The arrival of December brings with it a flurry of activity, as residents gear up for the holiday season.
Kicking off the festivities will be the Saturday, Dec. 7 Christmas on Main, hosted by the Escalon Chamber of Commerce. Set up in and around the Main Street Park area downtown, events will include some vendor booths, food, activities for kids, musical entertainment, s’mores fire pits and more. Join in the fun starting at 3:30 p.m.; the Holiday Light Parade begins at 5:30 p.m.
Entries must include some type of holiday lighting; serving as Grand Marshal this year for the parade is Megan McNinch, who helps plan and carry out many of the Chamber’s community events throughout the year.
Parade coordinator is Robert Swift; he can be reached at 209-595-5013 for more information or to request a parade entry form. He can also be reached at arswift@sbcglobal.net.
Check in for the parade will be at the Escalon Post Office, corner of Third and Coley; the line up begins at 4:45 p.m. and the parade steps off at 5:30 p.m.
Some new features this year include a Gingerbread House decorating contest and a snowman contest. The items should be made at home and brought in for judging; the snowman can be made out of any type of material.
Another part of the event is the giving trees that are set up; each will be donated to a local family in need, with the tree, lights and all decorations given to the family as well as food baskets and holiday gift cards.
Escalon Chamber officials will host a booth at Christmas on Main to take donations for the giving trees and will also have a variety of raffle baskets at their booth. The Escalon Historical Museum also typically has its doors open during the downtown event so those interested can stop in, take a look at the exhibits, visit the gift shop to find unique Christmas gifts, and to take a chance on a painting to be raffled off.
After the downtown parade, Santa will take time to pose for photos and visit with youngsters on the Main Street stage.
Also, kids in the community are welcome to drop off letters to Santa at the Escalon Post Office, 1854 Coley Ave., anytime during open hours. There is a special mailbox, just for Santa, set up at the post office, so the letters will be sure to get delivered to him at the North Pole.
Meanwhile, boxes are available throughout the community, as the Escalon Fire Department looks to collect toys for kids of all ages, in connection with the American Legion Post and Escalon Police Department, for their annual holiday toy giveaway. The distribution is set for Thursday, Dec. 19at the firehouse. New, unwrapped toys are needed for all ages. A one-day only sign-up is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7 at Escalon Fire Station 1, at 1749 Coley Ave.
The sign-ups will run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and, due to the demand for toys each year, fire officials said they can only accommodate residents who live within the boundaries of the Escalon Fire District.
The toys are already being collected and can be placed in boxes at multiple locations around town including: Escalon Premier Brands, Main Street Garage, City of Escalon, Escalon Police Department, Oak Valley Bank, MarVal, Pizza Plus, Mountain Mike’s, D’Boni’s, Vineyard Pharmacy and Escalon Fire Department. Also, Oliva Dawn Candle Co., Escalon American Legion, Hogan Manufacturing, Van Allen Elementary, Dent Elementary, El Portal Middle School, Saron Lutheran Church and Starbucks. Donations are also accepted in boxes at Trinity Church, Les Schwab, Orlando’s Market, Sweet Spot, Napa Auto Parts, Baker Print Co., Farmers Insurance, Authentic Images Tattoo and Dollar General.
