An estimated $34,000 was brought in Saturday night, March 16 as the Escalon Sports Boosters put on their annual Boosters Dinner, hosted at the Escalon Community Center.
Tables of silent auction items served up everything from a signed varsity Flag Football program football for the inaugural season, a custom designed fire pit, tickets to professional sports games, gift baskets and more. There were also several prizes in a raffle drawing and multiple sports photos available for purchase as part of the festivities.
The ‘big ticket’ live auction items ranged from cozy cabin getaways to premier seating at Engel Field for next year’s football season.
Escalon Sports Boosters board members Ilda Medina, president; Jessica Gutierrez, vice president; Christina Silveira, treasurer; and Melanie Jimenez, secretary, welcomed the crowd and Medina thanked them for their continued support.
“Everything that we do could not be done without the help of the Escalon community,” said Medina. “Escalon High has had 15 sports programs for the past several years, and this year an additional two programs were added: Girls Flag Football and Boys Volleyball. It has been so exciting to watch these new programs get up and running.”
This past year, she added, more than $46,400 was given back directly to sports programs at the high school as a result of Boosters Club fundraising via community support.
Medina said the school also had two coaches recognized with Coach of the Year honors, varsity football coach and EHS Athletic Director Andrew Beam, and varsity wrestling coach Derek Scott.
There was a time for socializing on Saturday evening, followed by a catered meal. Several high school student-athletes came in to help serve diners and clean up. Then it was time for professional auctioneer Will Cockrell to step up to the mic and run the live auction. Having had two students graduate from EHS, he was familiar with many faces in the crowd and kept up a steady stream of banter while also focused on the auctioneering task at hand.
Highest price paid at the live auction was $4,000 for the “Golden Cougar” table for the 2025 Boosters Dinner. It includes a premier table for 10, with dinner service, wine and a reserved table along with some other special perks. Half of the winning bid is also donated to the sport of the high bidder’s choosing. Close behind was a $3,100 bid for VIP Cougar game seats and parking pass, which includes four VIP seats to every regular season home football game and a VIP parking pass near the baseball field dugout. A taco party for 20 by Tacos de Nieve went for $675, an acrylic picture of the newly renovated Engel Field on the night of the inaugural football game in October went for $800.
Medina also pointed to the renovation of Engel Field as a source of pride for the school and community.
“It took countless hours of dedication and hard work that will be talked about for years to come,” she said. “We know that this community is truly something special, and it could not have been done without the support of all of you here tonight.”
