Page 5 | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

No Kings, Flock Cameras and Family Trees

Crush

Oct 13, 2026

No Kings, Flock Cameras and Family Trees

Petaluma
Common Ground

Connecting Across Differences: Building Understanding brings together people of different faiths, backgrounds and perspectives for an afternoon devoted to dialogue, mutual understanding and shared humanity. Featured speaker Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Gaza-born Palestinian-American writer and peace advocate, draws on personal experience and his work with the Atlantic Council to explore the possibilities of understanding across deeply held differences. The afternoon opens with music by Rachel Valfer and Faisal Zedan of the Qadim Ensemble, followed by Alkhatib’s presentation and a community conversation. Organizers hope to create a welcoming space where participants can ask questions, consider unfamiliar perspectives and recognize common ground without setting aside their own convictions. 12:30pm, Sunday, Oct. 18, at Lucchesi Park Community Center, Petaluma. Free; advance registration required. bit.ly/connecting-across-differences.

Sonoma, Marin & Napa
No Kings Returns

The nationwide No Kings movement returns to the North Bay on Saturday, Oct. 17, with an added emphasis on voter registration and early voting ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Organizers are calling No Kings: Vote Early a day of nonpartisan voter participation, encouraging attendees to make voting plans, help neighbors register and return completed ballots. Gatherings are planned throughout Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties. The events combine public demonstrations with practical election information and opportunities to participate in the democratic process. Saturday, Oct. 17, at locations throughout Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties. Free. Locations, times and registration at nokings.org.

Novato
All in the Family

Presented with the Novato Historical Guild and local history museums, the fourth annual Novato Family History Day celebrates the city’s heritage and the families who helped shape it. Descendants of the Grossi dairy ranching family, the Gages of Gage Lane fame and Camilo Ynitia, original owner of Rancho Olompali, will share their stories, alongside descendants of longtime schoolteacher Lulu Sutton. Local radio personality and community organizer Dario D’Arrigo adds his family’s history to the mix. The gathering also features community organizations, free books for children courtesy of School Fuel and family history kits in English and Spanish. 10am–1pm, Saturday, Oct. 17, at Civic Green, Sherman Avenue between City Hall and the Scott House, Novato. Free. novatohistory.org.

Santa Rosa
Watchmen

The Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights hosts a community forum examining Flock cameras and automated license plate readers (ALPR), bringing together public officials, law enforcement and privacy advocates for a moderated discussion. Panelists include Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan, Rohnert Park Public Safety Director Rick Navarro and Oakland Privacy researcher Mike Katz-Lacabe, alongside city councilmembers from Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Sebastopol. The gathering offers residents an opportunity to hear different perspectives on surveillance technology, public safety and privacy, with questions accepted in advance or during public comment. Spanish interpretation will be provided, and a Zoom option is available for those who prefer to participate remotely. 6pm, Monday, Oct. 19, at Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Saralee & Richard’s Barn Room, 1350 Bennett Valley Rd., Santa Rosa. RSVP, Zoom access and questions: lnk.bio/socoflockforum.

Here & There: Clean Copy, Coast to Coast

Open Mic

Suzanne Michel

Oct 13, 2026

Here & There: Clean Copy, Coast to Coast

Returning to Wine Country brought a wave of déjà vu—but this time everything familiar felt unexpected.

Two years ago, I described the feeling of visiting a place that seems so recognizable but yet one has never been. And then just recently, on a subsequent trip from my home on the East Coast back to Sonoma County, I was afforded a second taste of that homecoming feeling.

While experiencing another sense of déjà vu, this time I became aware of aspects I never knew before about the region and fell in love with it all over again.

One afternoon, while at a wine tasting with friends, I learned that there are 1,368 varieties of grapes used for commercial winemaking, a fact I had never stumbled across in print. Having discovered a taste for pinot noir on my last visit, I expanded my wine repertoire this time by comparing pinot across various labels.

It felt like the most natural experience in the world to work on a North Bay magazine while physically in the North Bay. But perhaps the most surreal moment of my stay came when I discovered a pile of one of our publications, the Bohemian, on a table in a hotel lobby. I felt compelled to share with the person behind the front desk that I had never actually seen a stack in the wild.

On my last visit to the area, there were extreme temperature changes throughout the day, and this time was no exception. Having packed a giant suitcase full of clothing ideal for any situation, I was well prepared for temps in the 50s in the morning and 90s in the afternoon.

In my travels, I noted Mount Saint Helena’s commanding presence in the distance. I enjoyed seeing profusions of Japanese anemone and lavender up close, thriving in the Mediterranean climate.

I survived my second hilly e-bike ride through the Dry Creek Valley, in 95-degree heat but thankfully very low humidity. Having been told that very few planes land in the Healdsburg airport, I was fortunate to witness a small plane coming in for a landing as I pedaled below.

It was with mixed emotions that I stepped off Bay Area soil to board an airplane in San Francisco, homeward bound. At home the next night, I turned on the TV, only to discover a new travel show, with an episode featuring North Bay oysters, wine and cheese. Right then, I resigned myself to living vicariously until my next trip westward.

A voracious reader, Suzanne Michel is the copy editor of the North Bay Bohemian and Pacific Sun.

Free Will Astrology, Oct. 14-20

Astrology

Rob Brezsny

Oct 13, 2026

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Before Aries-born Maya Angelou became a celebrated author, she was San Francisco’s first Black female streetcar conductor, a calypso dancer, a cook, a journalist in Ghana and an actress. She didn’t publish her first memoir until she was 41. She spoke six languages and refused to believe that any single identity could contain her. I offer her as your role model in the coming weeks, Aries. It’s time to celebrate the wondrous truth that you don’t have to be just one thing. In fact, the astrological omens suggest you’ll thrive by rejoicing in the many disparate selves you are and have been and imagining new ones you might like to add. How kaleidoscopic do you dare to be?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Here’s a hypothesis worth entertaining: You don’t fully know everything you want. Not yet. Not at the core, where desire isn’t well-behaved but turns wild and intense. Your fluency with surface desire can sometimes keep you from excavating the mysteries that live below it. The familiar longings override the stranger, stronger ones that haven’t found their bearings. So there are aspects of your primal yearnings that remain unexamined, simply because they require a particular stillness and courage to unearth completely. The good news: Now is an unusually favorable time to go looking.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Is your mental agility a gift or curse? It depends on whether you use it to avoid taking a stand or else deepen your understanding. In the coming weeks, Gemini, I hope you will practice the cagey skill of holding multiple truths simultaneously without letting that multiplicity become an excuse for never choosing or never committing. The goal is to encourage your magnificent mind to serve your heart rather than to override its tender wisdom. I love it when you unleash your clever analysis and it doesn’t devolve into sophisticated evasion.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Astronomers searching for planets around distant stars rarely see the planets directly. Instead, they notice tiny wobbles in the stars or faint dips in their brightness as the planets pass in front of them. You can and should practice a similar art now. Dramatic evidence may be unavailable, so watch for subtle shifts in mood, timing, synchronicity and atmosphere. Small disturbances may reveal important hidden influences. Your most useful discoveries won’t come from looking harder but from noticing more gently.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Glassblowers repeatedly place molten glass into blazing furnaces as they shape it. They don’t heat it once and expect it to stay pliable forever. Again and again, they return it to the fire so new possibilities become available. This reminds me of the current chapter of your life story, Leo. Emotional intensity keeps recurring, repeatedly returning you to the heart of the heat and pressure. This may sometimes feel like a test or ordeal, but I think it’s the best way for you to master the crucial lessons and ensure the healing transformations. Be patient as you forge your masterpiece.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Master storytellers know that memorable heroes are admired because they continue moving despite uncertainty. Courage entails a resilient and affectionate partnership with doubt. I hope you’ll remember this if your confidence temporarily flickers in the coming weeks. There’s no need to waste precious energy trying to eliminate every hesitation before taking your next meaningful step. Let your questions accompany your convictions. They may sharpen your judgment. The coming weeks favor brave, thoughtful action, not flawless self-assurance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One morning soon, I predict you will open your inner eyes as well as your outer eyes and discover that you feel freer than you have in ages. Old specters that once pestered you will seem strangely powerless. Worn-out customs will have loosened their hold, and an ancient obligation will finally be settled. By some grace that neither you nor I can quite explain, at least some of the chains you fashioned in your own mind will have fallen away. What then? Celebrate. Host a personal “Out of Captivity” party, and give yourself a day or two to revel in your newfound liberty. Once you’re ready to make purposeful use of that delightful independence, ask yourself: “Where in my life do I most need a clean beginning?”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Not so long ago, you got hints and clues that you were on the verge of getting a taste of tantalizing and off-limits treats. Weren’t you ready to accept when the invitation suddenly dissolved? And by now, haven’t you nearly stopped expecting to enjoy another chance? Then imagine your surprise if that temptation winds its way back to you soon. When you finally take a bite, it may taste and feel nothing like you anticipated. The wisest move will be to let go of your old assumptions and welcome the experience as it is. My prediction: You’ll be delightedly surprised by how deeply and sweetly it alters the way you understand reality—even if at first it feels disorienting.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your upcoming challenges call to mind a feat once accomplished by conservationist and entertainer Steve Irwin. No, you won’t, as he did, feed a huge crocodile by hand while holding an infant in your other arm. But you may need to bring together qualities that seem at odds: fierceness and tenderness, a wild spirit and a protective instinct, boldness and love. Luckily, I am very sure you will summon the power and flair to do that.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ecologists have found that transition zones, like where forests meet meadows or where land meets water, can support high biodiversity. They may include species from both neighboring habitats as well as species adapted to the distinctive conditions in the boundary zone. I propose we make these places your power metaphor for the coming weeks, Capricorn. You, too, can flourish in edge habitats. Instead of feeling compelled to choose one identity, community, philosophy or style, appreciate your role as a translator between worlds. Your greatest gifts may emerge because you refuse to belong exclusively to any single camp. Revel in your fertile in-between-ness.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): After pondering what might bring fresh vigor to your love life, I’ve arrived at an audacious suggestion: Offer a smoldering prayer while making love to a saintly soul in a place you regard as sacred. If that combination proves impractical, try just one or two parts of it: Pray wildly during an intimate encounter; flirt with or even seduce a person of uncommon goodness; kiss and hug and cuddle in a setting that feels holy to you; or speak to the divine in a titillating language you wouldn’t use in a formal religious service. The point is to let sensual delight and spiritual longing meet rather than keeping them apart.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You sometimes regard pleasure like a reward you have to earn through suffering, as if joy were a luxury item requiring payment in pain. But I have an alternate theory: Relaxed glee and earthy enjoyments are essential nutrients that are key to your health. So in my view, denying yourself beauty and comfort depletes you. I hope you will heed my guidance in the coming weeks, which is to treat yourself to almost more fun, happiness, bliss and amusement than is allowed by law. See if you can break all previous records for rejuvenating delectation. New law of your universe, at least for the next four weeks: The quest for jovial gusto and zesty zeal are mandatory aspirations.

Homework: I dare you to do something that you’ll remember with pride and passion until the end of your days. https://tinyurl.com/v55v55

Count on It: Evelyn Mendez Puts SoCo Elections on Public View

Daedalus Howell

Oct 6, 2026

Count on It: Evelyn Mendez Puts SoCo Elections on Public View

Democracy, like sausage, is something people routinely suggest we’d rather not see being made. Evelyn Mendez, Sonoma County’s registrar of voters, expects to see some noses up against the window.

Mendez is preparing for the Nov. 3 general election with an invitation to watch her department work. The new office has a public viewing area where visitors can follow ballots through processing. Mendez compares it to a hospital nursery. Except these bundles of joy arrive in envelopes and occasionally need their signatures checked rather than their diapers.

“Everything related to the election, you can watch the entire process,” Mendez says.

During a recent “Civics 101” interview on The Drive 95.5 FM, Mendez brought a welcome measure of professional confidence to a subject that lately seems designed to produce a national anxiety disorder. Questions about postal delivery, ballot security and whether our votes actually count have become part of the electoral atmosphere. Her response is to explain the work and let people see it.

Mendez became the county’s first standalone registrar last year, following its separation of election administration from the elected clerk-recorder-assessor’s office. The Board of Supervisors created the department to eliminate the inherent conflict of an elected official overseeing elections.

Her career began in 1996, after graduating from Sacramento State, when a friend mentioned a job at the California Secretary of State’s office. Three decades and more than 110 elections later, her experience includes managing election programs for the state of California and serving as a division manager in Santa Clara County. For Sonoma County, she oversees about 22 permanent staff members, with additional workers joining during elections.

For November, the immediate concern is getting ballots into the right hands before the deadlines. Mendez emphasizes the difference between a postal collection box and an official ballot drop box. Two county employees retrieve ballots from the latter, with locks and tamper seals protecting the process. Their neon yellow vests identify them.

“It’s business as usual in our office when it comes to elections. Everything is being run the same way it was run in June,” Mendez says.

Postal delivery operates outside her department’s control. She encourages voters to use an official drop box or vote center. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10. Personally delivered ballots are due by 8pm on Election Day.

Then comes the work many of us never considered while congratulating ourselves on our “I Voted” stickers.

“Human eyes look at every single one of those envelopes. They’re comparing it against the signature we have on file,” Mendez explains.

Discrepancies receive further review by managers and supervisors. A voter’s handwriting can change significantly over time, something her team is trained to account for. The envelope is separated from the ballot before counting, preserving ballot secrecy. Voters who forget to sign or whose signatures don’t match have an opportunity to correct the problem through “curing” (but not in the way of prosciutto). The actual process helps eligible votes count and takes time, something worth remembering when election-night impatience kicks in.

Ballots go out the week of Oct. 5, when early voting also begins at the registrar’s office, 3880 Brickway Blvd., Suite 200, Santa Rosa. Locations and hours are at SoCoVotes.com; California’s Where’s My Ballot service provides tracking.

“I like that we get to make a difference,” says Mendez.

To register to vote, visit registertovote.ca.gov.

‘Thy Neighbor’: Local Filmmaker Explores Unhoused Issues in New Doc

Don R. Lewis

Oct 6, 2026

‘Thy Neighbor’: Local Filmmaker Explores Unhoused Issues in New Doc

The 200-plus population of unhoused people who set up their community on Santa Rosa’s Joe Rodota Trail (JRT) between Dutton and Santa Rosa avenues and along Highway 12 in and around 2020 provided not only a flashpoint for the myriad issues surrounding the unhoused but also highlighted the complex nature of the situation.

Local filmmaker Eliza Q. Hemenway documented the situation and created the documentary, Thy Neighbor, which will be showing in Sonoma County for the first time at 7pm, Thursday, Oct 15, at the Sebastiani Theater, 476 1st St. E., Sonoma. A matinee showing screens at 2pm, Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Santa Rosa Junior College Student Activities Center, 1501 Mendocino Ave. Hemenway will be present for a Q&A at both screenings.

When asked what inspired Hemenway to take a leap into documenting a cross-section of people who have been deeply misunderstood and relegated to the fringes of society, she says, “I was living in Sebastopol, and driving along the JRT, [and] I felt compelled to do something to help. It was the cold and rainy season, on the heels of the Kincade fire. I couldn’t imagine what people living on the trail were going through, and I wanted to do something concrete to help, but I wasn’t sure what.”

From there, Hemenway says she “attended a community meeting, and as folks went around the circle with the various gifts, talents and resources they could provide, I decided to use my experience as a doc filmmaker to bear witness.”

The community coming together to help the unhoused who took up residence along the trail is how Thy Neighbor opens, with a long take of a community volunteer pulling a wagon down the muddy trail, offering soup and tea to the residents. This sets the scene for the heart of the film, which is the many people who stepped in to help where they could.

However, the scene comes to an end as local law enforcement are shown walking the trail en masse in the opposite direction, a clear directorial nod to the impending community blow-up. Locals already know how this part of the story ends, as the trail was cleared in spring 2024.

Annie Falandes has been an advocate for the unhoused in Sonoma Valley for more than 10 years. She founded Homeless Action Sonoma and built the Home and Safe Village in Boyes Hot Springs. Currently, she leads the Angel Project, a small advocacy group focused on supporting chronically, mentally ill unhoused individuals who have few to no options for permanent housing.

She says the situation on the JRT is “a microcosm of the larger crisis. With over 2,000 unhoused individuals in Sonoma County, the trail makes the issue visible—and when people are visible, they can no longer be ignored. While some see them as a disruption, for advocates they represent a vital mission. The upcoming film offers an opportunity to build empathy across different perspectives and spark the community-led dialogue needed to drive real change.”

Thy Neighbor utilizes a “fly-on-the-wall” style wherein Hemenway isn’t on camera and instead uses this tool to capture moments, some sad, others touching. Then there’s the anger from local residents who let their frustrations get the best of them at local supervisor meetings.

The result is a near-perfect encapsulation of the issues facing how we in Sonoma County as well as those beyond address how we treat some of our most vulnerable neighbors. In terms of this, Hemenway notes, “What I think was unique about the JRT was that what was hidden became visible, and we all, as a community, had to not only look but respond.”

Heneway has since moved out of Sonoma County, and as most people who have seen the film will ask, she is unsure what has become of the residents who we get to know in the film. She says, “I have wondered how several people from the trail are doing now, and am hopeful they will be able to attend one of the screenings. We specifically chose the SRJC afternoon screening, pay what you can, to make it as accessible as possible to our unhoused neighbors.”

For more information on Hemenway and her work, visit hemenwayproductions.com.

Dark Lady: ‘Emilia’ at SRJC

Caitlin Strom-Martin

Oct 6, 2026

A woman’s story always feels timeless and timely, no matter the era, because the experience of women is so intertwined in its universality.

Thus Emilia, currently running in the Studio Theatre in the Santa Rosa Junior College’s Burbank Auditorium through Oct. 10, is a powerful play that has a high relatability factor for a female audience.

It’s a historical ode to Emilia Bassano, a poetess and Elizabethan courtier, who may or may not have been Shakespeare’s muse and subject of his “dark lady” sonnets.

Under the direction of Emily Hansen, an all-female and female-identifying cast, sometimes tentatively, sometimes confidently, tackles this gorgeous script by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm. Theater seems to be awash in self-aware homages, memory plays and, in the worst cases, bad fan-fiction scripts that blend real historical events and people with very modern circumstances and language. Emilia is a self-aware memory play homage, but it is not bad fan-fiction.

The ensemble is wonderfully diverse and features riveting work by Gina Alvarado as Lady Mary Clifford. The cast of up-and-coming student actors is under the tutelage of a gifted performer here and will hopefully benefit from watching her at work. Mercedes Murphy, as the older version of Emilia (three performers play the character at different stages of life), has a strong closing denouement for the audience, and handles it well.

Other notable work is done by Liliana Vera and Jeremias Castillo as the younger and mid-life versions of Emilia, and both performers have solid moments. Vera shows lovely defiance as the child Emilia, and her energy carries the first act. Castillo started off strong but lost a lot of vocal power as the second act progressed.

The production values at SRJC have always been high, and that quality is showcased in this production by the simply stunning costumes by Reynalda Cruz. Set designer Jem Kriegler Allen makes use of projections but doesn’t go overboard. The lighting design by Sarah Sherod is mainly effective except for a few distracting moments in the second act.

Some of director Hansen’s blocking choices don’t always keep the action flowing smoothly and make the actors work harder to keep our attention.

While there were hiccups, I don’t feel like an opening night performance is often the absolute strongest representation of a production’s potential. I think this show will only grow in power and punch throughout its relatively short run as the company gains more confidence.

‘Emilia’ runs Wed–Sun through Oct. 10 in the Frank Chong Studio Theatre in Santa Rosa Junior College’s Burbank Auditorium, 1501 Mendocino Ave. Wed–Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $12–$25. 707.527.4307. theatrearts.santarosa.edu.

Burger Bash: Bay Area Burger Week Back on the Menu

Daedalus Howell

Oct 6, 2026

Burger Bash: Bay Area Burger Week Back on the Menu

At some point, the hamburger evolved from the urschleim of sandwichdom and became its own beast.

If we are to believe that John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, popularized the notion of eating meat between paired slices of bread in the mid-18th century, we may squint and also see the nascent beginnings of what would eventually become the burger.

But in the centuries that followed, the burger has so outpaced its ancestry that can we really call it a sandwich anymore? Clearly it’s speciated into a new creature entirely—it has vast restaurant chains devoted to it and dominates American culinary culture. Meanwhile, there’s a sandwich in a plastic triangle in an airport somewhere wondering what went wrong.

With Bay Area Burger Week running Oct. 7–18, it’s no longer time to consider whether the hamburger has achieved thingness—it certainly has, despite what New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance thinks. The venerable institution classifies hamburgers as sandwiches, but it also considers burritos, hot dogs and even buttered bagels the same. And they’re wrong.

I propose a separate classification: the genus Meatus betweenus buns. This is Latin-ish for precisely how it reads (if you say it out loud, it sounds like a Harry Potter spell). What’s the difference between “hamburger” and “ground beef?” The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is glad we asked. Simply put, “Beef fat may be added to ‘hamburger,’ but not ‘ground beef.’” A maximum of 30% fat is allowed in either hamburger or ground beef, and both hamburger and ground beef can have seasonings, but no added water, phosphates, extenders or binders can be added. Duly noted.

So consider Burger Week an opportunity for field research. Visit an old favorite. Investigate a new joint. No matter how one defines a burger, the only question that should be in one’s mind in its presence is, “You want fries with that?”

Bay Area Burger Week

Oct. 7–18. For specials and more information, visit bayareaburgerweek.com.

Sonoma and Napa Counties

Ausiello’s 5th Street Grill
609 5th St., Santa Rosa
707.579.9408
Ausiellos5thStreetGrill.com

This 8-ounce Western Burger rocks a half-pound patty, bacon, cheddar, onion rings and housemade bbq sauce for $15—no spurs necessary.

Ausiello’s Homeslice
5755 Mountain Hawk Dr., Suite 102, Santa Rosa
707.595.3923
AusiellosHomeslice.com

The $15 Eastbound Smash Burger stacks two smashed patties with crispy bacon, cheddar, crispy onions and housemade barbecue sauce. Bring an appetite and perhaps a few extra napkins.

Beer Baron Whiskey Bar & Kitchen
614 4th St., Santa Rosa
707.412.9386
BeerBaronSR.com

The venerable Beer Baron offers up its own title offering—the Baron Burger, featuring a grass-fed ground angus beef patty with brioche bun, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle on the side for $15. Meanwhile, the Western Burger, a grass-fed angus beef patty with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, bacon and bbq sauce, topped with onion rings, can be lassoed for $16. And for $20, a Burger + Beer + Shot starts with a classic Baron Burger, followed by a pint of draft beer and a shot of bourbon or tequila.

The Burrow
22 Matheson St., Healdsburg
707.955.0132
TheBurrowHb.com

The Burrow doubles down with two burgers, each featuring two smashed grass-fed patties. The $22 Burrow Burger comes with cheddar, housemade pickles, lettuce, onions and garlic aioli. The $24 Umami Burger turns up the savory with Gruyère, Duncan’s mushrooms, caramelized onions and truffle aioli. Fries accompany both, as civilized society demands.

Fogbelt Brewing Company
1305 Cleveland Ave., Suite A, Santa Rosa
707.978.3400
FogbeltBrewing.com

Check website for Burger Week promotion details (not available at press time).

Iron & Vine Restaurant, Bar & Events
3330 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa
707.852.1171
Instagram.com/IronAndVineBennettValley

Three $18 specials take the burger on a little culinary vacation. Le Burger Royale features a pepper crust, caramelized onions, Swiss, arugula, demi-glace and Dijonnaise. The Bushido Burger pairs an ebi katsu patty with sesame slaw, Bulldog sauce and yuzu kosho aioli. The Luau Burger brings kalua pork, pepper Jack, jalapeño slaw and pineapple gastrique to the party.

Super Duper Burgers
3900 Bel Aire Plaza D, Napa
707.415.9219
SuperDuperBurgers.com

The B.E.C. Burger brings breakfast energy to Burger Week: a quarter-pound Brandt beef patty topped with bacon, an organic fried egg, cheddar, Super sauce, lettuce, tomato and onions. A double-patty option accommodates those with bigger plans for lunch. Prices may vary by location; call for more info.

Hometown Legacy: Heidi von der Mehden Takes the Reins

Food & Drink

Amber Turpin

Oct 6, 2026

Hometown Legacy: Heidi von der Mehden Takes the Reins

Heidi von der Mehden, winemaker for Merry Edwards Winery, calls Santa Rosa her hometown.

After leaving for college and the Peace Corps, she came back to Sonoma County in 2000 and began her career in wine, steadily advancing through Kenwood Vineyards, Mauritson Winery and Arrowood Winery. At Arrowood, she took over as winemaker following Richard Arrowood’s departure.

In 2015, Merry Edwards brought von der Mehden on as associate winemaker. Over the next several years, the two worked side by side. And as the 2018 harvest got underway, Edwards announced that von der Mehden would take the reins as winemaker, making her the second person in the winery’s history to hold the title.

Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work?

Heidi von der Mehden: I grew up in Santa Rosa right in the middle of Wine Country, so wine was always part of the landscape around me. After earning a degree in chemistry at Santa Clara University, I spent time in the Peace Corps teaching chemistry in Tanzania.

When I came back home, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. My father suggested putting my science background to work in the wine business, so I gave it a try and quickly fell in love with it. Being able to do that in Sonoma County, where I grew up, makes it especially meaningful.

Did you ever have an ‘aha’ moment with a certain beverage? If so, tell us about it.

I don’t think I ever had one singular ‘aha’ moment. Instead, I’ve had many small moments over the years that have helped me feel grounded and confident in my profession. Seeing how a wine evolves over time reminds me how much there is to learn… There’s always another vintage or vineyard that can teach you something.

What is your favorite thing to drink at home?

My beverage choice always depends on the weather and what I’m eating. I love our sauvignon blanc with fresh Dungeness crab, and sparkling wine with raw oysters is hard to beat. When the weather turns cold, I lean toward fuller-bodied red wines like a Moon Mountain Cab or Merry Edwards Pinot Noir.

Where do you like to go out for a drink?

I’m a working mom with two elementary-school-age boys, so going out for drinks usually means going to a friend’s or family member’s house. Some of my favorite wine experiences happen that way, around a kitchen table, with good food and conversation. My brother is also in the wine industry—he’s an accountant—so there’s usually a good bottle of wine to share when our family gets together.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you want to be drinking (besides fresh water)?

Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs Champagne. I love the freshness and elegance.

Merry Edwards Winery, 2959 Hwy. 116 N., Sebastopol, 707.823.7466, merryedwards.com.

The Saint Rose Disco: Micah Perrin of Sounds Good Sonoma

Locals

Cincinnatus Hibbard

Oct 6, 2026

The Saint Rose Disco: Micah Perrin of Sounds Good Sonoma

Explaining his work and his role as DJ of the function, Micah Perrin, the Saint Rose Disco, says, “I’m the curator of the vibe.”

To him, DJing is a type of non-verbal communication. The dance floor “speaks” and he attentively listens, booming forth his reply with sub and speaker. “It’s call and response; it’s serve and return,” he says. And in his own words, “empathy” is the most valuable quality he brings to the conversation.

I would add a strong desire to please and give pleasure and a certain capacity for self-abnegation in service of his role. Though possessed of good taste and strong opinion (which receive free play in the events he produces), Perrin—aka Saint Rose Disco—is not the modern kind of “festival DJ” that needs the audience to face the stage and abase themselves before his rock idol. Though a young man, he’s old-school. He wants dancers to face each other and connect with each other (by dancing in time to his grooves).

“If I could, I would operate behind a curtain like the great Oz,” he notes.

Bringing reluctant wallflowers off the wall and watching dancers lose themselves in the music are his favorite things to see (communicated from the dance floor to his shadowed DJ booth).

Concinnatus Hibbard: Your metaphor of ‘nonverbal communication’ explains the difference between DJing and crafting a fixed playlist. You would no more bring a playlist to a dance than a composed speech to a conversation. How many hours of music would you bring to a four-hour gig?

Saint Rose Disco: I might arrive with perhaps 10 hours of music prepared, ready to distill, and a loose flow in mind—from small talk and foreplay to peak. But I have the capacity to get more [online].

That sounds like a lot of prep.

There is a lot of pre-party visualization. I sort through songs, labeling by key, and adding notes to song titles about what it makes me feel, or what might prompt me to play it like ‘sexy female vocal,’ ‘melancholia,’ ‘super funky baseline.’

It’s sort of in the name, but what are your favorite genres?

Disco and house music. One grew from the other. But I will always have a deep love and affection for hip-hop and R&B. All those genres have their roots in soul and funk music… It’s important for me to acknowledge and honor a debt to Black music, root and branch. To me, it’s something akin to a land acknowledgement.

I see you recently launched Sounds Good Sonoma to distinguish your discos from your client-focused private events—weddings and corporate. What’s your approach to weddings?

Well, there are two clients—and a hundred or more guests. So the goal is to find the music that represents their guests, while showcasing the couple’s favorite music. It’s a collaborative process that I really enjoy. Getting to know the clients and co-curating the music and the energy that flows along with the theme of a day that celebrates their love. It’s not an opportunity that I take lightly.

You booked 16 weddings this season. It must be refreshing to cut loose with an Alien Disco. What should alien babes and disco studs expect from your set this Oct. 23 at Barrel Proof [in Santa Rosa]?

I’m a big sci-fi nerd. And I love a focused theme party. I’m ready looking forward to digging into the spectrum of disco to house music for what feels alien-like or space-like, or feels futuristic. Not neglecting feelings of nostalgia.

Learn more: Contact Micah Perrin on instagram @saintrosedisco and @soundsgoodsonoma. Alien Disco tickets are at AlienDisco.eventbrite.com.