By Khalida Sarwari
In 150 years, a city can generate its fair share of little-known facts. One that some people may not know is that one of Saratoga’s earliest industries was timber, and as such, the city attracted a rough crowd of lumberjacks who were regularly seen at its saloons.
Try finding a saloon or a lumberjack in Saratoga now!
Times change, but that doesn’t mean one can’t revisit the past–even without a time machine. On Sept. 28, the Saratoga Village Development Council will bring the city’s rich history to life in the form of costumed characters and an afternoon’s worth of activities during the seventh annual Heritage Day.
A Dixieland jazz band, nearly two dozen artisans, walking tours and folks dressed as historical figures are among the highlights of this year’s event. People dressed up as various characters from Saratoga’s past will stroll up and down Big Basin Way, stopping to chat–in character–with visitors to the downtown.
Laurel Perusa, a member of the Saratoga Village Development Council, said the significance of the event is that it celebrates Saratoga’s history and promotes an appreciation for local history.
For the past few years, Perusa has played the role of Olivia de Havilland, the Academy Award-winning actress who lived in Saratoga and attended local schools.
But, the list of interesting natives doesn’t stop there. Thirty people are expected to be in costume that day, including Saratoga High student Charles Li as Sgt. Lou Sing Kee, a World War I hero who was born in a little house on Big Basin Way sometime between the late 1800s and early 1900s.
A staff member from the Saratoga Library will play the part of Mrs. Clara Buckley, thought to be the city’s first librarian in 1914.
Others will portray Steven Spielberg, Paul Masson and Joan Fontaine. Perusa encouraged attendees to get into the spirit of the day and come dressed in historic outfits.
A ribbon-cutting to commemorate the opening of Wildwood Market will also be part of the celebration. An individual dressed as Dr. Hogg–the man who constructed the building at 14413 Big Basin Way in 1910–will be present at the event on Sept. 28, 11 a.m.
A number of Heritage Day events will take place at the Saratoga Historical Museum, which will be open from noon to 4 p.m. that day. Some of the planned festivities are an old-fashioned band concert, docent-led Village walking tours, book signings, children’s activities and more than 20 crafts-people.
From 1 to 3 p.m., the award-winning 10th Avenue Dixieland jazz band will play “Basin Street Blues” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” among other jazz and swing favorites.
Artisans will be demonstrating old-fashioned crafts, including lace making and basket weaving. The Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association will send hand quilters, knitters and rugmakers. Other artisans will demonstrate soap making, spinning, weaving and creating old- fashioned wood toys. Some items will be for sale.
Children’s activities include making yarn dolls, button whizzers, Victorian writing and a story hour featuring the mischievous Saratoga cat, Sunshine. The story hour will be followed by an origami activity.
Robin Chapman and Gage McKinney, two local writers, will be on hand to sign copies of their books. Chapman is the author of California Apricots: The Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley and McKinney is the author of California’s Troubadour.
Elsewhere in the museum, the Betty and Willys Peck exhibit is still up for those who haven’t yet had a chance to see it.
For anyone that wants to venture out, the New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum will have a table of artifacts on display. And for those who want to stay in downtown and also get in some exercise, docent-led walking tours of Saratoga Village will take place at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Docents will also lead tours of the historic McWilliams House and the one-room schoolhouse.
Heritage Day will kick off at noon in Blaney Plaza with an introduction of the historic figures, and will end at 3 p.m.
