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Saratoga Sampler
Desire for Christmas party decor inspires art project
By Mary Ann Cook
NUTCRACKER PROJECT: When the Los Gatos Art Association wanted to put on a smashing holiday party next December, Nancy Petras came up with the idea for The Nutcracker Project. Let's plunk ourselves down on the set of the Nutcracker Ballet.
Voila! thought Linda Spencer and started to mobilize the idea into action. Each member was charged with creating a life-sized character from the Nutcracker. Now four of those creations are finished and will be on exhibit at the VAAST show in Santa Clara this weekend. VAAST is Visual Artist's Association Summit at the Triton, a yearly event. One of the four artists represented is Maree Lubran of Saratoga, who painted a little girl she calls Heidi. The portrait looks like Maree herself must have looked as a youngster, relates Spencer. Lubran often does celebrities. This time she stuck closer to home.
Other figures on display are Maralyn Miller's depiction of a man winding up a toy soldier. The soldier is in bright primary colors and the man looks like the Godfather character in the Nutcracker.
Two puppies are also completed. One, in a begging mode, is a pull toy made of fake fur and constructed by graphic artist Christine Field. It even looks real when spotted from several feet away, confides Spencer. The other puppy is a Yorkie, artist unknown as of this writing.
The Nutcracker figures will ultimately appear at the Tait Museum, at the Los Gatos Children's Christmas Parade and at the LGAA holiday party. Then they'll be sold to either a business or an individual, and the money from the sale will go to children's art programs.
ORGANS 'R' US: What hath Toys 'R' Us spawned? Now it's a Redwood City-based nonprofit called Organs 'R' Us. This group helps youngsters find organ transplant donors. Four-year-old Miranda Ashland of Saratoga is one of the successful results of matching organs to donors.
She received a liver transplant as an infant and recently was part of the kiddie centipede in the Bay to Breakers race, publicizing the Organs 'R' Us concept. Miranda is the daughter of Tom and Michele Ashland.
In the centipede competition 13 participants run single file, placed 4 feet apart. All the 'pedes are under one large sheet with individual openings cut out for their heads. The idea of the Kiddie Pede is to underline the fact that organ transplants saves lives.
More than half of the commitments to donate organs are rescinded by family members after a potential donor's untimely death, relates Jeff Shapiro of Organs 'R' Us. Every two hours someone in the United States dies while awaiting an organ transplant, says the release from Organs 'R' Us' says. Organs number is 650-369-5811.
The children who formed the centipede ranged in age from 2 to 17. Centipede teams have official runners stationed at the front and back of their formation to help keep their pathway cleared, for safety's sake. A centipede's vision is considerably impaired, drastically less astute than a biped's.
LIBRARY FETE: There's exciting news brewing about the library gala set for 6:30 p.m. June 26. There'll be wine, food and music galore. The committee is busy lining up entertainment for the fundraiser--jazz and swing groups, for starters. A big swing band, Lyratone, has just signed on.
Cynthia Lee is a co-chair, and the event is dedicated to the memory of her husband, Ken, who died this winter.
BUTTER PADDLE PROCEEDS: The Butter Paddle raised $135,320 for the past fiscal year, a record amount for the auxiliary, whose beneficiary is Eastfield Ming Quong. The money was presented to EMQ, which provides support for children with emotional disturbances.
Officers of the auxiliary are Mary-Lynne Bernald, president, if Saratoga; Cathy Lynn, past president/parliamentarian, of Los Gatos; Lynne Seay, vice president, Los Gatos; Marcia Tammel, second vice president/manager of the Butter Paddle, Saratoga.
NEWCOMERS ALUMNAE: Newcomers Alumnae of Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga recently installed officers: Marie Low and Cathy Gillum, co-presidents; Phyllis Melberg, first vice president; Helen Maher and Lois O'Haren, second vice president; J.P. Puette, third vice president; Linda Schechner, secretary and Carole Hardy, treasurer.
Those from Saratoga are Low, Puette, Hardy and O'Haren. From Los Gatos: Gillum, Schechner and Melberg.
TAKE A LUNCH: Some of us have more exciting lunch companions than others. I'm thinking particularly of publicist Marcia Adams, late of Saratoga. Her daughter-in-law works for George Clooney, so guess who Adams had lunch with lately. "Doesn't he seem immature?" asked her son, who is the same age. Well, maybe, his mother admitted. But he makes up for it in charisma.
In other Adams news there's a new job calling. She'll be the marketing person for Presentation School.
FUNDRAISER: Winners of the 9-month bridge tournament that benefits the Children's Home Society were Rita Gujral and Linda Soderman of Saratoga and Pat Milstead and Vilma Mercer.
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
