👻 A Ghostbusters street in Petaluma and your Halloween weekend plan

Hello Neighbors,

Happy Monday. Halloween is almost here, and we have some events to get you ready: a Charlie Brown trick-or-treat at the Schulz on Monday, trunk-or-treats Tuesday and Thursday.

In this week's Signal:

Missing-ballot worries. Vote early and make sure you vote, Sonoma County! If your ballot hasn't arrived, the county says there's no sign of lost mail batches or interference: Registrar Evelyn Mendez says most calls trace to minor delays, address changes or ballots misplaced at home, and the Postal Service reports no election-mail backlog in the region. Call the registrar or get a replacement at a vote center; seven opened Saturday and 25 more open this weekend. KSRO

Día de los Muertos around the county. The holiday is Nov. 1 and 2, and Sonoma Magazine rounded up where to mark it, from Windsor Town Green on Saturday to Monte Rio and the Sonoma Community Center on Sunday. Windsor's free celebration runs 3–7 pm on Oct. 31 with mariachi, a lowrider show and a procession; the Sonoma Community Center's 17th annual evening lights its community altar at 6:30 pm on Nov. 1. Sonoma Magazine

Bohemian Best Of ballot. The Bohemian's readers' ballot is open, so you can vote for the people, places and pleasures that make the North Bay feel like home. Thousands of readers vote every year, and the results become the paper's annual Best of the North Bay issue. If there is someone or something you treasure, go cast your vote to let others know and pay it forward. Bohemian

Still open: A&M BBQ, Sebastopol — This is a great time to support a loved local BBQ spot. The city council voted unanimously to shut down its two outdoor industrial smokers, but the restaurant is staying open while it looks for an off-site place to smoke, so the menu may be limited for now. (KSRO)

Now rolling: Pushpak Wine Country Tours, Healdsburg — Have friends visiting? This looks to be a great way to show off a Sonoma County wine experience. Open-air electric-vehicle wine tours with local history between tasting stops, now based at Bacchus Landing. (Bohemian)

Good eats: Petaluma's 22 best restaurants — I love what Petaluma is doing downtown, and they have some good eats. Sonoma Magazine ate its way through the city, from Old Caz's Hot Pot pizza to Bijou's $55 three-course locals' dinner on Mondays. (Sonoma Magazine)

Chocolate Day: Sonoma County's best chocolate — National Chocolate Day is Wednesday, and Sonoma Magazine's picks include Fleur Sauvage, one of several makers on Windsor's "Chocolate Block." One of our local favorites, Steinhouse, is on the list (I know we're talking chocolate, but I just had a salad with walnut oil and whiskey vinegar from them as I'm drafting this). (Sonoma Magazine)

Don't miss this! It's free and it'll get you ready for Halloween.

Every October, the neighbors on one Petaluma cul-de-sac turn their street into a walk-through Halloween set, and this year it's a Ghostbusters theme. Stranger Court on Amethyst Court is built by friends and neighbors, plus volunteers; nobody was hired. You don't have to live on the street to join the crew. Plans for this year's build call for a Stay Puft at the end of the court, Slimer over the balconies and Ecto-1 parked in a driveway.

It's open every night through Sunday, Nov. 1, from sundown to 10 pm, and it's free to walk through. Donations go toward next October's build. This is the street's third year: 2024 opened the Gate to the Upside Down, and 2025 built Starcourt Mall. See more →

🖼️ Museum Mondays for Little Ones: Trick-or-Treat, Charlie Brown!
Monday, 10 am–12 pm
Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa
See more →

🥾 Full Moon Hike at Sugarloaf
Monday, 4–7:45 pm
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Kenwood
Cost: $5 – $10 · See more →

Blue Muse Full Moon Sound Healing
Monday, 6–8 pm
Laguna Lab, Sebastopol
Cost: $39.19 · See more →

📚 Science Buzz Cafe: The Neurology of Aging
Neurologist Dr. Allan L. Bernstein on aging beyond the brain.
Monday, 6–7:30 pm
HopMonk, Sebastopol
Cost: $10 · See more →

🎶 Paul Thorn, solo, at The Big Easy
An intimate solo set benefiting Global Healing.
Monday, 7:30 pm
The Big Easy, Petaluma
Cost: $65 · See more →

🧺 East Side Farmers Market
Tuesday, 9:30 am–1:30 pm
Lucchessi Park, Petaluma
See more →

🖼️ Trunk or Treat & Fall Festival
Food vendors, games, bounce house, face painting and more.
Tuesday, 5–7 pm
Quest Forward High School, Santa Rosa
See more →

🍎 Wizards of Elixirs Cocktail Competition
Tuesday, 6:30–8:30 pm
Brewsters Beer Garden, Petaluma
Cost: $40 – $65 · See more →

🎶 The Bridge City Sinners at the Mystic
Tuesday, 8:30 pm
Mystic Theatre & Music Hall, Petaluma
Cost: $37.18 · See more →

🎬 Movie Night: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Wednesday, 7–9 pm
Russian River Brewing Company, Windsor
Free · See more →

🎲 Trivia Night at Ausiello's
Wednesday, 7–9 pm
Ausiello's 5th St Grill, Santa Rosa
See more →

🖼️ Boo Bash at Montgomery Village
Free airbrush tattoos and activities with the Children's Museum of Sonoma County.
Thursday, 3:30–6 pm
Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa
Free · See more →

🖼️ Santa Rosa Police Department's Trunk-or-Treat
Visit approximately 35 creatively decorated trunks, with a Halloween scavenger hunt and animals for the kids.
Thursday, 4–8 pm
Sonoma County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa
See more →

HALLOWEIRD
Advance tickets recommended; this event is expected to sell out.
Thursday, 6 pm
El Infierno Cantina, Santa Rosa
Cost: $25 – $337.98 · See more →

🎭 Flynn Creek Circus: The Cricket & the Wren
Opening night of a run through Sunday, under the big top.
Thursday, 7 pm
Sebastopol Grange Hall, Sebastopol
Cost: $27 – $153 · See more →

🎭 Sweeney Todd
Thursday, 7:30–10:30 pm
The Raven Performing Arts Theater, Healdsburg
Cost: $44 · See more →

🎤 Don't Tell Santa Rosa at Vintage Space
Thursday, 8 pm
Vintage Space at The Flamingo Resort, Santa Rosa
Cost: $27 · See more →

Plan ahead for Halloween. Some of these events need tickets or a reservation:

Want more Halloween? Read the Halloween guide if you are looking for even more. I just updated it →

Have a safe, fun Halloween, and hit reply if I missed something good in your neighborhood. I read everything.

— Ben, writing from Santa Rosa