On one end of town, the barbecue was fired up and the smell of grilling tri-tip filled the air. At the other end, volunteers were watching over simmering pots of spaghetti sauce and boiling the pasta to perfection.
It was a night of fundraisers for the Escalon community on Saturday, Jan. 25 as the Escalon High School Sober Grad Drive-Thru tri-tip dinner and the Escalon United Methodist Church spaghetti supper were both hosted.
Different crowds turned out for each, and organizers of the two fundraisers said they were generally pleased with the way their dinners went off.
Taking over as coordinator for the tri-tip drive-thru this year was Renee Snow, and she said there were some 140 tickets sold. The meal for four, delivered curbside at El Portal Middle School on First Street, included a whole barbecued tri-tip, four baked potatoes, a loaf of bread, a bag of salad and a two-liter bottle of soda.
Senior class members who turned out to help deliver the meals to drive-thru diners and collect the pre-sale tickets were Wyatt McCune, Kaidence Trejo, Ashley Levin, Kaitlyn Gaffney and Alexis Gaffney. They earned some money off their Sober Grad ticket for volunteering at the dinner.
Snow also thanked the grilling crew, which included longtime volunteer Kenny Taggart, who continues to work the event even though he no longer has students attending EHS. Also working the grill were John Lial and Nile Olson.
“We’re going to do lots of fun and new, exciting things,” Snow added of planning the Sober Grad Night party for the Class of 2020.
At Escalon United Methodist, on the east end of town, the crew was busy during the day as well on Saturday, simmering the sauce, preparing the salad and overseeing the steaming pots of water to boil the pasta. The dinner included spaghetti, salad, bread, beverages and an ice cream cup for dessert.
Many longtime volunteers returned to keep the food flowing smoothly while others worked the dining room, clearing away used plates and making sure everyone got enough to eat.
There was also a special take out area, where orders were filled to go.
Organizers were pleased as the dining room at the Jackson Avenue filled up more than once with eager eaters, and the spaghetti supper was declared a success. It is one of many fundraising activities the church hosts throughout the year.
