Page 34 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2017

Welcome HOME: Sometimes it takes being away to make you appreciate home more. After five days in LA working on an upcoming film and another four at Comic-con in San Diego, Healdsburg and her serenity was a welcome beacon.
Keeping Our Driving Past AND Our Driving Future Present!
Remember your rst car? With savings from her babysitting and odd jobs, Californian Reece bought a 1941 Plymouth Coupe (the fondly remembered “Betsy”) when both were 16. Ex- NYer Carol, who’s only
a few years younger
than Reece, bought her rst car 17 years later:
a 1974 Chevy Nova (at
8 mpg the names Carol and her spouse, Roz, called this otherwise
ne car can’t be repeated!)
History of Tourtism in Healdsburg: There is a lot of opinion-making about tourism right now. Whatever your thoughts, head to the Healdsburg Museum for the latest exhibit on the history of tourism in our small town. Tourism is nothing new whether it be city folks to the cooling Russian River in the early 20th century or wine lovers to the area in the early 21st century.
While it can be frustrating not to find parking, this is not always an issue of out of town visitors. It can make you crazy and weekends are definitely a but painful, but tourists are only part of the problem. Visitors bring money and jobs to the area and we have to learn to grow with demand and, in many ways, embrace it.
Businesses that have been here for decades still struggle in the off season and tourism helps small businesses to thrive. Attracting visitors year round is probably the best solution but there will always be times when we feel the discomfort of too many people. Opinions are a great communication tool but we should all try to use them as a tool and not a weapon. You may cringe at the sight of a tourist but your neighbor may welcome the same tourist with open arms.
At 7p.m. Friday, September 8th, we’ll cruise back to the past along with car (and good times!), loving friends, neighbors and visitors waving and cheering as the fabled 24th Annual Cloverdale Car and Motorcycle Show kicks o with its incomparable “Cruise” of classics down Cloverdale Boulevard featuring
an amazing range of memory-provoking restorations, from digni ed family sedans to lowriders bebopping along. All followed by great music, food, wine, crafts, family fun and more at Friday Night Live in the Plaza and at local restaurants and businesses.
And there is no lack of activities for us natives! The Tuesday night Music on the Plaza is thriving and a quick look around will show these concert goers are locals and they are loving it. A new Sunday program expands the fun but you are sure to see a few out-of-towners, which is a great time to get to know someone new!
As I write this, I am looking forward to the first Art After Dark on the fourth Friday of the next three months. Local artists in all media will be showcased
as well as local food and wine. Cloverdale is giving Healdsburg a fun for its Friday night fun with their wildly popular Friday Music Nights so Healdsburg is fighting back. Hope to see you at the next two fourth Friday Art After Dark events.
Saturday, the 9th, starts at 8 a.m. with the traditional Pancake Breakfast at the Cloverdale Senior Center. Then it’s time to stroll back into the past along Cloverdale Blvd. while marveling at the display of 100s of classic cars, trucks and motorcycles – some dating back before most of us were born. Talking with the classics’ owners you soon realize how much they love them. Just like so many of us love our rst car. Reece occasionally spots another “Betsy”, while even Carol admits to sighing over a Nova. Oh, the memories! (For more information: Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce; 707-894-4470.)
Early Grape harvest? These hot days have been tough on many people but grapes are thriving and harvest is sure to be early and invigorating. Whites and reds will be fighting for tank space and this is a time when I, for one, am continually impressed with the hard work in the vineyards, the skills of the winemakers, the nerves of the growers and the project management in the winery. These are days with little sleep and lots of camaraderie. I find the way everyone, from the grape pickers to the winery owners, comes together as a cohesive and hard-working unit is the most impressive facet of crush. Always amazing.
ENJOY the Glory of Our Home. Please follow the Healdsburg Chamber, the Alexander Valley Film Society, the different AVAs and your favorite wineries for all of the late summer and early fall activities. And enjoy Healdsburg for all of her facets and be happy such a place exists. As I tell me friends in LA, you don’t have to live in this city of traffic and stress. I have seen the other side and I am staying!
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We talked with Carol’s neighbor, Carol Young, who with husband Don realized about three years ago that they wanted to nd something fun that they could do together. What started as a brief comment from a friend turned into a passion for them both: classic cars and car shows! Each weekend from early May to mid-October, the Youngs travel throughout Northern California showing their classic cars – a 1956 Chevy and a 1971 Camero – both of which deservedly won a rst in their class award in the 2015 Cloverdale show.
The couple has made friends with the same interest through the Cloverdale Roadrunners Club, which Carol Young fondly describes as the “local car club with a small town feel”, especially since the Car Show (which the Roadrunners and the Chamber partner to put on) raises money for the community, including our high school’s vocational programs. (For more information on the Club plus cool photos and videos of recent Car Shows: cloverdaleroadrunners.com)
And what of our driving future? Want to own the cars of the future? Save on gas? Reduce greenhouse gases and quit producing smog? As more and more charging stations pop up in our city, county, and throughout the country, more and more drivers are considering an electric vehicle (EV). Here’s your opportunity to learn more and save substantial money on your purchase! On Friday, August 11th, Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) brings its successful Drive EverGreen incentive program to their booth on Cloverdale Boulevard during Friday Night Live. On August 8th, SCP launches its second year of incentives that make it possible for Sonoma and Mendocino County residents to enjoy marked savings from local dealers on EV purchases of: Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul, BMWi3, VW eGolf, Ford Focus Electric, Mercedes Benz B, Chevy Bolt, Chevy Volt or a Kia Optima Hybrid. Possible additional incentives are available through the State and North Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District.
So come to Cloverdale during the last days of summer to rediscover our driving past and explore our driving future!