Mural Celebration at the Tong

Mural panels painted by Isleton Elementary School students are now installed in front of the first floor of the Bing Kong Tong Building. The mural installation celebration on Main Street was emceed by IBAHS Vice-President Ligaya Apalit and guest speakers included past Isleton Mayor John Perez, present Mayor Christopher Stokes, and mural project manager Carolyn Schneider. The mural is a colorful and exciting addition to the scenes on Main Street!

The 1938 Isleton Elementary School Track Team

The latest featured subject are two pictures of the Isleton Elementary School track team from 1938. These pictures were taken in front of two different school buildings. The first picture with numerous students was taken in front of the building where just prior to the 1972 flood was used as the seventh and eighth grade classrooms.
When this particular building was first constructed it was the classroom building for the "Oriental" children.
The second picture where there are nine members of the track team sitting on the steps was in front of the building that was under the water tower. Over the years before the building was razed for the school parking lot, it housed the Isleton Boy Scouts, the band room for the award-winning Isleton Elementary School band, and a doctor's office. Some of its classrooms were also used as scenes in the 1976 Hal Ashby-directed motion picture "Bound For Glory" which filmed in Isleton late in the summer of 1975. "Bound for Glory" featured David Carradine of the 1970s television series "Kung Fu" portraying 1930s folk singer Woody Guthrie during the Great Depression. Carradine was at the height of his "Kung Fu" popularity when he starred in the biopic. "Bound for Glory" was also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar at the 1977 Academy Awards.
If you can identify any of these track team members/Isleton Elementary School students, please submit a comment at the end of this post or email pam@isletonhistory.org.