As Gabe Holmstrom, chief of staff for the Arkansas House of Representatives, puts it, he and his cohorts "all have an interest in politics and love to talk about it."
These cohorts -- a bipartisan "pit crew" consisting also of Grant Tennille, Mitch Berry, Chad Causey, Dustin Chudy, Josh Hankins, Nathan McCarroll, Ben Noble and Bill Vickery -- roasted a whole hog in a pit, carved it and served it to a whole huddle of 100 hungry guests on the side lawn of Holmstrom's home during the third annual Downtown Pig in the Ground on June 7. Described as "a good old-fashioned barbecue," the event was a kickoff for the Quapaw Quarter Association's 2014 Summer Suppers series.
Also offered were libations and music by Richie Johnson.
"There's definitely a potential angle that the majority of us are involved with," Holmstrom says. "But also, this is Arkansas. We love our barbecue. [We've] determined that it's fun to cook a whole hog. We have a good time getting together to cook for everybody."
-- Story and photos by Helaine R. Williams
High Profile on 06/22/2014