Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Main Street

Mary Ann Cook

Mystery runners leave columnist wondering

GENDER CONFUSION: Who were those macho-looking males dashing across Highway 880 on Los Gatos-Saratoga Road the day before Easter? Dressed all in red, they were looking buff in every way but one. Most were dressed in women's clothing. Nothing that would impede their speed, you understand, but women's wear nonetheless. They looked like they'd stepped out of a gender-bent bathing beauty ad from the '20s.

They were traveling in a southerly direction and must have been raising funds for some worthy cause, but just what I have no idea. I searched the paper for news of an athletic event at that time and place, but could find none. Any help would be appreciated. The newspaper office number is 354-3110. Any male runner willing to be so bedecked deserves recognition. If any of these dashers were wearing pantyhose, it gives the meaning of a 5K run a totally new twist.

SHOWCASE CHOIR: The choir of the First United Methodist Church of Los Gatos will be among the 14 participating in "Music From the Heart" at Santa Clara Mission Church on the Santa Clara University campus. The showcase of choirs is April 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Los Gatos choir performs at 10:05 a.m. Jeff Amorosa is choir director.

The choir showcase directly benefits the San Jose Family Shelter, which provides a child-care center, a Head Start program, a medical program, laundry facilities and three meals a day. Tickets to the concert are $10, and the info number is 926-8885

HATS OFF: Congratulations to Marjorie Head, the winning hatter at the recent Senior Nutrition Program spring luncheon and hat contest held at the Neighborhood Center. With the weather we've been having, the luncheon was more a promise of spring than a celebration of it. Marjorie's hat was wide-brimmed with a multitude of flowers perched thereon--yellow marguerites, red camellias, plus yellow wildflowers hanging off the brim.

BENCHMARK: Michelle Nelson bought a Los Gatos street bench for her husband, Randy, to commemorate their 15th wedding anniversary. The bench she bought sits on one of the busiest corners in town--at Santa Cruz Avenue and Main Street. And sometimes, when Michelle is particularly foot-weary, she wonders if she has the right to eject whoever is sitting on their bench. But then she thinks, "Naahhh. After all, I bought it for the community."

NEW CATTLE BARONS: Lynda M. Evjen of Monte Sereno and Zoe Cowherd Alameda of Saratoga were named co-chairwomen of the 1998 Cattle Baron's Ball, which will be held Sept. 26 in Hangar No. 3 at Moffett Field.

The ball is a benefit for the American Cancer Society and in its two years of existence has raised more than $1.1 million dollars, becoming a national model for successful fundraising.

Alameda owns Alameda Family Saratoga-Cupertino Funeral Home, and Evjen is co-founder and former executive vice president of Med-Cor, a health-care supplier.

BRIDGE CROSSOUT: Sad news for craftspeople and all those who delight in bedecking their homes. The venerable Across the Bridge will be closing in May. Everything in the store now is 30 percent off the marked price, and further reductions are on the way.

Thanks for the 16 wonderful years, says owner Marie Hochman. A rent increase is forcing the closure. Across the Bridge has appeared in three locations during its tenure here--on Main Street (across the bridge, of course), in Old Town and it its present location at 210 N. Santa Cruz. Lots of unhappy customers, report the half-dozen employees, who say the news was a shocker to them as well.

INTERNATIONAL TASTES: The Los Gatos History Club will host an International Tea and Coffee Tasting April 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the clubhouse, 123 Los Gatos Blvd. Food, beverages and artifacts from 12 different countries will be offered, being dispensed from 12 different tables.

Merchandise from Ten Thousand Villages of Los Gatos will be for sale in the foyer. This store buys crafts from Third World artisans and uses volunteers for its sales force to keep expenses lower, with more return for the native craftsmen.

Tickets to the tea are $15 each, and proceeds benefit local philanthropies. Joan Brown and Betty Ulrich are in charge. For tickets or information call 269-0787 or 265-0932.

WOMEN'S HISTORY: Kathleen Elizabeth Keiser, daughter of Brian Lynn and Araceli Valle of Los Gatos, was one of the student organizers of women's history month at Brown University in Providence, R.I. The month-long event included art displays, guest lecturers and music, celebrating the role of women in our culture. Keiser is a junior at Brown, with a concentration in anthropology and comparative literature.

CENTENNIAL: The Los Gatos Library will celebrate its centennial this year, and Friends of the Library are at work planning the celebration for October--a tea, a lecture series and a poster contest are in the offing.

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