Celebrate for just one week? Nonsense, says Barnes, community librarian of the Saratoga Library--let's stretch out the special events all month long.

That's exactly what the Saratoga Library has done during April, living up to the month's theme, "Something for Everyone." Between workshops, book discussions, contests, singers, storytellers, an essay contest for local writers and much more, the Saratoga Library didn't rest for a second.

The Rural Scribe essay contest, sponsored by the Santa Clara County Library system, attracted writers from all corners of the Bay Area in early March. Local residents were invited to pen essays describing memories of living in a rural area, such as on a farm or in a house in the country. A wealth of entries were submitted in Saratoga. Four blue ribbon entries--the contest's highest honor--were selected, as well as four honorable mentions. The winners gathered on April 14 to be recognized by library staff and read their essays aloud.

Cynthia Garvey, a blue ribbon winner, has lived in Saratoga for 30 years. In her essay she recalled her childhood years back in the late 1930s when her family moved to Palo Alto--which was country as far as the eye could see back then, with hills, ponds and farms.

"[Highway] 101 was a two-lane road," she remembers.

Linda Benenati, who attended Saratoga High School back in the 1960s and still lives locally, also earned blue ribbon recognition for her essay, "In Those Days." Her piece was told in three layers. The first layer tells of her life as a child. In the second layer she recalls a slumber party with cousins one night when they listened to their parents in the next room reminiscing about their childhood in Detroit during the Depression. The third layer is peeled away when the parents speculate on what the lives of their parents before them must have been like back in their home country of Sicily.

One of the contest's true diamonds in the rough was Saratoga High School ninth-grader Jessica Ye. Her essay, "An Iron Ring," caught the judges by surprise with its eloquence and maturity.

Jessica's essay tells of a day in the life of her father as he toiled on a plantation in Xi'an, China. Details of her father's back-breaking labor with barely more than a few noodles to eat all day were so vivid, readers could practically feel the sweat caused by the sweltering Xi'an sun. Jessica refers to this, her favorite style of writing, as "drawing with words."

Other "Something for Everyone" activities this month included a concert by singer Gary Lepow on April 14 called "Look in A Book: Celebrate Literacy," with upbeat songs and musical activities for children. Lepow's work has been praised by such celebrities as Whoopi Goldberg, who called his music "great" and his shows "a good time."

The fun continued on April 19 with a storytime of a very different nature--Megumi the storyteller proved to be one of the month's biggest hits.

Grace Fleming, a Bay Area resident who goes by Megumi for her performances, gave an unforgettable show for an audience of more than 90 delighted youngsters and their families. Megumi acted out children's stories with the use of colorful props and costumes, and a lucky child or two who were called up to assist her.

"Everyone was very impressed with her facial expressions and sound effects," says Peggy Baker, the Saratoga Library's children's librarian. "The children were really laughing at her story The Turtle Who Flew, and they got the shivers with her story The Terrible Eeek. She also used props to act out certain characters, particularly in her story The Haunted Mansion."

Barnes says while Megumi's show was a special event, it is part of the regular Tuesday night storytime each week at the library.

"It's an opportunity for families with parents who are both working to bring their children for storytimes," she says. The Tuesday night storytimes begin at 7:30 p.m., and the library also has storytimes at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

With a few more days left in April, residents can still attend a special event at the library on April 27. Award-winning classical guitarist Peter Fletcher will give a concert at 7 p.m.

Anyone who missed the "Something for Everyone" events this month should not despair--these are only a sample of what the Saratoga Library offers every month, Barnes says. Visit the library's website to see what events are coming in the near future.

To read the winning Rural Scribe essays or check upcoming library events, visit www.santaclaracountylib.org/saratoga. Call the Saratoga Library at 408.867.6127.