On October 4, 1926, the Saratoga Improvement Club voted to change its name to the Chamber of Commerce. Today marks exactly one hundred years since that vote. According to the Saratoga Historical Foundation, one of the newly renamed Chamber's first major accomplishments was retiring the name Lumber Street. Twelve members voted, and "Big Basin Way" won with nine votes.
So the Village's main street carries a name picked by the same organization that will throw itself a centennial party on October 10. A century later, the Chamber is still the group most likely to be behind whatever is happening on Big Basin Way on a given evening. Its October schedule makes that easy to see, and so does a look at who runs the events off the street.
A Booster Club Before It Was a Chamber
The 1926 name change wasn't the start of the organization. The Historical Foundation traces it back to the Saratoga Village Improvement Association, organized on March 7, 1887. The Foundation calls that group the earliest known local booster organization. Its first president was Milton Myrick. Its other officers included James E. Gordon, Carrie Gordon, Jennie Farwell, Frank Farwell and L. A. Sage.
That lineage was about events from the beginning. The Saratoga Blossom Festival began in 1900. As the festival grew, the association renamed itself the Saratoga Improvement Association and made the annual festival its main focus. A separate Saratoga Board of Trade, organized in 1904, handled the practical side of running a business district. It focused on street lighting and road repairs while supporting the association's promotional work.
So the group that renamed Lumber Street in 1926 already had a quarter century of practice throwing public events in the Village. Renaming the street fit right in with that work.
The Forum That Led to a City
The Chamber's reach went beyond the Village. The Historical Foundation says the Chamber acted as "a sort of unofficial town council" for decades, while Saratoga stayed a small community through World War II.
In the early 1950s, the threat of annexation by San Jose pushed residents to organize. The Chamber organized and sponsored an open forum on November 14, 1955, which the Foundation calls "the formal start of a new order for Saratoga." Chamber president Mrs. Hugh Purcell then notified the town's civic groups so that each would send a representative. The resulting study committee had 40 members.
The incorporation vote on September 25, 1956, was close: 1,687 to 1,527, a margin of 160 votes. That margin explains why 2026 brings two birthdays. The city marked its 70th this summer. Mayor Chuck Page and members of the council cut a birthday cake at the 15th annual Classic & Cool Car Show in Saratoga Village on July 26, and the official anniversary party was set for August 22 at Wildwood Park. The city is 70. The organization that held the forum that led to it turns 100 this month.
Big Basin Way Has Always Been Home Base
Where the Chamber has kept its office shows the same pull. The Historical Foundation lists the moves:
- 1969: an office at 14483 Big Basin Way
- Early 1970s: 14417 Big Basin Way
- 1976: the newly renovated McWilliams House in Saratoga Historical Park
- January 2003: back to an office on Big Basin Way, after Chamber activities outgrew the small house
Today that office is at 14460 Big Basin Way. That's where the City tells this year's scarecrow builders to bring their entries. The City also lists Candy Cane Village at 14460 Big Basin Way on November 27.
The Chamber's October, in Order
Here is what the Chamber has on its own calendar this fall, starting with what has already happened:
- Saratoga Nights, October 1. The season's last Saratoga Nights ran from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Saratoga Village parking lot, with a beer and wine garden, live music and food. The City's September 25 newsletter billed it as the last chance of the season.
- SCAREatoga scarecrows, through October 9. The Chamber's homemade scarecrow contest launched September 25. Entrants drop off a scarecrow and an application at the Chamber office by October 9. Scarecrows must be homemade to qualify, and the categories are Most Creative, Funniest, Scariest, Most Original and Best Organization. The City's notice says entries can be displayed on Big Basin Way or at home. The materials we found don't give a judging date.
- The 100th Anniversary Celebration, October 10. It runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Odd Fellows Saratoga, 14414-A Oak St. It's free and open to the public, with light hors d'oeuvres and beverages. Donations are welcome but not required, and the Chamber asks guests to RSVP. The venue is the meeting place of Saratoga Lodge #428 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which the Sovereign Grand Lodge's directory lists as active.
"Join us on October 10, 2026, as the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 100th Anniversary—an incredible milestone honoring 100 years of supporting local businesses, strengthening community connections, and helping make Saratoga such a special place to live, work, and visit."
Who Else Shares the Street
The Chamber isn't the only group programming the Village, and the others build on the same street. The Saratoga Village Development Council runs the free Witchy Walk-A-Bout on Saturday, October 31, from 2 to 4 p.m. along Big Basin Way. The City's listing promises games, crafts, scarecrows, trick-or-treating at local businesses and a demonstration by the Saratoga High Robotics Team. We found no published formal partnership between the two organizations. Still, scarecrows that the Chamber's contest invites people to display on Big Basin Way may well be up when the Witchy Walk passes by.
Off Big Basin Way, Saratoga Federated Church holds its Halloween Trunk or Treat on October 24, from 4 to 6 p.m., at 20390 Park Place.
Blaney Plaza has a public piano again, too. The Mercury News reported in July that the plaza's third instrument was procured June 24, after the previous player piano was found in very poor condition.
Up the Hill, the Venues Run Their Own Calendars
Leave the Village and the organizers change. The hillside venues set their own October schedules:
- Montalvo Arts Center: St. Paul & The Minneapolis Funk All Stars at the Carriage House Theatre on October 16 at 7:30 p.m., Kalani Pe'a on October 23 at 7:30 p.m., and the family Halloween event Goblins in the Garden on October 25 at 11 a.m. The free 4th Lowrider Art Showcase follows on November 1 at 1 p.m.
- Hakone Estate and Gardens: a two-day Bamboo Fence Building Workshop on October 10 and 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants build a traditional Kenninji-gaki fence with the garden's Jacob. The cost is $500 for members and $550 general.
- The Mountain Winery: Rumours of Fleetwood Mac on October 9, Los Horóscopos de Durango on October 10 and Air Supply on October 11, all at 7:30 p.m. The Wallflowers, with Ragged Glory, play October 16 at 7:30 p.m.
October 10 is the crowded date. The Hakone workshop, a Mountain Winery show and the Chamber's centennial all fall on that Saturday. The centennial is the free one, and it's the only one of the three held in the Village.
A Trail Note for Weekday Walkers
One fall change has nothing to do with events. Valley Water's West Pipeline Phase II repair work is scheduled to run from fall 2026 through spring 2027, including areas near Cox Reservoir on Cox Avenue. The City's September 25 newsletter says trail visitors can expect partial temporary closures of Joe's Trail at Rodeo Creek. Work is planned for 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and most of it will take place in manholes and underground. Valley Water's neighborhood liaison for the project is Aimee Green, at [email protected]. Weekend walks on that stretch fall outside the posted work hours.
Looking Ahead to November
The Village calendar keeps going after Halloween. Montalvo's free Yuletide Boutique holiday market runs November 20 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Candy Cane Village takes over 14460 Big Basin Way on November 27, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., with Santa photos, carriage rides, children's crafts and sing-along music. The City's listing says it comes before the tree-lighting ceremony. The City's tree-lighting page that turns up in searches is for the 2024 ceremony, so check the City calendar for this year's time.
Many Saratoga homes have been in the same family for decades, much as Big Basin Way has kept its 1926 name. When one of those homes is about to change hands, through a downsize or an inheritance, the tax side deserves as much planning as the sale itself. Anita Salas works with long-time owners and heirs to map out what a sale will actually leave them before they list. Request your free Net‑Proceeds & Capital‑Gains consultation.
