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.
Having to delay the 8th annual Soboba Foundation & Soboba Casino Resort Charity Golf Tournament due to COVID-19 precautions did not hinder the excitement that was evident among the players at the Soboba Springs Golf Course. The event, originally scheduled for two days in April, was extended to three days from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 in order to maintain social distancing for 30 four-member teams each day.
Not long after the Soboba Sports Complex swimming pool was reopened with extensive safety protocols in place, Daniel Mazza was tapped to teach water aerobics classes. He is a fitness specialist with Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health Inc. and has taught group exercise classes and served as a personal trainer at the Soboba Sports Complex.
Faced with continuing limitations on community events due to COVID-19 precautions, members of the Soboba Youth Council have had to get creative. The new school year began with classes still meeting online, so the young people decided to set up an outdoor Back-to-School Scavenger Hunt on Aug. 28.
The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians fought long and hard to open a casino on Tribal land a quarter of a century ago. Much has changed since the early days, most notably the construction and opening of the current Soboba Casino Resort last year. The month of August is filled with Silver Anniversary promotions to commemorate the celebration.