By Sue Fagalde Lick
A pair of holiday carolers clinched first place for the Kroll household on Vickery Avenue in the third annual Decorate Saratoga! contest.
Harvey Kroll's daughters, Ashley and Kami, sang Christmas songs amid the brightly lit decorations when residents of the Odd Fellows Home came to judge the contest Dec. 18.
The Kroll home was a sea of colored lights. White bulbs were wrapped around some of the trees, and the bird bath was covered in lights, some of which spelled out "Seasons Greetings."
Second place went to Tom and Linda Parker on Okanogan Drive. The Parkers reportedly add a little more to their display each year. This year's decorations included a manger scene, Santa and his reindeer on the roof, a village church and Christmas bears everywhere.
The Addison family on Greenbrook won third prize. Fourth place went to Mike and Teri Dahlbeck on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, and fifth place went to Adrian Stanga. The long tunnel of lights at the Stanga residence on Carelian Glen Court proved too tight for the Odd Fellows bus to negotiate, but it really lit up the neighborhood.
Among the business entries, Our Lady of Fatima Villa, with a large display of lights around the nativity scene and along the building, took first place. Azule Crossing on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road was the second-place winner, and Viaggio restaurant on Big Basin Way came in third.
Eleven homes and nine businesses entered this year's contest. Some of the entries would have been more dramatic if viewed during the day, and some of the most dramatic displays were not entered in the competition. The entries were judged on a 10-point scale in three categories: lighting, design and originality.
All of the entrants were invited to an open house at the Odd Fellows Home on Dec. 20. Winners received a variety of donated prizes, including wine, handmade gifts from the Odd Fellows Home, and gift certificates for dinners, goods and services from local merchants.
The contest was cosponsored by the Odd Fellows home and the Saratoga News.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, Wednesday, December 27, 1995.
©1995 Metro Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.