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HEALDSBURGTRIBUNE.COM
O U R 1 6 0T H Y E A R
NO 49
DECEMBER 4, 2025
Council stands firm on limited Plaza events ● Healdsburg Arts Festival, Crush among those excluded from greener pastures Photo by Michael Lucid
Running on an empty stomach Those early morning runs are just better when they are done for a good cause, like raising money for the Drew Esquivel Scholarship Fund. Read about the race and who made it happen in the article below.
Turkey Trot brings out the winners ● Over $100,000 raised for scholarships By Suzanne Esquivel The 14th Annual Healdsburg Turkey Trot was hosted by the Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise, which partners with Healdsburg Running Compa-
ny and the City of Healdsburg. Each partner is essential to the event’s success. We sold out Wednesday morning at 3,500 trotters, but 4,000 (including babies in strollers and dogs) participated in total with “pirate bibs” being distributed Wednesday and Thursday morning for a $25 donation. Finances are being finalized, but I can safely estimate that over $100,000 was raised for the Drew Esquivel Memorial Scholarship Fund and other Healdsburg nonprofit organizations focusing on Healdsburg’s families and stu-
dents. A dozen Drew Scholars participated in the trot and volunteered. Our mottos were on full display: “Having Fun Doing Good” and “Living Like Drew.” Sunrise Rotary Club thanks the volunteers from the Healdsburg High School Interact Club, Healdsburg High School Wrestling, Healdsburg Community Church, the crew from Healdsburg Running Company, Boy Scouts Troop 21 and Girl Scouts Troop 10278. We appreciate our event sponsors: Big John’s Market, — More on page 3
By Christian Kallen Despite persistent questions if not challenges to the new Foley Family Community Pavilion framework, the full City Council agreed with the city staff presentation about levels of events in the city—and the city’s participation in them. More specifically, the “Phase 1” use of the Community Pavilion in city events was outlined, explored and finally agreed upon at this week’s council meeting. As decided last year, the city had set up a hierarchy of “events” around the degree of the City’s participation. Those include “signature” City of Healdsburg events, Sponsored or Collaborator. The concept of “Signature Events” has been introduced to define those that can continue to use the Healds-
burg Plaza—a city-owned park in the heart of town—as the event location. Signature Events are those that have been authorized by the City Council for use of the Healdsburg Plaza, according to the Community Services Department. That’s the takeaway of this week’s meeting: an insistence on use of the Community Pavilion, and a denial of the Plaza location to any other event than a select few. These “Signature” events are Merry Healdsburg (coincidentally, Friday of this week); Dia de Muertos (usually in late October); the Fourth of July Celebration including the Parade & Duck Dash (early July); Tuesdays in the Plaza (from May to August); and Sundays in the Plaza (June and July). — More on page 8