Past Tense: Aug. 9, 2012

65 years ago – 1947
Fern Valley Garage advertised “Expert Repair Service, Greeting Cards, Gift Wrappings.”

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Electric power was on its way to Pine Cove. Plans for a line from the Idyllwild Substation had been started prior to the war but were curtailed because of shortages.

60 years ago – 1952
“Tony Beaver,” a light opera based on an old West Virginia folk legend, with music by Josef Marais, premiered at Bowman Art Center.

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A heavy downpour brought disaster to young wild turkeys near Apache Springs, due to particularly large hailstones.

55 years ago – 1957
Hedvig Carpenter was sure she had the solution for a successful America’s Cleanest Forest campaign. She said, “The mountain trails would be more tidy, if every horsey wore a didee.”

50 years ago – 1962
Sunlight magnified the water in a glass jug in a car parked at Humber Park and started a fire that damaged the car’s interior.

45 years ago – 1967
Pine Cove got a new fire truck and two regular firemen.

40 years ago – 1972
Idyllwild’s Bud Hunt was appointed fire chief.

35 years ago – 1977
County supervisors ordered an animal holding facility to be built at the Idyllwild County Road Department yard. The plan called for up to $14,000 to be spent, and the building to be erected before fall.

30 years ago – 1982
The Idyllwild Institute Fiesta Inc. was making plans for its 16th-annual Mountain Homes Tour.

25 years ago – 1987
Idyllwild Water District was asking customers to conserve water. The Foster Lake level was 3 feet.

15 years ago – 1997
There were thrills on the softball field at Idyllwild School when Ajax made a comeback to win the championship coed softball league against the Garage, 19-5.

10 years ago – 2002
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hazardous Device Team detonated a pipe bomb behind the Idyllwild Fire Station. The explosive device was found at Camp Maranatha.

5 years ago – 2007
Jim Nutter and Tom Billman won first place in the Sons of the American Legion Post 800’s annual Horseshoe Tournament.

1 year ago – 2011
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies and a helicopter crew airlifted three hikers lost in the Fuller Ridge area north of Idyllwild. The hikers were uninjured and required no medical attention.