Proving the truth in the saying ‘things get better with age,’ the Escalon Senior Fun Bunch is only getting bigger and better.

The group, designed for area senior citizens, celebrated its seventh birthday on Wednesday, Aug. 19. It was once again a near-capacity crowd, as the ‘bunch’ gathered for some fun, games, refreshments and more.

Also stopping by the festivities was San Joaquin County District 5 Supervisor Robert Rickman, who represents Escalon on the county board. The supervisor brought along an oversized check, a birthday gift of sorts for the group. Rickman presented them with a check for $5,079 in support of their program. The funds will be used to purchase an assortment of items promoting memory and mobility, and were authorized by the full board as part of District 5 discretionary funding requested by Rickman.

“The Escalon Senior Fun Bunch provides more than activities – it creates meaningful connections, promotes healthy living, and ensures seniors have access to valuable information and support,” Rickman said. “I am proud to provide $5,079 in District 5 funding to help continue these important programs and improve the quality of life for seniors throughout the Escalon community.”

Many of the original organizers for the Fun Bunch were on hand to accept the funding, including founder Ann Shaddix, who brought the idea to the community.

The leadership team that heads up the effort to put on the monthly gatherings includes Peggy Rocha, Lois Tilbury, Sherri Franceschetti, Cindy Moreno and Tina Jensen, with several others also stepping up to assist in a variety of ways.

Organizers said they have seen the Senior Fun Bunch grow by leaps and bounds, surviving the COVID-19 era by putting on outdoor only-drive by type gatherings. But since they were able to bring residents back together at the Escalon Community Center each month, attendance has continued to grow.

Each third Wednesday of the month event typically features some music, a guest speaker or two, often a craft or take-home activity, refreshments and fellowship.

For the seventh birthday celebration, there were also a few rounds of Bingo and guest speaker Joe Coelho offered information on The Barn, which he has reopened on the west side of town, just across the railroad tracks along Highway 120 headed toward Manteca. He detailed the effort of getting it back in operation, along with explaining that they have fresh fruits and vegetables, soaps, some children’s books and toys, specialty items and some produce grown on site. There are also plans to have a small pumpkin patch during the Halloween season and some holiday items for the fast-approaching holiday season.

In keeping with the birthday celebration theme, the refreshments at the Aug. 19 gathering included cupcakes and make-your-own ice cream sundaes.