This week, we begin our annual review of the year that was, taking a look at the feature stories and photos as they appeared in the pages of The Leader during 2023. This installment, the first of three, reviews the first quarter of the year, focusing on highlights of January through April.
JANUARY
A flood watch and a high wind watch were both in effect for the region, issued by the National Weather Service in Sacramento. A portion of northern California, including the Carquinez Strait and Delta, Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley, Northern Sacramento Valley, Northern San Joaquin Valley and Southern Sacramento Valley are included in the flood watch, which remains in effect through Friday morning, Jan. 6. Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks.
The Knights Ferry Bridge — the longest covered wooden bridge west of the Mississippi River — will be undergoing extensive repairs. The Army Corps of Engineers closed the bridge as of Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. The closure follows a structural analysis that determined significant wood deterioration has compromised the stability of the 330-foot historic covered bridge. The bridge will be closed to pedestrian traffic for an undetermined amount of time until either temporary supports are installed or full rehabilitation of the bridge is completed.
One won’t find a pile of weeds growing under the boots Gypsy Cowgirl, Bambi Porter. As the years go by Porter seems to add more notches to her belt, living her dreams and helping others as she does so. Most recently the Oakdale Cowboy Museum Manager has added to her on-air appearances with a newly developed show “Preserving America” on Wild Rides TV. While it’s an idea which Porter has visualized and developed in her head over time, it was a chance phone call that helped launch it on the newly released app-based station.
While Oakdale Joint Unified School District has long been known for its athletic accomplishments, as well as academic, the board remains focused on bringing enrichment to students of all interests. Now, thanks to the passage of Measure 28 in the November 2022 election, the district will be able to continue this quest. Passing by a large margin, Measure 28 provides an ongoing source of funding to school districts throughout the State of California to start new or expand upon existing arts education programs for students K-12. A total of over $750,000 has been allotted to OJUSD for the 2022-2023 school year, 80 percent of which must be spent on staff, with 20 percent remaining to be spent on materials and other supplements. With the passing of this measure, school districts will receive an undetermined amount each year from the state for this purpose. “The budget is providing for one percent of their overall fund to go to schools for arts and music. That’s pretty fabulous,” Gillian Wegener, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, shared.
Neither age nor size seem to be a deterrent for what’s to come for Grayson Haydn-Myer. The 16-year-old high school junior has been wowing audiences for a few years now with what appears to be an innate skill at auctioneering. “I started auctioneering when I was in fifth grade,” Grayson said of her days at Fair Oaks Elementary school. Growing up in a ranching family, Grayson shared she’s always known what an auctioneer was and with her quick dialect, was often encouraged to give it a try. Initially her father partnered her up with well-known local auctioneer and OHS alum Travis Johnson to start giving her lessons. By seventh grade, she shared she was taking lessons from World Champion Auctioneers at Turlock Livestock Auction Yard.
For the 16th year running, the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region VII will partner to honor outstanding classified (non-supervisory) education employees in Stanislaus County. Two Oakdale Joint Unified School District employees are among the honorees. They are Alma Ceniceros, a Lead Cafeteria Assistant at Magnolia Elementary School; and Shelly Crist, a Custodian III at Oakdale Junior High School.
With an eye toward water conservation, Oakdale City Council members recently gave staff the green light to apply for a $3-6 million state grant funded by the Department of Water Resources to address the ongoing “mow strip” issues sucking precious resources in the newer subdivisions. Jeff Gravel, Public Services Director, went before City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 17, to present the grant opportunity, which was met with resounding approval from Council, particularly Councilmember Christopher Smith. Citing residents’ complaints ranging from swampy conditions to constant maintenance issues, Smith said, “This is a huge step forward, especially knowing that water is becoming more and more of a gold chip … I’m loving this.” The subdivisions affected would be Bridle Ridge, Vineyards, Sterling Hills, and Burchell Hill.
Things are beginning to blossom at Oakdale Junior High School. While the students may be returning to a thriving environment post pandemic restrictions, it is the school garden which is being restored to life. According to OJHS Resource Educator, Courtney Schmitt, the garden was first installed in 2016-2017 by retired educator Linda Metcalf. During the pandemic, the space went neglected and looked as such. However, it was the preparation of the 2022-2023 OJHS Club Rush event which sparked the idea of re-launching the Garden Club for Schmitt. She further shared that Vice Principal Jeff Aprile had spent some time tending to the garden in the summer months. Aprile planted corn, pumpkins and zinnias. Presenting the idea to her husband, as well as fellow OJHS staffers, Schmitt made the decision to take on the task.
FEBRUARY
Oakdale is a strong community. That was the gist of the message delivered by Oakdale Mayor Cherilyn Bairos, who offered up her second ever ‘State of the City’ message, in a special program hosted at the Bianchi Community Center on Jan. 25. With a large crowd turning out, the luncheon gathering included the presentation of the colors by Modesto Fire Department, entertainment by Oakdale High School musicians, a city employee-themed slide show and the keynote speech by Mayor Bairos. Among the highlights, she noted that serious crimes have continued to trend downward, there have been major projects to improve the city started – and some completed – and the fiscal position of the city remains solid.
The Winter Homecoming culminated with the crowning of a new Royal Court on Friday night, Jan. 27 at Oakdale High School. Chosen as the new Prince and Princess were freshmen Wes Burford and Avery Gleason. Taking the titles of Queen and King were juniors Mia Peterson and Mason Oliveira. The crowning was part of the Friday night tripleheader of boys’ basketball games with Oakdale hosting East Union in Valley Oak League action.
Five-year-old Vicente De La Torre didn’t have to travel to Disneyland to have his dreams come true. To the contrary, the TK student at Oakdale’s Magnolia Elementary School didn’t even have to leave his hometown. Thanks to a caring mom, a simple social media post and several “shares”, young Vicente’s birthday wish was realized. The local youngster was recently treated to a birthday party at Mountain Mike’s in Oakdale and, much to his delight and surprise, several soldiers were in attendance at the youngster’s request. They were not friends of the family or even family members, for that matter, but heroes who had either seen or heard of the post made by mom Angie De La Torre. According to Angie, her son’s infatuation with “soldiers” began as a result of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in his TK class each week.
Countless hours of studying the challenging “American Revolution” from every possible academic angle and subject culminated in an Oakdale High School sweep of top honors at the 43rd annual Stanislaus County Academic Decathlon. The event was hosted at Johansen High School on Saturday, Feb. 4 and marked the 20th time the academic Mustangs have claimed the championship. Oakdale not only won the overall winning team honors and the Super Quiz event; the hard-working academic team swept the Individual High Point Winner awards in each division.
Every time the Oakdale Mustangs varsity football team takes the field, right after the jumping jacks, the team members chant: “Mustang born, Mustang bred; gonna be a Mustang ‘til the day I’m dead!” No one personifies that chant better than the new head varsity football coach of the Mustangs, Garrett Martin. An Oakdale product, the 30-year-old Martin graduated from Oakdale High School in 2010. During each of his four years in high school, Martin was part of the Mustang football program, playing as a hard-hitting outside linebacker and safety.
The gray skies did little to put a damper on the festivities on Friday morning, Feb. 3 as the long-awaited reopening of the North Third Avenue business corridor was celebrated. Oakdale Mayor Cherilyn Bairos, aboard quarter horse Miss Kitty with handler Junior Rodin walking alongside, headed up the procession. Following were members of the Oakdale City Council in a golf cart, then a contingent of police cars and fire trucks. Mayor Pro Tem Christopher Smith and council members Bob Amaral, Kayleigh Gilbert and Fred Smith were all in attendance. “This is the best project for sure since I’ve been mayor,” noted Bairos. “We’ve had to endure the pain with the businesses but this is going to be around for many, many generations to come. So, it’s an exciting time for our local businesses here, our downtown businesses and our community as a whole.”
The Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority (StanRTA) plans to launch systemwide service changes on March 5, 2023, as a result of its Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) findings from 2022. The changes will help provide transit equity across The S service area. Although the service change will not occur until March 5, StanRTA has already started promoting the changes for riders to become familiar with changes in their neighborhoods. “Our goal was to create an easier, more efficient system to connect our communities across the entire service area,” said Adam Barth, StanRTA CEO. “The changes will provide significantly expanded and more equitable transit access.”
MARCH
It may have been a little chilly and a little rainy, but the businesses were warm and welcoming, as a special Grand Re-Opening Celebration was hosted downtown on Friday night, Feb. 24 for the North Third Avenue corridor. Though opened back up to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic early in February, the official celebration and ribbon cutting was staged later in the month. Helping coordinate the event was Amy Velasco, who welcomed attendees and agreed that everyone is happy to have the project completed. The renovation featured some unexpected delays, forcing businesses to adapt, keeping the roadway closed to vehicle traffic for much longer than the original estimate. But those attending were in a celebratory mood, with Pastor Henry Raven taking the microphone to offer a prayer before the ribbon cutting. Among those on hand, several Oakdale City Council members, Planning Commission members, city staffers and plenty of residents eager to see the new state-of-the-art streetscape, designed especially with the pedestrian in mind.
Grace Miller woke Sunday morning feeling as if she had been dreaming, but she hadn’t. On Saturday, Feb. 25 Grace was named the Class of 2024 Distinguished Young Woman. She will now represent Oakdale at the State level in Bakersfield this summer. The longtime scholarship event, co-sponsored by Soroptimist International of Oakdale and Oakdale Joint Unified School District, invites young ladies of the Junior Class to participate for the opportunity to win scholarships. This was the 38th year SIO has hosted the event. A total of 13 young women participated in the 2024 DYW event.
Oakdale High School captured the Large School Overall Award at the 37th Annual Stanislaus County Occupational Olympics and Career Exposition at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. Approximately 750 students from Stanislaus County high schools participated in 16 competitive events at the Thursday, March 2 exposition and OHS was the top award winner in the large school division. In addition to the competitive events, 45 business/industry representatives exhibited and spoke to students during the Career Expo.
With a good crowd, an air of excitement, and a lot of accomplishments to highlight, the annual Oakdale Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner went off smoothly on Friday night, March 10. There were accolades in several categories as well as the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to longtime Oakdale teacher and coach Trent Merzon. Also, recognized as the chamber’s Director of the Year was Angie Gutierrez.
The campaigning has concluded, the mail in ballots have been counted and the results are unprecedented. The special election in the Oakdale Joint Unified School District for the Trustee Area 2 board member seat has resulted in a tie. Candidates Terri Taylor and Eric Kjeldgaard each secured a total of 402 votes with the total ballots cast in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties combined. This rare and unforeseen occasion will now be turned over to the OJUSD Board for further action.
A record number of participants – 802 in total – have officially started their seasons. Opening Day ceremonies for the Oakdale Baseball-Softball Association played out under sunny skies on Saturday, March 18. Taking advantage of a welcome break in the wet weather, the youngsters turned out for games, team photos and getting in some fun. Providing music prior to the Opening Ceremony was the Oakdale Community Band, under the direction of Ron Quintanal, while the teams assembled and the spectators settled in.
Cannons boomed, drummers drummed and troops scouted out strategic spots in the hills surrounding Knights Ferry over the weekend, as the American Civil War Association returned to stage skirmishes and provide a living history lesson. Confederate and Union troops were both on hand, with camps set up on both sides of the Stanislaus River, welcoming in visitors in between the staged battles. Saturday and Sunday, March 25 and 26, both offered mostly sunny skies and though chilly, the rain held off to allow for good crowds to turn out for the event. It marked the return of the battles for the first time since they were held in 2019.
Oakdale High School Future Farmers of America continues to make its mark on the map and now Oakdale High School senior Amanda Osmundson is a part of that. Earlier this month, Osmundson earned the State Title for Beef Production Placement Proficiency in Ontario, California. The OHS student participated in the two-day event where a log of her work with beef cattle was reviewed and weighed against others in the state.
Some might say Cher Bairos’s energy could light up the Las Vegas Strip at night. For those who have yet to meet the Oakdale native and Cowboy Capital dynamo, that description would not be far off. With a number of nonprofit start-ups under her belt, tenure as Chamber of Commerce Ambassador, as well as previous board member and currently City of Oakdale Mayor, Bairos is putting on a new hat, as CEO of the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce. “I’m loving it. I’ve had this grin, this renewed energy, I can’t even explain it,” Bairos said earlier this month, following the announcement of her new position with the Chamber.
APRIL
Delayed a week by weather – and then starting her first day on the job amid some raindrops – international muralist Emily Ding has created a unique new piece of artwork for Oakdale. The artist was brought in by OakdaleARTS to paint a 75-by-20 foot mural on the side of a business at 213 E. F St., with the wall painted facing the Bianchi Community Center, across the Oakdale Town Plaza. Ding is from Houston, Texas but her work is known throughout the world. She said she has been working with members of the OakdaleARTS organization for about a year to create the design.
The Oakdale Junior High School Color Guard has had a memorable season. Be it from more than doubling its size, from six members last year to 15 this year, or its top two placement in all five season competitions, it has definitely been a good year. On Saturday, April 1 the team earned First Place at the Junior High A Class Championships hosted at Enochs High School.
With this season’s statewide snowpack well over percent of average at the end of March, California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW), the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) are urging the public to take extra precautions and to be aware of cold-water dangers this spring to avoid a tragedy. The series of winter storms is causing rising river and stream flow levels not seen in years. The eventual spring warm-up will bring fast flows and cold temperatures when all that snow starts to melt. All Californians are being encouraged to wait until summer to recreate in the water, when conditions are safer.
It was an unusual, yet also historic moment, as Oakdale Joint Unified School District Trustee Area 2 Special Election candidates Terri Taylor and Eric Kjeldgaard awaited their moment with a deck of cards. “We are here with a tie,” OJUSD Board President Tina Shatswell stated at the regular meeting hosted Monday, April 3. “So, I want to thank you both for going through the whole process and being willing to serve the district. It’s unfortunate to be at this point, but it shows the community wanted both of you to be here.” Candidate Taylor opened the pack and the two candidates amicably agreed with how to proceed. In the end, the tie would not be settled by the high card but rather the high suit, as both candidates pulled a ‘9’ from the fanned deck of cards. Taylor drew a 9 of hearts and Kjeldgaard a 9 of diamonds – once again, in effect, tying. “The order of suit is spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs,” Deputy Superintendent Larry Mendonca read from the guidelines of a Lot run off. “Unbelievable.” With the heart coming before diamonds, Taylor won the seat.
It was a fast-paced week in Oakdale with rodeo events up and down the schedule. From the festive – and often rowdy – Cowgirl Luncheon to the coronation of a new Oakdale Rodeo Queen, Easter morning Cowboy Church and the popular Saturday morning parade downtown, there literally was something for everyone to enjoy. Perhaps enjoying it most was Brushton ‘Brush’ Minton, out of Wittier Springs, California as he earned the coveted title of All-Around Cowboy for the 2023 event. Minton earned over $6,700 and competed in three events, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and team roping.
After having to take some time off the last few years because of restrictions associated with the pandemic, organizers of the Gold Country Peddler’s Faire are looking forward to bringing it to the region once again. “This is the major fundraiser for our museum,” said Carol Davis, a member of the Peddler’s Faire Committee. “We were shut down for three years due to COVID, so we are excited to be able to again celebrate our history.” Putting on the event will be the Knights Ferry History & Museum Associates; the faire is scheduled for Sunday, April 30.
Look for Part 2 of the Year in Review, covering the months of May through August, in the Jan. 10 issue of The Leader.
