Photograph by Jeff Kearns
Enjoying the culinary offerings are (from left) Kyle Dozier, 4, Bryce Dozier, 7, and Trent Dozier, 9.
Celebration!
Dining and Dancing Saratoga Style
By Steve Enders
Saratoga's biggest and brightest annual event went off without a hitch Saturday night, and in a word, Celebrate Saratoga was just plain fun.
A dash of rain couldn't spoil the party last year, so organizers were hoping for an even bigger turnout this year, what with beautiful clear, warm weather.
Numbers aren't known, but the Chamber of Commerce staff was hoping to claim more than 30,000 revelers. That wouldn't be a stretch, as a look up Big Basin Way from the bottom of the hill revealed a literal sea of people from top to bottom for the entirety to the event.
Big Basin Way was wall-to-wall people as partygoers strolled slowly up and down the street sampling the good food and drink, mingling with friends, meeting new ones and reclaiming old ones.
Photograph by Jeff Kearns
The Lyratones played Big Band music.
The KidZone was a hit for the youngsters, as was the karaoke stage. Brave souls, those kids.
Another popular hangout proved to be in front of a Village clothing boutique, where two live models stood still in the window despite hordes of kids trying their hardest to make the models twitch or laugh.
Occasionally, it worked.
While the kids were having fun, so were the adults. People came from all over, and the Village was probably the Bay Area's hottest place to see and be seen over the weekend. Rumors abound about San Francisco 49ers Coach Steve Mariucci taking part. The city's dignitaries were mingling with their families as well.
Food was plentiful, as were the grapes. All the local vintners came down from the hills to pour the area's best wines. Kathryn Kennedy's red wines were some of the most-talked about.
Photograph by Jeff Kearns
The Country in Motion country-western dancers entertained.
Of course, any street dance can't be a dance without music, and there was plenty of that to go around. A DJ spun records at the top of the hill, Cajun blues rang out nearby, a funny, classic cover band rocked in the middle and Big Band Swing swung from the bottom.
Reserved in the daylight, sure enough, as soon as the sun started going down there was plenty of hip shaking going on.
The dancing in the street lasted until 10:30, when the crowd finally called it a night. What a night it was.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
