Is summer back? Getting out for the Fourth

Last Fourth of July, most of us were hunkered down at home, by then used to the restrictions on gatherings large and small. We wore masks just to run out and buy a few groceries. Cases of COVID-19 were on the rise. The dog days of summer seemed to last for months. For many, it was a somber, not sunny, season.

This year, we have more options for holiday and summer fun. California has opened up, masks aren’t required at most places and restaurants have reopened their dining rooms. Sonoma County residents are happy to get out and make the most of the beautiful natural settings here and in surrounding counties. Parks are busier, people are returning to downtowns and traffic is picking up.

Are we feeling a sense of optimism, even cautious optimism, that days of fun, celebration and gatherings with friends are returning? Are we anticipating that this summer will be different?

At Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa on a recent Saturday, the answer seemed to be yes. People of all ages and were checking out the wares at local vendor booths and enjoying the sunshine.

“We’re going to my sister’s for a barbecue,” said John Tabsharann, 33, there with his wife, Ashlyn Phillips, 27, and their two children, ages 8 years and 2 months. “We feel a lot better to be able to get together with family.”

Added Tabsharann, “We might be able to book a hotel this summer!”

What’d they do last year? They worked, the Santa Rosa couple said, she at Starbucks, he at Oliver’s Market. “And both companies took care of us during the pandemic,” Phillips said.

Although no one seemed to have big holiday parties in mind, many said they were happy to just to be able to get out and do something, anything. They were optimistic that this will be a good summer.

“We might be going to Clear Lake; my parents have a lake house up there,” said McKenzie Giles, 24, of Petaluma. “It depends on the water’s algae level.”

With her immediate family, plus a friend, she said she’d be “swimming, paddleboarding and hanging out. We’ll probably have a barbecue.”

And what about July Fourth celebrations? Marcie Kelly, balloon lead at Party City in Santa Rosa, said the store has been quite busy, and not just with people buying red, white and blue decorations.

“People have been shopping for everything, every day” since the pandemic eased, she said as she rang up a customer. “We’re going back to a bigger normal.”

Back at Courthouse Square, Alex, 26, and Claud Alcantra-Rodriguez, 27, of Rohnert Park, lounged on the grass and threw a ball for their two poodles, Joe and Chandler. This will be a much more active summer than last year, they said.

“Last year, we were very cautious,” Claud said. “There was a period of loneliness, and we went a little stir-crazy. It seems that since the pandemic, there’s more of a focus on nature and ‘let’s go out and experience the outdoors.’”

Their tentative plans for July Fourth: traveling to the Sacramento or Yuba rivers to get away from the fireworks and go swimming.

The White House recently acknowledged that the country likely won’t reach President Biden’s goal of 70% of Americans having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by July 4. Most people interviewed said they were vaccinated and didn’t appear to be worried about getting the virus.

“I feel a lot better about things this year,” said Giles, who was selling her self-crafted CBD topicals in the square. “More optimistic. I’m vaccinated and I feel safer. I had graduated last year from SSU and planned to go to Indonesia, and I couldn’t go. Now I’m planning to go to Costa Rica,” she added with a smile.

But for some, optimism is mixed with caution.

“Our Fourth will be low-key; just enjoying our local area,” said Trinidad Renk, 58, of Santa Rosa, adding that she and her family has lived here for 40 years.

“There is so much in our community. We just love it here,” she said, looking over at her daughter, Shontye Flores, 41, who was with her. “Last year we didn’t go anywhere. This year you can kind of catch your breath. But we’re still being mindful.”

Later she added, “We’re doing good here. We’ve already been through the fires. We’re Sonoma Strong!”

John and Roberta of Santa Rosa, retired lawyers in their late 70s who didn’t want to give their last names, were relaxing at a table in Old Courthouse Square with their dachshund, Adrinka.

They said they once had a summerhouse in Lake County but lost it to a fire five years ago and had just sold the land. Their plans included a possible trip back to “the old country,” Croatia.

“If there are any events in Santa Rosa, we’d gladly go,” John said. “If nothing else, we can go out to our patio and have a drink.”

At Party City, Martha Diaz was waiting for a red, white and blue balloon bouquet to be filled with helium. The balloons weren’t for her but for her workplace.

“These are for Home Depot,” the Santa Rosa resident said. “They are decorating. That’s where I work.”

What are her July Fourth plans? “I’ll be working,” Diaz said. “I wish I was having a party!”

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com.