Get ready for the first Library Park bash of 2016 in downtown Manteca.
The Manteca Convention & Visitors Bureau is celebrating the 20th edition of the annual Manteca Crossroads Street Fair on April 2-3 by adding a pre-event on Friday, April 1.
You’d be a fool to miss it especially if you love great music, good truck food as well as wine and craft beer.
The evening festivities are from 5 to 9 p.m. at Library Park. Easy listening tunes will be provided by the Sierra High Jazz Ensemble and the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra Woodwind Quintet.
You can chose between food trucks featuring Greek, BBQ, Mexican and carnival food. Manteca’s Grocery Outlet is sponsoring an evening wine and craft beer tasting event. Tickets for the wine and beer tasting are $10 each.
The street fair is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3 in downtown. It will include hundreds of vendors, food, drinks, and entertainment. New this year is a wine and beer garden.
The street fair carnival is taking place from Thursday, March 31, through Sunday, April 3 at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley anchored by Bass Pro Shops at Union Road and the 120 Bypass.
For vendor information contact the MCVB at 209.823.7229.
MUSD teachers
take to the sky
Two Manteca Unified science teachers are taking off for the skies.
 Jeff Baldwin of Lathrop High and Larry Grimes of Sierra High are among 22 educators selected to fly on NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) later this year.
The 747SP jetliner equipped with a 100-inch (2.5 meter) diameter telescope is the world’s largest flying telescope. . The observatory enables the analysis of infrared light to study the formation of stars and planets; chemistry of interstellar gases; composition of comets, asteroids and planets; and supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies.
The observatory flies from its home base in Palmdale. The teachers will work side-by-side with astronomer teams witnessing all stages of scientific research, from preparations to observations to data analysis and publication. They normally fly aboard the observatory twice, and then implement classroom lessons and public outreach programs based on their experiences.
Getting an invite to participate in the SOFIA program is fairly rare. Since 2010 there have been 10o6 educators from 31 states and the District of Columbia as well as eight from Germany to participate in the science flights.

Manteca’s Sandoval
earns masters degree
Angelo Sandoval of Manteca has received his Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City.
Robert Weible of Escalon also received his Master of Arts in Mathematics Education for 5th through 12th grade from WGU.