Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians

After having to postpone its annual Earth Day celebration in April due to COVID-19 concerns, the Soboba Tribal Environmental Department was glad to get the green light to host the event on September 30. Tweaking the national 2021 theme of Restore Our Earth to be more relevant to tribal lands, the department focused on Restore Mother Earth.

Antonia Briones-Venegas and Aurelia Mendoza officially opened their Frybread Kitchen in February after both had cooked on their own for years, donating their time and special dishes to events and fundraisers.

Soboba hosted its 11th NIAA Fastpitch Softball Tournament Sept. 17 through 19 and had a record number of teams competing. With 12 men’s teams and 13 women’s teams, ballfields at the Soboba Sports Complex and The Oaks were constantly filled throughout the weekend.

During the week of August 23, students at the Soboba Tribal Preschool and Noli Indian School were given lessons that couldn’t be learned in a book. Each school received detailed instructions on how to stay safe in an emergency and how to react to a fire drill, should the need arise. Soboba’s Department of Public Safety is responsible for the overall safety of both schools.

The dozen nonprofits who took to the Soboba Casino Resort Event Center stage for the 13th annual Lip Sync Contest presented by the Soboba Foundation and Soboba Casino Resort were greeted by an enthusiastic sold-out audience and double the winnings they were expecting. Host and emcee Andrew Vallejos kept the night moving with big laughs and crowd cheers of his own.