Saratoga News

Saratoga Sampler

Mary Ann Cook

History, entertainment, clubs combine for Fourth

Coming up: You'll have a chance to get your picture taken with Abe Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Dolly Madison or Uncle Sam this Fourth of July at the citywide celebration being planned at Villa Montalvo. Marilyn White and the Lions Club are co-chairs of this event, which at its inaugural last year drew 1,500 people and 20 service groups. Like numbers are expected this year. The doings run from noon to 5 p.m., and music-makers include The Skillet Lickers, the Old Smoothies and Saratoga's Sister City Taiko Drummers.

First-graders will entertain; the West Valley child study group will offer children's games; a wheel of fortune spun by the Soroptimists will benefit Battered Women and Children; and the Liberty Bell will be struck at 2 p.m. VIA will earn money for crippled children by selling Polaroids of participants with famous historical characters. You won't be caught pictured with Willys Peck, Jack Mallory or Fran or Don Miller, but with their Fourth of July incarnations: Abe, Tom, Dolly and Sam.

Because the Strawberry Festival switched its locale from the Los Gatos Civic Center to a much roomier site this year, West Valley College, organizers believe it probably drew greater numbers of people. However, since all the bills aren't in, exact tallies about how much money was earned for Eastfield Ming Quong, which provides services for troubled children and their families, can't be made--yet.

On Friday night before the event, Julie Scales, the EMQ Foundation's development director, walked around welcoming the vendors, who were setting up their tents in preparation for the two-day event. After she thanked one husband-wife-teenager team, the parents replied: "We're the ones who should be thanking you.

"Our son was at Eastfield Ming Quong, and the experience turned his life around. Now he's doing fine." It warmed the cockles, Scales says, this direct affirmation of the Strawberry Festival's reason for being. "Whenever I got hot and tired directing cars, I thought of them and felt revived."

Shakedown from other tents at the Strawberry Festival: the war between the no-alcohol daiquiri-shakers and the milkshake-makers is at meltdown. Enough new blenders were purchased this year so that the longtime tempest over which group got to use which blenders has dissolved.

Six Saratoga women, members of the Los Gatos Rowing Club, are out rowing at dawn some five times a week up at Lexington. "I amaze my husband. I don't use an alarm clock anymore. I'm up with the birds at 5 a.m.," says Tish Beyer, a marriage and family counselor in her non-watery life. "It's beautiful out on the water at that time of day--cranes and ducks ..." Tricia Hardt, Christine Keiser, Nancy Varnell, Marianne Carter and Cathy Wooten all join in her enthusiasm. They row in the Master Woman's Program in 64-foot boats that hold eight rowers, and there may be "tons of other boats" around at that early hour, Beyer says, counting sculls. It's a three-hour time commitment. The club will host the Southwest Regional Regatta on July 19, which is quite a coup, she says, to have such a large array.

Another rage: investment clubs-- women who want to learn more about making money work for them, who realize the odds are they'll be widowed one day and they'd be wise to get some money moxie now. There are at least 20 in the Saratoga-Monte Sereno-Los Gatos area, each with 15-20 members paying $20-$50 monthly to belong and invest. Each member researches one stock in the club portfolio and decides when to buy or sell. A recent luncheon for all the different clubs drew 88 people. Susi Van Wickle belonged to one in Singapore, missed it when she moved here and so started her own, called the Good Luck Club. It's been in existence a year and its president is Cathy Gillum. WIN stands for Women Investing Now and its president is JoAn Lambert.

Classic, exotic cars, all burnished to a fare-thee-well, were shown off at the Palo Alto Concours D'Elegance that benefits P.A.'s Lions' philanthropies. Some cars are entered for show only; some compete in the judging. Saratoga beauties on display: Austin Kilburn's '38 Bentley; Greg Smith's '49 MG-TC; Bernard Sims' '51 Rolls Royce; Brian and D'Anne Carleton's '56 Porsche; Tut Rivoir's '62 Chevrolet; Donald Wollesen's '67 Ford; Walt Boeninger's '68 Corvette; Jim Ashbrook's '70 Jaguar; and Marshall Raney's '76 Aston Martin.

Ferrari is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and 100 of the spiffiest were on display, along with Paul Finnigan's '73; Joe and Linda DiNucci's '87; Roger Zager's '89; and Richard Previte's '92.

A week earlier Sims' Rolls won third place at the Silicon Valley Concours, and Neil Kirkham had his dark blue dazzler on display: a '63 Rolls Silver Cloud with red upholstery. Kirkham is to restoring cars what Campbell is to soup, say the knowledgeable.

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