Memorial Stadium
Support growing for renaming Grape Bowl
About Town – TUESDAY, 5/26/26
The Jack Fiori, Sr. Memorial Stadium. How does that sound? Many friends of the late sports booster want to see the Grape Bowl named after the Lodi Sports Hall of Famer. Fiori passed away May 15 at the age of 95. He was a member of the Lodi Sports Hall of Fame and largely credited with saving the bowl from the bulldozer. When Jack heard that the Depression-era facility was possibly on the demo list, he set out to save it. Jack raised over $1 million himself and many of the recent improvements to the stadium have been paid for through his efforts. A grassroots effort to rename the stadium has begun. The city council would make the final call.
LAB RESULTS: Much to the horror of visitors, several dead deer have been found recently in the Lodi Lake Nature Area. Lodi Animal Control officers removed the carcasses of several deer and one fox, sending samples to a lab for testing. The results are in. According to city spokeswoman Nancy Sarieh, “The city has been working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, UC Davis, and other partner agencies regarding the recent wildlife deaths at Lodi Lake and the Nature Area. Sample testing did not find evidence of poisoning, chronic disease, or other major contagious diseases commonly associated with large wildlife die-offs.” She adds that one deer tested positive for “deer parvo,” which is a naturally occurring viral disease found in deer populations throughout North America. Another one had signs of severe parasitic infection, pneumonia, and poor overall body condition. The dead fox had no suspicion or findings directly linking its death to the deer cases, according to Sarieh. She says there is, unfortunately, no vaccine, treatment, or practical way to eliminate the deer-killing disease. “One of the most important preventative measures is discouraging the feeding of wildlife,” she says.
WELCOME BACK: The bell is back, albeit broken, but the bell bandits have yet to be busted, according to the latest bulletin. The decommissioned St. Anne’s Catholic Church bell, which had graced the entrance to the church building, was stolen about a week ago in the middle of the night. The theft was caught on security cameras, which showed two people hoisting the local artifact into a wheelbarrow and escape with it into the night. A few days later the bell was recovered, cut in half. Maybe the culprits were splitting the loot? Police aren’t releasing many details about the recovery and are asking the public to give them a ring if the incident rings a bell. Said bell was cast by the W.T. Garratt Foundry in San Francisco around 1874 and it first hung in the belltower of the Catholic church on the corner of Walnut and Church, according to local historian Ralph A. Clark.
MOVING: Major Richard Pease is leaving the Salvation Army Lodi Corps. He and his wife have been transferred to Alameda County, where he will take over operations there. He and his wife Phyllis transferred in less than a year ago, in July 2025. He has been responsible for the Hope Harbor Shelter and its food pantry, the main office on Lockeford and Hutchins, a transitional housing complex, and the general operations of the corps which includes Galt and east as far as Jackson. Major Pease says his transfer is a promotion of sorts, but there will be more and maybe bigger problems waiting there for him to solve.
UPDATE: Last week we mentioned that the new Jersey Mike’s will be opening soon. Owner Sterling Varon says the tentative opening date is June 3. He also says his business will be a sponsor of Upward Sports, which begins soon. Upward Sports is a Christian-based youth program that includes basketball, soccer and cheer programs. The program teaches youngsters sportsmanship and healthy lifestyles, according to church officials. Varon says he will be handing out coupons good for a free sandwich to players signed up for the program, which is hosted by First Baptist Church in Lodi. The new restaurant is located next to Now and Zen in the Raley’s shopping center.
CLARIFICATION: Cameron Bregman wants to clarify his position on data centers. At a recent city council meeting Councilman Bregman, 25, said the city has spare acreage next to the wastewater treatment plant on I-5 that could be a potential site for one of the water and energy-sucking high-tech centers. Noting that the city’s finances were at a “crossroads,” he was thinking it might be a nice way to shovel an extra $20 million into the city’s general fund. Almost drooling, he said, “It’s an underutilized plant, and it’s recycled water you can’t use for consumption. Being next to vacant land, I think it’s something we should look into.” He added, “I’m talking about something that could revolutionize our budget. I have no doubt about that. This is a serious contender for what we should be looking at because our natural gas facility is not fully operational, and we have the availability to ramp up.” But don’t think he’s in favor of building one here. No. Bregman has now declared that he’s against the whole idea and doesn’t want to look into it. Got it?
GOING VIRAL: Have you been keeping up with the L.A. mayor’s race and the unique campaign videos produced by candidate Spencer Pratt? They are clever and very funny and now, it seems, everyone’s getting into the act. Enter District 9 State Assembly candidate Brandon Owen, a Republican competing against Heath Flora and Jim Shoemaker, among others. Owen recently released two AI-assisted videos (similar to Pratt’s) that take pot shots at Councilman Bregman. A reader who viewed them said they are real knee-slappers. The clips depict a likeness of Bregman while the audio highlights what Owen thinks are his downfalls. But why would an Assembly candidate get involved in a local election? Seems Bregman is supporting Shoemaker and not Owen, which could explain the sniping. An email to Owen asking for comment received no reply.
MUSIC MASTERS: Tokay and Lodi High music students recently competed at the Music in the Parks Festival in Santa Clara, with both schools coming home with awards. Lodi High Honor Band won second place with an “excellent” rating; the Tokay Parade got second with a “superior” rating; the Tokay Orchestra came in third place, with an “excellent” rating; and the Tokay Symphonic Band scored fourth place, earning an “excellent” rating. “We are proud of these talented students for representing Lodi Unified so well both on and off the stage!” say school administrators. Indeed.
LAST LAUGH: Someone posted, “Why do French people eat snails? They don’t like fast food.” Oy.
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Steve is a former newspaper publisher and lifelong Lodian whose column appears most Tuesdays and Fridays in the News-Sentinel and at stevemann.substack.com. Write to Steve at aboutlodi@gmail.com.