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Quail are alive and well, and cooing in Saratoga
By Willys Peck
When you write for a periodical such as the Saratoga News, it can be somewhat unnerving to have people come along and question the accuracy of your statements that appear in print. This kind of thing happened to me with my last column, in which I noted the absence from my yard of the once-numerous valley quail. One could have drawn a reasonable conclusion from the text that I thought the birds weren't to be seen anywhere around Saratoga.
So along came three people from different parts of town who said quail were propagating in their yards, and the broods--maybe coveys is a better word--were very much in evidence. That's the kind of mistake I like to make. It was worth it just to learn that quail are still plentiful.
As to the celebrated Peeper the Quail, described in my last column, we had a suitable observance of his 75th birthday (hatchday?) on the 12th of this month. Mention of Peeper brings up the subject of his human parents, the John U. Higinbothams, who made sure there were no cats or other predators on the premises. The word "basic" would best describe the cat-prevention methods. There were cat-proof fences, gates and hedges, and even a small arsenal: a .410 gauge shotgun and a .22 rifle. These weapons continued to be used by Mrs. Higinbotham after her husband died in 1952 when he was struck by a car. Any cat that worked its way onto the premises was as good as dead if it were seen.
Topics such as this smack strongly of tradition, and I like to think that it's part of Saratoga's civic personality for tradition to be an important element of the town's municipal fabric. A couple of tradition-heavy events are coming up.
First is the annual Memorial Day ceremony, on May 28, coordinated by the Saratoga Foothill Club. This event's tradition status is underlined by the fact that it's been held over a period of 79 years. The World War I armistice of 1918 was just 10 years old when the Foothill Club began the annual celebration. Over the years, the ceremony has evolved into a procedure that begins with the laying of a wreath at the downtown Memorial Arch, after which participants walk in procession up to Madronia Cemetery, where proceedings include a speech by a visiting dignitary, musical selections and the placing of wreaths on the graves of veterans.
The other tradition I had in mind is the annual Saratoga Grammar School alumni reunion picnic at Wildwood Park. This year's event, on Saturday, July 28, will be the 13th reunion, and the ranks are thinning among alumni from the 1930s. One recent loss is the death of Louise Garrod Cooper, class of 1931, who died April 6 at the age of 90. Her memorial service drew the largest crowd I have ever seen at the Foothill Clubhouse. As a member of the class of 1937, I'm counting my days.
The idea of elementary school alumni staging a reunion is a distinction I have previously commented on as perhaps an "only in Saratoga" phenomenon. I like to think that it has to do with the quality of education we feel that we got in grades 1-8 back in those days. Kindergarten didn't appear until 1970, when my wife, Betty, opened the first permanent one at the behest of principal Marv Steinberg.
On the subject of traditions, I can't resist bringing up one of my favorite topics, the Saratoga Blossom Festival. When I go up to Madronia for the Memorial Day rites, I'll pay my usual visit to the grave of Edwin Sidney Williams, 1837-1918, commemorated on his tombstone as "Father of the Blossom Festival."
Williams, whose "E.S." initials were translated as "Everlasting Sunshine," is the one who conceived the idea of a "thanksgiving jollification" to celebrate the 1899 drenching rain that ended a prolonged dry spell. This was back in the era when orchards carpeted the Santa Clara Valley and seasonal rain was an essential. The celebration itself was held on March 29, 1900, and drew throngs from San Francisco and the Peninsula.
The Saratoga Blossom Festival became an annual event for which the planners had to estimate the height of the blooming season months in advance of the actual celebration. People could drive past blossoming orchards to the festival grounds, where varied entertainment events were presented. The last regular festival was held in 1941. In recent years, events using the name were held, but the blossoms were notably absent.
