🪗 Cotati Accordion Fest, the Fair's last weekend

Time to bring in the weekend, Santa Rosa.

In this week's Signal:

Russian River Valley tourism is booming. Outfitters along the river report sales more than 40% higher than last year, with staycationers and new visitors flocking to Guerneville for affordable lodging and river floating. Chamber leaders credit creative marketing and social media buzz for keeping the region's economy thriving despite broader economic anxiety. KSRO

Santa Rosa couple builds an air-quality app. Jason Curtis and Jennifer Nunn's new app, Canairy, gives North Bay residents a single daily check on air quality, tracking wildfire smoke, pollen, and exhaust in one place. The idea is to turn a seasonal guessing game into a quick morning habit. Bohemian

Sonoma County wine industry enters its fifth year of decline. Vineyard sales, consolidations, layoffs, and unsold grapes rotting on the vine have piled up since the region's 45-year run following 1976's "Judgment of Paris." Falling real estate values and a wave of retirements, bankruptcies, and closures show no signs of turning around. Bohemian

Deputy Sheriffs' union fined $11,000. California's campaign finance watchdog penalized the Sonoma County Deputy Sheriffs' Association for failing to properly identify itself on signs, mailers, and digital ads during its 2020 campaign against Measure P. The union also missed reporting deadlines for more than $100,000 in campaign contributions and expenditures in the race's final weeks. KSRO

New: Ross Street Series — Don't miss this, it looks like a super fun community event. I love that we're closing off the east end of Ross Street, Fridays and Saturdays, 6–9:30 pm, and Sundays, 12–4 pm, through October, anchored by SoCo Market, Cooperage Brewing, Flagship Taproom, The Lost Church, and The California Theatre. (Downtown Santa Rosa)

Now open: Taste Petaluma — I envy what Petaluma has done with their downtown. Now there is a new collective tasting room at 120 Washington St. in downtown Petaluma that consolidates Barber Cellars wines, Barber Lee Spirits, the Petaluma Cheese Shop, and Nightcap Dessert Bar under one roof. (Sonoma Magazine)

Reopened: Baci Cafe & Wine Bar — the 16-year-old Healdsburg restaurant reopened July 29 after $500K+ in repairs from an SUV that crashed 40 feet into the dining room over Memorial Day weekend, with 500 people showing up on reopening day. (Sonoma Magazine)

🎪 The Sonoma County Fair
Monday–Sunday, 10 am–10 pm
Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa
Cost: $13 – $75 · See more →

🎪 Cotati Accordion Festival
Saturday–Sunday, 9:30 am–8 pm
Cotati Hub, La Plaza Park, Cotati
Cost: $23.00 – $27.00 · See more →

🎭 Broadway Under the Stars: Mamma Mia!
Friday–Sunday, 7–10 pm
Sonoma Valley Field of Dreams, Sonoma
Cost: $35 – $175 · See more →

🎭 Extended Run: Who Will Dance with Pancho Villa?
Friday & Saturday, 7:30–9:30 pm · Sunday, 2–4 pm
The Raven Performing Arts Theater, Healdsburg
Cost: $10 – $25 · See more →

🥾 Free guided walks through Armstrong Redwoods
Saturday–Sunday, 11 am–12 pm
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, Guerneville
See more →

🥾 Hearts FORE Children: CASA Golf Classic
Friday, 12–6 pm
Windsor Golf Club, Windsor
Cost: $185 · See more →

🎪 Hat Day at the Fair: "Hats Around The World"
Fundraiser for the Sonoma County Fair Scholarship Fund, 15 years running.
Friday, 1–4 pm
Sonoma County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa
Cost: $115.00 · See more →

🧺 The SoCo Market
Friday, 5–9 pm
Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa
Free · See more →

🧺 Party on the Plaza & Farmer's Market, Rohnert Park
Friday, 5:30 pm
Rohnert Park Community Center, Rohnert Park
See more →

🎪 Cloverdale Friday Night Live Street Fair
Friday, 6–9:30 pm
Downtown Cloverdale Plaza, Cloverdale
See more →

🎭 Forbidden Kiss LIVE: Leather & Lace
Burlesque, comedy sketches, hip-hop, and ukulele in one vaudeville variety show.
Friday, 7:30–9:30 pm
The California Theatre, Santa Rosa
Cost: $20 – $30 · See more →

🎤 Friday Night Comedy: Allison Hooker
Friday, 7:30–9 pm
Barrel Proof Lounge, Santa Rosa
See more →

🎬 Movies in the Park: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Friday, 8–10 pm
Howarth Memorial Park, Santa Rosa
See more →

🥾 Hike: Sugarloaf's Trees, from the Oaks to the Redwoods
Saturday, 9 am–12 pm
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Kenwood
Cost: $5 – $12 · See more →

🥾 Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Workday
Saturday, 9 am–12 pm
Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, Santa Rosa
See more →

🥾 Creek Cleanup on the Greenway
Saturday, 10 am–12 pm
Olive Park Footbridge, Santa Rosa
See more →

🎪 Montgomery High School Alumni Foundation Car Show
Saturday, 10:30 am–2:30 pm
Montgomery High School, Santa Rosa
Free · See more →

🎪 Our True Nature Festival
Live music, guided hikes, art, and dinner on the Bohemian Highway.
Saturday, 11 am–10 pm
West County Nature Preserve, Occidental
Cost: $25.00 – $110.00 · See more →

🍎 Pranzo di Ferragosto
Five-course Italian meal on the patio, benefiting the NBICF Scholarship Fund.
Saturday, 12–4 pm
D'Argenzio Winery, Santa Rosa
Cost: $85 · See more →

🍎 Pizza & Pinot, live music and artisan pop-up
Saturday, 5:30–8 pm
Cornerstone Sonoma, Sonoma
Free · See more →

🎤 STANDPROV
Stand-up meets improv in one show.
Saturday, 7 pm
Barrel Proof Lounge, Santa Rosa
See more →

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

🧺 Reverie and Roots, Windsor Certified Farmers Market
Sunday, 9 am–12:30 pm
Windsor Certified Farmers Market, Windsor
See more →

🥾 Boating at the Barn on the Petaluma River
Sunday, 10 am–1 pm
David Yearsley River Heritage Center, Petaluma
Free · See more →

🧺 Santa Rosa Downtown Farmers' Market
Sunday, 11 am–2:30 pm
Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa
See more →

🎬 Craft Cinema Club
Bring a craft project, watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off with the lights dimmed just enough to stitch.
Sunday, 11:30 am
Roxy Stadium 14, Santa Rosa
See more →

🍎 Summer Sundays at Deloach Vineyards
Sunday, 11:30 am–3:30 pm
DeLoach Vineyards, Santa Rosa
Cost: $15.00 · See more →

🧺 SoCo Market: Ross Street Markets
Sunday, 12–4 pm
Ross Street, Santa Rosa
Free · See more →

🥾 Summer Soundscape Listening Walk at Sugarloaf Park
Quiet meditative hike with high-tech audio gear to hear owls and evening sounds, led by KRCB/NPR podcast host Jack Hines.
Sunday, 6–9 pm
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Kenwood
Cost: $7.50 – $15 · See more →

🎭 HUNKS The Show!
Sunday, 8–10 pm
Barrel Proof Lounge, Santa Rosa
See more →

19 picks from 45+ acts this weekend.

That covers the week ahead. Hit reply with anything missed; every message gets read.

Please forward this to a friend and get the word out on the fun happening in Santa Rosa.

— Ben, writing from Santa Rosa