Forestville July 4th weekend barbecue draws locals eager to celebrate as community

Five-year-old Ryan stared curiously Saturday at the well-charred pig’s head propped up on the barbecue grill as several volunteers methodically pulled and shredded cooked meat for pulled pork sandwiches.

The boy, whose face was painted to look like a “green monster,” had a few choice questions for his father, Mike Larsen of Forestville: “Where’s the legs? Why are his eyes open? Are they going to put it up on the wall?”

Larsen, a west county native who recently moved his family back to Forestville, was among scores of people Saturday who attended Forestville’s budding Fourth of July holiday celebration at Forestville’s downtown park, the trailhead of West County Regional Park.

Under the shade of oak trees, the Independence Day weekend celebration, organized by the Forestville Chamber of Commerce, featured barbecued pork for pulled pork sandwiches, barbecued oysters, a jumpy house for kids and a live band and wine for adults.

But mostly it offered pandemic-weary local residents the chance to once again gather for a centuries-old American tradition.

“I think people are hungry to come back to community events,” said Larsen, whose wife, Rebecca, and kids — Ryan, Annika, 3, and 6-month-old Katie — were decked out in red, white and blue clothing.

“It’s just nice to have a family-friendly event to go to, and we can walk here,” Rebecca Larsen said.

The holiday event, which funds local chamber of commerce grants and projects, was first held in 2019 but but was canceled the following year because of the pandemic, said Wendy Flowers, president of the Forestville chamber. She said it resumed in 2021, but only raised about $1,000 because she didn’t buy enough meat and they quickly ran out of food.

“This year, we should raise more than that because I got a lot more meat,” she said, adding she got the pig from Willowside Meats on Guerneville Road.

Longtime Forestville resident Terrilynn Mitchell was among those who sampled the pulled pork, though she asked for no barbecue sauce because she wanted to savor the meat unmasked.

“I’m finicky,” said Mitchell, a veterinary nurse who now works for Forgotten Felines. “I live with cats and I’m kind of like one myself. I’m finicky.”

Flowers said the chamber has been trying to rebound from the pandemic, resuming events like the annual Easter egg hunt, a Mardi Gras celebration and the Tuesday farmers market, held between June and September.

The pandemic has been a blow to local merchants, she said. During the worst of it, she said, the chamber gave small grants to local businesses whether or not they were members.

Fewer than 20 of the estimated 40 top 50 local businesses are chamber members, with membership costing about $95. Most of the chamber’s roughly 60 members are individuals, who pay $25 a year.

Denise Wood, a chamber member, was among one shift of volunteers who took turns Saturday shredding pork. “We’re not going to last all day. We need relief,” she said.

Wood said her husband, general contractor Dough Wood, owner of DW Enterprises, said the volunteer spirit is what keeps Forestville going. She said her husband volunteers his time and equipment for upkeep of both the Forestville Youth Park and the trailhead area, which locals call the “Downtown Park.”

“It’s a great way to celebrate the holiday,” Wood said.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.