Saratoga News
Cover Story
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Celebrate Saratoga, the city's annual street dance and fair, will return to Big Basin Way on Sept. 16. This year the event is part of the city's 50th anniversary celebration.
'Toga party
Weekend block parties part of the Saratoga 50th anniversary celebration
By Shannon Burkey
It has been 50 years since Saratoga's incorporation and the city's month-long anniversary festivities are now well under way. The upcoming week's events promise to bring a reason for everyone to get out and celebrate.
The Hakone Foundation hopes to bring Saratoga's rich past to the present by hosting a Founders Day reception on Sept. 14 as its contribution to the anniversary celebrations.
"Saratoga has such a unique history that dates back. This is the heart of the event because we are focusing on 150 years of Saratoga history," said Lon Saavedra, executive director of the Hakone Foundation. "We want to focus on the early founders and interesting characters who have lived here over time. We want people to tell their stories, and I am sure there are photos that people have in their basements that we could add to the archives."
The event will honor those who lived in Saratoga in 1956 and before and will feature a visual and oral tour of Saratoga's history spanning over a century. Willys Peck, a Saratoga historian and Saratoga News columnist, will also lead a discussion of historic events and characters in Saratoga's past.
The cost of the event is $25 and will include a buffet reception. The deadline to RSVP is Sept. 13.
The Mountain Winery will add to the festivities with a vineyard dedication and celebration for the public on Sept. 15. For $10 per person, attendees will have the chance to taste three reserve wines from the winery and listen to live music.
"It is going to be a casual kind of tasting celebration," said Mountain Winery corporate sales concierge Julie Reilly. "We are expecting almost 600 people. Because of the anniversary there has been a huge response."One of the largest events to take place during the anniversary celebrations will be the Saratoga Street Dance, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 16 in the Village.
The 18th annual street dance is expected to be bigger than in years past, according to organizers, who expect it to draw close to 45,000 people to the downtown area.
Six stages will be located in the Village along Big Basin Way with several different bands playing throughout the evening. A teen scene, fun zone for kids, and booths showcasing 13 local wineries and 19 local restaurants will also be a part of the event.
"We are trying to make the event as inclusive as possible, and we are trying to get a variety of music for people of all different generations to enjoy," said Saratoga Chamber of Commerce office manager Charmaine Nunes.
The Rotary Club will host a 50th anniversary parade on Sept. 24. With 65 entrants and more than 2,500 people participating in the parade, Warren Lampshire, the Rotary Club parade coordinator, said it will be a community event full of "kids, kids, kids" and scout troops, dance troops, floats and bands.
"We are trying to get all the community to attend this parade because there is a lot of community effort going into the parade," Lampshire said.
No celebration can be complete without cake and ice cream, and the 50th anniversary of Saratoga is no exception.
After the parade, Lampshire said the Rotary Club will serve 5,000 pieces of birthday cake and ice cream in Wildwood Park to anyone in the community who wants to come out and join the celebration.
Volunteers are needed
The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce is in need of volunteers to staff the kids "Fun Zone" at this year's Celebrate Saratoga Street Dance. Volunteers are needed to work the fun zone game and prize booths from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. For more information or to volunteer, please call Lucinda Layton at 408.981.6956.
For more information on Saratoga's 50th anniversary events, visit www.saratoga50.org.
