LIFE
NEWS
LEISURE
Mom’s group sets playdates
Legendary singer consoles victims
Event highlights best of Poway
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THE POWAY EAGLE
Volume 1 Issue 1 • June 2019
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SOCCER PARK
FUELS DREAMS
Young soccer players perfect their game and prepare for potential glory and stardom.
By Hoyt Smith
A
five-acre lot in a relatively rural portion of northeast Poway represents a pivotal point between the community’s past and future. Just southwest of the intersection at Twin Peaks and Espola roads are remnants of Poway’s roots, including the Poway Valley Stock Farm and the Poway Valley Riders Association. Here, the stables, corrals and horse trails remain relatively unchanged from the 1890s. Past the fenceposts and through the eucalyptus groves, illuminated at dusk by arena lights, young soccer players per-
fect their game and prepare for potential glory and stardom in the months and years to come. Welcome to the North County Soccer Park (NCSP), a tidy green rectangle of suburban real estate owned and operated by Poway residents Dave Brennan and Rod Bleakley. Brennan has been overseeing youth and adult soccer leagues here for almost two decades. Bleakley, who joined Brennan as part-owner in 2012, has connections to the Soccer Park that date back to his childhood. “I used to ride my bike here from Rancho Penasquitos when I was a kid,” he said. The format hasn’t changed all that much since the original owners, Tom Schwartz and Mark Bentley, opened the Soccer Park in 1986. There are still leagues for Pee Wees, Juniors, youth and adult leagues, as well as summer camps. Brennan added “Lil’ Kickers” and “Lil’ Sluggers,” instructive soccer and baseball programs for kids in their formative years. The main difference between the NCSP of Bleakley’s youth and the NCSP of today may be the state-ofSee SOCCER PARK, Page 12
Rose Schindler (photo by John Gregory)
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
Speaker delivers powerful message By John Gregory
W
hile world leaders began gathering in Europe to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the WWII D-Day landings – the operation that began an allied offensive to topple the hold Nazi Germany had on the continent – a petite woman spoke in Poway about her time in one of the Nazi concentration camps. Rose Schindler addressed the June 5 meeting of the Rotary Club of Scripps-Poway. Through her words, Schindler demonstrated why she is a beacon of strenghth as she shared her experiences. Schindler was taken by the Nazis to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with her family in 1944 when she was only 14. She explained that she survived her ordeal during WWII essentially by being a feisty girl and because she clung to hope. See HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, Page 2
A very festive Fourth of July planned
P
oway residents and visitors alike can look forward to another festive, patriotic, traditional Fourth of July, now being planned by the City of Poway. The main event will be the annual Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration, set on Independence Day in Old Poway Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free event will feature food vendors, live entertainment, train rides, crafts for children and pony rides. Perhaps the two highlights of the day that set Poway’s celebration apart
NEWS, Pages 2-4
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from most others are the mock train robberies and staged western gunfight reenactments, reflecting Poway’s western heritage. The reenactors are a part of the city’s volunteer group, according to Jennafer Steffen, one of the recreation leaders with the City of Poway. Local performers at the park’s gazebo will provide live entertainment throughout the day, Steffen said. In addition, the park will have train displays, free crafts and old-fashioned games. Train rides will be available for a small fee. Attendees
LIFE, Pages 5-8
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can also tour the Heritage Museum and visit the Nelson House. A Fourth of July Veterans Park Ceremony will take place at 14134 Midland Road starting at 11 a.m. This special commemoration, presented by VFW Post 7907 and the Poway Veterans Park Committee, will honor those in the military who served this country. Free shuttles to and from Old Poway Park will be available during the Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration from PoSee FOURTH OF JULY, Page 6
LEISURE, Pages 9-10
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SPORTS, Pages 11-13
Mock train robberies, entertainment, food and fireworks
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HOMES, Pages 14-15
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CLASSIFIEDS, Page 16