Community

Christmas trees and associated items are no imposition for nurseries. They are seasonal while not much else is appealing to a retail market. They occupy retail area that summer and autumn commodities relinquished earlier. Then, they relinquish their same space as bareroot stock becomes...

This past Saturday evening, Villa Montalvo came alive with art, in spite of the unexpected rain. Over the past 20 years, the Lucas Art Program has hosted over 1,300 resident artists at Montalvo. Eleven studios were open for tour and exploration. This evening started with appetizers, then...

On May 17, despite an early morning chill, the day blossomed into ideal outdoor luncheon weather. But the Salvation Army Silicon Valley Women's Auxiliary 5th Annual Work of A.R.T. Garden Luncheon and Silent Auction was not your ordinary get-together. It was a gathering with a serious...

Did you celebrate Groundhog Day last week? Me neither. But it’s a major media event back East, especially in Punxsutawney, Penn. where the tradition (based on an early European legend and immortalized in the classic comedy film by the same name) originated in 1887. At...

Home gardens are becoming shadier. Modern homes are taller to fit closer together. Modern fences are taller to compensate. Densely evergreen trees and large shrubbery compensate more. Taller homes and fences, and denser vegetation, shade more of their smaller modern parcels. Not much sunlight...

The historic Forbes Mill Annex is the oldest remaining commercial structure in Los Gatos. Before the town got its current name, it was actually called Forbes Mill, then Forbestown. The initial mill was erected in 1854 and lasted until 1916. Its storage unit has...

Summit League announces fundraising event with guest speakers The Summit League will host its biennial fundraising event, “A Day in the Garden with Friends,” at the Villa Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga on June 1.  Guest speaker and award-winning journalist Maria Shriver will be featured in...

When Virginia Primon was a shy teenager in the 1950s, playing accordion was something that got her onto a community float, to serenade people along the streets of San Jose during a community parade. After going to college to become a teacher, she just didn’t...

During its regularly scheduled meeting, Dec. 6, Mayor Rob Rennie asked Town Manager Laurel Prevetti for an update on the process to officially acknowledge Los Gatos’ earliest residents. But her response—while delighting some First Nations advocates—left one group in particular feeling a little left out. “We...

As a resident of Los Gatos, I’ve come to appreciate the town’s unique blend of charm, tranquility and a certain...let’s say, pleasantness. It’s a place where everyone seems to be on their best behavior, a land of smiling faces and polite conversations. But as I’ve...