Leonard Cassaretto to be Honored as Grand Marshal

If there’s one thing Leonard Cassaretto loved, it was the annual Old West Days/49er Festival and the Main Street Parade. If there’s one thing Leonard would have hated, it would be the honor and recognition of being named Grand Marshal. To Leonard, public visibility and adoration were unnecessary. Daughter Pamela said, “I can hear my dad saying, ‘Oh, no, no, no, listen here, I don't need any of that. I just go about my day and people need to go about theirs.’”

OR, and perhaps even more likely, “they better not nominate me!”

Well that’s just too dang bad Leonard, because we’re honoring you anyway. But don’t get all puffed up about it…it’s not all about you. It’s about the Cassaretto family’s legacy in Groveland, which began in 1874, just twenty-four years after Tuolumne County was established and a year before the town called Garrote was renamed Groveland. Five generations later, the Cassaretto family is still present and active in the community, with daughter Pamela and son Todd taking over the reins to manage their commercial and residential properties and retail and storage rental units. The next two generations…Leonard’s grandchildren and great grandchildren…are waiting in the wings, already cutting their teeth on Cassaretto Family Values.

Leonard Cassaretto was born in Groveland in 1942 and spent his life here, passing away late last year. He was an old-fashioned family man who did not suffer fools, and although perceived by some as “grumpy” and “stuck in his ways,” Leonard was loved and appreciated by many. He was a man who provided opportunities and gave to others when many others wouldn't. Some folks say he was a legend in this town, where he loved to develop land, was deeply invested in the community, and was a friend and landlord to many.

Call him a legend? He preferred to be called Leonard. We’re calling him Grand Marshal and we’re honoring him posthumously whether he likes it or not.

Helping Hands Loves a Parade

The volunteers at Helping Hands Thrift Store and Furniture Barn called Leonard “landlord.” Built in 1850 as Raboul’s Trading Post, the adobe building has been in the Cassaretto family since 1873. Helping Hands found their “forever home” when they began renting the building from Leonard Cassaretto in the 1990’s.

Helping Hands was formed when a group of citizens first met in the Community Hall and elected officers in 1982. The fledgling organization received its 501(c) charitable status in January 1984 and has operated continuously since, opening the Furniture Barn (another Cassaretto property) in 2007.

"People helping people" has been the mission of Helping Hands since its inception. Its team of more than 25 volunteers offers that extra ‘helping hand’ to the Community. These volunteers work in the Store or at the Barn and work behind the scenes. Each day there are 4 - 6 scheduled volunteers who are sorting, pricing and stocking the stores with merchandise, or working the register and waiting on valued customers. Each of the volunteers brings their own personality and dedication to the organization but the gratification of serving the community is the common thread they all share.

Run and staffed by these local volunteers, Helping Hands delivers 100% of their proceeds back into our community. Since its inception more than 40 years ago, Helping Hands has provided nearly a million dollars to support our local schools and community. In 2024, the organization pledged an annual donation of $2000 to the newly-formed Grade to Gate Foundation to support the downtown Beautification program.

This year, Helping Hands is sponsoring the 49er Festival Main Street Parade. It’s a fitting tribute to the pioneers who built that adobe trading post 175 years ago, and to the man whose family name is part of our history and whose personal legacy will continue through his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Twenty-three year board member and manager of the Helping Hands Thrift Store & Furniture Barn, Patti Beaulieu says of Leonard Cassaretto, “He was a gentleman, inspiration and an all-around 'good man'. He was a long-time friend to many and he earned the respect of everyone in the Groveland area.”

Helping Hands volunteers will be marching behind the Grand Marshal’s vehicles in the Main Street Parade on September 20. Anyone can join the Parade, so sign up today to drive, float, walk, run, bike, scooter, or skate. 175 years is a BIG DEAL for our young country, state, and nation (celebrating 250 years in 2026). Bring your heritage to the 2025 49er Festival and Main Street Parade. Click HERE for the Parade application form.