That was the year that was,” sang Tom Lehrer—a line that now reads less like commentary than accounting. Lehrer, who died in 2025, spent his career paying close attention to how systems behave under pressure. It’s a useful posture for looking back at a year in Sonoma and Napa counties where culture, policy and daily life continued to intersect in public view.
The North Bay Bohemian’s 2025 reflects a year of persistence. Art continued. Institutions evolved. And people kept showing up.
January opened with the performing arts returning to regular operation. “Lights Up: North Bay Theater Companies Raise Curtains on 2025” surveyed stages across the region reopening seasons, announcing casts and committing to schedules. The emphasis was practical: rehearsal space secured, tickets on sale, shows moving forward.
February brought national policy closer to home. “Deportation on the Menu” followed the effects of immigration enforcement through Wine Country kitchens, farms and hotels, tracing how labor shortages altered daily operations and strained businesses built on invisible work. The reporting grounded the issue in lived consequences rather than rhetoric.
Water emerged as a central concern that same month. “Historic Pact Signed Re: SoCo’s Main Water Source” documented an agreement shaping the future of the Russian River watershed. The story focused on negotiations, allocations and long-term planning, outlining decisions that will affect the region for decades.
Spring coverage turned toward craft and process. “The Art of Making” examined a documentary series centered on artisans and builders, following the steps of work done by hand. The piece stayed close to the materials and methods, showing how objects are made and why those skills continue to matter.
In May, the paper slowed its pace. “The Keeper” offered a personal account of family history and survival, placing memory and inheritance alongside the year’s larger civic stories. The piece stood on its own, rooted in experience rather than argument.
Summer expanded the map. “Summertime and the Living Is Easy” tracked free outdoor movie nights held in parks, airports and public spaces across Sonoma County. Screens went up. People brought chairs. The events drew neighbors who might not otherwise share a room.
July brought music into focus. Coverage of “Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven at Petaluma Music Festival” traced the band’s long career and its continued draw, noting a crowd that spanned generations. The reporting stayed with the facts: the set list, the turnout, the staying power.
That same month, “Party at the Mall” documented Slick Bridge’s transformation of a vacant shopping center into a working arts space. Studios replaced storefronts. Artists moved in. The piece followed how the project took shape and who made it happen.
August closed the summer with action. “Activists Fast for Sanctuary” reported on a hunger strike undertaken in support of immigrant protections, detailing the participants, their demands and the public response. The story stayed with the facts of the protest and its stakes.
Taken together, the North Bay Bohemian’s coverage of 2025 records a year shaped by action and adjustment across the region. Cultural life continued. Public decisions carried weight. People responded in visible ways.
That was the year that was.
