Smith: It will be Willie Bird's no longer, but it will continue to be

Willie Bird's Restaurant these days has tongues wagging.

Like turkey gravy from a breached mashed potato dam, word has spread that change is coming to one of the most welcoming and beloved of our landmark family-run havens of food and drink and congeniality. But what change?

Will the joint shut down, change hands or be scraped away to make room for who knows what?

Here's the skinny:

Willie Bird's, created within the former Stein Haus hofbrau by the late Aloha Ann Benedetti in 1980, is about to transfer to new owners.

It's been sold by kin of Aloha and her son, the near mythical, cigar-chomping turkey king, Willie Benendetti, who died a bit more than a year ago at 69.

The buyers of Willie Bird's, adored for its generous servings and Bloody Marys and its decor stubbornly independent of contemporary notions of style and aesthetics, plan to stay the course.

They're hoping that when the homey restaurant and bar on Santa Rosa Avenue becomes theirs, as soon as early November, no one will be able to tell, or taste, any difference.

The buyers, who wish to remain unidentified until the deal is finalized, want to keep the same turkey-focused but expansive menu, and the same staff. They will, however, introduce a new name.

Willie Bird's will become, officially, The Bird.

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Bookmobile needs an upgrade

The Bookmobile is in peril.

The people who've given away more than 325,000 books from within the Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County have learned their old, green van has to be retired. Its 24-year-old diesel engine doesn't comply with current emissions standards.

“We need to raise $32,500 to replace it or we face shutdown of our popular nonprofit literacy outreach program,” says Glen Weaver, whose family created the bookmobile 10 years ago.

The Weavers have found what they say is a dandy of a box truck that they'd love to buy and convert into a new bookmobile. Glen Weaver feels confident that the rig's low-mileage, V10 engine “should last another quarter million miles without breaking a sweat.”

There is a crowdfunding page at fundrazr.com/bookmobile. Glen Weaver says that if he and his family don't raise all the money needed to purchase and adapt the truck, they will give back all the pledged dollars.

If the $32,500 is raised, Weaver adds, “all the money will stay local as we have Sonoma County vendors lined up to do the conversion work: hardware modifications, electric and lighting, carpet.”

Care to read more about the Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County and its quest for new wheels? Of course you do.

Everything you want to know is at freebookmobile.org.

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Family-friendly Halloween event

Trunk or treat? It's a car-crazy, family-friendly twist on Halloween and it happens again Saturday in southwest Santa Rosa.

“Trunk or Treat,” hosted by bilingual radio KBBF, invites kids to get costumed up and have a ball in a lot full of spookily decorated low-riders. In the trunks, for the youngsters, are treats and tricks.

Admission is free, and there's oldies music, and food and beverages for sale.

The 6th annual “Trunk or Treat” happens from 3 to 6 p.m. at KBBF, 1700 Corby Ave.

You can contact Chris Smith at 707-521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.