Saratoga News

Columns

Stereopticon

Talented Saratogans--it seems to be a local tradition

By Willys Peck

As a card-carrying Saratogaphile, I never miss a chance to point out, among its many positive attributes, the town's status as a reservoir of talent. To put it crudely, Saratoga is simply lousy with talent. And I don't mean latent, beneath-the-surface talent; I mean the kind that's there for people to enjoy, exemplified by the recent Saratoga Community Band concert held in the high school's McAfee Performing Arts Center.

I'd put drama high on the list of talent-related activities that have thrived in Saratoga. Going back to Dorothea Johnston's Theatre of the Glade (hello, Olivia De Havilland), these include the Saratoga Drama Group, Saratoga Players, King Dodo Playhouse and the Valley Institute of Theatre Arts, or VITA (hello, Annette Bening). The latter group was founded by my son, Bill, with Judith Sutton. Also drawing on local talent was Lilian Fontaine's Los Gatos Evening High School Theatre Workshop, a lot of whose productions were staged in Saratoga.

So, with this kind of background, it's not surprising to see a couple of present groups that draw on musical talent and brighten the lives of people whose lives need brightening. One is led by Kate Hendon and is made up of her vocal and piano students, ages 7 to 16. They perform monthly programs, 10 to 15 students at a time, at nursing homes in the Saratoga area.

At the end of each program, the students go up and individually greet each person in the audience.

Kate, who now lives in Campbell, grew up in Saratoga and was a great friend of my daughter, Anna. My wife and I were delighted to have Kate as a virtual family member. Kate has strong feelings about the real meaning of these programs. "The arts," she says, "are not only for ourselves but to bring joy to others. Through these programs, the children learn the spirit of sharing, as well as compassion for others."

Some students, she said, were hesitant at first to mingle with a roomful of wheelchair-bound elderly people. "Now," she said, "they can't wait to get out and speak to every single person in the room." Among the places visited are Our Lady of Fatima Villa and Saratoga Retirement Community, the former Odd Fellows Home.

Another group of musicians sharing their talents with appreciative listeners has the unlikely title of "Sorcerer's Apprentice." They're fiddlers, or violinists, ages 8 to 18, led by Lee Anne Welch, who also happens to be a close friend of my daughter. The performers are students of Lee Anne, who says that up to a dozen can show up for performances. They have played at the fire station and sheriff's substation, when it was in operation, and at homeless shelters in San Jose, as well as for various shut-ins and at Our Lady of Fatima Villa.

Lee Anne says they have also played for appreciative cows at the late Kenneth Peake's Claravale Guernsey Farm. In the same category are performances at Garrod Farms, where they played not only for the Vince Garrod family but also for the horses, which especially liked "Silent Night," according to Lee Anne. Other Sorcerer's Apprentice appearances have been at contra dances in Felton.

Now that we're in the Christmas season, talk about sharing talent makes me think of my childhood and youth and the Christmas caroling groups that went out from the Federated Church. Back in the 1930s, the custom was for youth groups to go out early Christmas morning. I especially remember when they would serenade guests at the former Saratoga Inn, located on the site of the present Inn at Saratoga condominiums. In the years before I joined the group, I used to be awakened in our home on Orchard Road by a robust "Joy to the World" or "O Come All Ye Faithful," followed by the slamming of car doors.

Later, the young church carolers went out on the afternoon before Christmas. As children, I don't think we had much idea of what our singing might have meant to the listeners, especially the shut-ins who were on our route. Looking back, though, I like to visualize a real appreciation.

Probably the nearest thing to a spectacular performance was when our new pastor, the Rev. Fred R. Morrow, had the idea of shining red and green lights on the belfry tower--that's the one on the present chapel--and have the carolers climb through the trapdoor above the balcony so we could sing from the tower.

That was the first and last time for that choral venue.