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Saratoga Sampler
Bowling in the dark raises some big bucks
By Mary Ann Cook
XTREME BOWLING: Some $30,000 was raised for Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Santa Clara County on a recent Saturday, at the Saratoga Lanes Bowling alley. Bowl for Kids' Sake brought forth some 200 bowlers. The event is called Xtreme Bowling because the alley is transformed into a darkened, Halloween atmosphere.
These bowlers go cosmic, what with blinking disco balls, glowing black lights, flashing colored lights and rock 'n' roll in the background. By collecting sponsors the bowlers raised $25,700. Corporate matching donations are expected to swell the coffers to $35,000.
Bowling for Kids has been a fundraising effort for some 20 years in this county. Two two-hour sessions filled more than 20 lanes with teams of four to five bowlers. Said first-timer Logan Deimler of Saratoga, "My wife (Carole Amos) and I had so much fun we're looking forward to next year."
Some bowlers told Guss they rack up better scores in the darkened alley because they concentrate more. These are not dedicated bowlers, for the most part, but people who play but seldom. For more on Big Brothers-Big Sisters, call Howard Guss, development associate, at 408.244.1496.
GRAD NITE: It was an unusually harsh year for students at Saratoga High, what with four deaths in their midst throughout the year from auto accidents and suicide. With this in mind, the parent planners of Grad Nite want to make the event even more special than ever.
The committee is seeking donations from local businesses for prizes. Debbie Stanley is one of the head honchos and Alexandra Hausen is one of those collecting prizes.
Hausen wants to make sure every student can attend. With the downturn in the economy and the fact that the entry fee was raised this year to $201, from the former $125, she wants to make sure there's money set aside for students who might need help with the ticket fare.
INTERIM LIBRARY: President of the Saratoga Friends of the Library Bill McDonnal was heartened by the outpouring of support for a temporary library, to be put in place at Sacred Heart Church, for use while the library is undergoing expansion. Some 500 signatures urging an interim library were collected in just the first week of the campaign.
The expansion is estimated to take 18 months to complete, and will take place on three sides. The interim unit will necessarily be sparse--5,800 square feet. The present library is 18,000 square feet.
For those willing to go farther afield, the best bets would be Campbell or Los Gatos libraries, McDonnal advised. The Cupertino Library is undergoing its own renovation.
MONTALVO MIX: Apologies to Montalvo stewards for lumping the association with the service group in a recent column.
The association is, of course, the governing body; and the service group is a woman's auxiliary. The Montalvo Association, which was formed by local citizens, gained trusteeship of the Villa in '53.
The association owns and maintains the art center to this day. The Montalvo Service Group was founded the next year by local women, to help care for the villa and grounds--hostess and fundraise. Guess I was carried away by a certain shot in the documentary film about Montalvo.
The film was shown at the Foothill Club last month and the image that impressed me was one that showed MSG women in the early years of the group, wielding pruning shears on the overgrown flora surrounding the mansion. Now that's a hands-on auxiliary.
ENGLISH TEA: The annual English tea and silent auction sponsored by the AAUW Committee on Homeless Women and Children will be held on April 21, at Sacred Heart Church.
Tea will be served at 2 p.m., but doors will open at 12:45 p.m. to view auction items.
Tickets are $20 and benefit the Georgia Travis Day Center in San Jose and other program for local homeless women and children. For tickets, call Jackie Anderson at 408.867.0108.
MATH WINNERS: Philip Sung of Saratoga High School won first place in the recent Math Olympiad for those in grades 9 and 10; Oaz Nir of Monta Vista High tied for fifth in the grades 11 and 12 division. Some 256 students from 45 schools participated.
The top team award was won by Monta Vista High, based on the highest three scores from each school in the four-hour competition.
HIGH JUMPER: Pfc. Daniel Okado recently graduated from the airborne training course at Fort Benning, Ga. He is a combat documentation production specialist with the 507th Airborne Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The training involved static line parachute jumps, including a night jump from an aircraft in flight. He also was trained in jumping from towers as high as 250 feet. He is the son of Floyd and Janet Okado of Saratoga.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
