Saturday night, Feb. 15 was served up as Italian Night at the Escalon American Legion Gustafson-Thompson Post.

Several dozen locals joined in for the food and fun, enjoying everything from spaghetti to chicken Parmesan, lasagna to ravioli, along with salad, garlic bread, beverages and a wide selectin of desserts. Among the dessert offerings was a birthday cake, with Legion officials adding that special feature in this month.

The once a month dinners are hosted on the third Saturday of the month at the Second Street Legion Post rooms and have a fresh theme each month.

The 2020 dinners started with Soup and Stew in January. The crowd on hand for Saturday night enjoyed the Italian dishes and the Saturday, March 21 menu will feature seafood with an emphasis on salt water fish such as link cold, salt cod, halibut and more.

One of the organizers, George ‘Pineapple’ Tavares said they are happy with the way the dinners are going, seeming to draw more diners each month. There is no charge, though donations are accepted.

“We love it, we love doing this,” Tavares said. “This is turning out better and better.”

There weren’t any leftovers to speak of from this past Saturday night, as everyone seemed to appreciate the Italian flavors being dished out.

Attendance on Saturday night was listed at right around 60 attendees.

“There was a variety of food, people of all ages, there’s a real sense of community,” said Escalon Mayor Robert Swift, who attended the dinner and brought his mom, Barbara Owens to dine with him as well. “People get a chance to visit and catch up. It’s so great being in a small town where these things still happen.”