A festive Color Run, the unique Mr. Cougar competition, library activities and events hosted by the Escalon American Legion were just some of the stories that topped the headlines during the first quarter of the year gone by. This week, we begin a four-part series reviewing 2025, featuring items that appeared in The Times from January through March.
JANUARY
After a successful induction ceremony last spring, officials at the Escalon Unified School District are once again planning to add another class to the district’s Hall of Fame this school year. “We plan on hosting a recognition dinner for any new inductees on the evening of Friday, March 21, 2025,” said District Superintendent Ricardo Chavez. “The application process for nominations is currently open and will stay open through the end of day Thursday, January 30, 2025.”
Residents who still need to dispose of their Christmas tree can do so for free this coming weekend. Escalon Fire Department is hosting its annual tree pick-up scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 11.
Except for a brief three-month stint in Manteca for some on the job training, Joe Berchtold spent his entire career with the U.S. Postal Service right where he wanted to: in Escalon. The longtime employee was feted on his retirement recently, surrounded by co-workers as they wished him well while sharing refreshments and memories. Berchtold started working at the Escalon Post Office in 1987 and, with three years’ credit for military service, he ended up with a 41-year career with the USPS.
The sun was shining brightly and with the temperature topping out over 60 degrees, it wasn’t much like a traditional overcast California winter day. But that didn’t stop youngsters from visiting the Escalon Library to take part in a ‘Winter Mess Fest’ hosted at the branch on Second Street. From finger painting to playing in the snow, there were plenty of activities to keep kids busy. Offered on Jan. 17, there were items set up inside the local branch as well as outside on the sidewalk. Large butcher paper sheets were taped to the sidewalk and youngsters could paint on them; there was also a slide into a wading pool covered with the same paper. Toy cars and trucks were available to dip in paint and then send down the slide, the tires making colorful designs on the paper.
It was a smaller than usual crowd that turned out for Saturday night’s first of the year community dinner at the Escalon American Legion Post. But those that did show up enjoyed a wide variety at the ‘Soups and Stews’ night, with several to choose from in addition to salads, bread, dessert and beverages. The dinners are put on the third Saturday, offered several months throughout the year. The Jan. 18 gathering was the first for 2025.
Years of dedication to the sport of wrestling and the student athletes of Escalon High School were recognized recently, as the 2025 inductees into the Wrestling Hall of Fame were honored. Brianne Cerasi, Cathy Scott, Dao Schurkamp and Sue Smith were named as this year’s Hall honorees and were celebrated prior to the start of the varsity wrestling match at EHS on Wednesday night, Jan. 22. Wrestling head coach Derek Scott said the idea behind the Hall of Fame is to recognize both those wrestling athletes who have made their mark at EHS and also those that support the athletes in a variety of ways.
A project that has been in the works for months came to official fruition on Friday. With a snip of the scissors, Escalon Strong President Andy Hagan cut the ribbon to dedicate the Escalon Strong Giving Pantry. Now open at 1512 California St., Escalon, a sizeable crowd filtered in to the pantry for an early afternoon ceremony on Jan. 31. There were presentations from Fatima Ureno on behalf of Congressman Josh Harder’s office and Scott Tyrrell on behalf of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors, congratulating the Escalon Strong organization on the project. In remarks prior to cutting the ribbon, Hagan offered thanks to those who have helped along the way, bringing the pantry project to life.
With music as the overall theme for Winter Homecoming at Escalon High School, it was an energetic and tuneful week, culminating with the selection of Jake Sawyer as the new Homecoming King. The Cougar Dome on the campus of Escalon High School saw three basketball games played on Friday night, Jan. 31 to celebrate Homecoming. The JV boys, varsity girls and varsity boys all earned wins on the court, defeating Trans-Valley League rival Hilmar. The week leading up to the games saw lots of dress up days and special activities, including a Friday afternoon rally. Underclassmen also had the chance to be chosen as a Homecoming Prince: grade level winners were junior Ben Ferreira, sophomore Brien Novetzke and freshman Dylan Ball. Members of the senior class Homecoming Court were Andrew Olmos, Ryan Lewis, Ryan Murphy, Tony Epps and Jake Sawyer, who was ultimately selected as Homecoming King.
FEBRUARY
The Escalon Lions Club hosted its annual student speaker contest, staged in the council chambers at Escalon City Hall. The contest was on Thursday evening, Feb. 6 and the topic for this year’s speech was ‘Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe.’ Participants were, in alphabetical order, Brooklyn Dugo, Yazmin Castro Esquivel, Dominic Rissetto and Charlotte Shaddix. Serving as chairperson for the event was Lions Club member Mike Caskey. Rissetto was the winner, earning $100; the other contestants received $25 each.
Final monetary figures aren’t in yet, but plenty of runners braved the chilly temperatures on Saturday morning, Feb. 8 and laced up for the annual Escalon Educational Foundation Color Run, making their way along the course set up at Escalon High School. The start time of 8 a.m. came after day-of-event registrants signed up starting at 7 a.m.; others who were pre-registered picked up their T-shirts and bib numbers the previous evening. But when it was time to line up for the start of the race, some 250 participants were there to enjoy the event. All ages took part; the course made its way around the campus, starting off in the quad area and then heading out onto the grass of the various playing fields.
With just over 1,200 total calls for the calendar year of 2024, Escalon Consolidated Fire Protection District officials reported that 54 percent of those incidents were within the City of Escalon. Fire Chief Rick Mello released the incident breakdown for last year on Monday, Feb. 10. There were 649 calls in the city during the year, said Mello, with 496 incidents in the rural area, accounting for 41 percent of the department’s calls. The remaining five percent – 56 calls – were for automatic aid and mutual aid.
As incredible as it seems, Ryan Lewis never missed a varsity football game. Four years of varsity football. Four grueling seasons as a Cougar, playing offense and defense at a high level, earning accolades and never missing a beat, even as the preseason kicked off in August and ran Friday nights through November … and occasionally into December. A member of the varsity football team since his freshman year, Lewis saw that hard work, dedication and perseverance pay off in a big way recently. He has signed his Letter of Intent to play collegiate football for the Division 1 Fresno State Bulldogs. A signing ceremony was hosted in the EHS gym on Feb. 11 with family members friends, teammates and coaches all joining in the celebration.
Though clouds rolled in and the sky was a bit gray, the raindrops stayed away. And that was just what the crowd wanted, as they arrived on the Escalon High School campus for an afternoon of celebration and remembrance. The Escalon Cougars varsity baseball team had their home opener on Feb. 11, hosting Liberty Ranch. The game, though, really took a backseat to all the fanfare, as the new Cougar home field was dedicated, a ribbon cutting ceremony and first pitch were staged, and the No. 9 jersey of the late Greg Largent was retired. “When we first set out to get a new field, we had to work pretty fast, to get ready for the 2025 season,” said field renovation program coordinator Steve Riesenbeck. “We set out to raise, we called it 100K in 100 days; that was our goal. To some, it seemed like a crazy feat but I knew if there was anywhere it could be done, it was here, in this little small town that we call Escalon.” He said the project was dubbed “The Revival” and the leadership team spearheading the renovation effort went out seeking support.
Working off the theme of ‘The Healing Power of Music in the Hands of Heroes,’ the Guitars 4 Vets program is focused on teaching veterans how to play guitar and then, providing them with one of their own. Doug ‘PC’ Boele, the local Chapter Coordinator, is a member of the Escalon American Legion Post 263 and recently was in Oakdale to receive a grant for the program. Funding came from a $1,000 donation from the Stanislaus Senior Foundation and requesting the grant on behalf of the program was longtime Oakdale resident and community activist Mickey Peabody. “PC is a great guy and he just wants to help,” Peabody noted. Boele was excited to receive the funding, pointing out that the money will purchase five guitars for veterans who complete the program of guitar lessons. It is a 10-week course, he said.
MARCH
Lessons in team building, organization, money management and salesmanship … all wrapped up in a box of cookies. Members of Escalon Girl Scout Troop 2695 were busy on Saturday, March 1 as a trio of Daisy scouts worked a shift at their Girl Scout cookie booth, set up outside MarVal Main Street Market on McHenry Avenue. As five-year-old Eleanor Farris held up the sign advertising the cookies for sale, five-year-old Nora Smith made sure the packages of cookies were neatly arranged on the nearby sale table. And six-year-old Olivia Plascencia was taking stock of the finances, keeping the dollar bills, fives and tens in order in the money box. They were all eager to help potential shoppers make purchases, highlighting the various cookie flavors.
San Joaquin County Supervisor Robert Rickman announced that former Chief Executive Officer of the Tracy Chamber of Commerce, Maria Valenzuela, has joined his team and will serve as the District 5 Board Aide. Her assignments will vary as needed, but her primary task will be representing the Supervisor in the Escalon and Ripon areas.
Hundreds of students and thousands of pieces of artwork. That was the formula for a successful Arts Alive showcase, featuring a wide variety of art from all grade levels in the Escalon Unified School District. Between just Escalon High School and El Portal Middle School, there are well over 400 students enrolled in art classes that put pieces in the show, which was hosted on the EHS campus. Art from all schools in the district was included and with grade levels from transitional kindergarten to seniors represented. Classes from all schools also had a chance during the week to tour the show and an Open House was hosted on Thursday, March 6 for the community to come and view the works.
With a theme of “Welcome To The Jungle” for the 2025 Mr. Cougar Pageant, the last one standing was Carson Medina, selected for the honor out of 15 Escalon High School seniors taking part in the Friday, March 7 event in the school’s Performing Arts Center. It was an enthusiastic crowd that turned out for the show, sponsored for the third year by the First Responder Leadership Team. Offering the welcome and introduction were Katherine Romero and Karisa McNeil; Romero is President of the EHS First Responders Program and McNeil is the EMT Vice President of the program. Romero and McNeil introduced the judges for the evening: guest judges were teacher and coach Brandon Hoover, EHS office manager Liz Nunes, campus monitor Mike Berezay and school board member Kate Powell. Emcees for the evening kept the program moving smoothly from act to act. Contestants were Daniel Adams, Cody Brown, Ian Burk, Josue Ruiz, Joseph Dutra, Lucas Estep, Joshua Fiori, David Ingles, Alex Jones, Maximus Velasco, Carson Medina, Nate Millard, Ryan Murphy, Wesley Radford and John Konradi.
Sunny skies greeted eager youngsters on Saturday morning, March 8 at Hogan-Ennis Park in Escalon, as Opening Day ceremonies were staged for the 2025 Youth Baseball-Softball Season. Teams in multiple divisions lined up on the field for introductions, with the program getting underway at 9 a.m. The Escalon Recreation Department program features 15 T-Ball teams, with Major League Baseball team names; six 8U teams with college team names. The Rookie league, with MLB team names, includes nine teams. The three 10U teams have college names; the four Minor League squads have MLB names, with the 12U and 14U squads with college names; the Major 70 and 13-15 boys with MLB names. Altogether, there are 44 teams that will be playing games through the rec department this season. Many familiar names are serving as team sponsors this season as well, from the Escalon Police Department to Hogan Manufacturing; Escalon City Council to Pizza Plus and Mid Valley Ag to Escalon Small Animal Clinic.
Along with the introduction of teams, coaches and recognition of sponsors, the morning also included the presentation of the colors by the Escalon American Legion Post 263 and the National Anthem sung by Cortney Ball. Then, a formal dedication of the field was conducted, with it renamed Largent Field in honor of the late Greg Largent, a longtime educator and coach with the Escalon Unified School District. Offering remarks at the dedication ceremony was Escalon High School alum Malinda ‘Mo’ Walker, who now serves on the Escalon City Council and is this year’s Mayor Pro Tem. She stood at home plate with Mayor Andy Hagan and detailed how important Coach Largent was to her growth and development, as a softball player and a person. “It’s an honor to stand before you today as we gather to dedicate this baseball field to an extraordinary individual who has had a profound effect not only on the Escalon baseball program but on this entire community; Coach Greg Largent,” Walker said. “When we think about what it means to be a coach, a mentor and a leader, Coach Greg Largent embodies all those qualities.”
It was a 100-year celebration this month, as the local Eastern Star organization observed its birthday. In 1925, El Rio Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star in Riverbank helped establish the Escalon Chapter, which was named Escallonia #447. “They initially met in local members’ homes or churches until the Lodge building was constructed on Viking Street,” explained Leslie Due, a member of the local chapter. “Since then, members of the organization have met monthly for 100 years to perform community service and build fellowship. We continue to dedicate ourselves to Charity, Truth, and Loving Kindness.” Due added that the 78-person membership “includes new members who have just joined to some members with over 75 years in the organization.” She explained that based on five heroines from the Bible, the ‘star’ represents fidelity, constancy, loyalty, faith, and love.
A packed house greeted members of the Escalon Lions Club as they put on their traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner to observe St. Patrick’s Day. The dinner was hosted at the Escalon Community Center on Thursday, March 20. Event supervisor Chuck Sawyer said they were anticipating serving around 275 meals, both those eating in at the Community Center and those picking up meals to go at the drive-thru set up outside. He said the club members cooked up 300 pounds of corned beef, 150 pounds of cabbage, 150 pounds of potatoes and about 100 pounds of carrots. Along with the meal, there were drawings for a number of prizes along with some auction items up for bid. Among those on hand, selling tickets for the drawings, was Taylor Scully, reported to be the first woman member of the local Lions Club. Marylyn Salvin, a longtime supporter of the club whose husband John is a past president, gathers the majority of the prizes for the evening, coordinating that effort for several years.
With three new inductees for the Escalon Unified School District Hall of Fame – and three current employees recognized – it was a night full of honors on Friday, March 21. The dinner and ceremony staged in the Escalon High School Performing Arts Center featured a catered meal, performances by the Escalon High School band and choir, the induction and the employee recognition awards. District Superintendent Ricardo ‘Ricky’ Chavez welcomed the crowd to the evening of celebration, giving way to the musical portion of the program, with the choir led by Joel Adams and the band led by Ashley Crow. This year’s Hall of Fame recipients were Janet Karr Sutton (posthumously), Jeanette Souza-Maduena and Grant Thompson. Employee Recognition awards were presented for the Escalon Unified School District as part of the Friday night, March 21 ceremony. Receiving the 2024-25 Outstanding Teacher Award were Tina Harper and Heather Oliveira; Linda Johnston received the Classified Employee Award of Excellence.
An evening full of socializing, eating, offering up bids on both live and silent auction items and, finally, some dancing made for a successful Escalon High School Sports Boosters fundraiser. Staged at the Escalon Community Center on March 22, the catered dinner event saw the Boosters earn a profit of $45,000 that will help support all sports teams and programs at Escalon High School. Leading the Sports Boosters group are President Ilda Medina, Vice President Jessica Gutierrez, Secretary Melanie Jimenez and Treasurer Christina Silveira. They were the driving force behind the dinner once again, coordinating the effort to bring in multiple silent auction items and raffle prizes, as well as a variety of items for the live auction.
If you happened to drive through Escalon the final weekend in March, you might have wondered what that long line of people was doing along First Street. The line started at the door of the newly opened Poor Example, situated in The Merchant Yard building, 1455 First St., and snaked along the walkway to the building, then down the sidewalk toward McHenry Avenue. They were waiting, patiently, for a chance to get in and see the artwork and other items in the Poor Example gallery, with artist Mike Mitchell at the helm. Mitchell, an Escalon High School graduate, has returned to his hometown to open a business, which drew in huge crowds for each of the three-day grand opening celebration, which ran Friday, March 28 through Sunday, March 30. “It’s a store I started with my sister, Leann Castellanos, and my wife Lauren Mitchell, formerly Lauren Wall; we’re all from Escalon,” Mitchell explained. “I always had this idea of coming back and doing something with art here because that’s what I love.”
Next week, a look at some highlights from the second quarter of the year, April through June.
