This week, we present Part 3 in the Year in Review for Riverbank, highlighting events from the third quarter of 2025, covering July through September.
JULY
Just in time for the upcoming holiday, the Riverbank City Council received a presentation this past week about illegal fireworks and how the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department is planning to deal with them. Alex Tovar, Community Resource Deputy, described for the council how the department is planning to detect their use and what potential fines would be. Only fireworks certified as “Safe and Sane” by the state fire marshal are considered legal. He said that anything that flies into the air and explodes is considered unsafe and will be cited.
Throughout this month, Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority (StanRTA) invites riders to celebrate summer with Free Fares July, a full month of free rides across Stanislaus County. Whether riders are commuting, running errands, or exploring, they can hop on ‘The S’ and ride completely free; no pass needed. The transit promotion includes fare-free rides on: Local fixed-route service; ACE, BART, and Stockton Commuter express routes; ADA Paratransit; and Medivan.
It was a special time on July 4, as families and friends got to start celebrating the July Fourth holiday early in town on Friday. This year, Love Riverbank and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department got together to sponsor a first of its kind July 4 Bike Parade in the downtown area. It was organized to travel from Plaza del Rio Park, by City Hall North, down Santa Fe Street, ending at the Community Center Park. And it wasn’t just youngsters parading, it was families as well, with bikes, scooters, wagons, even some people just walking. Nearly all got into the spirit of the day by decorating their bikes or wearing patriotic colors.
Area officials, contractors and other organizations involved with the North County Corridor project gathered on Claribel Road for a Groundbreaking Ceremony on July 8. Representatives from Caltrans, the City of Modesto, Stanislaus County Supervisors, LAFCo, StanCOG and other groups joined together to review the longstanding history of the project, then grab shovels to symbolically turn over the first pile of dirt. Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen and Riverbank Mayor Rachel Hernandez both described how the project came together over the past few decades. Project contractors explained how it is designed to connect Highway 99 in Salida with Highway 120 east of Oakdale, bypassing both downtown Riverbank and Oakdale.
In a large, standing room-only special meeting, the combined Riverbank City Council and the City Planning Commission gathered to hear from the developers of a prospective project called River Walk. The meeting was held at the Riverbank Community Center because there was a large turnout expected from interested members of the public, and they were there. The meeting was broadcast on the city’s YouTube channel, as usual, and included a lengthy presentation by developers describing details of the extensive plan. However, Zoom-based comments were not allowed and written comments were included in the record, but not read aloud. Only live comments were presented, and limited to three minutes per person, as at a regular council meeting. Even so, after the approximately one-hour informational presentation was completed, public comments continued for almost another three hours, making for a very long meeting. And the joint council-planning commission session was informational only, with no action being taken by either body.
AUGUST
The Riverbank Parks and Recreation Department hosted a grand reopening of the playground at Castleberg Park this past week. Mayor Rachel Hernandez, council members Luis Uribe and Stacy Call joined city staff members along with a number of neighborhood youngsters in holding a ribbon cutting in front of the newly installed equipment.
Riverbank Police Services and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department hosted this year’s edition of National Night Out at Silva Park in Crossroads on Tuesday, Aug. 5. National Night Out is a community policing awareness-raising event staged across the United States, held the first Tuesday of August. It began in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1984. Since that time, it has spread across the country. Here in Riverbank, National Night Out, NNO, was originated years ago, with units and equipment of the Sheriff’s Department originally traveling by caravan from one area of town to another, trying to cover several of the Neighborhood Watch areas.
Summer officially ended for all Riverbank students, teachers, staff and administrators this past week, as classes officially returned to the hallowed halls of schools across the city on Thursday, Aug. 7. Teachers on the Riverbank campuses returned to their classrooms on Monday that week, Aug. 4, to get ready for the new year. Staff arrived at Mesa Verde Elementary, California Avenue Elementary, the Riverbank Language Academy, Cardozo Middle School, Adelante High School and Riverbank High School, with students showing up on campus later in the week, on Thursday for opening day.
Authorities know where a roughly 25-acre river bottom and grass/brush fire started in Riverbank on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 20; but the actual cause remains under investigation. The fire was reported shortly after 4 p.m. and broke out near the Stanislaus River on the north side of Highway 108 along Adams Gravel Plant Road. “It started near a homeless encampment” by the river, said Modesto Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Black. Two homes were damaged and one – an unoccupied house in the 4300 block of Mesa Drive in Riverbank – was completed destroyed, as embers from the flame blew across Highway 108 and started fires both on Snedigar Road and Mesa Drive. “It burned about 25 acres,” added Black. “We had 37 fire engines on scene from several different departments.” There were also multiple chief officers and two ambulances, along with members of the CERT, Community Emergency Response Team, that responded to provide rehab stations for firefighters.
Dr. Constantino Aguilar, Superintendent of the Riverbank Unified School District, served as emcee for the ribbon cutting ceremony at the brand-new administration building on the campus of Cardozo Middle School, on Santa Fe Street. A huge crowd of parents, school staff and board members, and city representatives participated in the event, which served as a somewhat official kick off to the first week of school this year. The facility was under construction through the bulk of the summer months.
Recently, the Riverbank City Public Works Department notified residents that it would be adding chlorine to the wells and water tanks around town. This began on Aug. 19. They say it will help them continue providing safe water for the city. The department said it was working in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board. The move is intended to help maintain a bacteriologically safe ground water system.
SEPTEMBER
Christmas has come early for Antoinette Rodin. As the summer season has begun to wrap up and pumpkins begin to hint at harvest fun, Rodin has learned her labor of love, Rodin Farms Fruit Stand near the intersection of Oakdale and Claribel roads, is staying put. Close to three years since Rodin began working diligently with Stanislaus County and the pending impact of the North County Corridor Bypass on her business, she may now take a deep breath and launch the holiday season for her customers as she has for over 30 years. “We’re going to be able to stay where we’re at,” Rodin stated. “We’ll have to reconfigure our building, because we’ll be so close to the road, but that won’t take place until next year.” The Rodin family is one of 94 families that have been affected by the plans and construction of the North County Corridor Bypass.
Riverbank’s Sister Cities Committee hosted its first celebration of Mexican Independence Day here at the Community Center on Saturday, Sept. 13, including a sit-down dinner, along with lots of entertainment. Guests enjoyed an evening filled with music, culture, and purpose. It featured vibrant performances by the young members of Ballet Folklorico Viva Mexico, a Riverbank-based dance troupe celebrating the beauty of Mexican music traditions.
From a fun night out to the daytime Lunch ‘n Learn series, the Riverbank Chamber of Commerce is continuing to engage with the community. The most recent event was an Adult Bingo Night and Dinner, offered at the Riverbank Community Center on Friday, Sept. 19. It was open to all in the community 21 and older, not just Chamber members, but was hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce as a way to both have fun and do some networking as well. The goal of the Riverbank Chamber of Commerce is to help local business owners boost their business. Options to help do that include hosting a Chamber mixer, whether it be a morning coffee hour or an evening gathering.
Stanislaus County Office of Education’s (SCOE) Communications Department was awarded a Gold Medallion from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for its Every Day Counts: Attendance Matters campaign. For more than 40 years, NSPRA’s Gold Medallion Award has been the top national honor in school public relations, recognizing superior programs and campaigns grounded in strategic communication best practices. Every Day Counts was a two-year initiative carried out in partnership with all 25 school districts in Stanislaus County. The overarching goal was to boost student attendance by educating parents, staff, and the community about the importance of regular school attendance.
Detectives with Riverbank Police Services have successfully disrupted a large-scale retail theft operation that had been targeting businesses and communities throughout California. That’s according to officials with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, who announced the successful conclusion of a retail theft investigation. On Sept. 25, deputies served two search warrants and six arrest warrants at two separate locations in Modesto. The coordinated operation resulted in the recovery of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise, along with a firearm linked to the illegal activity. A total of six individuals were arrested on multiple charges.
The final installment for Riverbank’s 2025 Year in Review will cover October through December happenings, and will be featured in the Jan. 21 issue.
