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An old playground was given new life by a group of volunteers from Gateway Community Church. A team of eight hauled the disassembled park equipment to Mexico last month.

The playground was taken from Burbank Park on East Olive Avenue, where the City of Merced removed it to drill a new water well. Instead of discarding the equipment or selling it for scrap metal, the city agreed to let Gateway donate it to a school in Mexico, where it works with a mission agency called Amor Ministries.

The actor/director Sydney Pollack died in May. I have been remiss in not marking his passing, for he was the director of my favorite movie of all time, 1969's "Castle Keep."

Funny, but for some reason, I can pretty much remember the first time I ever saw the most
important movies in my life. I am sure that is no big deal, you probably can, too. Still, I can close my eyes and see a mid-1970s version of me eagerly awaiting the day when I could watch