So, here I am sorting through "quaint and curious volumes of ancient and forgotten lore" (apologies to Edgar Allan Poe) when what should surface but a folder on the Saratoga Blossom Festival. That's a somewhat timely topic, because this year's Blossom Festival successor, the Mustard Walk, is scheduled for Feb. 6 in the Heritage Orchard.

The Blossom Festival, as both of you readers of this column must know by now, was the celebration inspired by the profusion of blossoms in the orchards that carpeted the valley floor. Initiated in 1900, the festival continued in its traditional format through the spring of 1941. Here are some examples of promotional hype. The blossoms were white, but the prose was often purple: 1911—"Snow covers our mountains, but Santa Clara County's hundred billion blossoms will be ready in March or early in April. How glad we shall all be to see them." Listed local attractions included "generous plans for good coffee" and "Congress Springs flow freshly."

1912—"Blossom Loving Friends: Our Valley was never more beautiful. Colors never richer. Blossoms? The standard hundred billion. Our village was never heartier in its welcome. Grand Pageant of California in early days. Good program and music by Brohaska's Brass Band. Ladies of churches will serve lunches at nominal rates."

The 1914 Blossom Festival program includes an interesting essay calling Saratoga "The Pasadena of the Santa Clara Valley," an apparent reference to the Tournament of Roses. Noting that people sometimes ask, "Where is Saratoga?" the text explains that: "To some this is wholly inexplicable—but the reason is never far to seek. It has not been exploited by interested people. It has not been placed in the hands of professional advertisers. It has no large residence tracts with pretentious entrances. It has no specimen bungalows. It has no boulevards, no 'manors,' nor any places with high-sounding names ... " But why go on with a theme some would consider depressing.

On an anniversary theme, how's 40 years as an example? Here's the City of Saratoga Annual Report for 1965. The report, of course, is for the year itself and was issued in 1966. But here are some of the things people could learn about happenings due in '65: "Looking ahead to future progress, the City is pleased to announce it holds options to purchase Wildwood Park at 4th Street and Saratoga Creek as well as the 16-acre Hakone Gardens estate on Big Basin Way." Pretty good move, that.

Digging deeper into the stack of documents, here's the "Program of Dedication, City of Saratoga Council Chambers," on Jan. 10, 1965. That would be the Civic Theater, and the annual city report for the year notes that: "Fantasy of the colorful Nutcracker Ballet, spirited student orchestra practice; Arthur Miller's tragic tale, Death of a Salesman; a brassy hootenanny; Scout and PTA meetings; solemn church services and City government sessions were held in the Council Chambers last year."

Maybe someone can fill me in on when cultural events of this kind were held in the Civic Theater, rather than in the Council Chambers. Thumbing through other annual city reports, here's the one for 1970-71 when establishment of the Youth Commission was an item. The commission was authorized in July 1970 and the first members selected in October. "Three adults and eight youths were selected on the basis of their interests in youth and the community." As has been proved over the past three-and-a-half decades, it was a good move.

Digging back even further, here's a page from the Feb. 21, 1966, San Jose News—now part of the Mercury News—with a full-page article with a headline, "Saratoga doesn't fear any population explosion," with a subhead, "Hillside city has two industries—but there'll never be a third." The industries were the Paul Masson Champagne Cellars—I always called it the bottling plant—and the Campbell Cage Co.

One of these times I'll describe them. Meanwhile, Happy Aught Five!