At deadline on Oct. 10, PG&E had just begun its rolling blackouts. The Saratoga Post Office closed Wednesday, Oct. 9 ahead of the outages. Thursday saw traffic lights off on Saratoga Avenue, but everyone seemed polite and accommodating.
Barn Owl Gift Shop owner Leslee Warwick said, “I have no phone or internet at the store. I can’t run credit cards. I can’t process orders or check on anything. Some businesses have it worse; their power is off and they’ve had to close. The power is still out at my home, so I will likely lose food in freezers. I feel bad for the restaurant owners with no generators. Not good for anyone!”
Warwick is the motivator/organizer behind the Village scarecrows, intended to liven up the downtown Saratoga and bring in new customers. This year, Big Basin Way is chockfull of scarecrows, from parachutists to guitar players.
Warwick’s mission seems to be working. Tara Johnson, a newcomer to California by way of New Hampshire, and her dog Shoog stopped by a family of pumpkin heads, created by the Spirited Saratoga High School Class of ’68, outside of Sipan Peruvian Restaurant. “I saw the sign on the pumpkin head family heartily endorsing the restaurant. On their advice, my husband and I tried Sipan, and we loved it!” www.sipan.us
There have been a lot of reunions going on this month. Saratoga High’s Class of 1969 held its 50th reunion Oct. 4-6. The three-day event began Friday night at Garrod Ranch. In attendance were former coaches Benny Pierce and Cliff Draeger, coach and teacher Larry Hanson, and Dr. Hugh Roberts. A highlight of the weekend was a tour of Saratoga High. Overall reaction was “wow.” Reunion organizer Don Eagleston thanked those who attended and said, “It was fun and emotionally powerful to see everyone. As I see it, the attendees were the best attraction at the event. A great three days of celebration with unforgettable friends!”
Los Gatos High School had its 50th as well. It was hard to miss the Wildcat alumni gathered at the Los Gatos Lodge to kick off the weekend. It’s great to see old friends reconnecting.
Mike Grove, superintendent of the Los Gatos-Saratoga High School District, was given an A-plus for his terrific State of the District talk at Saratoga Rotary. Particularly impressive was his announcement that the District was No. 1 statewide in the Niche Poll for public schools. He acknowledged the pressures on today’s students, particularly the “college arms race,” and the task of finding affordable housing for teachers. Grove ended on a very positive note, applauding and complimenting SHS students. Saratoga Rotary President Phil Young encourages anyone interested in becoming a club member to contact saratogarotary.org.
Here’s wishing us all a power-full fall!
If you have business or social news for Saratoga, Los Gatos or Campbell, I’d like to know! debby@debbyrice.com.
