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Poway Days kicks off Sept. 7; Parade fundraising goal exceeded

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By Steve Dreyer

A trio of community events will launch the 51st edition of Poway Days on Saturday, Sept. 7.

The inaugural Poway Days 5K Fun Run/1-Mile Walk will begin at 7 a.m. in Community Park. The Poway Kiwanis Club will host a community pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. and the 49th annual Poway Days Parade will start at 9 a.m. along Poway Road.

The Sept. 7 events will mark the start of a month of activities designed to celebrate “The City in the Country.” Several will maintain the traditional Old West theme of Poway Days, an annual tradition dating back to 1962, when it was called Pow Wow Days.

Former world BMX champion Dale Holmes, a Poway resident, will serve as the official starter for the 5K run and 1-mile “Walk in the Park.” The 5K will begin in front of the Boys & Girls Club building and take participants along Poway Road, which will be closed to traffic. The 1-mile event will be contained to Community Park. The title sponsor of the run/walk is Live Right Wellness Centers. Registration fees for the 5K are $5 per person and $10 for a family of up to five members. The 1-mile walk is free. The registration form is available at www.powayparade.org.

Pancakes, sausages and fruit will be waiting for those completing the run/walk, plus any community members and pre-parade participants looking for a hot breakfast to enjoy. The Poway Kiwanis Club, which is celebrating its 40th year, will set up the club’s cooking trailer on the basketball court at Community Park. The breakfast is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

“I Love a Fit Poway” is the theme of this year’s Poway Days Parade, which so far has drawn 90-plus entries. The theme was selected by the Rotary Club of Poway-Scripps, which this year took over coordination of the parade and launched the fun/run. Carl Kruse, the Rotary International district governor who is also a fitness enthusiast and former Poway City Council member, will be the parade’s grand marshal.

The parade, which starts at Pomerado Road and ends at Bowron Road will feature all four Poway Unified School District high school marching bands, along with Marines and vehicles from the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion at Camp Pendleton. according to parade chairwoman Pauline Getz. The parade is being held one week earlier than usual due to the Yom Kippur holiday on Sept. 13-14.

Getz on Tuesday announced that over $35,000 in cash contributions have been contributed by businesses and individuals toward parade expenses. The total, which she said is likely to climb higher in coming days, easily surpassed the club’s $30,000 goal and will mean that seed money will be available to help finance the 50th annual parade next fall. New sponsors added in the past week included: GEICO, $2,500; US Bank, $1,000 and Anytime Fitness, $1,600.

Getz added that the deadline to fill out the online parade participant application is midnight Friday. Visit www.powayparade.org.

The parade committee is looking for a few more volunteers to help out along the parade route. Contact Ginger Couvrette at gingercouvrette@yahoo.com if interested.

The first week of Poway Days events will wrap up on Wednesday, Sept. 11 with Good Neighbor Day.

Come by the Crystal Gardens Florist shop in the Creekside Plaza a pick up a free half-dozen roses, while supplies last. The idea is to distribute the roses to friends, family and coworkers.

Doors open at 9 a.m. and supplies are usually exhausted by 11 a.m., according to shop owner Jeannie Hume, who has been hosting the popular community event for the past 15 years.

Other 2013 Poway Days events will include:

• Concert — Five-time Grammy Award-winning blues rock guitarist Robert Cray will perform at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20 at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. Ticket info at www.powaycenter.com.

• “A Taste of Country” — This new event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21 and is sponsored by the Poway Chamber of Commerce. It mix gourmet food truck cuisine with live country music provided by the local group Kanan Road. It starts at 6 p.m. in the Poway Valley Riders Association (PVRA) grounds. 14336 Tierra Bonita Road. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Information and tickets at www.popway.org

• Trail Ride — Three separate scenic trail rides will depart at 9 a.m. from the PVRA grounds. Bring your own horse. Details at www.powayrodeo.com.

• Rodeo —The 41st annual Poway Rodeo will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27 and at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, in the PVRA arena. Ticket information at www.powayrodeo.com.

• Bike ride — The 28th annual Tour de Poway Fun Bike Ride returns on Sunday, Oct. 6. Choose among five routes ranging from 18 to 100 miles. Visit www.tourdepoway.com for details and registration.

• “Rendezvous in Poway” — A two-day reenactment of the Old West will be held Oct. 12 and 13 in Old Poway Park. Details at www.poway.org.

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