At the Saratoga branch of Alain Pinel, six pumpkins were decorated and auctioned off, bringing in $650. That's quite a haul: more than $100 per squash. These pumpkins had first served as decoration at a YWCA fundraiser.

When they were brought back to the Realtor office, the idea came to the pumpkin toters to decorate them, auction them off and present the money raised to the YWCA, to continue the fundraising. Those with the bright idea were Brenda Miller, Jorja Smith, Michele Rodriguez, Sandy Barnes, Karen Stanger and Carol Burnett, manager and vice president. Decorating genies were Susie Mize, Jay Lassetter, Kim Geoffroy and Cerise Duran.

Generous purchasers were agents Betty Lin, Kevin Cole, Shari Panahi, Brenda Miller and Eileen Bosch, plus lender Ahmad Ghavi. Donations were made by Bonnie Wilson and Dorothy Talbot.

At the Y luncheon earlier, agent Mary Allan had sponsored two tables of 10 and Brenda Miller one table of 10.

MORE PUMPKINS: Prizewinning pumpkins are being grown around here these days. Patricia and Thomas Grant, for example, took a first-place prize with their 406-pound beauty and a second place for their 368-pound specimen in the annual Uesugi Farms Weigh-In.

The Grants are first-time pumpkin growers. However, they have a cattle ranch in Hollister, and the pumpkins were grown there. Uesugi Farms is in Hollister, but has an adjunct in Morgan Hill, the site of the weigh-in. "My husband never does anything halfway," reports Patricia.

So it was no surprise to her that they won, what with top-of-the-line chicken manure and algae being brought in for fertilizer, plus plenty of research and tips from other pumpkin growers.

There was another weighing-in just a few weeks earlier, when baby Briana Grant was born. To announce baby's arrival and pumpkin win, the Grants sent out a photo over the Internet of Briana, at 5 weeks and weighing seven pounds, perched on the winning pumpkin, which had a very convenient dent in the top of it.

NEW AIR DATE FOR 'BACKROADS': The Bay Area Backroads segment on Saratoga is now slated to air on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. on KRON Channel 4. The program was filmed some months ago, and the airing date has been in doubt but is now considered fairly firm—or as firm as it ever gets, according to spokesperson Christine Dooley.

Lifetime resident Mitch Miljevich has been keeping a weather eye out for the rest of us. That's Mitch Miljevich, you understand, not his father, Nick, as reported here in an earlier column. I misheard the name over the phone, which baffled the elder Miljevich. Since he had never seen or talked to me, he couldn't understand how his name had gotten connected with the show.

The Bay Area segment was filmed at Hakone Gardens, Montalvo and an outlying shopping district, to differentiate it from a Saratoga show some years back.

CALENDAR OF HISTORIC LOCAL SCENES: Saratoga's Heritage Preservation Commission has developed a 2003 calendar of historic pictures of Saratoga, some of which are never-before-seen glimpses from private collections assembled here.

Calendars are available at the Saratoga Historical Museum, Cooper Garrod Winery and from members of the commission. A $10 donation is requested. Commission members are Norm Koepernik, Willys Peck, Dora Grens, Phylis Ballingall, Patricia Bailey, Paul Conrado and Tom Lowdermilk.

Calendars will also be available at the city tree-lighting ceremony the Friday after Thanksgiving. For more information, call Phylis Ballingall at 408.867.7480.

YOUNG THESPIAN ORPHAN: Saratogan Amy Drozdiak is part of the cast of the Peninsula Youth Theatre production of Annie, which plays at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts Nov. 9­17. Tickets are $13-$16 evenings and weekends; $6 for 9:30 a.m. performances. The box office phone number is 650.903.6000.

SUMMIT LEAGUE OFFICERS: The new officers of the Summit League are Paula McHugh, president; Anne Griffin, vice president; Carrie Arata, recording secretary; Gretchen Mair, corresponding secretary; and Julie Black, treasurer. Created in 1956, the league has 47 members, plus sustainers.

The league's Homes for the Holidays house tour will be Dec. 5 and 6, and moneys raised will benefit the Downtown College Preparatory school, a charter school in San Jose that prepares underachieving, mostly minority students in the skills they need to attend a four-year university.

BIG EASY: Big Easy Broadway—traditional New Orleans jazz—will perform Nov. 10 at 2:30 p.m. at Los Gatos High. Versatile Vernel Bagneris joins the Orange Kellin trio. Ray Strong at 408.377.1106 is the contact, and the Los Gatos­Saratoga Community Concert Association is the sponsor.

Got a story? My email address is maryanncook@earthlink.net.