In this week’s second installment of the Year In Review, we take a look at the months of May through August, which included graduations, Memorial Day, summertime fun, Park Fete and more. The final installment of the look back at 2024 will be featured in the Jan. 8 issue of The Times, covering September through December.
MAY
It was a night of good food, conversation and some kudos. The annual Escalon Consolidated Fire Protection District Appreciation Dinner was staged on Friday night, April 26 at the Azores Band Hall in Escalon. Starting with a social time at 6:30 p.m., a welcome was offered by Fire Chief Rick Mello about 7 p.m., followed by a prayer and then the serving of a catered dinner. On hand for the festivities were members of the Fire District’s Board of Directors, Chairperson Joe Camara, Jason Koops, Mickey Schilber, Zach Hogan and Steven Gregg. Several department members were on hand as well, in addition to honored guests that included both San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow – a resident of Escalon – and San Joaquin County Supervisor Robert Rickman, who represents Escalon on the county board. Longtime supporters of the department, Glenn and Terri Van Ruler, attended and were the recipients of a plaque recognizing them for Honorary Membership in the department for “ongoing support and encouragement.”
Saturday served up plenty of service projects around town and the volunteers turned out to take them on. It was Love Escalon, the April 27 work day drawing dozens of workers to handle a variety of tasks from spreading bark to beautifying the downtown planters, cleaning at the library to staffing Bingo games for senior citizens. The Love Escalon Committee, headed up by the trio of Jessica Wylie, Megan McNinch and Anthony Diaz, was on hand to welcome the volunteers. Coffee, donuts and pastries were available, as the workers began to stream in, ahead of the 8 a.m. kickoff rally in the city’s Main Street Park.
You can take the word ‘interim’ off the title. Robert Anthony Hardgraves Jr. – who had been serving as interim Police Chief for the City of Escalon – was unanimously named to the chief position at the Monday night, May 6 Escalon City Council meeting. Sergeant Hardgraves had been in the interim position since the early March resignation of former chief Gus Flores and, Interim City Manager Jaylen French said, had filled the interim role twice before during extended medical leaves for Flores. Hardgraves was on hand for the council meeting, there in his interim role to provide the monthly police department report, as all department heads do, and answer any questions the council might have regarding that report.
The approval of an employment agreement between Hardgraves and the city, setting his salary and terms of his employment, came late in the roughly 90-minute session, as ‘Item No. 11’ on the council agenda.
San Joaquin County Supervisor Robert Rickman – who represents the Escalon area on the county panel in District 5 – and members of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors joined partners from the San Joaquin County Council of Governments (SJCOG) and local cities last week for the annual OneVoice trip to Washington, DC. During this time, the OneVoice members met with federal elected officials and numerous federal agencies to advocate for the county’s fair share of resources, allocations, and grants. These meetings took place over several days in the nation’s capital and included requests for more than $196 million in funding for local priority projects.
With vibrant costumes, an attentive audience and a flair for performing, all grade levels at Collegeville Elementary School took part in a festive Multicultural Day celebration on Friday, May 17. Prior to the dancing and music, family members of Collegeville students joined in for a special luncheon on the campus. A dual language immersive school, the students at Collegeville learn both English and Spanish, using the two languages throughout their school day. The program for Friday’s performances listed song names in both English and Spanish as well.
Participants on teams from San Joaquin County communities including Escalon, Ripon and Tracy were among those joining the fight against cancer, during the annual Relay For Life of Greater Stanislaus County the weekend of May 18 and 19.
With over $125,000 raised by the time for closing ceremonies on Sunday, May 19, the 24-hour event met with success. The multi-city, multi-county combined regional event to raise funds for the American Cancer Society drew hundreds of participants and dozens of teams to Johansen High School in Modesto.
Teachers, coaches, administrators … mentors. It was a superb class of inductees on Friday night, with five new names added to the existing list in the Escalon Unified School District Hall of Fame. The May 24 dinner and ceremony was hosted in the Performing Arts Center on the high school campus. Michael Backovich was a posthumous inductee; the longtime teacher and coach passed away in February of 2017. His son Marc accepted the award on his behalf while his wife Teresa posed for photos with the other inductees, a lineup of stellar EUSD personnel including Roger Beeman, Bob Loureiro, David Mantooth and Art Sanguinetti.
Under sunny skies, with a light breeze and the temperature climbing toward 70 degrees, a crowd gathered at Burwood Cemetery along River Road in Escalon for a Monday morning Memorial Day service, May 27. Escalon American Legion Post 263 Chaplain Casey den Ouden welcomed the crowd for the 10 a.m. ceremony, thanking them for taking time out of their day to attend. He provided a brief overview of the order for the ceremony and offered an opening prayer, then noted that since last Memorial Day, four members of the local Legion Post have passed away, most recently William ‘Billy’ Bennett, who had long served in the Honor Guard and as the bugler, playing Taps at Legion events.
JUNE
There was a special feeling in the air on Friday night, as members of the Class of 2024 at Escalon High School gathered for the 104th Commencement for EHS. It is a class that started their high school journey through distance learning, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Even when they first got to attend on-campus classes, there were mask requirements, social distance guidelines and plenty of obstacles. But it is a class that persevered … and arrived at graduation day having packed as much in to their high school years as possible. The class also was the first senior class to graduate on the newly renovated Engel Field, as the 2023 graduation was hosted at Modesto Junior College.
Bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and a love for the library, Kari Leos has settled in quite comfortably at the Escalon Public Library. She has taken over as the head librarian and couldn’t be happier to be at the helm, as she did some substituting here in the past and always enjoyed working at the local branch.
Officials with the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District’s mosquito-borne disease surveillance program recently detected West Nile virus (WNV) in a reported dead bird. The hummingbird was located in Lockeford. “As the days get hotter in the summer, mosquito populations will substantially increase. With more mosquitoes, viruses like West Nile virus will amplify, leading to a higher risk of WNV in humans,” said Aaron Devencenzi, District Public Information Officer. “It is initially on you, the public, to keep mosquitoes off.”
After a break for a couple of months, the Escalon American Legion Post was back in business Saturday night for its community dinner. It was the popular ‘Fish Fry’ dinner, which featured both fried and some grilled fish – primarily bass and rock cod – and the June 15 event at the Post rooms on Second Street drew a large crowd. About 80 people turned out to enjoy the dinner, which was offered free and also included a wide variety of side dishes, beverages and desserts.
Smoke from the Aero Fire in Calaveras County that broke out shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday, June 17 drifted into San Joaquin County – among other neighboring counties – and Escalon Fire Chief Rick Mello said with a number of wildfire incidents over the past few weeks, fire season has officially arrived. In effect, the chief admitted, it never really ends in California any more, but there are times that are busier than others. This year, with plenty of vegetation growth due to the wet winter, there is an ample amount of fuel for wildfires.
While past years have seen scheduled stops in multiple San Joaquin County locations for the distribution of mosquitofish, this year will feature something a bit different. For 20 years officials have gone city to city, transporting the mosquitofish to sites including Escalon, to provide them to residents. They are distributed for free and are designed to help keep the mosquito population down, as a way to guard against West Nile virus. This year, a one-day outdoor event for the distribution will be hosted at the District headquarters, 7759 S. Airport Way, Stockton, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 22.
JULY
Members of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors have approved a new fee schedule for county parks that raise facility rental prices, effective immediately. The new schedule, part of the fiscal 2024-2025 budget, will increase prices to facility rentals at Micke Grove Regional Park in Lodi and Shumway Oak Grove Regional Park in Stockton, according to county officials. Other fees, including parking and camping rates, will remain the same.
As the dates near for the 2024 Escalon Park Fete celebration – July 26 and 27 – reservations are being taken for the annual Senior Mr. and Mrs. Escalon Luncheon, hosted during the week leading up to the two-day fete. The luncheon is set for Tuesday, July 23 at the Escalon Community Center and being honored this year for their contributions to the community are longtime local couple Glenn and Terri Van Ruler.
With the National Weather Service issuing an ‘Excessive Heat Warning’ and predicting record setting temperatures during the course of the next week, there will be a local ‘Cooling Center’ open for use by Escalon residents. “I reserved the Escalon Library conference room to be used as a cooling center,” said Escalon Police Chief Anthony Hardgraves. It will be the first time this season the step is being taken, and the forecast calls for several days of triple digit heat, ranging anywhere from 106 to 111 degrees possible during the period running through at least July 9.
With a 5-0 vote on Monday night, July 15, members of the Escalon City Council approved placing a one percent sales tax measure on the November ballot. If approved by voters, the tax would bring in an estimated $900,000 to the city coffers annually. Interim City Manager Jaylen French outlined the plan for the council, noting that the tax would raise money for general use and, as such, would need approval by just 50 percent plus one vote of the public in the general election. If the money was for a specific designated purpose, such as financing the police department, it would have to be approved by two-thirds of the voters. The one percent tax being proposed, however, would be for general, citywide use.
Escalon’s monthly Farmer’s Market began its 2024 run in mid-April and, after the most recent third Wednesday event on July 17, will wrap up the market in August. There were a handful of no-show vendors for the July market, perhaps concerned about the possibility of triple digit heat, which had been bearing down on the region. Organizers saw temperatures peaking in the lower 90s on July 17 and though there were fewer vendors than normal, the crowd was still sizeable and there were plenty of places to shop, eat and enjoy the live music.
It was an intense two weeks, yet also low key. Students took to the Chromebooks for the Great Valley Writing Camp, hosted at Van Allen Elementary School, closing out the summer program with an Open House celebration for family and friends on Friday, July 26. Theme for this year was the Olympics – past and present – and the timing of the Open House actually coincided with a livestream of the Opening Ceremonies for the 2024 Games being hosted in Paris, France. “It’s always fun, this is so low key but it’s such a good experience for them because they’re organically coming up with their own topics, which gives their writing a lot more authenticity,” Camp Director Sally Hale said of the students. “We give them a theme, but within that theme, they’re free.”
After a several day stretch of triple digit temperatures, Saturday brought some welcome relief to the region, and it was just in time for Escalon’s full day of Park Fete festivities. Events during the week – the Senior Mr. and Mrs. Escalon Luncheon, the Miss Escalon and Little Miss and Mr. Escalon pageants – had to deal with 100-plus degrees. The fact that all were staged in the air-conditioned Community Center helped out and even though Friday saw the thermometer touch 100, there was a significant cooldown in the late afternoon, as people began turning out for the Fete. Booths opened on Friday afternoon, July 26 with several musical groups taking the stage during the evening. The Escalon Police Department cornhole tournament drew several teams and taking home the trophy was the team of Aaron Pangilinan and Shea Patterson. Receiving the Miss Escalon title this year was Katherine Romero with Tessa Junqueiro the first runner up and Chloe Fraser the second runner up. Crowned as the new 2024 Little Miss Escalon was Liv Sharp, 7, daughter of Chris Sharp and Emily Martin; and Jordan Miller, 5, was selected as Little Mr. Escalon. He is the son of Clayton and Brandi Miller. Saturday, July 27 was the full day of downtown fun, with the parade stepping off at 10:30 a.m., with the Escalon American Legion Post 263 in the lead and Grand Marshal Debbie Murken riding right behind.
AUGUST
She may be a physical therapist … but Yvonne Fachner is pretty good at building bridges, too. The longtime local resident has the proof of that; presented with a “Bridge Builder” award through the Stanislaus County Office of Education, SCOE. She was recently recognized for her work as a physical therapist with special education students for SELPA, the Special Education Local Plan Area. What makes the honor even more unique, Fachner isn’t an employee of SCOE; she works for a firm the county Office of Education contracts with for her services.
Formed in 2022, the Escalon Strong community-based service organization is doing just that; going strong. A recent presentation of special District 5 funds available through the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors discretionary program will help the group get a ‘giving pantry’ up and operating in a new location. County Supervisor Robert Rickman, who represents Escalon on the board, was on hand in Escalon recently to present the check for more than $21,000 to several members of Escalon Strong.
For those caught unaware, the arrival of a huge caravan of emergency vehicles, including police officers and firefighters coming in with lights flashing and sirens blaring, may have been a little unnerving. But for those who were expecting it, the arrival was just part of the fun for National Night Out. Observed on the first Tuesday of August across the country, Escalon’s National Night Out on Aug. 6 featured several neighborhood gatherings all across the city. Eight specific locations signed up with the Escalon Police Department to be on the list for a visit, and along with the patrol cars and fire engines, an Escalon transit bus was used to get Escalon City Council members and some city officials from stop to stop.
Bringing a longstanding idea a step closer to fruition, members of the Escalon Farmington Community Garden Club recently received some funds and handed out certificates of appreciation. They are working on a special Blue Star memorial marker project, to be situated on the grounds of the Escalon Community Center. Earlier this month, the Garden Club officers met with San Joaquin County District 5 Supervisor Robert Rickman, City of Escalon Public Works Superintendent Juston Collins and Steve Moore, retired San Joaquin County Sheriff.
What started as an idea to get people – specifically senior citizens – together for some social gatherings has blossomed into much more than originally anticipated. The Escalon Senior Fun Bunch marked its fifth ‘birthday’ with a celebration on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at the city’s Community Center. Marking five years since they started back in 2019, the party featured not only some special presentations, but also Bingo, music, a craft activity, lots of information and ice cream sundaes. “Every time I wanted to go to a senior event, I had to go to Manteca or Modesto and I wanted to know why we didn’t have something right here,” said Ann Shaddix, one of the original coordinators of the group, who first put the idea out there. She also pointed to the support of Saron Lutheran Church, which provides some financial assistance to the group as a ministry outreach, as being important to its continued growth.
Six new reserve firefighters are in the midst of their training, ready to soon start filling some shifts for the Escalon Consolidated Fire Protection District. “We came up strong out of the last academy,” Escalon Fire Chief Rick Mello said of having several Modesto Fire Academy graduates come to Escalon for reserve service. New faces at the station are Colton Bryan, Dominic Harvey, Adam Kunkel, Ricky Moore, Joshua Romersa and Roman Villalovoz. Mello said they are progressing well in the training program with the local department and have started doing some shifts for their orientation. They will also be able to work into the 24-hour shift schedules starting later this year, picking up shifts to supplement the on-duty firefighters on the A, B and C shifts.
