Local Exhibitors Win Fair Prizes

Local 4-H and FFA members had good results with their livestock and other exhibits at the Stanislaus County Fair, which ran July 15-24. Several Oakdale exhibitors brought home champion and reserve champion ribbons, as well as numerous other top class placings with their breeding and market stock. The local youth also had entries in the building exhibits that collected top prizes. For more details and photos, see the ...

New Vice Principal Joins Junior High Team

Oakdale Junior High School students will meet their new Vice Principal in just a few short weeks. In the meantime, Jon Webb has already started doing some work and preparing for the start of school on Aug. 10.

Oakdale Festa Espirito Santos Parade Slated Sunday

It's festa time. The Oakdale Festa Espirito Santos (FES) parade will start at 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 24 as participants will march from the Oakdale FES Hall to St. Mary's Catholic Church. Festas preserve the Azorean culture and religious traditions. Mickala, Maddie and Meghan Jones, daughters of Lisa and Jason Jones of Valley Home, have been marching in some of the local area Portuguese festa parades representing Our Lady of Fatima Society, Riverbank. The ...

OJUSD Superintendent Invites Input

Oakdale Joint Unified School District Superintendent Marc Malone is creating three new councils to serve in advisory and facilitative roles to the district related to facilities planning, operational planning, and classroom education.

Exhibitors Prep For County Fair

Oakdale FFA members and local 4-H club members are preparing their projects to exhibit at the Centennial of the Stanislaus County Fair that runs July 15-24.

Trustees Approve Administrator Contracts

Two-year contracts for Oakdale Joint Unified School District assistant superintendents Barbara Shook and Terri Taylor were unanimously approved by the OJUSD Board of Trustees in an action at the July 11 regular meeting. The contracts are effective through June 30, 2013.

Dawn's Column - It’s Getting Hot In Here

As I write this, it's 100 degrees outside and the air conditioning has gone out at The Oakdale Leader office. Fortunately for me, I chose the first day of this calamity to telecommute. However, for some of my coworkers, having to be in the office all day with only ceiling fans and some box fans to circulate hot air makes the hair and the clothes tend to cling where they're not wanted.

Local FFA, 4-H Members Ready For Fair

Members of Oakdale's FFA and 4-H clubs are preparing their animals and getting other projects ready to exhibit at the Stanislaus County Fair, July 15-24. Oakdale will be represented with a large contingent of breeding and market livestock, as well as numerous building exhibits such as sewing and photography. Some local exhibitors will also show their animals at California State Fair, which starts July 14, overlapping with the county fair.

School District Names New Cloverland Principal

Cloverland Elementary School will see a new Principal this year. Larry Bonds has officially taken over the role, effective July 1. He was the unanimous choice to fill the role of a seven-person interview panel that included Oakdale Joint Unified School District Superintendent Marc Malone and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Barbara Shook, two elementary school principals, a teacher, an office staff member, and a parent.

Educational Tour - Students Experience US History On East Coast

Lessons learned from United States history books came alive when a contingent of three Oakdale Junior High School teachers and 40 recent eighth grade graduates made a non-school educational trip to the East Coast, covering Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City.

Local CattleWomen Donate Beef To Charity

Annually in the month of June, the San Joaquin/Stanislaus CattleWomen donate $500 worth of beef to a charity, at $250 each, in the two counties. This year, the Salvation Army of Modesto (Stanislaus) and of Stockton (San Joaquin) were chosen to receive the donation of beef. The Salvation Army centers were able to choose any cut or combination of cuts of beef.

River Levels Lower For Holiday Weekend

Flows on the Stanislaus River will be lowered over the Fourth of July weekend. Recently, the Stanislaus has been running high and cold at 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).

OID To Fence Out Unwelcome Cars

A new fence and locked walk-through gate will be erected at the Oakdale Irrigation District offices. In an action at the OID Board of Directors regular meeting on June 21, the board voted 4-0, with director Frank Clark absent, to install a 350 linear feet, six-foot high chain link fence on the east side of the OID property bordering the Live Oak Plaza. OID has a satellite office space in the Live Oak Plaza, those employees will have a key for the walk-through gate.

Valley Home Dedicates New Community Park

Nearly five years in the making, Valley Home's Community Center Park was dedicated on Saturday, June 18 with a few dozen residents who turned out for the event. The new park replaces the old Valley Home Clubhouse, which was razed approximately four years ago due to the inability to bring the dilapidated building up to code. A new covered structure with lighting and a concrete floor called the "pavilion" is the focal point of the ...

Time For Adventure - Summer Camp Fun Without The Sleeping Bag

"I'm bored" is an expression that many parents hear from their youngsters as the days of summer start to drag along. There is a cure, however, for the summertime doldrums in Oakdale.

DAWN’S COLUMN – I Could Not Ask For More

My husband and I recently celebrated our anniversary.

Schools Spending Plan In Place

The 2013-14 proposed budget for the Oakdale Joint Unified School District was approved at the recent Board of Trustees regular meeting. However, the budget will likely require updates and modifications in the future as it does not reflect the final state budget.

Super Summer Camp Offers Fun, Learning

Now in its third year, an eight-week summer program known as Super Summer Camp, kicked off on June 3 with 74 children present – the highest number so far during the first week of camp, said camp co-supervisor Carla Moore. Super Summer Camp is operated by the Oakdale Joint Unified School District at the Magnolia Elementary School campus and ends July 26.

Oakdale Celebrates Graduates

Excited graduates filed into the stadium to the traditional Pomp and Circumstance while friends and families cheered them on in one the most important events of their young lives at Oakdale High School's 119th Annual Commencement on Friday, May 24.

Awards, Honors For OHS Seniors

With graduation only days away, Oakdale High School's Class of 2013 is about to embark on a new part of life – one that officially launches them out of childhood and toward adulthood.

New Games Lined Up For Challenge

The rivers of chocolate will flow at the annual Chocolate Challenge, where fun and games with chocolate will reign on the stage, Saturday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the 21st Annual Oakdale Chocolate Festival, there will be a few changes to the Chocolate Challenge games this year, with some new, timed events where contestants will ...

Native American Life Studied

A "field trip" came to school for Fair Oaks Elementary third graders on May 8 to study the Yokuts people. The Yokuts populated this area at one time and consisted of a number of different tribes.

OID Vote - Westlands Water Sale Cleared

A one-year water transfer contract with the Westlands Water District (WWD) was unanimously approved at the May 7 regular meeting of the Oakdale Irrigation District Board of Directors. There are some conditions on the contract that first protect OID water users before any transfer.

Deadline Looms For Irrigated Lands Coalition

It's the "last call" to join the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition, also known as the Irrigated Lands Coalition, said Tom Orvis, Governmental Affairs Directors for the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, at the recent Oakdale Irrigation District Board of Directors meeting. He said the deadline is Monday, May 13.

2013 Volz Recipient Announced

Fifth Graders ‘Complete’ Space Mission

A trip to Sacramento turned out to be a simulated trip to outer space recently for fifth graders at Fair Oaks Elementary School.

Campus Concern - Board Addresses Discipline Complaint

Complaints about the handling of discipline of a student at Sierra View Elementary School was addressed by the Oakdale Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees at the regular meeting on April 22.

River Flows On The Rise

The Bureau of Reclamation, which operates New Melones Reservoir, and the Oakdale Irrigation District recently released information about flow increases in the Stanislaus River.

Realistic DUI Tragedy Played Out

A drunk driver, a bloody crash scene, dead and dying vehicle occupants.

Rodeo Parade Entertains Masses

It's time to people-watch in Oakdale, and what better place than to watch them march down the middle of F Street to the beat of their own drums – or to the clip clop of horses' hooves – than at the 62nd Annual Oakdale Rodeo Parade? The parade starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 13 and features some of the best dressed cowboys and cowgirls of different ages, ...