He may be a humbug …but he’s a Noble Grand Humbug and that brings with it some responsibilities and some privileges.

Ken Hilberg is serving a term as the Noble Grand Humbug for the Estanislao Chapter 58, E Clampus Vitus, and saw a project come to fruition recently in Oakdale.

“I have been through four years of offices,” Hilberg said of his progression to serving as the head of Chapter 58 of the Clampers.

He listed the offices as Hangman, Head Vigilante, Vice Noble Grand Humbug and, finally, Noble Grand Humbug. The titles are tongue in cheek, he said, but show the progression of the Chapter member through the various leadership positions.

Hilberg said the Estanislao Chapter 58 covers both Stanislaus and Merced counties, but originated in Stanislaus County, with its first meeting in Knights Ferry in June of 1958.

Once you become the Noble Grand Humbug, Hilberg explained, you are charged with dedicating a monument or plaque of some type, at a historical site or to commemorate an event.

With 2026 being the 250th birthday of the United States, Hilberg said it was “a no brainer” for him to focus on Independence Day for his monument.

Though the formal dedication occurred well after the July 4 holiday, Hilberg said he was pleased with the project itself and the chance to have the monument placed in Oakdale’s Fish Park.

“I’m grateful that the mayor and city manager were right there behind it,” Hilberg added of the project. “The city was very receptive; it was just getting everything to fall in place.”

He had the monument done at Boone’s Memorials in Sonora and then Chapter 58 members provided the labor, pouring the foundation and doing the construction to erect the monument at the park.

He added that there was a “good turnout” for the dedication ceremony in August. And while people may know the Clampers more from their entry in parades such as the Oakdale Rodeo Parade and the Modesto Fourth of July parade, they also do a variety of community service work and maintain their plaque and monument program.

The Clampers monument is one of many at the William A. Fish Veterans Park at Pontiac Street and Cliffwood Way in Oakdale.

The newest one includes information about the Continental Congress voting in favor of independence on July 2, 1776 and then, two days later , having delegates from the 13 colonies formally adopt the Declaration of Independence.

The inscription on the monument reads, in part: “July 4 has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings in public places such as this park. Today, two hundred and fifty years later, we celebrate the bravery of our Founding Fathers as well as those who contributed to our growth as a nation.”

For his part, the Grand Noble Humbug is happy to see a lasting monument to independence and the birth of a nation.

“It’s a way to celebrate history and be a part of history,” Hilberg shared.