Past Tense: August 1, 2013

65 years ago – 1948
Formal opening ceremonies were to be held to mark the completion of the Banning-Idyllwild Highway.

60 years ago – 1953
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Geological Survey Division began a project to map inaccessible areas in the local mountains.

55 years ago – 1958
The Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce announced it would be sponsoring “the greatest deer hunters’ festival in the West” during the upcoming Daniel Boone Days.

50 years ago – 1963
Miss Idyllwild, Judy Sproul, 17, competed in Hollywood for the Miss California role in the Miss World pageant to be held in the fall.

45 years ago – 1968
A Valle Vista man was killed when the air tanker he was piloting crashed north of Highway 74 near the Strawberry Creek junction. The tanker was one of five being used to halt a fast-spreading blaze. The plane crash started another fire that was quickly extinguished.

40 years ago – 1973
Actor Will Geer, best known for his role as Grandpa on “The Waltons,” was one of the entertainers at the Bowman Theatre on the ISOMATA campus.

35 years ago – 1978
The first thunderstorm of the summer season dumped 1.4 inches of rain and hail in the Idyllwild area to make it the wettest July in 10 years.

30 years ago – 1983
More than $6,000 of medical supplies were given to the Idyllwild Disaster Preparedness group by the Hemet Valley Hospital District. The supplies were to meet the local needs of residents in case of an emergency.

25 years ago – 1988
About 100 local residents, along with numerous fire and law enforcement officials, participated in the dedication ceremony of WNKI, the new Idyllwild-area emergency radio station.

20 years ago – 1993
Four Idyllwild students were chosen to have their art displayed along Highway 74 between Hemet and Mountain Center. The exhibits were part of a U.S. Forest Service program.

15 years ago – 1998
Soroptimist International of Idyllwild celebrated its 25th anniversary.

10 years ago – 2003
Riverside County Fire Department and Mountain Community Fire Safe Council received $412,000 in grants from the U.S. Forest Service for dead tree removal.

5 years ago – 2008
Pine Cove residents Bob and Pat Parish received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for more than 4,000 hours of lifetime volunteer service.

1 year ago – 2012
The Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce announced new officers for fiscal year 2012-13 at its installation dinner at the Fern Valley Inn.