Annual Fire Department BBQ

May 24, 2026, 12-5 p.m.

Manchester Fire Station
19601 S. Highway 1
Manchester, CA.
Approx. cost: $25, facebook.com/RCFPD/

Some years the offerings have been Tri-tip and/or Chicken served with Bake Beans, Potato Salad and Dinner Roll, though Pig & Lamb still remain among the reasons we promote this event.

Honestly, the food is great but it's not all about the food. This is Redwood Coast Fire Protection District's biggest fundraiser to help fund a valuable organization of volunteers helping to protect some of the world's most valuable and irreplaceable forests. The region is home to the world's tallest trees.

Past info (we've left this up because this event was so unique during its time as a Hog & Lamb event): A hog will be raffled off ("freezer ready"). Silent auction from noon to 4pm and live auction from 3pm to 4pm. All proceeds benefit the Firefighter's Assoc. and assist in providing training and equipment for fire and rescue personnel. All donations are tax deductible.  To volunteer to work during the BBQ or donate a raffle prize call (707)882-1833

In years past tireless meat cutter-uppers, Jim Soldani and his entire crew, worked nonstop through the last pig pulled out of the pit! Without their considerable effort the show would surely not have been the success that it turned out to be.

Redwood Coast Fire Department is having their annual BBQ on Sunday. All ages are welcome--there will be food, a full bar, live and silent auctions, and an overall wonderful time!

Redwood Coast Firefighters Association Memorial Weekend Annual Event

Deep-pit slow cooked pork (with Carl Bell's original BBQ sauce) and barbequed lamb are the highlight of an annual event to raise funds for these Firefighters Association. The big celebration held on Memorial Weekend often includes bands, dancing, alcoholic beverages for adults, raffles, silent and live auction and good times for all. Vegetarian entrees, beans, salads, French bread and desserts are served from noon to 6 p.m.

Preparing for the BBQ is a huge undertaking that requires many volunteers to set up the event hall, dig a huge pit, get the cords of firewood, start and maintain the fire, and slow cook the hogs for the Sunday feed. Working all day Saturday and all night to attend the fire, the planners usually turn it into a party to make it fun for those willing to stay up and do the work.  

The event hasn't always been held on Memorial Day weekend. Save Our Salmon barbeques held in late winter previously provided the meal entrees. Then local hunters bagged wild hogs that provided more food as the event grew. The hogs were kept for cooking in the pit dug on the VFW property, according to the local newspaper account. By 1983 the local volunteer fire department was out of business and Garcia Fire and Rescue took over the BBQ and moved it to Memorial Day Weekend with the intention of raising money to form an official district, which came into being in 1994.

All proceeds benefit the Firefighter's Association and assist in providing training and equipment for fire and rescue personnel serving between Iversen Rd. and Irish Beach. Money raised from previous events have purchased items such as a new set of dedicated auto extrication gear, the Hurst Jaws of Life. The equipment comprised of a Cutter, a Spreader, a hydraulic Ram and a Power Unit can safely extricate accident victims from a vehicle in less

Redwood Coast Fire Protection District provides service to over 250 square miles of rural Mendocino County coastal area including service to the two square mile city of Point Arena and two Point Arena/Manchester Band of Pomo Indians reservations including a 10,000 square foot casino.

With one paid staff Fire Chief who receives a stipend, and approx. 23 volunteers, the operation is lean with its $200,000 annual budget - 80% which is spent on essentials such as supplies. The year-round population of 2,500 people swells dramatically during holidays, summertime, and fishing or surf related events.

The Fire District operates units out of three stations: Point Arena, Manchester and Irish Beach. They accept donations to help handle the important work they provide.  

Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.