August 22, 2005

It was a little movie magic in the making that brought several Sunol Glen students to San Francisco for five days last week.

Last year I wrote that a certain Sunol Glen School eighth grader, Daniel Zinna, was a seasoned actor appearing in several independent movies. One of the short films he had appeared in was a 12 minute film directed by Sara St. Martin Lynne.

The short film was well received at the small film festivals where it was screened so first time director Sara decided to produce a full length feature film. Using the same main actors from the original short, the film started shooting in Jamestown during the summer.

The film, "Night Fliers", is about a young girl who moves to a new town with her father and younger sister. She immediately draws unwanted attention from a bullying young girl who does everything in her power to make life miserable for the new girl. Daniel plays the part of a neighborhood boy who befriends the new girl. Director Sara says, "It's a story about friendship, acceptance and self-discovery."

Daniel, of course, recommended his fellow classmates to appear as extras in the movie. The lucky kids who traveled to the movie set to appear as extras in the school scenes were Sunol Glen students Caitlin Carter, Jessica Christian, Hayley Nielsen, Chance O'Connor, Justice O'Connor, Chelsea Whiteside and Daniel's younger brother, Eric Zinna. Also appearing as extras were San Ramon Pine Valley Middle School students Annelise Weaver and Serena-Dee Sevenau.

Sara is planning on screening the film at all the major international film festivals such as San Francisco, Sundance, Toronto and Telluride.

Late summer and early fall is the perfect time to explore beautiful Sunol Regional Park; and what a better way than on a guided horseback trail ride through the park. Gary and Cindy Wilkinson of Livermore's GC Stables has recently took over operations of the parks trail rides and they have several different services you can choose from such as an easy 25 minutes trip to half day and full day excursions. They also offer group rides, corporate event rides, private trail rides and birthday rides. For more information please contact Western Trail Riding Services at 925-862-9044.

The Sunol Glen School Community Club is still seeking sponsorship for their 13th annual "Leaping Leprechauns" Walkathon to be held on October 8. Sponsorship donations of different levels mean you or your company is proudly displayed on the back of t-shirts, posters and signs that announce the event. It's an excellent way to advertise while supporting the school. Donations of "leap treats" with a leprechaun theme are also needed as well as a jump house. If you would like to help support our small country school or if you need more information, please contact Camie Bowling at 510-612-0151.

Mark your calendars for some up and coming important dates. It's the 41st Annual Niles Antique Fair and Flea Market to be held in the downtown area on Niles Blvd. on Sunday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; the Sunol Area Residents Association (SARA) is holding their first meeting on August 31 at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Park and stay tuned for the date when those fast selling tickets for Niles Canyon Railways Holiday Train of Lights go on sale. I will be announcing it here and it's sometime in September.