the mid-week lunch trade. “It’s a little heart-breaking and a little bittersweet, but I’m also kind of looking forward to not going through this every day.” There were only two people working the lunch hour, Kali Douglass and Covin herself, and it was hectic, with clusters of thirsty/hungry friends and relations milling about the porch, comparing their treats. Said Covin, “We’re normally better staffed, but this time of year when everybody’s going back to school…”
Leaving an Impact
Without a doubt, Amy’s Wicked Slush has had an impact on Healdsburg. As
the site of a river canoe rental operation formerly run by Lolly Mercer (Russian River Canoe and Kayak, now just down the road next to the river itself ), it hasn’t been a sleepy location for years. But Amy’s Wicked Slush became so popular they had to hand out flags to patrons crossing the often-busy avenue to get speeding, distracted drivers to slow down. About the name? Well, back east “wicked” is an adjective of emphasis, like “very” or “cool.” (A handy east-west lexicon is on the businesses website at amyswickedslush.com, including not just wicked/ very, but tonic/soda pop, dungarees/jeans, rotary/ roundabout.) Unsurprisingly, Covin is from Boston, or nearby at any rate. “I always say I’m from the north end, but I just say it because no one’s ever heard of where I’m from, a tiny little town
called Everett. And in Everett there’s a little slush shop right on a big parkway that I grew up around the corner from. I grew up on that stuff and loved it,” she said. “When I went back east on that family reunion, I couldn’t believe they were still in business, after 40 years out of town,” Covin recalled. Indeed, Richie’s Slush on the Revere Beach Parkway claims 67 years in business. “It was every bit as good as I could remember,” she said. Back on the West Coast, “I had some problems in my office; I had an employee that got addicted to drugs, and my home had burned down, and my office was in my home. This was 2014. I think I was just ready to make a change,” she said. So she “jumped off the roof ” and decided to open a slush business in her adopted town of Healdsburg. ➝ Wicked Slush, 4
Cumbia, as she styles herself, is a Los Angelesbased performer who has been singing professionally since 1994, and recording since 1999. Cumbia is a folkloric music and dance with its origins in Colombia; Rocio herself was born in Guatemala. She helped party Healdsburg out of the pandemic with the first Tuesday in the Plaza in June of 2021, and joined the celebration during last year’s Merry Healdsburg affair in December. “They actually learned some holiday music for us, in addition to providing some of their standard music for that concert as well,” remembered the city’s recreation supervisor, Matt Milde. “Their shows are filled with excitement and vitality, making them a fantastic choice to conclude this year’s Tuesdays in the Plaza concert series,” said
Milde. “We are excited to have Rocio return to Healdsburg.” Marcy Flores, the interim executive director of Corazón Healdsburg, said, “Our team worked with the community services team to make this a successful and fun event.” She too singled out the value that Rocio would bring to the final week of Tuesdays in the Plaza. “Rocio brings her bi-lingual, high-energy talent to close out this year’s concert series, so mark your calendars for a great evening of singing, dancing and community,” Flores suggested. In addition to the presence of Rocio, La Dama de la Cumbia, and Su Sonora band, the Tuesday night gathering will include an intermission performance by Ballet Folklorico Yolotl. The group was the recent ➝ Final Tuesday, 4
➝ SMART, 8
‘MARTES EN LA PLAZA’ ENDS WEEKLY CELEBRATIONS Photo courtesy of Rocio La Dama de La Cumbia/Facebook
LA DAMA Rocio, who bills herself as ‘La Dama de la Cumbia’ (the Queen of Cumbia), returns to the Healdsburg Plaza on Aug. 29.
LATIN FLAVORS SATURATE AUG. 29 FINAL TUESDAY Staff Report
After a season of diverse musical performers at Healdsburg’s Tuesday in the Plaza concerts, the city doubled down with a Latino-focused finale, featuring the return of Rocio y Su Sonora, a Ballet Folklorico interlude and free giveaway of shopping bags—bilingual, of course. Rocio La Dama de La