Whether purchased in honor of or in memory of, the sale of bricks to be placed at the Escalon Historical Society’s downtown monument in the city’s Main Street Park is helping to raise some funds for the society.
The most recent batch of bricks, due to be installed soon at the monument, have arrived and honor families, organizations and individuals.
This fundraising drive is an ongoing effort, with different prices for sizes of bricks.
The Level I brick for individuals and families is offered at a cost of $100 for a 4-by-8 brick with up to three lines for a special message. Level II is for individuals and families and is an 8-by-8 brick for $200, with up to six lines for a message; four lines if clip art is used.
Finally, the Level III brick is designed for a business or organization and is an 8-by-8 brick for $500, with up to two lines for a message in addition to the organization or business logo.
Saturday, Feb. 21 with several Historical Society members gathered at the Main Street Museum, the group was looking over the bricks and planning for the next round of sales.
“They give us a real good (price) break if it’s over 10 bricks,” said Society President Dave Russell of working with the brick supplier.
He said when people do order a brick, Society officials let them know there will be a waiting period between the order and the actual placement of the brick, but they will be notified of the date for placement once that has been determined.
Among the bricks in the most recent order are those highlighting the Borden Boys Jim and Rick; the Frank N. Rocha Dairy; longtime residents Frank and Barbara Sequeira, married 1987; and a special one in honor of Ed Alves, recognized by the Escalon Lions Club for his lifetime of service to the Escalon community.
It’s a fundraising effort that started several years ago, when the monument was placed at the site of the first fire station in Escalon. The monument stands in the city’s Main Street Park, with the bricks placed in the ground surrounding the monument.
Russell said the Historical Society is also planning to remember one of its longtime members, Mary Lou (Brayton) York, who passed away recently at the age of 102. Friends and family are welcome to attend the first Wednesday of the month “Reminisce Day’ at the museum, 1630 Main, to share stories and memories of her. The date is Wednesday, March 4 and hours at the museum are noon to 4 p.m.
Earlier this month, a similar event was hosted, as family and friends of the late David Marino – a longtime docent with the Society – was remembered at the Feb. 4 Reminisce Day.
Joining with the group during the Saturday hours at the museum on Feb. 21 was docent Yazmin Castro-Esquivel, 18, an Escalon High School senior who is the youngest member of the Escalon Historical Society.
“I like coming here because you can’t think about the future or even the present without looking back at the past,” the teen said. “In general, history is my favorite subject and I like learning about how life was back then … I come here every single day and I always learn something new.”
Castro-Esquivel is bilingual, so she is able to offer information in Spanish or English to those touring the museum.
While she plans to study nursing after graduating from Escalon High School later this year, she said she wants to stay involved in some way with history.
“I plan to still do something related to history and museums because history in general has always fascinated me,” Castro-Esquivel shared.
The Escalon Historical Society Museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
