Page 43 - Sonoma County Gazette 3-19

Glad the recent flooding wasn’t too bad. It seems Monte Rio has taken over Cazadero as the second rainiest place in Sonoma after Venado. Now it’s time to move on to Spring and new beginnings!
Hey groovy Guerneville! I hope everyone was able to get their property cleaned up after our little flood on Valentine’s Day; what is it with Mother Nature and Valentine’s Day on the River, anyways? We are very thankful to have our March sunshine and blossoms upon us now!
There have been a lot of changes recently on the food front. Winter
is always hard on local restaurants and many have closed or changed hands. Chef Patrick was one of my favorites and unfortunately is permanently closed. Dave Blomster has renovated and reopened Pat’s, minus the bar, for breakfast and lunch and it’s looking good. 3 Alarm Grill is reportedly changing hands with Crista taking over. She is unstoppable!
The Guerneville Regional Library really has a LOT of groovy stuff happening! Every Saturday from 1-2pm is Read to a Dog....what a brilliant idea! This program is where beginning readers, read to a therapy dog, to help those reluctant readers gain confidence and improve their reading skills. Also, don’t forget that every Wednesday there is free Homework Help from 3:30- 5:30 for grades K-12 at the library as well. On Wednesday the 9th, The Global Guitar Summit with Matthew Montfort & Friends will be on hand from
Trio is also changing hands. Paul and Alain, our local team gurus, have taken over the restaurant and bar at Village Inn. The new “Rio Bistro” at Village Inn will open March 9th for brunch, lunch, and dinner serving comfort food and libations Thursday through Sunday, with expanded hours coming in May. The Rio Café will remain open serving Thursday through Sunday noon until 7pm. They will also be expanding their incredible ice cream selection. We are so fortunate to have Paul, Alain, and their team here.
3-4 pm. These instrumentalists are known for their stunningly rhythmic live shows that simultaneously feature subtle, elegant, melodic aspects of World Music. Really looking forward to this! For more information and the full schedule of available classes including Yoga, 3-D printing, Coding, Website Development and more, go to www.sonomalibrary.org.
At the Highland Dell Herb reports that starting March 1st they’ll be open Friday and Saturday for dinner 5-9pm. Starting Memorial Weekend they’ll be open 5 nights a week for dinner (closed on Wed & Thu) until Sep. 30th and then will be open Friday & Saturdays until Christmas. The restaurant will be closed several Saturdays between May and September for wedding events, so call ahead for reservations.
The first Wednesday of every month at Guerneville School,
Upon recommendations from others, I recently tried Lightwave Coffee & Kitchen at the Skateboard Park. The owners, Ori and Gal Ginzburg, were recently married in January. They are great folks and the food is a welcome addition to our town. The ShakShuka is fantastic. ShakShuka is a North African Middle Eastern egg dish that is very popular in Israel. It is vegetarian and gluten free as are many of their menu selections. I highly recommend you trying it if you haven’t already. Lightwave Coffee & Kitchen is open 8am to 5pm every day.
parents are invited to have Coffee with the Principal at 8 am in the school office. This is a great way to learn more about the school programs, curriculum and events at our local school. And don’t forget, (I’m sure the kids won’t let you) that Spring Break is March 18-22nd! While we are on the subject of school,
El Molino Project Grad is having a fundraiser on Saturday, March 9th at the Sebastopol Masonic Hall. Your $20 ticket includes a Pasta Feed and live music by Who’s Your Daddy! There will be raffle prizes, beer, wine and a dessert auction, donated by Culinary. 5-9pm; tickets available at Eventbrite. Whether you have children or not, these fundraisers are a lot of fun and you get to enjoy interacting with your community, eat yummy food and maybe win some prizes!
For some after dinner entertainment head over to Curtain Call Theater for Spike Heels, March 1-23. The play is about women’s issues in the workplace. Curtaincallrussianriver.com
Oh, and prizes, prizes, prizes there will be, raffled at Heidi Allen’s Shenanigans Fundraiser, which will be held on Tuesday, March 5th at Main Street Bistro...this fundraiser is to support Heidi’s medical and rehabilitation recovery after a horrible car accident. There will be live music, comedy and yes, a raffle from 6:30-11:30. All donations are welcome!
Wonderland Radio Hour is back April Saturday 13th, when the spotlight will be turned on Monte Rio and Villa Grande. The project is seeking your input. You can send ideas via the website wonderlandradiohour.com on the “contact us” tab or join your neighbors at the Community Center at 4:30 on March
Wednesday the 6th is the Russian River Chamber of Commerce
Mixer which will be held at Big Bottom Market from 6-8pm. This is your opportunity to mingle and converse with your local business owners while enjoying delicious eats and sips, compliments of Michael Volpatt, Donna Prowse and the fabulous crew at BBM! And don’t forget that Spring is just around the corner, so go online to Eventbrite and purchase your Russian River Chamber of Commerce Spring Fling tickets, which will be held on April
27th from 1-4! There will be an abundance of menu samplings from our local restaurants along with wine tastings.
4 before the regularly scheduled Friends of Monte Rio Supper Club. The Supper Club will feature Chef Bree Ann Leighton serving a Middle Eastern menu with music to be announced. Friendsofmonterio.org
Need help with issues you have been unable to get resolved? Have any ideas or suggestions for the betterment of our neighborhoods? Email me or post your thoughts on Nextdoor.
Saving the best news for last, it appears the Pink is finally on its way back! Thank you Tom!
Have you all had the chance to enjoy Chef Helena’s, Baked on the River? Oh my goodness her desserts just melt in your mouth!! Open for Breakfast
and Lunch, Thursday–Sunday until 3pm. 17071 Hwy 116 just East of Old Caz Rd/Ferrell Gas. Delicious pastries, breakfast sandwiches, espresso and much more!! I hear the Onion Soup is fabulous and the menu offers both Vegan and Gluten Free items. Here is just a little tease of some of her creations we enjoyed at a recent event:
Vacation Wonderland, we just keep getting better.
We have been waiting so long for a local bakery!
In wrapping up, I would like to say congratulations to Susan J. Packer, Zephyr/formerly Frank Howard Allen Real Estate! Hard to believe you actually retired!! After 43 years of dedication to and representing the River Area, we celebrate and thank you, my groovy friend!! I’m sure we will see Susan kayaking on the river or skiing down a mountain top, but she will truly be missed by the local “Real Estate Community”.
Have groovy news to share? Email me at rudometkinbeth1@gmail.com or come by and see me at my Pinnacle Capital Mortgage office, located at 16190 Main Street Ste C in beautiful, downtown Guerneville!
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