September 12, 2006 > Tracks to the Past

by Rene Sporer

The annual Sunol Country Festival will celebrate this year's event with a grand party. This year's theme "Tracks to the Past" will be a tribute to the 1940's and this East Bay hamlet's rich past, and is set for Saturday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 6.p.m. in Sunol's Depot Gardens community park on Main Street in Sunol.

Musical entertainment from The Big Band from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet will be featured as well as local favorite blues band, Nightmare on Bourbon Street with a mix of New Orleans rhythm and blues as well as traditional and original blues material.

The celebration will include a display of vintage cars from the 1940's and 50's. As is customary for this small town's annual festival, a raffle will feature a $1000 cash grand prize and Raiders sky-box tickets. The silent auction is back including a special dinner at the Sunol California Department of Forestry Fire Station, and a Reno fun train trip, as well as other great prizes. There will be games for the kids, as well as a special presentation honoring local World War II veterans.

The annual Sunol Citizen of the Year award will be presented and the Niles Canyon Railway will roll on through with its heritage steam powered "Dresser Special" train ride over the original transcontinental railway from downtown Sunol through the beautiful canyon to Niles, Fremont throughout the day at a special 1-day excursion fare of $ 6 for adults and $ 3 for kids ages 3 to 11.

Admission and parking is free and the festival is sponsored by local non-profit organizations working to preserve the rural nature of the Sunol area. Information on the Niles Canyon Railway is available at www.ncry.org. Sunol Country Festival event information is available at www.sunol.net (a map to Sunol is available on the website), or by calling Pat Stillman at (925) 862-2263.

Tracks to the Past Saturday, September 16 10 a.m. to 6.p.m. Sunol's Depot Garden Main Street, Sunol Free to the public.