Sacs Tasty Hotdogs Reunion
Stacie Dropped By Vtown — Hogan Spartans Class of '85 Mini-Reunion at Sac's Hot Dogs
When a classmate rolls through, you show up. Stacie Apperson visited Vallejo and the crew came out — Irene, Tony, and JF at Sac's, just like old times.
Stacie Apperson, Tony Palisoc, and Irene Romero — Sac's Hot Dogs, Vallejo, CA. May 9, 2013. 📷 J.F.R. Perseveranda / Nikon D5100
Some reunions are planned for months. Others happen because someone texts: "I'm in Vtown." This was the second kind — and honestly, those are the best kind. When Stacie Apperson dropped through Vallejo in May 2013, there was only one right move: rally the crew, head to Sac's Hot Dogs, and catch up like no time had passed at all.
Irene Romero, Tony Palisoc, and I showed up, and for a couple hours on a Thursday afternoon, we were back in the orbit of Hogan High School — Class of '85 — talking story, laughing loud, and remembering why this particular group of people feels like home no matter where life has scattered us.
💛 Did You Know?
Vallejo, California has one of the highest concentrations of Filipino Americans per capita in the United States. The city's Filipino community — many of them U.S. Navy families who settled near Mare Island Naval Shipyard — built a tight-knit diaspora culture that shows up in schools, churches, and landmark local spots like Sac's Hot Dogs, where generations of Fil-Am families have gathered for decades.
🇵🇠Tagalog Word of the Day
Barkada bar-KA-daMeaning: A close circle of friends — your crew, your people, your ride-or-dies. More than just "friends," barkada implies a bond formed through shared history, neighborhood, school, or family connection. When Stacie passed through Vtown, the barkada showed up without hesitation. That's what the word means in practice.
A Vtown Visit, a Sac's Hot Dogs Spread
Sac's Hot Dogs on Tennessee Street is one of those Vallejo institutions that doesn't need a marketing campaign. The regulars know. Alumni who moved away make it a mandatory stop whenever they're back. And when you're meeting up with people you've known since high school, there's no better backdrop than a place that hasn't changed much — and that's a compliment.
Stacie, Irene, Tony, and I slid into our spots and did what Spartans do: we talked, we laughed, and we remembered. The Class of '85 doesn't get together in full force too often, but the mini-reunions — spontaneous and unplanned — carry their own kind of energy. Nobody had to dress up. Nobody had to prepare remarks. You just show up and the years compress.
Hogan Spartans: A Filipino-American Alumni Story
Hogan High School in Vallejo was — and remains, through its successor Jesse Bethel High School — a defining institution for Filipino-American youth in Solano County. For those of us who came up in the late '70s and early '80s, Hogan was where immigrant kids became Americans without losing who they were. The hallways mixed Tagalog and English, lumpia smells drifted from every potluck, and the friendships forged there have outlasted addresses, careers, and geography.
The Class of 1985 in particular had a strong Filipino-American core. Many of us were first-generation — children of Navy families, PG&E workers, nurses, and OFW pioneers who chose Vallejo as their foothold in the United States. When we reunite, even briefly at a hot dog stand, it feels like a small act of cultural continuity.
Photos from the Afternoon
Stacie Apperson, Tony Palisoc, Irene Romero — Hogan Spartans Class of '85
📎 Sources & Notes
- Photos: J.F.R. Perseveranda / Nikon D5100 — Sac's Hot Dogs, Vallejo, CA. May 9, 2013.
- Personal archive, PinoyBuilt.com
💛 Filipino Americans in Vallejo
Vallejo is home to an estimated 20,000+ Filipino Americans — roughly 15–18% of the city's total population — making it one of the most Filipino cities in the United States by percentage. Many trace their roots to the U.S. Navy's presence at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, which drew waves of Filipino sailors and their families to the region beginning in the 1950s. Hogan High School, located in East Vallejo, became a cultural anchor for this community — producing generations of proud Filipino-American graduates who now span every field from medicine to the arts, law, and public service.
Irene, Stacie, Tony P & JF!
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing this post and pics! Old friends that come together without no plans and just go! ❤️
ReplyDelete