Mission Hills Town Council celebrates 4th of July

By Elena Buckley | Editorial Assistant

This July 4 marks the fifth time the Mission Hills Town Council (MHTC) will bring the community together with music, food, entertainment and a parade through Mission Hills.

This year, MHTC has added some new excitement to its usual staples. At 10 a.m. a parade will start at Pioneer Park. Families can join in, dress in red, white and blue and march down the street, followed by games, a “Best Costume” contest and free cake provided by Albertson’s on Washington Street.

Pioneer Park, at 1521 Washington Place, provides an idyllic summery backdrop for a 4th of July picnic, followed by a concert performed by Mama Red, and the national anthem sung by two students from Grant School.

This year though, is different than previous years because MHTC will introduce its first annual BBQ competition. Frans van der Lee, an MHTC board member came up with the idea for the event as a way to enliven the celebration and to increase Town Council membership.

“Thousands of Mission Hills households benefit from the hard work of the MHTC, but our yearly dues paying members only number in the low hundreds, van der Lee said. “A strong membership base helps us fund great events and gives us a mandate when asking city representatives to address our neighborhood needs.”

Sponsored by Phil’s BBQ and ForeverCali.com—which will provide embroidered aprons for all contestants—
the competition is open to teams of up to three, and a total of five teams are registered to compete. Contestants will cook bone-in Boston butts, provided 48 hours in advance by MHTC, and each team will cook six butts in total. Meat preparation styles are unrestricted, but all sauces must be homemade.

There will be a first-, second- and third-place prize, based on input from a panel of judges including Phil Pace of Phil’s BBQ. Entries will be judged based on taste, tenderness and appearance, and the first place winner will win a trophy handcrafted by local architect Jim Gates.

All MHTC members will also receive a free pulled pork sandwich, and for all who are interested in joining the council, family memberships will be $20 for the day.

For more information, visit missiontowncouncil.org or ourmissionhills.org/bbq.