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Motown returns to Summer Concert stage

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Harold Wherry (left), guitarist and gentleman of soul, leads his Blue Breeze Band back to the Idyllwild Summer Concert Series on Thursday, July 27. The band serves up jazz, funk, R&B, Motown and soul.
Photo courtesy Blue Breeze

Guitarist and Motown gentleman of soul Harold Wherry and his Blue Breeze Band return to the Idyllwild Summer Concert Series on Thursday, July 27.

A favorite of Idyllwild audiences, especially the dancers, Blue Breeze serves up a high-energy musical menu of Motown, R&B, soul, funk and jazz.

Wherry and his band have worked with Motown and R&B royalty, including Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Billy Preston, The Four Tops and the Delphonics.

If your musical tastes run to Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Ritchie, Ray Charles, and Sly and the Family Stone, and tunes like “Superstition,” “That’s the Way of the World,” “Dance to the Music,” “What’s Going On” and “Georgia on My Mind,” then Wherry and Blue Breeze will take you back to the day when you could boogie all night.

Returning with guitar statesman Wherry are Chicago-native Bob Henley III on vocals, Richard Moorings on keyboards, vocals and trombone, Detroit-native Darryl Bomar on four-, five- and six-stringed electric bass guitars and vocals, Buster Harrell on drums and vocals, and Tim Anderson on tenor sax and vocals.

Female vocalists Chevone Shampine and Vivian Love break out the smooth and sassy, remembering Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, The Supremes, Gladys Knight, and Martha and The Vandellas.

This is not a night for laid-back easy listening. This is a night to dance to the music, remembering what it was like to feel those possibilities, that groove and that beat — at that time.

Put on your dancin’ shoes and bring chairs, comfort food, coolers, camaraderie and cash to help fill the donation jars. This is a free concert, presented by Ken Dahleen and his ISCS board for the enjoyment of locals. Donations at the concerts and sponsorships help fund the series budget. Sponsors and donors can contact Dahleen directly at 951-659-2229 or send checks to P.O. Box 1542, Idyllwild, CA 92549.

Blue Breeze takes the stage at 7 p.m. Opening for Harold and his group is Jac Jacaruso and Friends, starting at 6:15 p.m. It would be wise to bring flashlights to help find your way from the venue to your car.

Art Alliance of Idyllwild celebrates ribbon winners

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(This story came from an AAI press release.)

Art lovers view original works submitted for judging in the Art Alliance of Idyllwild Eye of the Artist show at the Idyllwild Area Historical Society Museum on Saturday, July 15. Ribbons had already been awarded and attendees could participate in a raffle to take a piece of art home. A silent auction offered more artwork while live music, snacks and libations added to the ambience.
Photo by Tom Kluzak

The Art Alliance of Idyllwild held its annual fund-raising event the “Eye of the Artist” on Saturday, July 15. AAI partnered with the Idyllwild Area Historical Society where artists and visitors enjoyed the museum’s gardens, live music and refreshments.

N.S. David judged the many creative works art from more than 50 artists illustrating the theme “Landscapes of the Mind.”  She awarded the following ribbons:

Category Ribbon Title Winner

Best in Show “Hidden Lake”

Jan Priestley

People’s Choice “Adrift” Erin O’Neill

Wearable Art1st“Cowboy Clutch”

Robert VandenBurg

3D Art 1st “Bear Sighting” Mark Willden

2nd“Garden Girl”

Cher Townsend

3rd“Intrigue”Don Dietz

Erin O’Neill won first place in the Photography-Digital Art Category and People’s Choice Award for “Adrift” at the Art Alliance of Idyllwild’s Eye of the Artist on Saturday at the Idyllwild Area Historical Society Museum.
Photo by Lissa Evans.

2D Art 1st “McKinney Lane”

Mandy Johnson

2nd“Mountain Memory”

Terri VandenBurg

3rd“Gathering of the Gods”

Gerry High

Honorable

Mention“Play Ball”Rob Padilla

Honorable

Mention“Lake Fulmor Sunset”

Alannah Kern

Photograph 1st “Adrift” Erin O’Neill

2nd “Revolution from Within”

Caryn Gilbert

3rd“Red Flyer”Lissa Evans

The AAI received sponsorship from Bel Vino Winery, Bake Shop and Brew, Mile High Café and Village Market.

Planning is now underway for the AAI’s 20th anniversary Art Walk and Wine Tasting on October 14.

Mountain Folk: July 20, 2017

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Travel Weekly and TravelAge West recently announced that Bob Romano of Idyllwild and Riverside was selected from among hundreds of applicants to attend the fifth-annual Global Travel Marketplace, which took place at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale, Florida, July 9 to 11. GTM is a two-and-a-half day appointment-only event for top-producing travel advisors in North America and leading cruise, hotel, tour and destination suppliers seeking to conduct business face-to-face.

Only the top 17 percent of the nearly 700 applicants were selected to participate. “A GTM advisor is one that recognizes the importance of creating new business relationships and fostering existing ones, and understands how crucial it is to be well educated in this ever-changing industry,” says Jacqueline Hurst, director, Trade Recruitment and Engagement, Travel Weekly Events. “With up-to-date knowledge and valuable relationships in their arsenal, these advisors are fully equipped to provide each client with a unique experience, tailored to their travel preferences.”

Romano said, “This was the second time I attended and this year was the best yet in making great contacts to help me plan my clients trips.”

Engagement: Johnson-Finlayson

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Dawn and Keith Finlayson, owners of Village Hair Creation of Idyllwild for 24 years, announce the engagement of their son Kyle Finlayson to Heather Johnson.

The two met six years ago as they both worked for their parents in the same courtyard in Palm Desert.

They now both work as licensed cosmetologists at Bliss Hair Color Studios in Palm Desert.

All blessings and prayers are appreciated as the two move into a wonderful new experience of their lives!

Steele in The Open

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Brendan Steele plays this week in the $10.25 million The Open Championship, sometimes known in the U.S. as the British Open. It is the oldest of the four majors on the PGA Tour.

The native Idyllwilder hopes to significantly improve on his previous performances in The Open. He played in the tournament in 2014 and 2016, missing the cut both times.

But this year, he brings a much stronger playing record into the event. He already has one win this season, and he’s made the cut in 17 of 19 official PGA Tour events in which he’s played, with nine top-20s, including four top-10s. He currently stands 14th on the FedExCup points list and ranks 51st in the Official Word Golf Ranking.

The Open will be played this year at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Brendan tees off Thursday at 1:03 a.m. PDT and Friday at 6:06 a.m. PDT, He plays both days with Webb Simpson of the United States and Alexander Levy of France.

The Open is televised live in the U.S., so there will be Idyllwilders brewing coffee at 1 o’clock this Thursday morning.

Mark Dean: Artist, engineer and over-achiever

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Hill resident Mark Dean exudes a quiet energy — polite, respectful and always up for a new challenge.

Mark Dean, Pine Cove resident, artist, engineer and marathon runner is our Artist of the Week. He is seen here with his bike, Erika, “a story for another time,” Dean noted. Photo by Marshall Smith

He ran the Boston Marathon in 2013 and finished with a qualifying time of 3 hours, 45 minutes, just 40 minutes before the first bombs exploded. Dean’s time qualified him to run again in 2014.

Having been a late-starting soccer phenom in college, he began training for the U.S. Soccer National Amateur Championship immediately after the Boston Marathon. While training, he tore his Achilles tendon.

Determination is key to Dean’s character, part of how he approaches his life. He knew he had qualified to run the Boston in 2014 and yet could not run after his injury. “I had to train for the Boston by walking,” said Dean. “I couldn’t run. But I knew I had to compete.” He did run in 2014, with a torn Achilles tendon, and finished 33 seconds shy of qualifying for 2015, with a time of 3 hours, 65 minutes, 32 seconds.

Born in Boston and raised in San Diego, determination and an interest in the natural world around him showed up early for Dean. “It was obvious in kindergarten I had artistic ability,” said Dean. “Other kids were drawing stick figures and I was drawing forms. In high school, I won the Bank of America Achievement Award in Art for my body of work.”

Dean first attended Mesa College as an art major. “Two things I excelled at were art and soccer,” he recounted. “I had not played team soccer in high school but tried out for the team at Mesa. I made the team and we came in third in the San Diego County Soccer League my first year, having come in last the year before. Then, in my second year, we beat San Diego State to finish first taking the Kennedy Tournament Cup. Seamus McFadden was on the team. He went on to become head soccer coach at the University of San Diego.”

Dean creates wood-burned etchings on his Manzanita lamps and other pieces. In this piece, Dean has etched a sleeping lion, one in his “Fantasy Idyllwild Wildlife” series. Photo courtesy of Mark Dean

Art took a back seat for much of his life as Dean pursued a successful career in engineering. He had obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1979 from San Diego State in Industrial Studies with an art minor, and got an extraordinarily challenging job right out of the gate — from a college job board. He began working for Dr. Gabriel Maria Giannini, noted physicist, inventor and aerospace executive. “I worked for him for eight years,” said Dean. “He treated me like a son. I worked at his Kearny Mesa plant as his mechanical designer, doing military contracting.”

Always alert to challenges, Dean noticed that computers were changing mechanical engineering. “I thought that unless I did something, I would become obsolete in my field,” he recalled. He went back to college in 1987 and took a course in Computer Aided Design. With that in his resume and a new skill set, Dean continued to prosper in his engineering field, designing high-end cooling products for military aviation.

“My artistic senses were in a cocoon during that time,” Dean noted with a glint in his eye. “I was an engineering worm for 33 years, but now that cocoon is beginning to hatch. I’m not sure what the result will be — butterfly or moth — but I’m hatching.”

When Dean was younger, his father had sold a lot on Cape Cod to buy a cabin in Pine Cove. While working in the San Diego area, the Pine Cove cabin had become a part-time getaway for Dean and his family. Dean bought a cabin across from his father’s cabin in 2005, intending to tear it down and make more parking for the family cabin. Instead, he spent four years rebuilding and remodeling it. “I put my heart and soul into that project,” he noted. He had previously bought and remodeled five homes in the San Diego area, doing all his own work.

He moved to the Hill full-time in 2010. After a divorce that was final in 2015, Dean turned his attention to his art with the same determination and focus as had propelled his running successes. “My friend Julia Meadows had a gallery in Idyllwild and told me she’d give me a show for my photography,” said Dean. “I started photographing Idyllwild’s landscape, the beauty of our mountain and our community. I was committed to the art form, something, along with painting and drawing, that I had explored while in college. I shot for a year before the gallery showing.”

With a runner’s energy, Dean is wiry and moves with purpose. In abating his property of manzanita, he recalled that his father had always wanted to retire in Idyllwild and make lamps from manzanita. “My father was a great man,” said Dean, “a truly great man. I loved my father dearly.” To honor his father, Dean began making lamps from the manzanita. “It’s personal,” he said.

He picked up a wood-burning set and began etching on the lamps, creating what he calls whimsical fantasy wildlife of Idyllwild — animals such as the Bengal Tiger, lion, Scottish Red Squirrel and the Kodiak Bear that have not inhabited the San Jacinto Mountains. “Our black bear kind of changed that,” he laughed.

Dean continues to grow in what he does. He recently finished on the podium in a half marathon, third place in the San Diego Craft Classic. “Next year I turn 65, and you know what that means?” he asked. “It means I enter a whole new age class of runners and I’m ready to post some wins.

“With my art, I want to progress as well toward a lifetime achievement, a large chainsaw sculpture for Idyllwild before I leave this Earth. I want to move on to other mediums and have all my art be one-of-a-kind originals. That’s who I am. I want to do pottery, clay sculpture and start to paint again. I’m thinking of entering the Plein Air next year. I just don’t want to stop.

“My mother suffered from dementia. As long as I am learning new things, staying engaged with life, keeping a healthy mental and physical state, and enjoying myself, I will continue to grow and create.”

State fire fee is suspended

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Last Monday, July 10, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced a legislative package for a comprehensive, statewide program to address air pollution where it matters most — in neighborhoods with the dirtiest air.

While this package does not address a major problem on the Hill, it does include language to mitigate another major irritation for local property owners — the State Fire Prevention Fee.

Assembly Bill 398 suspends the $152.33 annual fire fee as of July 1, 2017, and until Jan. 1, 2031. These funds, which are used for fire suppression, would be replaced with monies derived from the sale or auction of the allowances permitted under the revised cap and trade legislation.

Passage of AB 398 was not assured, but it did pass both the Senate and the Assembly with bi-partisan support Monday evening. One day after the announcement of the legislation, California’s Senate Republicans wrote the governor expressing support for clean air but unanimous opposition to the bill.

One of their major objections was the Legislative Analyst’s estimate that the cap-and-trade bill could raise gasoline taxes 63 cents in 2021. This is in addition to the 12-cent rate increase created with the approval of Senate Bill 1 in April.

Local State Sen. Jeff Stone signed the caucus’s letter to Brown. Stone is the vice chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, which approved AB 398 on party-line vote Thursday, July 13.

After the hearing, Stone released a statement in which he said, “We all want clean air and clean water. We are all environmentalists. But this bill saddles the working poor and the middle class with higher taxes and higher utility costs.  …”

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is continuing its litigation against the legality of the fire fee. Its position is the fee is actually a tax and, therefore, not legally enacted. HJTA expects another court filing later this summer.

After Brown’s announcement about AB 398, which suspends the tax, HJTA issued a press release in opposition to the legislation.

“The inclusion of the fire tax repeal in the ‘cap and trade’ legislation is intended to blunt opposition of pro-taxpayer interests. However, the proposal hardly makes the legislation taxpayer neutral. Costs to taxpayers as the result of California’s global warming policies are substantial and include higher prices for gas, electricity, and consumer goods.

“If the bill becomes law, the fire tax would be suspended immediately. However, the repeal would be prospective only, meaning it does not envision a refund to property owners who have, for several years, been paying the illegal tax.”

Jarvis said it would continue to pursue its litigation in order to obtain refunds for property owners who have paid the tax since its implementation in 2012. In Riverside County, about $12.8 million has been collected since the fee’s imposition. More than $300 million has been collected statewide.

ICC site development begins in fall

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A recent discussion about the Idyllwild Community Center plans took place at Town Hall. Photo by John Drake

The Idyllwild Community Center will break ground for its Phase 1 site development this fall, according to Janice Lyle, president of the San Jacinto Mountain Community Center board.

Last month, the project was delayed because bids on the project exceeded the budget, according to Chris Trout, advisor to the board for marketing.

During the past month, the ICC’s design team, composed of Robert Priefer, Jim Marsh, Lyle and Trout, has carefully reviewed the project plans, thoroughly examined the two bids and sought some more funding.

ICC is now ready to sign a contract with Facility Builders and Erectors of Anaheim to do the roads, parking and other site needs. After comparing the two final bids, including what each proposed and excluded, the FBE bid was more than half a million dollars less than the second bid.

ICC design team members, along with Whitney Sander, architect for the Butterfield Amphitheater as well as the Lowman Concert Hall, questioned both bidders before recommending FBE to the ICC board.

The remaining county permit for grading should be issued next month and work can begin later this fall after the SJMCC board approves the signed contract, which the design team negotiated.

The site development is estimated to cost $2.25 million and be completed in the spring of 2018, Lyle said.

The final step was ensuring funds were available to sign the contract. Upon informing Loie and Dave Butterfield, the donors of the site and other monetary gifts, of the progress and status of the project, the Butterfields decided to make a new and generous donation to ensure the project proceeds and site development can move forward immediately.

When contacted, Dave Butterfield said, “Loie and I feel strongly that it is important to move the project forward. Site development is a critical and challenging first step. It is costing substantially more than anticipated, largely due to environmental requirements essential to protect Strawberry Creek, and create access and parking harmonious with the surroundings.” 

FBE is not a stranger to Idyllwild. The firm recently completed the prefabricated frame portion of the Lowman Concert Hall at Idyllwild Arts.

Five contractors initially expressed interest in the original request for proposals, but only two, including FBE, submitted complete bids.

The county’s requirements and additional mitigation measures increased the costs from the initial plans. For example, special work will be necessary to minimize the run-off from the facility’s roads and parking into Strawberry Creek, which borders the ICC site on the south. The parking areas must have permeable pavement to allow water to percolate into the ground rather than rushing into the creek.

“Nobody anticipated these requirements two years ago,” Lyle said. “The new site development is very sensitive to the creek, but very costly.”

“Starting construction is a major milestone for the dedicated volunteers who have worked diligently for seven years to get to this point, but they need help to ensure there is enough money to complete Phase 1,” Butterfield added. “We hope the community will join us in donating to enhance this beautiful venue.”

Before site development begins, Lyle said the committee would review the plans for the amphitheatre, which is the next step in the Community Center development.

Wildlife biologist talks bear facts at library

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Friday, July 7, a bear visited the James Reserve at the main lodge. The window was open and the screen was on in the unoccuppied lodge. The bear ripped the screen and crawled in. It ripped open an orange plastic container and ate the sugar packets within, and also a full bag of sugar. After making quite a mess on the floor, the bear left but not before disturbing a trash can outside. Workers were able to identify it was a bear because it left footprints on the mattresses downstairs. Photo by Andrea Campanella

Kevin Brennan, California Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist, knows this mountain and its wildlife. Black bears are relatively rare in the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa ranges after the construction of Interstate 10.

But now there is not just one, but two — the Rite Aid male bear who migrated to Idyllwild from Banning and the Indio female who was relocated to the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Some residents, perhaps also recently relocated here, are concerned there is a bear about. What is the proper bear etiquette — what should one do and not do? And more importantly, is the bear dangerous and should we be afraid?

Brennan will talk about the black-bear history in these mountains, where they ranged for many years, their socialization, their habits and proper bear etiquette should you encounter one in your vicinity.

Since adopting Idyllwild as his home, the Rite Aid bear has recently favored Fern Valley, Cedar Glen, the Nature Center area and as far as the James Reserve, where he searched for and secured some sugar supplies. He has been photographed and videoed in his local travels.

Brennan will speak at the Idyllwild Library from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 27. His talk, “Living with Bears,” is based on his experience as a wildlife biologist. We and they — the bears, mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, deer and coyotes — are here together and need to find ways to comfortably, respectfully and safely live together.

There is no charge to attend Brennan’s talk and Q&A at the Idyllwild Library Community Room, and gives residents, especially new residents, information that may be helpful.

Wildlife Biologist Kevin Brennan talks bear facts at library

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Kevin Brennan, California Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist, knows this mountain and its wildlife. Black bears are relatively rare in the San Jacinto range after the construction of Interstate 10.

But now there is not just one, but two — the Rite Aid male bear who migrated to Idyllwild from Banning and the Indio female who was relocated to the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Some residents, perhaps also recently relocated here, are concerned there is a bear about. What is the proper bear etiquette — what should one do and not do? And more importantly, is the bear dangerous and should we be afraid?

Brennan will talk about the black-bear history in these mountains, where they ranged for many years, their socialization, their habits and proper bear etiquette should you encounter one in your vicinity.

Since adopting Idyllwild as his home, the Rite Aid bear has recently favored Fern Valley, Cedar Glen, the Nature Center area and as far as the James Reserve, where he searched for and secured some sugar supplies. He has been photographed and videoed in his local travels.

Brennan will speak at the Idyllwild Library from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 27. His talk, “Living with Bears,” previews his position as a wildlife biologist. They and we — the bears, the mountain lions, the bobcats, the foxes, the deer and the coyotes — are here together and need to find ways to comfortably, respectfully and safely live together.

There is no charge to attend Brennan’s talk and Q&A at the Idyllwild Library Community Room, and gives residents, especially new residents, information that may be helpful.

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