After a successful year when the event was last staged in 2019 – and then a long hiatus due to COVID and associated issues – the Edible Expo returned to the Escalon Community Center on Saturday night, Oct. 28.
The turnout for the fundraiser, with proceeds benefitting the Escalon Educational Foundation, was good, and organizers said they were generally very pleased with the event.
The EEF puts all the money it raises back into the school system, in the form of grants and scholarships for students throughout the Escalon Unified School District.
“It’s kind of a shift, really, many people didn’t remember the event,” admitted co-organizer Kaity French, who worked with April Adams on pulling together the Expo. “We had about 100 people for the turnout, which that was our goal for this year.”
It was also a good cross section of attendees, French noted, with school officials, longtime community residents and the younger crowd that was not able to attend the 21 and over event when it was last held in 2019.
French said there are certain aspects that make this a good event, all the way around.
“It’s local vendors, they’re people from our community,” she said of the many businesses that offer up the food and beverage options, which this year ranged from Lumberyard Cellars and the new Orlando’s Market to local staples such as Mountain Mike’s and D’Boni’s Pizza. “And it supports the kids from every single school in our district; it’s for everybody, every student in our school system.”
Proceeds this year are being specifically earmarked for providing scholarships to graduating high school seniors as well as classroom grants for all district schools.
Also offered by the Escalon Educational Foundation is the popular Color Run, which is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2024. Sign-ups are now being taken for that and last year saw a huge turnout for the run staged on the Escalon High School campus.
“We’re super excited,” French said of the February run. “The registration is open.”
French said the fundraisers have allowed the Foundation to truly support students.
“We gave 18 scholarships to seniors and we gave every single school a school grant as well, and that was just from the Color Run,” she explained of proceeds from the 2023 run.
At the Saturday night Expo, attendees could enjoy a number of small sample bites, pizza, tacos, sweet treats and more, enough to nibble on throughout the evening. There was also a bar available and some specialty pours by vendors.
Two live auction items were up for bid; Nick Caton served as auctioneer and the specialty custom crafted wine barrel ice chest donated by former Escalon Unified District Superintendent Ron Costa went for $500, purchased by Tim Fitzgerald. The aerial photograph of the newly renovated Engel Field, in addition to a pair of Engel Field commemorative T-shirts, went for $450 and was purchased by Escalon High School Principal Jason Furtado. Donating that item for the auction was current District Superintendent Ricardo Chavez.
Several silent auction items were also available for bidding.
Among those helping to serve at the event was volunteer Lisa Hagglund, who was at the Escalon FFA/Food Science booth. Students had crafted homemade ice cream for the Edible Expo, which was served up with some pie.
“They brought a new curriculum in for food science and they have kids doing wonderful things,” Hagglund said, smiling.
She had two students attend and graduate from Escalon High School and said she was happy to help, as she wants to see the EEF succeed in its effort of continuing to provide scholarships and grants for current students.
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November 01, 2023 at 06:10AM
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Tasty Treats, Smooth Pours Add Up To Expo Success - Escalon Times
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