Community Briefs provides a listing of events and activities going on in and around the Oakdale and Riverbank areas. To have an event featured, e-mail the information to mjackson@oakdaleleader.com.
Join The Parade
Community members are invited to show their support for veterans at the annual Veterans Day Parade, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 11 in Oakdale. The parade will start at 10 a.m. at the FES Hall on North Lee Avenue and end at Fish Park for a special ceremony at 11 a.m. The event is free to attend and there is no entry fee to participate in the parade. Event coordinators are also looking for kids to make thank you cards for the veterans. There is still room on the float for any veterans wishing to be included. Veterans organizations or clubs wishing to attend, can contact Oakdale Mayor Cherilyn Bairos for details at 209-496-1134. To request parade entries, send an email to: Bairoscherilyn@gmail.com.
Soroptimist Program
The Live Your Dream Award, offered through the Soroptimist organization, provides over $2.8 million in cash awards to head-of-household women in need each year. Since the program’s inception in 1972, more than $35 million has helped tens of thousands of women achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families. Women who serve as the primary wage earners for their families and seek financial assistance to continue their education or receive training can apply for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women. For application information, contact Christine Foreman at (209) 531-5330, or E-mail sioakdale@soroptimist.net. The application deadline is Nov. 15.
St. Mary’s Craft Fair
St. Mary’s Y.L.I. will host its 16th Annual Craft Fair on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13 and 14. The fair will be staged at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Center, 55 N. Oak Ave., Oakdale, with Saturday hours 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There will be 55-plus booths with many handmade items, toys, quilts, jewelry, leather goods, home décor, commercial vendors, woodworking items, holiday photo shop and photos with Santa. Proceeds from the bake sale and the vendor raffle sponsor the Y.L.I. High School Scholarship Program. Food booth proceeds will be used this year for their program to provide support for the Religious Sisters within the Diocese as well as providing funds for Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for needy families in the local community.
Free Meal For Vets
Continuing what has become a Veterans Day tradition, Hula’s in Escalon offers a free meal – whether that be breakfast, lunch or dinner – to veterans on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Along Jackson Avenue in Escalon, Hula’s owner Tony Victorino said the free meal invitation is extended to all service members/military personnel throughout the region.
Weight Loss Group
All interested are welcome to join TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) a weight support group that meets in Oakdale every Monday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Community United Methodist Church on Poplar. This group is open to the public and anyone interested in improving their life by losing weight can contact Audrey for more information, call 209-765-7838.
Testing Site Open
Escalon Unified School District, in cooperation with the San Joaquin County Health Department and Fulgent Genetics, is hosting a COVID-19 testing site at the Escalon High School Performing Arts Center. This is free, rapid COVID testing and the site is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; enter on the Yosemite Avenue side. They will take drop-ins or you can make an appointment at https://sjc.fulgentgenetics.com/appointment. The site is open to all area residents; it is not limited to the school district, as anyone in the region is eligible to come in for the free rapid COVID-19 testing.
Modesto Veteran Event
Remembering and honoring those who died on 9/11 and those who fought in the conflicts that followed, some having given the ultimate sacrifice, is the theme of this year’s Modesto Veterans Parade and Ceremony to be held Saturday, Nov. 13 in downtown Modesto. The parade kicks off at 9 a.m. at 10th and O streets and will travel down Needham Avenue to Graceada Park where the ceremony which annually celebrates the service of local veterans will take place. Besides honoring the 20th anniversary of the events of 9/11, there will also be a Heroes Hall where veterans can get information about services available to them and a tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Weekly Dances
Check out the Golden Agers at the Riverbank Community Center on Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with dancing, socializing, live music and fun for all. All adults 55-plus are welcome. Drop in, or become a member. Fees are $5 for members and $6 for non-members. Membership is $15; contact Ellie DeJesus at 209-277-5584 or Lupe Padron at 209-573-5014. The Community Center is at 3600 Santa Fe St., Riverbank.
