Help Saratoga’s star celebrate her 100th
Raised in Saratoga, two-time Academy Award winner Olivia de Havilland will turn 100 on July 1. The leading lady’s longtime pals and admirers in this Santa Clara County enclave are helping the local legend celebrate in style.
Fans of the actress are welcome to stop by the Saratoga History Museum (20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road) to sign a leather-bound birthday book with color prints of Saratoga by artist Kay Duffy. The greeting will be sent, along with several Saratoga-themed keepsakes, to “Miss de Havilland” at her residence in Paris, where she has lived since the 1950s.
Historical Foundation President Annette Stransky says the gifts will include a bottle of CooperGarrod wine from Saratoga (de Havilland went to high school with the late Louise Garrod), bookmarks with her image, locally made chocolates and prunes. Yes, prunes! Remember, this was the Valley of Heart’s Delight when de Havilland lived here.
At the museum, a display with photos of her and her late sister, Joan Fontaine, press clips, interviews and quotes will cover the icon’s early life and Hollywood career. When she visited Saratoga in 1978, Stransky recalled that historian-writer-editor Willys Peck — a longtime pal of Olivia’s — had a Rolls-Royce pick her up and deliver her to the old Vitaphone theater.
At 7 p.m. June 18 at the museum, a showing of the star’s most memorable film, “Gone With the Wind,” will take place. Admission is free. Hours for viewing the exhibit and signing the birthday card are 1-4 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Details: 408-867-4311, or www. saratogahistory.com.
You’ve got until June 19 to check out “The Model A Era: 1928-1931” at the Hayward Area Historical Society (HAHS). Viewers will get a flavor for a notable era in our history — the boom of the 1920s and bust of the 1930s. On parade is a trio of car models, plus fashions, jewelry and more. The exhibit was curated by the Acorn A’s Model A Ford Club of Castro Valley.
You’ll find the HAHS Museum of History and Culture at 22380 Foothill Blvd. in Hayward. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors. Details: 510-581-0223, or www.haywardareahistory.org. If you get hungry, pop into the Cannery Café for a sandwich or salad.
On June 25, the second annual “Speakeasy: A Prohibition Party” will occur at the Hiram Morgan Hill House at Villa Mira Monte in Morgan Hill. It’s a night of music, dance, food, Prohibition-era cocktails
and prizes. And it’s all for a good cause: Monies raised help preserve the town’s history. Tickets for the 7-10 p.m. event, $59. Costumes are encouraged, but not required. Details: 408-776-1060, or www. morganhillhistoricalsociety.org/events.
And if you can’t make it to this shindig, visit the historic site with its welltended gardens on another occasion for a docent-led tour. Hours: noon-3 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Wine tastings are held most weekends. Details: 408-779-5755.
The 59th annual Antiques and Collectibles
Show at St. Mary’s by-theSea Episcopal Church in Pacific Grove is scheduled for July 8-10. This is a cozy show featuring just a couple of dozen dealers, but there are other reasons to head to St. Mary’s. The 1887 Victorian building boasts exquisite stained glass windows and a beautiful organ (made by the Shantz Organ Co. of Ohio). On show days, guided tours are available. The setting is picturesque — just a block from the spectacular Pacific Coast. And there’s a thrift shop on the church grounds. St. Mary’s is at 146 12th St. Admission: $5. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 8-9 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. July 10. Door prizes and a silent auction. A tasty homemade lunch runs $12. Details: 831-372-8459, or 831-373-4441.