The Thursday-night crowds are gone from the Windsor Town Green. Ten weeks of Summer Nights concerts wrapped in mid-August, and the two bonus "Farm Nights" the Windsor Farmers Market added at the end of the run closed out on August 27. If you live within walking distance of McClelland Drive, you've probably noticed the parking is easier, the lawn isn't roped off for a stage, and the regulars are back at their usual tables.
Summer Nights is a seasonal highlight on the Green.
Summer Nights by the numbers
The Town of Windsor and the Windsor Farmers Market have said Summer Nights on the Green can pull up to 60,000 people over its ten-show run. Windsor has roughly 15,000 households. Spread evenly, that run averages 6,000 people a night. If every household in town sent exactly one person to exactly one show, spread across the ten Thursdays, that accounts for 1,500 people a night from town. The household comparison gives a sense of the series' scale relative to Windsor's households, but it does not show where concertgoers live.
The concert series is one of several recurring activities around the Green.
What's still running when the stage comes down
The Sunday Certified Farmers Market doesn't take the fall off. It runs from the first weekend in April through the first Sunday in December, and this is the market's 25th anniversary season. That means the Green has another three months of weekly Sunday mornings ahead, 9 to 12:30, with the seasonal specialty events the market has built its reputation on:
| What's coming | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| Zucchini Festival | A Sunday built around the late-summer glut of zucchini, with cooking demos and produce-heavy vendor tables |
| Tomato & Art Fest | Peak tomato season paired with local artists selling alongside the produce stands |
| Pumpkin Jamboree | Kid-focused fall programming timed to pumpkin season |
| The Sunday before Thanksgiving | Recipe demos and tastings aimed at the holiday table |
| Late October through market close | Local artists join the vendor mix selling gifts, ahead of the December finale |
For residents, those Sundays offer a familiar gathering place through the end of the market season.
The building that's finally getting a second act
The most-watched change on the Green right now isn't a concert or a market Sunday. It's a building that's been sitting empty for years: the old Windsor Brewing Co. space at 9000 Windsor Road.
Eric Foster, the chef-owner who built Grata Italian Eatery into a genuine following just off the Green, is turning that long-vacant brewery into Spur Saloon, a casual, country-western spot he's described as having an upscale Yellowstone lodge feel. The menu leans toward grazing, think ceviche, chips and dips, seasonal salads, cured meat and cheese boards, barbecue, with a full bar, live country music, dancing, and karaoke.
Spur Saloon will be Foster's second concept in the same few blocks as Grata, adding another dining and entertainment option near the Green.
Second Saturday at the Community Garden
A few blocks from the restaurant row, at the corner of Windsor River Road and Joe Rodota Drive in the Town Hall complex, the Windsor Town Green Community Garden runs its own quieter calendar. Plot renters and volunteers show up on Second Saturday mornings to tend the shared beds together, and the Windsor Garden Club keeps Master Gardeners on hand to answer questions when the group gathers. Just outside the garden fence sits the Best Hope Pollinator Garden, planted with native, water-thrifty species.
The Second Saturday work mornings add another recurring activity near the Green.
Restaurants around the Green
The Green's restaurant row includes options ranging from pizza and barbecue to Indian and French cuisine. KIN, founded in 2011 by JC Adams and Brad Barmore, anchors the family-friendly end of the Green with artisan pizza, sandwiches, a Lasagna Bolognese, and a house cocktail called the Windsor Sour. Sweet T's has held down the Southern comfort and Memphis barbecue corner since that same year. The Himalayan Restaurant earned the Press Democrat's pick for best Indian restaurant in Sonoma County in 2023, built on tandoori and a curry menu with adjustable spice. Maison Porcella, the French bistro from chef Jean-Baptiste, has quietly built a reputation around what some have called Sonoma's best Croque-Monsieur, open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday and dinner Tuesday through Friday.
Tasting Notes Wine Lounge Collective adds comedy nights and live music to the nearby mix.
The Green beyond concert season
After Summer Nights, the Sunday market, Second Saturday garden mornings and nearby restaurants remain part of the Town Green's calendar. The market continues through the first Sunday in December.
If you're already living near the Green and wondering what your home is worth in the current Sonoma County market, or thinking about what a move within Windsor might look like, Mark Spaulding offers a free, no-obligation home valuation and can walk you through what's actually happening on your specific block.
