BE A BRICK, BUY A BRICK: Friends of the Saratoga Libraries are gratified by the response to the brick/tile/spine campaign to raise money for the new library. Some $224,520 has been raised thus far, says Bill McDonnel, Friends president. That's $50,000 shy of the $270,000 goal.
Meanwhile, the Book-Go-Round, the Friends' biggest money raiser, continues to accrue money, and the library opening isn't scheduled until spring of 2003, so McDonnel is "very confident" the entire sum will be raised.
The deadline for buying commemorative bricks or tiles for the new library is now past.
Some 211 individual bricks at $250 have been sold, plus nine business bricks at $375. Nearly 30 patio tiles have been sold. These cost $1,000 for individuals; $1,500 for businesses. Though the deadline is past, bricks or tiles can still be ordered—they just won't be installed by the library opening. Therefore, they will cost the donor more, what with having to be specially installed. But there is no current deadline to order ceramic book spines decorating the children's room. These are imprinted with a child's name and cost $150. Some 114 spines have been sold so far.
In the adult section, wooden book spines will simulate book titles. These will bear contributors' names or messages, with a contribution of $500 asked. Sixteen bronze plaques for the entryway have been sold at $5,000 or more. The contact person for the children's area is Carolyn at 408.867.3445. For adult spines, call Chuck at 408.839.9555.
WINNING WINES: Amateur winemaker Paul Conrado won 14 awards at various fairs this summer for his winemaking skills. His 2000 Sacred Heart Merlot won a gold medal at both the Indiana State Fair and the Orange County Fair, plus a bronze medal at the California State Fair.
His '99 Ohlund Vineyard cabernet sauvignon won a gold medal at the Orange County Fair and a silver medal at the California State Fair. The '99 Borelli cab won a silver medal at the California State Fair. The 2000 Renn Vineyard zin won a silver medal at Orange County and bronzes at the Indiana and California state fairs.
The '99 Ostby Vineyard cab won a silver at California, and bronzes at Indiana and Orange County. The '99 Khanna cab won a bronze at California, and the '01 Renn Gewürztraminer won a bronze at Orange County.
TOP HONORS: Local filmmaker Cary Cremidas won best short film honors at the Hollywood Movie Awards Ceremony last month. The Sundial Field came out on top from the more than 1,500 films submitted from around the world.
The film festival acknowledges new talent and entitles winners to compete for an Academy Award. The Sundial Field was shot in the Bay Area with local cast, crew and music. It's a drama/love story about the magic of fate and the importance of following your heart. The writer/producer is Joni Thissen.
Cast members: Mark Larkin, Kerry Seldin, Jennifer Baeseman, Dana Bergeman and Peter Bayham. Steven Norfleet is the other producer and Jeffrey Hofmann is the composer.
KID LIB TIP: Saratoga's Book-Go-Round is featured in the November issue of Bay Area Parent, Silicon Valley edition. The article is called "Building Your Child's Home Library" and the focus is on Friends of the Libraries sales and stores in the Bay Area.
The writer, Robin S. Fox of Lafayette, visited the Book-Go-Round and gave extra emphasis with an interior photo of the store. Saratoga has the premiere Friends service in the Bay Area: now others know it, too. Mary Jeanne Fenn is chief book maven. Bay Area Parent is free at Kiddie World.
ABOVE AND BEYOND: Millie Bernstein took her polling duties in Saratoga beyond the usual poll closing time by returning a purse to a voter who had left it there. The voter's home was on Fruitvale Avenue and no house numbers were visible on mailboxes, so locating the person was quite a challenge. Eventually, though, Bernstein found her way up the right drive and delivered the purse. The purse owner had put her wallet in a jacket pocket, so that wasn't among the missing. Still, it was a door-to-door lost-and-found service she didn't expect: 'Twas a decided extension of standard polling place service.
WILDLIFE TALK: Dean Bernal, international wildlife consultant, will speak on the JoJo Dolphin, Whale and Wildlife Project at the Foothill Club lecture on Nov. 26, 10 a.m., at the clubhouse. Bernal is featured in two films: Into the Wild: Dolphins, with Robin Williams and the IMAX film Dolphin.
JoJo is a bottle-nosed dolphin who's achieved movie star status. Bernal also has watery encounters with great humpback whales in his studies of that species. In addition, he'll talk about his winter expedition in the Turks and Caicos.
ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE: The Gallery House holiday show will be on display through Dec. 31, and a reception for the artists will be Dec. 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. Saratogans Teresa Robinson and Starr Davis are two of the Gallery House stalwarts.
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By Mary Ann Cook