The Winchester Mystery House’s 100th anniversary celebration Friday morning was a grand affair in the landmark mansion’s front garden. A string quartet from Symphony San Jose performed, elected officials presented commendations and a champagne toast was made to founders John and Mayme Brown and the current 110 “caretakers” who work at Sarah Winchester’s labyrinthine mansion.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg added a little levity to the proceedings, too. “There is not much I like more than celebrating housing in my district,” she quipped. “And this is a very special house, built by a very special lady and well worth celebrating.”

And befitting the occasion, a small safe was prepared to be buried with 13 items inside that would be unsealed in 2123 when the tourist attraction celebrates its 200th birthday. When the time capsule is opened a century hence, here’s what future San Joseans can expect to find:

An album with photos of the house and staff; the current script for the estate tour; a Mercury News newspaper from June 30, 2023; archived tour scripts; an anniversary T-shirt; an anniversary pin; a tour guide uniform; a Sarah Winchester Day cabinet card from last September’s centennial of her death; the program for the centennial celebration; a jar of original house “finds”; a signed guest book from the centennial celebration; a letter from Winchester Mystery House historian Janan Boehme; and a letter from Executive Director Walter Magnuson.

While this all may seem like pedestrian stuff, 100 years from now it’ll be historical gold. When the house first opened in 1923, it was surrounded by orchards and fields with a dirt road — but nobody can seem to find any photos of the house from that first year. Today, it’s hemmed in by Winchester Boulevard, housing developments — Valley Fair, Santana Row, Santana West (and the surviving Century 21 dome theater). Who knows what it’ll look like 100 years from now, but at least they’re including photos to show what it looked like back then. I mean back now.

Magnuson said it’ll be buried in the front garden. But nobody told me exactly where, so my apologies to any future Winchester Mystery House employees hoping to find the location by researching this column. Keep digging.

FESTIVITIES ON THE FOURTH: There’ll be plenty to do on July 4 if you’re looking for Independence Day fun, but one of the biggest events again will be the Rose, White & Blue Parade that proceeds through San Jose’s Shasta-Hanchett and Rose Garden neighborhoods. The parade kicks off as usual at 10 a.m. from Lincoln High School on Dana Avenue, but it’ll be preceded by a car cruise by the Lowrider Unity Council to get the crowd along the route pumped up.

While there won’t be a full festival this year, food trucks will be stationed in the parking lot of Westminster Presbyterian Church on The Alameda, and there’ll be booths and activities on the church’s front lawn. And several businesses along The Alameda including Hop & Vine, Luna Mexican Kitchen, Uncle John’s Pancake House and Crema Coffee will be open for business (along with J. Lohr’s wine tasting room just a block away on Lenzen Ave.) Get more details at www.rwbsj.org.

The weather won’t be quite as scorching on the Fourth as this weekend, but it should be plenty hot at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto, where the Summer Festival and Chili Cook-Off will be taking place. There’ll be food trucks, music and kids activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. And the chili contest won’t be for peanuts, either: There’s a prize pool of more than $3,500 at stake.

IT’S A BIRD! IT’S A PLANE! IT’S A HOUSE: Neighbors gathered around on South 16th Street in San Jose on Thursday for a fairly unusual sight — a 500 square-foot prefabricated accessory dwelling unit was being hoisted from a truck bed by crane and flown into its new home behind one of the historic abodes in Naglee Park. Homeowner Cassie Kifer was watching along with the fascinated crowd — maybe with a bit more apprehension than everyone else — as the ADU touched down.

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Actually, this might not be that rare of a sight, after all. Mike Cargell, project manager for Redwood City-based homebuilder Abodu, says this was the sixth such move he’d supervised in June, with more in the pipeline. But it’s captivating to watch every time, Cargell said.

AL FRESCO FILMS: The San Jose Downtown Association has brought back its Starlight Cinema series at St. James Park for four Saturdays this summer beginning with “Mean Girls” July 1. The rest of the family-friendly slate includes “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on July 15, “Moana” on July 29 and “Back to the Future” on Aug. 5. It’s free to attend, and pre-show entertainment starts at 7:30 p.m. But pack your own popcorn; food and drink aren’t available at the park. Get more details at sjdowntown.com/starlight-cinema.

POSTAL SERVICE PROS: I was contemplating the achievement recently recorded by eight U.S. Postal Service carriers in Cupertino: They each drove 1 million miles without an accident. That’s amazing given Bay Area traffic, though driving around so many high-priced cars in Cupertino may make anyone drive a little more safely.

The group of seasoned employees — who have between 24 and 40 years of service — are Jeanne Ulmmer, Dominic Commisso, Ricardo Mariano, Johnny Kuo, Steve Dear, Joe Castanon, Mariano Divino Jr. and Daniel Chen. They were honored June 16 with a plaque from the Safety Council and automatic membership in the National Safety Council “Million Mile Club.”