From late summer on in to early fall, there were notable news stories and plenty of activities in Escalon and the surrounding area that made headlines in The Times. This week, we present the third installment of our four-part Year In Review, covering July through September, 2025.
JULY
After months of speculation – and dwindling stock on the shelves – the ‘Going Out Of Business’ sale has been on for a few weeks now at the Rite Aid in Escalon, at 1710 California. Escalon City Manager Jaylen French confirmed that the doors are scheduled to close for the final time later this month. “We have been notified that the last day for Pharmacy operations was June 29 (Sunday) and that the store will remain open until July 20, 2025,” French noted. “We understand that pharmacy prescriptions have been transferred to other providers.”
It had only been open a few months, but after a sting operation resulted in an arrest, the Lotus Wellness Center in the 2000 block of Main Street in Escalon was shut down on July 2. Escalon Police Department received an anonymous complaint regarding the massage business on Friday, June 27, reporting a concern about possible illegal activities at the site. Acting on the complaint, Officer Benjamin Harrison organized and executed a sting operation on Wednesday, July 2, including Escalon officers who conducted the operation. The undercover officer was propositioned, and Escalon Police Department officers subsequently arrested the employee.
Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance have awarded Escalon’s Cromwell & Ney Insurance a 2025 Make More Happen Award for its partnership with Escalon Strong, a local nonprofit dedicated to improving quality of life in San Joaquin County by supporting individuals through programs that promote independence, food security, and community wellness. This recognition includes a $5,000 donation to Escalon Strong.
A trip to Iowa proved hugely successful for Escalon teen Mason Silva, 13, as he returned from the late June National Junior High Finals Rodeo (NJHFR) in Des Moines, Iowa as a Reserve World Champion. His second place showing came in Goat Tying at the 2025 NJHFR and – due to his hard work and perseverance – was a dramatic improvement from his 45th place showing at this event last year.
A vegetation fire in heavy brush and grass on Thursday afternoon, July 10, saw Escalon firefighters responding to the scene in the 24000 block of River Road. Eventually, multiple departments assisted Escalon fire crews at the scene. The fire, at 12:45 p.m., was reported at the McHenry Recreation Area, said Escalon fire officials, with two acres initially involved. Responding crews indicated the fire had a “moderate rate of spread” and additional units were called in.
From the mild late July weather, the thermometer not even reaching 90 degrees, to the crowd-pleasing musical entertainment, the parade, competitions, vendors and more, the 2025 edition of Park Fete is in the books. In the days leading up to the Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26, downtown Park Fete celebration in Escalon, there were several special events. New royalty was crowned and a longtime couple, active in the community, was honored. Tuesday, July 22 the Senior Mr. and Mrs. Escalon Luncheon was hosted at the Escalon Community Center, saluting the many contributions of Adrian and Valerie Van Houten as this year’s honorees. Wednesday night, July 23 at the Community Center, it was the Miss Escalon Pageant and 12 high school students, incoming junior and senior girls at EHS, took part. The crown went to Gianna Wilson – now a third generation Miss Escalon – following in her mother’s and grandmother’s footsteps. She also was named Miss Photogenic. First alternate was Ayana Cocio and second alternate was Jaqueline Aguayo, who also was selected as Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants. Carolina Torres was named as Miss Inspirational. On Thursday evening, July 24, Rylee McCoon was named Little Miss Escalon and said she was excited to represent “this awesome town” over the next year; Austin Felber was named Little Mr. Escalon and was looking forward to riding in the Saturday parade and taking part in different events throughout the year.
AUGUST
From the Tiny Tots – most of whom can’t even lace up their own cleats yet – to the oldest U17 boys, teams in nearly a dozen divisions hit the playing fields at Hogan-Ennis Park on Saturday, Aug. 2 to officially kick off the youth soccer season. This year featured more than 900 registered participants in the Escalon Recreation Department program, with many of the teams sponsored by local businesses, service clubs or organizations.
With hard hats, shovels, and looking toward the future, South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) and Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) officially kicked off the Canyon Tunnel Project on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. The 12,000-foot water tunnel is designed to revolutionize how water moves through the Sierra foothills. Built beneath steep canyon walls and through an ancient, buried riverbed, the tunnel will bypass a fragile section of the Joint Supply Canal (JSC), protecting critical water deliveries to cities, farms, and families across SSJID and OID’s districts for generations to come. “This tunnel is a lifeline for our communities,” said Glenn Spyksma, SSJID Board President. “We’re building a future where water keeps flowing no matter what nature throws our way.”
Before the heat really kicked in toward the end of last week, residents of Escalon had the chance to enjoy the 2025 edition of National Night Out, observed on Tuesday, Aug. 5. There were six official National Night Out gatherings around the city, and all were visited by the large caravan of Escalon city, police, fire and ambulance personnel, many city officials aboard the eTrans bus and the first responders in a variety of fire trucks, police vehicles and ambulances.
School bells rang across the Escalon Unified School District on Thursday, Aug. 7 as classes resumed at all sites. From the youngest Transitional Kindergarten, TK, students to those entering their final year of high school, the new year officially got underway. “Our very first day of school, I had the pleasure of visiting each of our campuses. It was truly one of the smoothest and most joyful starts to a school year we’ve experienced in recent memory,” said District Superintendent Ricardo Chavez. The various campuses have welcomed everyone back, and are now settling in to the weekly routine. Escalon Unified includes Collegeville, Dent, Farmington and Van Allen elementary sites; El Portal Middle School; Gateway Charter Academy; Vista High School; and Escalon High School.
If you didn’t have any dinner plans, or dessert plans for that matter, on Saturday, then Escalon was the place to be. Serving up a third Saturday of the month dinner at the Escalon American Legion on Aug. 16, the members of the local post put on a pork loin and ribs dinner, open to the community. Nearby, the Escalon United Methodist Church was the site for the annual ice cream social, a staple at summer’s end for many years.
From a simple idea in 2019 grew an organization that has provided fun for countless senior citizens in Escalon – and a few from neighboring communities – as the Escalon Senior Fun Bunch recently marked its sixth anniversary. It was a combination party and circus, hosted at the Escalon Community Center on Aug. 20, that marked the occasion. Longtime resident Ann Shaddix was the initial driving force behind the group, wanting to provide a way for local seniors to get together to socialize and have fun. “I can’t tell you how much joy I feel right now … I just have tears come to my eyes,” Shaddix shared after listening to the Fun Bunch singers perform for a huge crowd in attendance at the party. “Six years, six beautiful years of people working together; I love it.” The group meets regularly the third Wednesday of the month, from 2 pm. to 4 p.m., at the Community Center. There is typically a theme, a guest performer, a craft, and snacks to enjoy.
Closing out a successful multi-month run, the final Escalon Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Farmer’s Market of the 2025 season was hosted in the city’s Main Street Park on Aug. 20. “Overall, a great year, good weather,” Chamber member and vendor liaison Megan McNinch said, noting that only one market night hit triple digits.
The saying in the halls on the campus of Escalon High School is that “Tradition Never Graduates” but officials did break with tradition just a bit, and hosted the Senior Night festivities for football to start the season. It’s usually hosted at the final home Trans-Valley League game, but it was decided to switch it up this year, avoiding extra fanfare later, when a trip to the playoffs or the league title could be on the line. Recognition for the senior football players, accompanied by family members, came in a ceremony prior to kickoff of the Friday, Aug. 22 contest. At halftime, there was another ceremony, this one honoring the senior cheerleaders who perform at games, as well as the senior band and choir members, who are on hand for home games to entertain the crowd and sing the national anthem. Escalon thumped visiting Rodriguez out of Fairfield by a 35-14 final, a satisfying victory over a team the Cougars had never faced before.
As the sun set beneath a cloud filled sky Saturday, Aug. 23, family and friends of Whisper Owen, 36, and her eight-month-old daughter Sandra McCarty gathered to honor them along the banks of the canal at Highway 120 and Victory Avenue. That’s where they were discovered in a submerged vehicle, pulled from the canal at the San Joaquin-Stanislaus County line on Sunday, Aug. 17. From tears to hugs and shared memories, the event brought folks from throughout the Central Valley together to honor the duo that had been missing for more than a month. Although it was a tragic ending to the story, Vickie Torres, Whisper’s mother and Sandra’s grandmother, noted that she was grateful that they were finally found. Through tears, Torres and her family expressed their gratitude to the many volunteers and emergency personnel that spent weeks searching for the duo that disappeared in mid-July following a trip to Fresno.
SEPTEMBER
It was a low key ending to the summer season for the Monday, Sept. 1 Labor Day holiday. Flags were placed along Main Street in Escalon by members of the local American Legion and at Jacob Myers Park off Santa Fe at the San Joaquin-Stanislaus County line, crowds gathered to splash around in the cooling waters of the Stanislaus River. Temperatures reached triple digits, then the overnight hours into Sept. 2 brought lightning, thunder and light rain, with the lightning sparking multiple fires and prompting some evacuations in outlying areas of Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Calaveras counties.
Following the inaugural Battle of 120 in 2023 when Escalon brought the Mayor’s Cup trophy back from The Corral in Oakdale, the last two years have seen it captured by the Mustangs. The varsity football teams, separated by just a handful of miles on Highway 120, have been playing each other in preseason for the past few years. Escalon won the first battle back in 2023 by a 41-21 final in Oakdale. The Mustangs returned the favor the next year, winning on Escalon’s home turf, Engel Field, by a 21-20 edge. This year, the trophy stayed in Oakdale, as the Mustangs defeated Escalon by a 27-13 final. Oakdale Mayor Cher Bairos and Escalon Mayor Andy Hagan met at midfield for a handshake prior to the varsity kickoff on Friday night, Sept. 5.
It was the 19th year that Escalon Fire Department has hosted its 9/11 memorial service, coinciding with the number of years that Rick Mello has served as chief for the department. And, by all accounts, it was one of the largest turnouts ever for the gathering to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks. Not only does the ceremony, hosted outside the Escalon fire station on Coley Avenue, honor those lost on that day in 2001, but also remembers those who have been lost in the ensuing War on Terror and the first responders who have succumbed to a number of different cancers after spending countless hours at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the attacks that brought down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
None of the students in the First Responders Program at Escalon High School were even born when 9/11 became seared in the memories of many Americans … but they have learned about that dark day in U.S. history and shared the information recently with their classmates. This year, members of the First Responders classes once again put on their 9/11 program, with several stations set up inside the high school’s Performing Arts Center, covering topics ranging from the collapse of the Twin Towers to the outpouring of support from around the world, the recovery effort and a new feature, a ‘Hall of Fame’ style row of photos and write-ups of key figures on that day, Sept. 11, 2001.
A couple of classics – both driven off the lot and kept in the same family for decades – drew plenty of attention at the Lions Club Annual Autumn Cruise on Saturday, Sept. 13. And a 1964 Chevy Impala went home with the top honor, Best of Show. That Impala was “driven off the lot” at Friendly Chevrolet in Escalon in 1964 by Frank Bracco; it was passed down to his son Ed and it has stayed in the family, now being passed down to Ed’s grandson, Dominic Rissetto, an Escalon High School sophomore. Meanwhile, Ed’s brother, Tim Bracco of Denair, was at the car show with a 1968 Lincoln Mercury that was bought off the lot at Wilson Lincoln Mercury on 10th Street in Modesto.
Round three goes to Escalon. Ever since the introduction of the ‘Vaca Bowl’ in 2023, it has been won by the Cougars in the annual rivalry battle between Escalon and Hilmar. And, in serious need of a Trans-Valley League win, the host Cougars put together a solid game on Sept. 26 to retain the ‘Milk Can’ trophy, defeating the Yellowjackets 27-9.
We close out the four-part series looking back at 2025 in next week’s issue, with the final three months of the year, October through December, featured in the Jan. 28 edition of The Times.
