First there was the July fire with five days of evacuation, and then a February weather apocalypse that closed two of three major roads into Idyllwild. Even though January through March is normally a slower time for Idyllwild businesses, the two unforeseen events have significantly impacted local tourist traffic. With spring weather, and little rain…

All sorts of things were being preprocessed in anticipation of Feb. 18 scheduled “PianoFest” performances, both on the ground and in the skies. When considered as a whole — the dry and cold air present that evening, plus the morning’s occultation of Mars by the Moon (and other portentous events) — the situation presented itself…