October 18, 2004

I thought I would go online to see when the Niles Canyon Railways 2004 Holiday Train of Lights tickets were going to be available for sale and wow was I surprised to see that they have been on sale since September 19 and are selling out fast. Those of us fortunate enough to live in Sunol have had the opportunity to experience the Holiday Train of Lights at our annual community Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which I might add is December 4. I will be announcing the details regarding the festivities for that evenings community train ride at a later date.

Covered in thousands of holiday lights as it makes it's way through the brisk darkness of Niles Canyon, the train is an annual tradition for many and if you have never experienced this amazing train of lights, now is the time.

Holiday Train tickets are available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday beginning November 27 through December 19 and the trains run at 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. New this year, the train will also be running during the week prior to Christmas from December 20 to December 22 also at 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. To purchase tickets by phone please call 408-249-2953 or visit their website at www.ncry.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the Sunol Depot on Main Street from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on November 7 and November 21. This is a very popular event and it will sell out very quickly.

Another very popular holiday event is Sunol Regional Wilderness's annual Halloween Haunting. This Saturday's evening hike is fun for the whole family. I attended last year's hike and was truly amazed by how much work goes on behind the scenes to make this so much fun and exciting for all ages. This years theme is "Norton Hears a Boo' and the cast of characters will lead you on a very easy, gentle 1 ½ hour hike through the enchanting dark woods of the park.

Their website says, "Ghouls and boos of all ages are invited to don their most magical garb and pay an evening visit through the mystical and scenic lands of Soosville with the Bat in the Hat as your guide. Frolic in the fall splendor of Booville, the Jungle of Drool and other Soosville highlights as we explore the origins of Halloween". There are several stops through the hike where the young and old get to participate in the fun. There is nothing too scary or gory it's just plain entertaining. Last year's activities included playing a song by tapping on colorful water-filled drinking glasses, playing a magical ball game similar to soccer, we learned about creepy yet gentile tarantulas and we participated in a ghoulish line dance.

The guided hikes begin at 5:15 p.m. and depart every 15 minutes until the last hike at 8:00 p.m. Pre-registration is required and all children must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $6.00 for residents and $8.00 for non-residents. To purchase tickets please call their reservation line at 510-636-1684 until tomorrow, then after Tuesday call the park directly at 925-862-2601.

A big thank you goes to Sunol Glen School 8th grader Angela Lee's father, Dr. Donald Lee, for providing the community of Sunol with flu vaccinations last Thursday evening at the school. Even with the high demand and short supply this year, Dr. Lee was able to provide 60 people with vaccines. Thanks also to Angela's mom, Suzanne Oliveira who also helped out with administering the shots.

Attention Sunolians-The Alameda County Waste Management Authority is holding a public hearing on Wednesday at Sunol Glen School at 7:00 p.m. regarding a proposed commercial waste-composting site in Sunol. Everyone in the community is strongly encouraged to attend this very important meeting.