News Digest News Digest (December 19, 2003)

Holiday child care, gift-wrapping

The youth group of Lynnewood United Methodist Church and its adult advisors will hold a fundraising day offering holiday child care and gift-wrapping services for busy shoppers from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., tomorrow, Dec. 20. The middle and high school students will care for infants through school-age children at the church, 4444 Black Ave. Reservations are required and can be made Friday evening and Saturday morning by calling Drew Stark, 243-0610, or Lynn Gatehouse, 426-1318. Donations will be accepted.

Also tomorrow, the group is offering a gift-wrapping service for donations. Funds raised will benefit the Sierra Service Project, which provides support to Native Americans living on reservations. Val Vista opening in March

An opening ceremony is planned for the newly renovated and enlarged Val Vista Community Park in early March, said Mike Fulford, city landscape architect. After that, the park will be opened to the public. The city was originally hoping to open the park, with its in-line skating facility, last month.

The park was built in a single phase and currently the construction is completed and the turf has been mowed for the second time, said Fulford. Now there is a minimum maintenance period of 90 days. Pleasanton wine on top

A 2001 Sangiovese by Crooked Vine Winery was named one of the Top 100 Wines in California by the San Francisco Chronicle recently, one of only two Livermore Valley wines listed. Pleasanton resident Dale Vaughn-Bowen, owner of Crooked Vine, will pour wines at Gene's Fine Foods tomorrow from 1-4 p.m. and answer questions about wine as well as autograph bottles.

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