By Khalida Sarwari
Annette Stransky was revealed as Saratoga’s Citizen of the Year and Leslee Warwick the city’s Business Person of the Year when Mayor Manny Cappello announced the winners of the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce’s contest at his State of the City address on Feb. 27.
Stransky is the president of the Saratoga Historical Foundation and Museum and serves on the city’s heritage preservation commission. She has been a resident of Saratoga since 1980.
“It’s an honor to be added to a list of people that includes so many Saratogans,” Stransky said. “Volunteering gives you a lot in return; you have the joy of making a difference on one side and the experience of volunteering and meeting people and using your skills and experience and learning something new.”
Stransky has been a member of the Historical Foundation for eight years, four of those as its president. She volunteers for the Chamber, the Book-Go-Round and the Fourth of July committee. But her pet project is arguably the city’s Blossom Festival. In fact, she’s responsible for reviving the event three years ago after it was discontinued just before World War I.
“It’s a tremendous piece of Saratoga tradition and it’s also a symbol of our agricultural history, which is very important,” she said. “And it’s been very successful in modern times, so I’m very pleased with all the people in the community that participate in it and seem to enjoy it.”
Warwick is the owner of the Barn Owl, a business in the Village that sells garden and home décor along with souvenirs, gifts and a variety of other things. She opened the shop four years ago and said that although she lives in Ben Lomond, she feels like a local because her grandmother used to live on Quito.
“It’s definitely quite an honor and there’s a part of me that feels there are other people that deserve this more,” she said. “Whatever I do do for Saratoga is my way of giving back to what Saratoga has given me, because there is nowhere that I get the support I get than Saratoga. The small town environment and village feel, I don’t think I’ve felt that anywhere else.”
Since 2013, Warwick has organized a contest every fall wherein she challenges other business owners in the Village to make and display a scarecrow that represents their business. She said her idea was inspired by the city of Cambria’s popular scarecrow festival.
Her résumè of volunteer work in Saratoga also includes a stint in 2013 when she organized the Sidewalk Affair, an outdoor sale involving merchants in the Village.
This month, Warwick is taking the reins as one of the main organizers of the Saratoga Village Development Council’s St. Paddy’s Day celebration. SVDC chairwoman Jill Hunter praised Warwick’s tireless efforts and said she is deserving of the recognition.
“I was just so pleased that the Chamber announced her as the Business Person of the Year, and I also agree,” Hunter said. “She’s been enthusiastic and supportive, and we’ve worked with her really well ever since the Barn Owl came in five years ago.”
Hunter added, “She’s just a joy to work with.”
Both the Citizen and Business Person of the Year were nominated by members of the Saratoga community and selected by the Chamber. Warwick was selected for her “outstanding service to Saratoga, active engagement and participation in activities that foster a positive image of Saratoga, and efforts to foster a positive environment for Saratoga businesses,” while Stransky was chosen for her “outstanding service to Saratoga, commitment to volunteerism and extensive involvement in community activities that foster a positive image of Saratoga.”
The city boasts a rich history of volunteerism. Previous Citizens of the Year include Nancy Anderson, Les Landin, Marlene Duffin, Mary Jeanne Fenn, Warren Lampshire, Marilyn White, Jackie Welch, Adrian Stanga, Marty Clevenger and Jack Mallory, while past Business Person of the Year winners include Chris Oakes, Ray Froess, Judy Coulter and Pearl Medeiros.
The nomination period for this year’s contest ran through Feb. 12.
