Saratoga News
News
Saratoga's history will come to life during scavenger hunt
By Jason Sweeney
The Saratoga Village Development Council plans to bring Saratoga history to life with the Historical Character Scavenger Hunt coming up on May 19 on Big Basin Way.
The SVDC, a group of citizens and merchants concerned with the vitality of the Saratoga Village, has an event scheduled for the Village for each month of the year. The scavenger hunt, Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., is this month's offering. It is an attempt to bring people downtown for a little fun while learning about historical characters from Saratoga's past.
That past goes back over a thousand years, when the Ohlone Indians occupied the area. In the mid-1800s, the city started out as a rough-and-tumble lumber settlement. It later became an agricultural town surrounded by fruit orchards before emerging as an upscale community in high-tech Silicon Valley.
The Saratoga History Museum is helping to ensure historical authenticity for the scavenger hunt. Florence Cunningham's book, Saratoga's First Hundred Years, considered the city's definitive history, is being used as a primary source for accuracy.
The Historical Character Scavenger Hunt will begin at a booth in front of the Echo Shop at 14477 Big Basin Way. Scavenger hunters can pick up a form with a list of historical residents that includes their biographies.
Actors at various locations throughout the Village will be in costume and in character. Participants can question the characters to figure out who they are. If participants correctly identify each character and get them to initial their forms, they will have a shot at winning a prize in a raffle.
The winning adult will receive a free dinner for two at a downtown restaurant. The winning child will receive a stuffed animal.
A few of the characters that will be downtown are silver screen legends Olivia DeHavilland and sister Joan Fontaine, who once lived on Oak Street. Another will be Paul Masson, the Frenchman who founded the Mountain Winery and who at the turn of the 20th century was known as the Champagne King of California. Another character present will be Burton Brazil, the first mayor of Saratoga and an influential figure in the incorporation of the city 50 years ago. Mary Brown will be there. Brown moved to Saratoga after her husband, the abolitionist John Brown, was hanged in 1859 for his role in the Raid on Harper's Ferry. And the Saratoga News' own Willys Peck, a historical figure in his own right, will be there in costume as himself.
Marilyn Marchetti, an SVDC member and owner of the advertising company AFM Promotions, is promoting the event. "We thought it would be an interesting way for people to learn a little bit about Saratoga," she said. "We're trying to give the Village a more social atmosphere and really boast the fact that we are a historical Village."
Marchetti designed T-shirts that say, "Historic Saratoga Village," with the Village logo on them. The same design is displayed on the new banners flying from lampposts downtown. The T-shirts will be on sale for $10 each.
"Saratoga is one of the oldest communities in Northern California," said Jill Hunter, an SVDC member and a Saratoga planning commissioner. "The children of Saratoga should be aware of our history. By making these characters come alive, it makes it more fun."
Saratogan Laurel Perusa will be one of the actors dressed up as an influential figure from the city's past. "In California, how many people can refer to their town as a village? It's not typical. We have a great history right here in our back yard."
