Welcome to the first edition of THE LOCAL, where monthly we’ll be highlighting some of the things happening around the community we’re proud to call home.
September is here, and if you’re looking for something to do around Sonoma County, you have plenty of options! From harvest season and wine tasting to live music, food festivals, family activities, running events and even a little classic rock, there’s a lot happening around the county this month.
We thought we’d round up a few of the events that caught our attention and put them all in one place for your easy reference:
🍂September 12: Experience Harvest Season
If there’s one time of year that feels especially Sonoma County, it’s harvest!
The Harvest Wine Trail gives you a chance to experience it firsthand on September 12th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Twenty wineries throughout Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley are participating, giving visitors the opportunity to explore different parts of Northern Sonoma County, taste local wines and experience the excitement of harvest season. Tickets are $50 and include tasting at all 20 participating wineries, with no additional tasting fees and no reservations required. It’s a pretty good excuse to spend a Saturday exploring the wine country!
😛 September 12–13: A Taste of Greece and the Middle East
Also happening the same weekend is the 17th Annual Greek and Middle Eastern Festival at St. George Orthodox Church in Rohnert Park.
And yes, there is food! Gyros, shawarma, falafel, hummus, kabobs, baklava, knafeh and loukoumades are just some of what’s on the menu. But the festival is about more than food. There will also be live music, traditional dancing, cultural performances, an international marketplace, henna and family activities. And even more good news is admission and parking are free! If you’re looking for something the whole family can enjoy, this one sounds like a pretty easy choice.
🏃September 12: Run Where History Happened
For the runners, September 12th brings something a little different.
The Running Fence Run takes place in Petaluma and commemorates the 50th anniversary of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s famous Running Fence installation, which stretched across the Sonoma County landscape in 1976. Participants can choose a 5K, 10K, half marathon or full marathon.
So, whether you’re looking for a serious challenge or just want to get outside, you’ll be running through a landscape with a pretty interesting piece of Sonoma County history behind it!
💃September 13: Celebrate Culture and Community
On September 13th, Fiesta de Independencia brings food, music, games and family activities together for a celebration of Latin American cultures as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. The event began in 2010 to commemorate Mexican Independence Day and has grown into a Sonoma County tradition, attracting more than 5,000 community members each year! It’s a free, family-friendly event celebrating the cultures, people and traditions that make up the North Bay community.
🐐September 19: Fall in Sonoma County
If you’re looking for something that feels like fall, the Heirloom Apple Festival in Sebastopol might be worth putting on the calendar. Gold Ridge Organic Farms is hosting its Fifth Annual Heirloom Apple Festival on September 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The farm grows more than 70 varieties of heirloom apples, and visitors can sample some of them while exploring the orchard. There will also be orchard tours, an apple-themed trolley, fresh-pressed apple juice, cooking demonstrations, local producers, wood-fired pizza, apple crumble, apple cider slushies and live music. And yes, there will even be some animals from Goatlandia. This one sounds like Sonoma County fall in one afternoon!
😋September 19: Bring Your Appetite
Also on September 19, the Fork’n Good Food Festival returns to the Sonoma County Event Center at the Fairgrounds. More than 50 food vendors will be serving everything from $10 Festival Bites to full-size entrees! There will also be drinks, a marketplace, a Kids Zone, live music and free parking. General admission is $10 presale or $15 at the door, and kids 8 and under are free. So if your idea of a good Saturday involves trying a little bit of everything, this one might be for you!
🚂September 20: Music at Railroad Square
The Railroad Square Music Festival is scheduled for September 20 at Santa Rosa’s Historic Railroad Square. The event is described as a free day of music featuring more than 20 bands and is organized by The Lost Church. If you’re looking for an easy afternoon of live music close to home, this could be a fun one to check out.
🎥September 25–27: Something Different in Healdsburg
Wine and food may get a lot of attention around here, but Sonoma County has plenty of other ways to spend a weekend!
The Healdsburg International Film Festival takes place September 25–27, bringing three days of international film to Healdsburg. It’s a nice change of pace for anyone looking for something a little different.
👩🎤September 29: Finish the Month With Some Rock
And if classic rock is more your speed, September finishes with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts on September 29th at 7:30 p.m. With hits including “We Belong,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Heartbreaker” and “Invincible,” it’s a pretty recognizable way to close out the month!
So, What’s Going on Your Calendar?!
That’s the thing we love about living in Sonoma County.
On one weekend you can be tasting wine during harvest season and the next, you can be eating your way through a food festival, exploring an apple orchard, exploring the many wonderful park trails, listening to live music or watching an international film!
You don’t necessarily have to plan a big getaway to find something interesting to do. Sometimes there’s plenty happening right around the corner!
And that’s what THE LOCAL is all about.
We’ll be back with more local events, places and things happening around Sonoma County each month.
Do you have an event we should know about? Send it our way!
The Pacific Direct Mortgage Connection:
We spend a lot of time talking about real estate and financing, but we also live and work right here in Sonoma County. Supporting the local community means paying attention to more than just what’s happening in the housing market.
It also means knowing the places, events and people that make this area home.
So whether you’re heading out to enjoy harvest season, grabbing something good to eat, traveling the many wonderful trails for hiking or biking, taking the family to a festival or simply finding something new to do this month, we hope you’ll get out and enjoy a little more of what’s happening around Sonoma County!
Welcome to THE LOCAL! We hope to see you around the county. 😊make a star?
