The Stanislaus County fair, an All-American Bash, triple digit heat and National Night Out were among the many events making the front page of The Leader during the summer of 2024. This week’s second installment of the Year In Review features the top stories for the months of May through August. Next week, look for the final chapter, covering September through December.
MAY
Sixty-three projects, 51 project leaders and over 800 volunteers would be a quick summary snapshot of what Love Oakdale looked like in the 95361 on Saturday, April 27, 2024. The kick off rally for the annual event was hosted once again at the Oakdale Community Park bright and early Saturday morning. As T-shirts flew through the air figuratively and literally, one thing was for certain for those in attendance as well as passing by – Oakdale volunteers were ready to serve their community. “Feeling great overall,” Love Oakdale Director, Lisa Kjeldgaard said Monday morning, after having a chance to reflect and catch her breath following the massive community effort. “This was my fourth year, obviously the biggest, by far. There’s nothing like looking out over that sea of people. I got super emotional talking to the project leaders.”
As news reports swirl about the end of Oakdale’s long-running annual Chocolate Festival, the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce leadership team remains unfazed and committed to their goal of supporting Oakdale businesses. “The Chamber has switched its direction from an events planning organization to a resource-based organization,” Membership and Marketing Manager, Bri Swan shared. “It was a unanimous vote amongst our board members.” With just over 30 years of dedication to the annual ‘Chocolate’ event, the third Saturday of each May, Swan along with Oakdale Chamber CEO, Cherilyn Bairos shared the board spent a good portion of the past year weighing the pros and cons of continuing the event. “We’re a resource Chamber now. We’re not an event planning Chamber,” Bairos said of the Chamber’s change in direction. “We don’t need to have one big event to make a lot of money, when we’re doing all these things that support Oakdale directly.”
It was a celebration of all things Mustang on Thursday morning, May 2 as a number of Oakdale High School athletes put pen to paper to sign on with their colleges of choice to continue their scholastic and athletic careers. For the 18 students, it was the culmination of a lot of work and sacrifice, along with the support of their families, that helped get them to the historic moment. Athletes representing several sports signed their letters of intent in a ceremony hosted in the foyer of the Mustang gym.
Neither rain nor shine seemed to make a difference on opening day of the Oakdale Morning Market on Saturday, May 4. Close to 70 vendors filled North Third Avenue, much to the delight of a sea of shoppers. The first of the 22-week Saturday morning events was open for patrons from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., as live music was played local favorite Alex Lucero. An 80 percent chance of rain, however, was not a deterrent for the large crowd which gathered. Some perhaps came early to beat the rain, while others came mid-market and endured it. All in all, weather proved to not be a factor for this popular local event. The Morning Market offered a variety of produce, multiple food items, home goods and artisan items with something for everyone.
Seeing as parking issues are a common complaint for the downtown area, the City Council on Monday night, May 6 approved the hiring of Dixon Resources Unlimited (Dixon) for $44,322 for a two-phase project to determine the best route to mitigating the current issues facing businesses and patrons. “This is not just developing a short-term parking plan, it’s looking long term of what we’re going to do in the downtown area,” City Manager Bryan Whitemyer said. According to city documents, Dixon is recognized across the United States as an expert in developing municipal parking programs. Dixon’s partial client list includes Alameda, Anaheim, Livermore, Modesto, Napa, Paso Robles, and San Leandro.
As the school year comes to an end, so too do a number of things, including the 2023-24 schedule of Oakdale Joint Unified School District board meetings. With a final meeting slated for June 10, 2024, it is customary for the current year student school board member to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, as well oversee the May meeting, hosted prior to their graduation. Monday evening, May 13 that is precisely what student board member Grace Miller did. The OHS senior accepted the gavel from OJUSD Board President Tina Shatswell to run what would be her final meeting.
Jennifer Stasio is smiling a little brighter and it has much to do with the community of Oakdale and her trusted dog Jack. Stasio, along with friend and work colleague Michelle Thomasser, corralled the help of the City of Oakdale and the Central Valley Association of Realtors (CVAR) to create what is now known as Rudy’s Bark Park. Located on South Maag Avenue, just north of Oakdale Junior High School, the park was officially opened on Friday, May 17. “It feels fantastic,” Stasio shared, following the official ribbon cutting. “To see the community come together for this project, because it takes a village. Especially all the Realtors, once we got everybody involved through CVAR.”
With over $125,000 raised so far, the Relay For Life of Greater Stanislaus County met with success over the weekend. The multi-city, multi-county combined regional event to raise funds for the American Cancer Society drew hundreds of participants and dozens of teams to Johansen High School in Modesto. It was a quick turnaround time from the 2023 to the 2024 event, as teams were at John Thurman Field in Modesto the last day of September and first day of October in 2023. The decision to move back to a spring Relay and return to Johansen – where the Modesto event had been in years past – meant a shorter time frame for fundraising and getting teams together. Presenting sponsor was ConAgra Brands and teams came from Oakdale, Riverbank, Modesto, Tracy, Ripon, Patterson and more, with participants from several other communities including Escalon and Turlock. The 24-hour Relay ran from 9 a.m. Saturday, May 18 to 9 a.m. Sunday, May 19.
The 2023-24 school year has come to an exciting close for Oakdale High School senior Katherine Brown. The OHS student has been bestowed with two distinguished titles for the Class of 2024. Brown has been named class Valedictorian as well as the 2024 Leo Volz scholarship recipient.
North Third Avenue generated a lot of buzz this past week. Thanks to the planning, efforts and hard work of the members of Pacific Project Heroes, a total of 31 banners bearing the faces of Oakdale soldiers were put up on the downtown lamp posts. The Military Banner Project, first launched earlier this year, was the brainchild of PPH President J.R. McCarty and his board. The non-profit received approval from the Oakdale City Council to implement the hardware, earlier this year. Then the call went out to the community for submittal of names of active military or veterans who call Oakdale home.
This past week proved to be a busy one for family and friends of Oakdale Joint Unified School District students as graduations were celebrated for Oakdale Charter, East Stanislaus, Valley Oak, Oakdale Junior High and Oakdale High School. Close to 770 students from the campuses combined were adorned in caps and gowns for ceremonial celebrations as the Class of 2024. Graduation for the Oakdale High School Class of 2024 appeared to have a record high attendance on May 24 as the Mustangs were treated to a long-awaited traditional ceremony. As was noted during speeches, the students of the pandemic participated in a “drive through” ceremony for their Oakdale Junior High School promotion in 2020.
JUNE
With temperatures reaching the mid-80s and bright sunshine bursting through, the scene was picture perfect at Clarence Royse Memorial Swimming Pool in Oakdale – better known as The Plunge – on Saturday, June 1. “Opening Day went great at the pool. We had about 200 people in attendance,” said City of Oakdale Recreation Services Specialist Alanna Bryant. “The energy was high, kids were excited to be there, the weather was fantastic, and the lifeguards did an incredible job.” Adding to the large crowd was the fact that it was an admission free Saturday, with everyone enjoying the chance to hit the pool at no cost. Regular admission is $1 for kids, $2 for adults.
President and Business Manager Austin Romito of Visit Oakdale has announced the launch of the Oakdale Event Marketing Grant Program, designed to support and enhance local events and experiences by providing funding for digital marketing campaigns. “This initiative aims to attract regional travelers from within 75 miles of Oakdale, boosting tourism and stimulating the local economy,” Romito said, with the application window now open.
It was billed as ‘The Longest Day sALZa to end ALZ’ – and the salsa competition saw plenty of entries on Sunday, June 9. Hosted at Dying Breed Brewing on Shepard Court in Oakdale, coordinator was Mandy Raff, an Oakdale resident who saw her father battle Alzheimer’s for years. There were 16 salsas entered among the 10 competitors signed up, noted Raff, and this was the second year the salsa competition was hosted at the local brewery. “I’ve been participating in The Longest Day; this is my sixth year participating,” Raff explained. “The cool thing about The Longest Day is you get to pick what you want to do for your fundraiser, you can be as creative as you want.”
A brand-new exhibit will be joining those already on display at the Oakdale Cowboy Museum on East F Street. Justin Stringfellow, archivist with the museum, said a special program is planned for Friday, June 14 at 1 p.m. “We are discovering some exciting new things buried in our files and storage, and as a result have begun a full refresh of our museum,” Stringfellow explained. “Our first of what we hope to be many new and interesting exhibits celebrating our local heritage and culture unveils this Friday. We are honoring local musician and rodeo enthusiast Mr. Mel Sanguinetti, who has been a staple of the community for more than 50 years.”
Oakdale’s Gene Bianchi Community Center was brimming with people on June 12, as the Stanislaus Senior Foundation, in cooperation with the City of Oakdale, hosted a Senior Information Day. Foundation President Billie Scott said it was a successful event and reached many local senior citizens. “It’s primarily to give information and make seniors aware of the services around them,” Scott said. Among the participants were such organizations as the Area Agency on Aging, Oak Valley Hospital, Stanislaus Veterans Services, area care centers and insurance firms, the Oakdale Police Department’s Senior Outreach program though its CAPS, Community Auxiliary Police Services, and more.
Second Harvest of the Greater Valley, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting hunger and food insecurity, has announced a significant update to its longstanding Senior Brown Bag Program. Effective immediately, the program will be known as “Silver Harvest,” reflecting its continued commitment to serving at-risk seniors throughout San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Established in 1976, the program has been a vital lifeline for seniors in area communities, providing nutritious supplemental groceries to those facing food insecurity. Over the years, Silver Harvest has grown to serve 22 sites, reaching approximately 1,700 seniors annually and distributing over one million pounds of food each year. “Silver Harvest is the longest running program that Second Harvest of the Greater Valley has, and we are proud to be able to provide for our senior neighbors month after month,” said Jessica Vaughan, CEO. “We believe the new name not only captures the spirit of the program but also symbolizes the importance of our seniors in our efforts to combat hunger.”
Summer fun has teamed up with education as the Oakdale Joint Unified School District presents its Expanded Learning Program for the second year. “Summer Camp was solely a fee-based program, available to all students in the district,” Armida Colon, Director of State and Federal Programs, said of ELP. “Effective last year, summer 2023, we no longer charge for the program and it’s still accessible to all students across the district.” Since the change to no cost, the director shared the program has doubled in enrollment from 95 to 110 students for the former six-week program to now well into the 200’s.
JULY
Temperatures hit the upper 90s, but it didn’t seem to impact the good mood of the crowd that turned out for some old-fashioned fun, enjoying the All-American Bash in Oakdale on Saturday, June 29. Hosted by the Oakdale Enrichment Society – with plenty of support from sponsors – the pre-July 4 celebration featured a late afternoon downtown parade and then a full line-up of events in Dorada Park. There were free games for kids, informational booths and displays, balloon art, some food trucks, cold treats and beverages, the Lions Club operating a food booth and the chance to visit the adjacent community pool for a quick swim.
The number of unhoused individuals counted across Stanislaus County dropped slightly compared to last year. The 2024 Homeless PIT Count data, released July 5, identified 2,052 homeless people, down from last year’s total count of 2,091. The count is a snapshot in time – a total of unsheltered and sheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night during the last 10 days of January. The Stanislaus County annual census found 980 unsheltered individuals and 1,072 sheltered people in the county. A total of 12 cities were included in the count; Modesto had the most homeless, 1622, while Riverbank came in at number five with 28 homeless counted and Oakdale was at number six, with 26 homeless. Other cities included in the count were Turlock, Empire, Patterson, Ceres, Newman, Waterford, Crowslanding, Salida and Denair.
Despite temperatures spiking to 108 degrees and an Excessive Heat Warning from the National Weather Service in place when the gates to the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock officially opened to the general public, it was a determined crowd that made it out to the opening day of the 106th Stanislaus County Fair on Friday afternoon, July 5. To keep the Fourth of July spirit going, the first 1,000 kids received red, white and blue glow necklaces and all active and former military members were admitted free of charge.
Once again this summer, the Concert in the Park series has returned to Oakdale. Join other community members at Dorada Park, adjacent to The Plunge, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday nights in Oakdale to enjoy free community-centered fun. The series is put on through the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the City of Oakdale. The popular concert series kicked off on July 12 and runs through Aug. 30, hot or cold, and all are welcome to attend. These free concerts last for eight weeks during the summer and combine the perfect ingredients for friends and family to enjoy the great outdoors.
For over 60 years, Community Sharing Christian Center has served Oakdale by providing food, commodities, and care to hundreds of people in need. Currently, every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., grocery packages filled with various foods are handed out, allowing families and individuals access to a healthy and stable food source. The items in the packages distributed can include canned or fresh vegetables and fruits, pistachios, meat, pasta, salsa, peanut butter and jelly, lentils, tomato paste, and macaroni and cheese, but the contents also depend on local donations. The food provided by Community Sharing Christian Center – more commonly known as Oakdale Community Sharing – is made available by various local grocery stores and companies. Save Mart, Raley’s, Grocery Outlet, Conagra, Frito-Lay, the Salvation Army, and Second Harvest donate items to the Community Sharing Christian Center.
The Knights Ferry Art Studio and Gallery, Randy Mandy and the Frequency Experience, and Knights Ferry Historical Society came together on Saturday, July 20 to fundraise and help restore a staple of the Knights Ferry community, Miller’s Hall. Through the years, Miller’s Hall has served as a private residence, dance hall, and card room. More recently, however, it has been home to the Knights Ferry Creamery, Knights Ferry Art Studio and Gallery, a free read and return library, a contractor’s office, houses the Knights Ferry Post Office, and the upstairs also serves as the home of the Knights Ferry Historical Museum. With the help of the Knights Ferry Art Studio and Gallery and Randy Mandy and the Frequency Experience, the ‘Frequency Resonation Project’ was hosted at 17631 Sonora Road, Knights Ferry, in Miller’s Hall to fundraise for repairing the damage to the porch and to raise awareness of Knights Ferry history.
Public Health officials in Stanislaus County have confirmed the first human West Nile Virus (WNV) infection this season, in an adult male with a non-neuroinvasive illness. WNV is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes and can cause mild to severe illness. Public Health and the local mosquito abatement districts announced the first pools of mosquitoes positive for WNV in May 2024.
With little warning, soot, rocks, and ash erupted hundreds of feet in the air on July 23 at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park due to a hydrothermal explosion beneath the pool. Longtime Oakdale residents Wendy Brown and Sabrina Harris witnessed the event – up close and personal – on their trip to Yellowstone and found themselves fleeing the scene with other tourists, scrambling to safety. While walking down the boardwalk to take pictures of Biscuit Basin, Brown said she noticed the pool was “gurgling.” The gurgling lasted, by her estimate, just about three to five seconds and then came the impressive yet very dangerous eruption. A cloud of ash and soot flew into the sky, sending dozens of tourists fleeing the scene. “I saw huge black rocks flying in the air,” Brown said, while she was trying to get off the boardwalk to safer ground. Some of the giant black rocks were the size of grapefruits and they crashed toward the tourists; luckily, no one was injured during the event.
AUGUST
At the Monday night, Aug. 5 Oakdale City Council meeting, City Manager Bryan Whitemyer provided an update on the plans for the intersection of Stearns Road and State Route 108. The update centered on the potential installation of a roundabout at this intersection, a solution Caltrans is advocating for, based on traffic data and safety considerations. The intersection, located just east of Oakdale, has been a site of concern due to a history of serious accidents. The offset alignment of North and South Stearns has contributed to a pattern of rear-end collisions and vehicles being pushed into oncoming traffic. With increasing development and traffic in the area, addressing these safety issues has become a priority.
National Night Out serves as an event to unite communities and promote public safety, which was precisely what was carried out on Tuesday. Aug. 6 throughout Oakdale and across the United States. More specifically, however, this was achieved on South First Avenue and East J Street in Oakdale with its debut as a local National Night Out block party location. Caitlyn Barreda organized this new location to encourage camaraderie and public safety in a neighborhood that has not seen it in this form before. “This community is pretty much underserved,” Barreda said, describing her motive for organizing and managing this new National Night Out, NNO, location.
Members of the Oakdale Joint Unified School District (OJUSD) Board convened for their August meeting on Monday, Aug. 12 with just three of the five board members present. Two members were absent due to moving their children into college dorms. The board swore in new student member Landon Arnold and approved the consent calendar unanimously. Arnold, after taking his seat on the dais, shared his enthusiasm for the new school year, stating, “School is going great so far and I think everyone seems to be settling in. We have our first rally this Friday which will hopefully help to welcome the new freshmen and get everyone excited about school.” Classes for all students resumed in the district on Thursday, Aug. 8 with the elementary, junior high, high school and alternative education programs kicking into gear for the 2024-25 school year.
A multi-alarm fire on Wednesday, Aug. 14 saw black smoke curling out of the Chalet Mobile Home Park on East G Street in Oakdale about 7:15 p.m. Just a few minutes later – 7:18 p.m. – firefighters were dispatched due to a “potential structure fire” at the location, Modesto Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Serpa said. Not long after, updates came flying in: “Two minutes later, we got another report that a trailer was on fire,” Serpa continued. The mobile home park is off East G, with the homes set close together.
For the seventh year in a row, members of the Oakdale Enrichment Society (OES) brought together hundreds of volunteers from Aug. 12 through 17 to give back to local residents through their annual Community Closet. From Aug. 12 to 15, OES had help from more than 50 volunteers daily to assist with clothing donation drop offs for the Community Closet. With a distribution date of Saturday, Aug. 17, hundreds of people lined up outside in the Oakdale Town Plaza roughly half an hour before the Community Closet opened. The line formed outside of the Gene Bianchi Community Center, waiting for the chance to get inside and look over the tables with all types of clothing. Meanwhile, ahead of the 9 a.m. start time, nearly 70 volunteers worked together inside to finish setting up the last donations and prepare to give back to those in need.
Reaching speeds up to 90 miles per hour, authorities in Sonora and Oakdale joined forces in a Tuesday morning pursuit that ended with an arrest. Sonora Area CHP Public Information Officer Steven Machado said their office was notified of a vehicle theft that had occurred at the Rush Creek Lodge near Yosemite, with an employee of the Lodge reporting the stolen vehicle. “We were able to intercept the vehicle but then the driver fled from us,” Machado explained. Officers then started the pursuit, getting behind the vehicle in the area of Highway 120 and Sims Road in Sonora. “Two of our CHP officers pursued the driver,” said Machado. With the vehicle headed westbound, the CHP office in Modesto was notified, as were Oakdale Police. Machado said the pursuit of the stolen truck started in Sonora about 8:13 a.m. Tuesday morning, Aug. 20 and was terminated in Oakdale at 8:51 a.m.
California is making it easier than ever to cash in your empty beverage containers with more than 250 new recycling sites across 30 counties funded by recycling innovation awards. CalRecycle just awarded nearly $70 million in Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grants for 37 projects to add dynamic recycling methods like reverse vending machines, mobile recycling, and bag-drop sites to counties around the state. Supermarket chains Save Mart and Smart and Final will get over $2 million each for reverse vending machines in 19 counties, including Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
