The event celebrates Saratoga's agrarian past and will include donkey cart rides, wine tasting, artists, musicians, a petting zoo, face painting and orchard tours. Antique autos and farm machinery will be on display; mustard sampling and mustard recipes will be at hand.

East and West will complement each other that day: the Lunar New Year will be celebrated nearby at the Saratoga Community Center, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Those in charge of the lunar event are Cynthia Chang, Katherine Tseng, May Jane Chung, Alice Chiou, Sophia Yang, Jamie Tsai and Yuli Chou.

Attendees can move between the two festivities, exploring the different cultures. Pat Bailey and Phylis Ballingall chair the Mustard Walk.

Orchard docents will lead tours and answer questions. These stalwarts include Willys Peck, Beth Wyman, Norm Koepernik, Jill Hunter, Jean Barrick, Jo An Lambert, Julie Tomlin, Suzy Nagpal, Nancy Anderson and Sandra Dodge. Paul Conrado, whose company is underwriting the event, will line up local vintners for wine tasting.

Ann and Rick Waltonsmith and Doug and Paula Jones will provide donkey cart rides; Jean Hayes will bring miniature burros. Lee Murray is in charge of entertainment, which includes Saratoga Taiko, an ensemble from Craig Northrup's Saratoga Community Band, fiddle students of Lee Ann Welch, plus the Skillet Likkers.

Artists can still sign up to paint and/or exhibit at the event. Contact Murray via lemscob@sbcglobal.net or at 408.255.9908. Bob Semichy will oversee the antique auto display, and Chuck Schoppe will captain the antique farm machinery display.

The Butter Paddle will serve mustard recipes. Leah Novokovich and sons, Matt and George, will be on hand with their apricot products. Matt, orchardist for the Heritage Orchard, will field questions in the orchard. The 4-Hers will bring the petting zoo. The walk is sponsored by the Rotary Club and the city; the Lunar New Year is part of Building Bridges, also a Saratoga Rotary project.

WOMEN ACHIEVERS IN ARTS: Nine women achievers in the arts will be honored when the National League of American Pen Women presents its annual Celebrity Luncheon on Feb. 4 at the First Congregational Church in San Jose. Local artists Nancy Jo Lopp of Los Gatos and Marian Gault of Monte Sereno are two in that select group.

Also to be honored in the field of art is Constance Guidotti of Cupertino. In the category of letters, the honorees are Shirley Powers, Palo Alto; Shari Kaplan, San Jose; Phyllis Matson, Cupertino; and Sheralee Hill Eglehart, Stanford. In music, the candidates are Isabelle Chapuis-Starr of Los Altos and Helene Wickett of San Mateo.

Nancy Jo is a photographer whose subjects include babies, weddings and even an angel series. She is associated with the Mountain Art Guild and Aegis Gallery. Her business is called Photography with Feeling.

Marian is a watercolorist who paints in a realistic style, with nature a favored subject. Gault is also a skilled calligrapher, who teaches calligraphy through adult education courses, and she and her husband Ned, both retired teachers, lead classes in international folk dancing. Marian won a national title in handwriting last year.

Shari was a longtime reporter for the Saratoga News. Since leaving the newspaper, she has been freelancing as a writer, editor and photographer for magazines, newspapers and websites.

The program for the achievers' lunch is titled "Hats off to the Arts," and is presented by The Mad Hattress of Los Gatos, Dale Lee, who teaches design at West Valley College. The fashion show will feature original music by Nancy Bloomer Deussen. Both are Pen Women members.

The luncheon begins at 11 a.m. The First Congregational Church is at the corner of Hamilton and Leigh avenues. Proceeds from the silent action and raffle will go to arts scholarships for high school senior girls. Tickets are $30: deadline is Jan. 30.

Checks made out to NLAPW should be sent to ShaRon Haugen, 4156 Snowbank Court, San Jose 95135. The phone is 408.238.2340. Tickets will be at the door.

ARTS OLYMPIAD KICKS OFF: The Olympiad of the Arts will kick off its 2006 competition at Linda Durnell Gallery Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m., with winners from previous competitions performing. More than 600 students participated last year in performance competitions in drama, piano, voice, dance, art, photography and creative writing.

The Olympiad competition begins in March and culminates with an awards ceremony in May with performances by the winners.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.