Good morning, Lodi!!

Monday is here and so is summer (we are sweating and in need of some good Agua fresca). We are heading into a week of sunshine and 90s, which means the library is moving storytime to the park, the farmers market is doing its thing on Thursday, and there is no shortage of reasons to get out of the house.

Let’s get into it!

Hunter and Kylie Talamantez

Plant A Seed, Read! At The Lodi Public Library

The Lodi Public Library launched “Plant a Seed, Read,” its 2026 Summer Reading Program, on Monday, June 1. The theme celebrates gardening, nature, creativity, and community growth through reading and hands-on learning. Participants earn prizes by completing a reading log and get a raffle ticket for the grand drawing at the end of summer.

Special summer events include author presentations and workshops, anime and art programs for teens, educational programs focused on agriculture, bees, gardening, and healthy eating, and summer lunch at the library activities for youths 18 and under. Some events require preregistration. Call 209-333-5566 or visit www.lodi.gov/library.

Storytime in the Park | Tuesdays, June 9 through July 28 | 10:30 am

This one is genuinely perfect for the little ones and honestly kind of perfect for the parents too. The Lodi Public Library is moving its weekly Storytime outside for the summer, and the spot they picked is a good one.

Every Tuesday morning from June 9 through July 28, Storytime in the Park happens at Emerson Park at 10:30 am. The program is geared toward kids ages 0 to 5 and runs about 30 minutes, with stories, songs, and some good old-fashioned toddler socializing. The library’s words for it: bring a blanket and good cheer. That feels right.

Emerson Park has a playground, shaded picnic tables, and restrooms on site, so it is easy to turn it into a real morning out. Show up a little early, let the kids run around, do Storytime, let them run around some more. It costs nothing, there is no signup required, and it happens every single Tuesday through the end of July.

If your mornings have been feeling a little unstructured now that school is out, this is a really nice anchor to add to the week.

📍 Emerson Park, 11 N. Hutchins Street, Lodi, CA 95240
Every Tuesday, June 9 through July 28 | 10:30 am | Free
More at lodi.gov/library

If you live in Lodi and you have not been to Ruby’s on a Saturday morning, you already know someone who has. It is hard to miss the line that spills out the door onto Church Street most days of the week, and harder still to walk past without wondering what is going on in there.

What is going on is Fausto and Lynn Echeverria, and they have been at it since 2019.

Lynn grew up in the restaurant business, the daughter of parents who ran a restaurant in Livermore for over two decades. When that chapter closed, she headed to San Francisco for culinary school, landed an externship at a well-known bakery, and met Fausto there. He started as a dishwasher and worked his way up to leading the croissant department across six Bay Area locations. Together they spent 14 years mastering their craft before deciding it was time to bring something special closer to home. They found a vacant building on Church Street, and what they built in its place has become one of Lodi’s most beloved gathering spots.

Walk in and you feel it immediately. Natural light, small flower vases, clean lines, local art on the walls. It is the kind of space that slows you down a little. And then you see the pastry case, and you stop completely.

Fausto is in the kitchen at 3:30 every morning. Every single pastry on that shelf was made that day and will not be there tomorrow. The Sugar Bun, with its caramelized butter crust and orange zest, the Ham and Cheese Croissant with Framani Spanish Ham and Gruyere melted into flaky, tender dough, the almond croissant, the quiche, the seasonal cakes. Their philosophy is simple and they stick to it: basic pastries, thoughtful ingredients, technique, patience, and care.

But what really makes Ruby’s what it is goes beyond the food. The staff shout a greeting at you when you walk in and say goodbye when you leave. They know regulars by name. The line moves faster than you expect. Business meetings happen at the corner tables. Friends catch up over lattes. Families show up together on Sunday mornings. It is genuinely one of those places where Lodi feels like Lodi, where the same faces keep showing up because the coffee is good and the people are better.

All syrups are made in house. The espresso is pulled by real baristas on real machines. And the avocado toast has its own loyal following.

Follow them on Instagram at @rubysbakery_lodi for daily updates on what just came out of the oven.

📍 Ruby’s Bakery and Café, 11 S. Church Street, Suite B, Lodi, CA 95240

— JUNE 2026 —

Fri - Jun 5

Sat - Jun 6

Sun - Jun 7

Fri - Jun 12

Sat - Jun 13

Sat - Jun 20

Sun - Jun 21

Wed - Jun 24 

— JULY 2026 —

Sat - Jul 11

Sat - Jul 18

Wed - Jul 22

Sat - Jul 25

— AUGUST 2026 —

Sat - Aug 8

Wed - Aug 26 Agents of Rock – Music in the Park | ~7:00 PM 

Sun - Aug 23

Thanks for reading! It means more than you know that you take a few minutes out of your day to stay connected with our little corner of the world. See you around Lodi! 🍇