Mike Hiles

Fall was in the air as carloads of kids enjoyed a drive-through event at the Soboba Sports Complex on Oct. 24. From 6 to 9 p.m., vehicles made their way through a maze of about 30 candy-laden stops during the tribal community’s Halloween Trunk or Treat event.

When the coronavirus pandemic forced public venues to close their doors and for large gatherings to be curtailed, officials at Soboba Casino Resort’s Event Center had to cancel or reschedule many events. Calls went out in mid-March and only now are nonprofits, businesses and individuals being contacted about revisiting their original plans to host an event there.

About the Soboba Pipeline Replacement Project that came about as a result of being awarded $350,000 from the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) Commission under Disadvantaged Communities Involvement.

When the new school year began in August, Noli Indian School welcomed two new teachers to its high school level staff. The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Reservation school serves 120 students in grades six through 12. The experienced teachers were getting used to the new campus while welcoming their students via distance learning.

Native American Day is a holiday celebrated across the United States and in lieu of Columbus Day in California and Nevada. The holiday is traditionally celebrated on the fourth Friday of September, but in South Dakota and Wisconsin, it falls on the second Monday of October. Soboba Tribal Preschool teachers used this event as a teaching tool for an entire week.