A vegetation fire was reported at 9:53 a.m. May 10 near southbound Highway 17 and Montevina Road.

Though more than three acres burned, there was no structural damage, injury or death as a result of the fire.

Fire crews from the Santa Clara County and Saratoga fire departments, Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection had the fire contained by 10:35 a.m.

The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation.

ACS postpones
Saratoga relay

The American Cancer Society has postponed the first Saratoga Relay for Life, which was scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. May 22 to 10 a.m. May 23. Rene Lepiane, who recently replaced Kit Ganz as the area's Relay manager, said the fundraiser will be rescheduled for later in the year in order to better publicize the event and attract more participants. For more information, contact Lepiane at 408.688.0137.

Hakone Festival
in its fifth year

The fifth annual Hakone Festival will take place at Hakone Gardens May 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year's festival will celebrate the 150th anniversary of a peace treaty signed between Japan and the United States—Japan's first diplomatic relations with any country.

After a speech from Makoto Yamanaka, San Francisco's Consul General of Japan, the celebration will include a ceremonial breaking open of a sake barrel as well as a bazaar, games, an auction, a tea ceremony, and traditional Japanese food, music and dancing.

Since parking at the gardens will be limited, attendees are asked to park at West Valley College (at the intersection of Fruitvale and Allendale avenues) and take a shuttle to the festival. For more information, call 408.741.4994.

Annual ceremony
on Memorial Day

The Saratoga Foothill Club will present Saratoga's Memorial Day service on May 31, an annual tradition since the 1920s. The service will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the placing of a wreath at the Memorial Arch near the intersection of Saratoga­Los Gatos Road and Big Basin Way.

The wreath ceremony will be followed at 10 a.m. by a program at Madronia Cemetery. Children from Saratoga Brownies, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H and other community groups will help make laurel sprays and place flags on the graves of more than 800 veterans buried at the 14766 Oak St. cemetery. Lt. Col. Charles Ingalls of the Air National Guard will also speak at the event.

For more information, contact Frances Banakas at 408.867.5634 or Ann Monroe at 408.446.3684 or abmonroe1@comcast.net.