🧟 A downtown zombie crawl, Petaluma Pride, and Cotati Oktoberfest

Happy Friday, Sonoma County. The heat hangs on through Friday, then the weekend cools off. Halloween season is officially creeping in.

In this week's Signal:

Ballots are in the mail. Make your vote count Sonoma County. County election officials mailed ballots Monday to more than 318,000 registered voters, and yours should arrive within three to ten days. Early voting is open at the Registrar of Voters office on Brickway Boulevard in Santa Rosa, 23 drop boxes are open now, 32 vote centers start opening Oct. 24, and the registration deadline is Oct. 19 (same-day conditional registration runs through the Nov. 3 election). KSRO

"Thy Neighbor," a documentary on the Joe Rodota Trail camp. A local filmmaker, Eliza Q. Hemenway, has a new documentary that looks back at the community of 200-plus unhoused people who lived along the Joe Rodota Trail around 2020. The camp stretched between Dutton and Santa Rosa avenues and along Highway 12, and became a flashpoint for the county's homelessness debate. Bohemian

Obi Kaufmann's new California book. The Press Democrat sat down with Kaufmann about his new book, which goes inside the mind of California. He talks with Greg Sarris at Copperfield's Books in Santa Rosa on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 pm, and Eventbrite showed it almost full Thursday morning. Press Democrat ($)

Good eats: Gold Ridge Organic Farms — Note to self, go try these olive oils. One thing I loved when we visited Greece, local olive oil was big. Every family had their own trees, or sources for trees. Good olive oil makes a huge difference. This Sebastopol farm, 13,000 olive trees on a 70-acre orchard, released four organic extra-virgin olive oils in boldly colored bottles with labels by Sonoma County artist Teri Sloat. (Sonoma Magazine)

Good eats: The county's best steaks — I maybe shouldn't show this list to my son. He loves his steak. Sonoma Magazine's list runs from Wagyu splurges to weeknight steak frites, and its best of the best is Journeyman Meat Co. in Healdsburg, where $30 buys a 5-ounce butcher's-choice steak with salad. (Sonoma Magazine)

🖼️ Pumpkin Patch & Fall Festival at Beltane Ranch
Ranch-grown pumpkins, farm animals, a hay maze and sunset firepit lounges.
Friday to Sunday, 11 am–6 pm
Beltane Ranch, Glen Ellen
See more →

Blind Scream Haunted House
Friday to Sunday, 7–10 pm
Blind Scream Haunted House, Santa Rosa
Cost: $25 – $50 · See more →

🎨 ART TRAILS 2026 at the Art & Music Gallery in Petaluma
Saturday to Sunday, 10 am–5 pm
Art & Music Gallery, Petaluma
Free · See more →

🎨 See Art in Action at T Barny’s Sculpture Studio
Saturday to Sunday, 10 am–4 pm
T Barny Gallery & Sculpture Gardens, Healdsburg
See more →

🎨 Honoring Día de Muertos at Jack London State Historic Park
Ofrendas in the House of Happy Walls Museum, up through Nov. 6.
Friday to Sunday, 10 am–5 pm
Jack London State Historic Park, Glen Ellen
Cost: $15 per car · See more →

P.U.R.R. Presents: A Punk Clown Takeover, a Mutual Aid Benefit
Friday, 6–11:30 pm
Barrel Proof Lounge, Santa Rosa
Cost: $12.45 · See more →

🎶 Ross Street Sessions: Paradise Inferno
Friday, 6–9:30 pm
Ross Street, Santa Rosa
Free · See more →

📚 Robert Kolker at Copperfield's
Friday, 7–8 pm
Copperfield’s Books, Santa Rosa
Cost: $0 – $45 · See more →

🎪 SRJC Shone Farm Fall Festival
Saturday, 10 am–3 pm
SRJC Shone Farm, Forestville
See more →

🎪 Petaluma Pride Festival 2026
Saturday, 12–5 pm
Petaluma Fairgrounds, Petaluma
See more →

🎶 LUSH Halloween & Petaluma Pride After Party
Saturday, 10 pm–3 am
Flamingo Resort, Santa Rosa
Cost: $18.33 – $23.90 · See more →

🎶 Downtown Sound: Muster the Gusto opens for The Restless Sons
Saturday, 12–9:30 pm
Ross Street, Santa Rosa
See more →

🖼️ Día de Muertos Block Party at the Museum of Sonoma County
Saturday, 12–4 pm
Museum of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa
Free · See more →

🎪 Cotati Oktoberfest
Saturday, 1–5 pm
La Plaza Park, Cotati
Free · See more →

🎨 Meet the Artists: Teresa Saluzzo Reception & Open Studios
Saturday, 1–4 pm
Fulton Crossing Artisan Studios & Gallery, Fulton
Free · See more →

🎨 Second Saturday Cartoonist: Abby Rocha
Saturday, 1–3 pm
Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa
See more →

Santa Rosa Zombie Crawl
Check in at Blind Scream 5–5:30 pm for a wristband and crawl map, then start at Shady Oak Brewing and follow the route through downtown. Costumes encouraged.
Saturday, 5–11 pm
Blind Scream Haunted House, Santa Rosa · 21+
Cost: $40 · See more →

11th Annual Barn Dance
Hosted by the Active 20-30 Club of Healdsburg.
Saturday, 6–9:30 pm
Santa Rosa Moose Lodge, Santa Rosa
Cost: $39.19 – $44.52 · See more →

🍎 Harvest Fair: Red, White & Sparkle
Saturday, 6–9 pm
Grace Pavilion, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa
Cost: $103.50 · See more →

🎶 5th Annual Americana Festival
Saturday, 7:30 pm
The California Theatre, Santa Rosa
Cost: $30 – $35 · See more →

🔭 Public Star Party
Saturday, 8–11 pm
Robert Ferguson Observatory, Kenwood
Cost: $18.90 · See more →

🎪 DeLoach Vineyards Fall Harvest Festival
Sunday, 11 am–4 pm
DeLoach Vineyards, Santa Rosa
Cost: $15 – $25 · See more →

🧺 The Yard Market & Fare
Sunday, 11 am–3 pm
Walnut Park, Petaluma
Free · See more →

🍎 Healdsburg Crush
Sunday, 12–4 pm
Bacchus Landing, Healdsburg
Cost: $150 · See more →

🏈 49ers vs. Seahawks at Playbook
Sunday, 1:25 pm
Playbook, Graton Resort & Casino, Rohnert Park
See more →

🎶 La Ultima y Nos Vamos: Clave Especial, Banda Machos & Mas
Sunday, 2 pm
Petaluma Fairgrounds, Petaluma
See more →

That's the weekend. Hit reply any time with questions or suggestions, I read everything.

Can you help me out? I make this for all of us. Please forward this to a friend who'd want a weekend plan. They can sign up here.

— Ben, writing from Santa Rosa