LAKE ELSINORE-- Growing up, Edward Klarquist used to build and launch rockets with his dad. Now the 45-year-old Lake Elsinore resident is doing the same with his 12-year-old son, Lucas.

"It's probably the closest I can get to the space program," Edward Klarquist said, half jokingly, as he and his son attended a Temecula Rocket Group launch at Lakeside High School in Lake Elsinore on Saturday.

The two brought their homemade rocket and were excited to see it blast off.

"It's a great way to spend a Saturday," Lucas said.

The 3-year-old Temecula Rocket Group holds bi-monthly launches across Southwest County. Established by two Temecula students, the group is not affiliated with any school, but rather is an attempt to foster a love of rockets and science, create friendships and encourage excellence among bright young minds, said co-founder Bryan Dierking, 15.

The group consists of about 12 active members, ages 8 and older, with adult supervision, said Richard Dierking, Bryan's dad and a club adviser.

In addition to the launches, which the community is invited to attend and partake in, the group meets to build rockets and attend field trips to destinations such as NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center inside Edwards Air Force Base in Mojave and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

They also take on annual rocket projects and some members take part in rocket competitions, he said.

"It really engages their creativity in math and science," Richard Dierking said of the club. "I don't think there is anything quite like rocketry that can do that. It teaches them skills on how to build things that work, because sometimes they don't. So they are able to use tools, follow directions, work in teams on larger projects -- all very useful skills."

What's more, there is plenty of reading and studying involved, he said. And because it's a student-run club, they deal with organizational procedures and balancing budgets, he said.

"They learn about finances, and how to save and gather money for projects," he said.

But perhaps the best perk of the club is the sense of pride and excitement the young members derive from it, he said.

"The kids are very happy when they are able to build a rocket, and fly it successfully," he said. "It's a great feeling of accomplishment for these kids."

Saturday's event drew a mix of people, including rocket group members, students in Lakeside High School's Alchemists Science Club, competitors in the nationwide Team America Rocketry Challenge, and local residents simply interested in rockets.

Among the crowd was 13-year-old Lakeland Village Middle School student Anthony Ure, who lives near the high school and rode his skateboard to the event. Drawn to the launch "for fun," Anthony said he loves the complex nature of rockets.

"My whole room is designed like space," he said. "I have a big picture of the moon, and blue walls, and planets that light up and glow."

His career choice would be professional athlete, he said, adding that engineering is his back-up plan for a career path.

"I am really good at math," he said.

Several Team America Rocketry Challenge competitors from across Southern Californiaalso took part in Saturday's launches. This year the annual, national competition asks students to launch an egg 750 feet in the air and recover it within 45 seconds. The Lakeside High event doubled as a regional qualifying heat for the competition.

"It's very hands on and a lot of fun," said Ken Brown, a mentor for a group of Anaheim students competing in the rocketry challenge.

The launches Saturday pushed rockets of all sizes as high as 2,000 feet, but Brown said when adults get together and launch rockets, it can be an impressive sight.

"When the big boys go out and play, depending on what the FAA will allow, they can go as high as 100,000 feet," he said.

Brown said clubs such as the Temecula Rocket Group are great opportunities for young students interested in science, a sentiment echoed by Sara Young, faculty adviser to Lakeside High's student science club.

"I think it's good for students to get other science experiences that they would not get inside a classroom," she said. "It opens their eyes."

For information or to join the group, visit www.temecularocket.org.