The Short Stretch of Quince Street That Runs Mendota's Holiday Season

City Hall sits at 643 Quince Street. Mendota Youth Recreation is a little farther along the same street at 667 Quince. The Christmas Parade gathers at the corner of 7th and Quince. Almost every dated part of Mendota's season happens on, or is planned from, that one street. The person who keeps the calendar is a volunteer-run youth group, not a city events office.

That changes how you plan November and December here. The parade is the big public moment, but the first date to watch comes weeks earlier and is easy to miss.

The Calendar Lives at 667 Quince

Mendota Youth Recreation Inc. posts a calendar of nine community events for 2026. It starts with an Autism Awareness gathering on March 29 and runs through the Easter Egg Hunt, the Mother's Day Breakfast, a four-day carnival in June, the August backpack giveaway and the Red Ribbon/Trunk or Treat on October 25. The last three fall in the holiday season:

The calendar lists dates and places but no start times. Contact the organization for those details as each date gets closer.

The November 15 Deadline Comes Before Any December Event

The toy drive is the last event of the year, and it has the earliest deadline. The Mendota Youth Recreation calendar says parents must register their children by November 15 for the December 23 distribution at 667 Quince Street. That makes the cutoff the day after the Thanksgiving Luncheon, five weeks before any toys go out.

The organization's contact page lists its office at 667 Quince Street, Mendota, CA 93640, along with [email protected] and (559) 382-2349. The group also runs the luncheon and the parade, so one email or phone call covers all three December plans.

Who Pays for the Turkeys

The city has holiday events of its own alongside the Youth Recreation calendar, and local businesses help supply them. At the October 6, 2026 City Council meeting, Mayor Victor Martinez gave an update that the meeting minutes summarize this way:

"announced La Reyna Mercado and Dulceria's pledge to donate turkeys for the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway; shared information about the Mendota Community Corporation; commented on the upcoming Christmas Celebration and Toy Giveaway"

For city business, the newsletter lists Mendota City Hall at 643 Quince Street, (559) 655-3291.

La Reyna is no newcomer to this kind of support. The city's July 2026 newsletter thanked the sponsors of the June Fireworks Spectacular, the summer counterpart to the holiday events. The list had 34 names. It included restaurants and food businesses residents know by name, among them Zarate Taqueria, Restaurante y Pupusería Morenita, Antojitos Guanacos, El Primo Ice Cream Shop and La Reyna Mercado Y Dulceria. Farm and construction firms such as Llamas Ag, Darrell Vincent Farms, Tony & Son's Construction and Dees Construction were on it too, along with Mendota Raceway Park, Prime Time Barbers and Radio Lazer 103.1 FM. The fireworks show on June 26 at Rojas-Pierce Park was put on by the City and the Mendota Community Corporation.

The same local businesses that paid for July's fireworks are paying for November's turkeys. If you want to thank someone after the giveaway, start with the businesses on that list.

The Parade Corner Is Already on the Engineer's List

The December 19 parade gathers at 7th and Quince. Both streets are already scheduled for work, which is useful to know if you have walked that corner every December.

The city engineer's update memo, dated November 3, 2026, lists the 7th Street Rehab Project at 40 percent design. It is called a "Downtown Design Feature" and includes better lighting, shade structures over benches, more landscaping, and new concrete and ADA upgrades. The construction target is fall 2027. The same memo lists a rebuild of the city's welcome sign. The Council has picked a design, and the city is waiting on a quote to fabricate the aluminum frame.

Quince Street has its own work. The city's 2024 Local Streets Reconstruction project includes rebuilding Quince Street from 10th Street to near Belmont Avenue, as well as Tule Street from 7th to 9th Street. On October 6, according to the minutes, the Council voted 5-0 to approve a consent item awarding the 5th & Quince Street Reconstruction Project to Dave Christian Construction Co., Inc. The item listed the contract at $663,797.

Downtown businesses are part of the parade-day picture. Di Amici Coffee lists its location at 2099 7th Street. A few blocks over, Ragazza Bella Salon & Boutique opened at 773 Oller Street this summer, according to the city's August newsletter. It is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For something sweet, Morena's Ice Cream & More is a truck, not a storefront. The July newsletter said it drives around town seven days a week from 1 to 9 p.m.

Rojas-Pierce Park, Where the Rest of the Year Happens

The holidays bring Mendota's calendar to Quince Street, McCabe Elementary and 7th Street. Most of the rest of the year happens at Rojas-Pierce Park, 350 Sorensen Avenue. The Autism Awareness event, the June carnival, the backpack giveaway and the Trunk or Treat were all held there in 2026.

That park is getting the biggest new public building on the city's list. The city held a groundbreaking on May 15 for the Mendota Community Center, according to the June 2026 newsletter. By August, the newsletter said the center was under construction. A new water tank and pump station were also going in on the park's west side to improve water service and fire protection.

A city notice dated September 16, 2026 describes the planned building at Sorensen and Smoot avenues:

• 21,012 square feet
• An indoor basketball court
• A kitchen and concessions area
• A fitness studio and classrooms
• An inclusive playground and a community garden

The notice estimated the cost at $10 million. The roads around the building are part of the plan. The engineer's November memo puts Smoot Avenue improvements at 30 percent design, with work set to finish before the Community Center opens. In the same October 6 vote, the Council approved awarding the Amador & Smoot Extension Project to Dave Christian Construction Co., Inc. for $666,630.

The former airport site is a separate project. The same memo says design work on the first 4 acres of Airport Park starts this November, with construction aimed at the 2027/28 fiscal year.

The engineer's list also suggests where next year's indoor events could happen. Right now, the Thanksgiving Luncheon uses a school cafeteria on Derrick Avenue, and the toy drive works out of an office on Quince Street. The planned center at Sorensen and Smoot includes a kitchen, classrooms and a gym.

At Boyd & Associates, we keep track of the same council packets and engineer memos that shape the streets around Mendota homes, from the 7th Street redesign to the new roads near Rojas-Pierce Park. If you'd like to know how a planned project could affect a property you own or are considering on the Westside, Schedule a Consultation and we'll go through the city's timeline with you.