Laurel sprays made by Scout and 4-H groups and American flags will be placed on the graves of the war dead. There are 740 war veterans buried at Madronia, some dating as far back as the Civil War. The guest speaker will be Col. James T. Williams, commander of the 129th rescue wing of the Air National Guard at Moffett Field.

Boy Scout Troop 535 will present the colors and taps will be played by Saratoga High students Andrew Kao and Joseph Kim. Ann Monroe and Frances Banakas of the Foothill Club are chairwomen of the event. The Foothill Club coordinates the ceremony. The resource adviser is Marilyn White.

Ruthann Stolzman designed the programs, and the Rev. Portia Mather-Hempler of St. Andrew's will offer the invocation. Others involved include Bill Goehner of Veterans of Foreign Wars and Gene Koutz of AMVETS.

For the umpteenth year, Helen Francis will make the wreaths placed at Memorial Arch and at Madronia. Francis constructs the laurel and bay wreaths in honor of her husband, Col. Gus Francis, now deceased, who served in Bataan and Corregidor and was one of only five survivors of the bombing of the Liberty Ship. The colonel also survived the Bataan Death March.

A new banner, bought by the Madronia board of directors, replaces the one missing after last year's ceremonies. The banner will hang over the fire station for some two weeks prior to the event.

NURSING EXCELLENCE: From a field of hundreds of nominees, 44 nurses were selected as finalists for Nurseweek's 2003 California Nursing Excellence Awards, and Linda Ankeny of Community Hospital of Los Gatos was one of them. Ankeny is program manager for cancer management at the hospital.

The longtime oncology nurse was recognized for her contributions working with cancer patients at both Community Hospital and the American Cancer Society. She facilitates the hospital's breast cancer support group, cancer and cancer caregivers support groups and the gynecological/ovarian cancer support groups.

Ankeny also is on the board of the American Cancer Society and raises funds by participating in the 24-hour Relay For Life walk and Daffodil Days sales. She is active in the society's speakers bureau, giving talks to high schools, senior centers and nursing homes. She's been an American Cancer Society volunteer for 20 years.

She expanded the programs at Community Hospital to include a general cancer support group and a lymph edema support group. "I get so much inspiration from my patients," Ankeny says. "They have so much courage."

She calls her educational outreach talks for patients and their caregivers the "most rewarding" part of her many jobs, both paid and volunteer.

OPEN STUDIOS: What makes you think every other person in Saratoga is an artist? A listing of 40 names of artists opening their studios for the Silicon Valley Open Studios tour May 17 and 18, for one thing.

The studio of Saratogan Dawn Hart will be open May 17 and 18, too, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in conjunction with the open studios tour. The address is 401 E. Taylor St. Hart's work has a new home: Art 21, a new gallery in Palo Alto, 521 Alma St. (website: www.art21.us). Her email address: dawnhartk@Yahoo.com.

MIGRANT HISTORY: The woman who was for years chairman of the American Association of University Women English tea, Nancy Anderson, is excited about starting a new project this fall for the Saratoga History Museum—she'll be acting as a mini John Steinbeck, as she puts it, interviewing migrants who worked in Saratoga.

From those interviews will come a book or booklet for the history museum. Anderson did volunteer work with migrants in the '70s—"took them to doctors, got them out of jail, had a program for the kids, took the kids to a medical clinic to get their shots."

That work led to her eventual employment as a social worker for Santa Clara County.

INTO THE WOODS: In the cast of Into The Woods, produced by Peninsula Youth Theatre, is Jillian Lawson of Saratoga as the baker's wife; Justine Lauren of Los Gatos as Rapunzel; and Lindsay Wilkinson of Los Gatos as the harp. Call the box office at 650.988.8798.

YSI INSECT FAIR: Watch a silkworm caterpillar spin silk at the Sanborn Nature Center May 24, 10 a.m.­4 p.m. All sorts of arthropods will be on display (external skeletons and jointed legs). There will be arts and crafts, face painting, food, exhibits and speakers. Admission is free to YSI donors, $3 for adults, and $1 for children 12 and under. The park entrance fee is $4. Patricia Kucker is the center manager. Call 408.867.6940 for more information.

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