Whether it was the Senior Mr. and Mrs. Escalon luncheon honoring Dave and Sally Mantooth on Tuesday, all the way through Valley Fire taking the stage to close out Park Fete on Saturday night, there were plenty of activities to enjoy and lots of people turning out to take part.
Throughout the week, there was also the Miss Escalon pageant, the Little Miss and Mr. Escalon pageant, followed by the kickoff of the downtown Park Fete on Friday afternoon, with a full day and night of events on Saturday.
The annual party for Escalon began on Tuesday, July 21 and ran through Saturday, July 25.
Among the highlights was the Miss Escalon pageant on July 22, which this year drew 19 contestants, the most ever.
Escalon Lions Club presented the pageant, called The Sweetest Crown, and provided a total of $2,750 in scholarships with $500 for the Second Runner Up, $750 for the First Runner Up and $1500 for the new Miss Escalon.
By the end of the evening on Wednesday, Olivia Van De Pol was chosen as Miss Escalon 2026, with Alondra Aguirre the First Runner Up and Victoria Calderon the Second Runner Up. Chosen as Miss Inspirational by the pageant coordinators was Selah Johnson; selected by fellow contestants as Miss Congeniality was Elizabeth Castro; and Miss Photogenic honors this year went to Nevaeh Grisham.
Thursday evening, July 23 there were 18 youngsters seeking the ‘Little’ crowns with 11 girls and seven boys participating. Receiving the crown as Little Miss Escalon was Laikyn Sharp and Kade McCoon was selected as Little Mr. Escalon.
In addition, two new awards were presented this year, with a boy and girl each selected for recognition in the Best Dancer and Best Answer categories. Dakota Murken was named Little Mr. Best Dancer and Kora Camacho was named Little Miss Best Dancer, judged on their performance during the ensemble dance number at the beginning of the pageant. Each contestant is also asked a couple of questions, with Austin Miller selected as Little Mr. Best Answer and Tinsley Beauving chosen as Little Miss Best Answer for their responses.
Look for a feature story and additional photos focusing on the Miss Escalon and Little Miss and Mr. Escalon pageants in the Aug. 5 issue of The Times.
Friday saw the kickoff of the downtown action, with the vendor booths, rides and games all opening up in the afternoon, with plenty of entertainment on the stage as well as the kids area set up for youngsters to enjoy in the middle of the Main Street Park. Also featured was the annual Cornhole Tournament to benefit Escalon Strong and plenty of contestants in the bicycle races on Main Street for kids in multiple age groups.
Saturday began early with the Park Fete Run, continued with the parade, a flag folding ceremony presented by the local American Legion, the Powerhouse Dance Studio dancers performing on stage and more, including several bands for the afternoon and evening hours.
There was no shortage of food or beverages; the Lions Club hosted its beer booth, there was a poker tournament, horseshoes, arm wrestling, nonstop music and plenty of vendors on hand with a variety of specialty merchandise.
Park Fete also serves each year as an unofficial ‘homecoming’ with many former residents turning out to share some time with friends and family still living here.
Escalon Lions Club members were in evidence throughout the many days of events, as it is the sponsoring organization. Members agreed it was another successful Park Fete, with good crowds attending the various activities.
