File photo
65 years ago - 1949
The Glenn Froehlichs announced that the Rustic Theatre would open starting May 1.
60 years ago - 1954
New benches for Town Hall’s campfire area were under construction. Almost $2,000 was available for the project.
55 years ago - 1959
The Izaak Walton League was planning a major celebration to dedicate the new trail from Scenic Drive to Humber Park.
50 years ago - 1964
Gov. Edmund “Pat” Brown made his first visit to Idyllwild and got to experience his first California snowfall.
45 years ago - 1969
It was reported that smog had reached the San Jacinto Mountains and was killing ponderosa pines.
40 years ago - 1974
Locals were watching for a new film, “Big Bad Mama.” Partially filmed in Temecula, it featured a bright yellow Model A Ford driven by Idyllwild’s Joe Fichera.
35 years ago - 1979
Action was postponed on a county flood plain ordinance following criticism by Idyllwild residents that a swath of land along Strawberry Creek should not be identified as flood-vulnerable.
30 years ago - 1984
Pine Cove was in danger of losing its post office because the owners of the Pine Cove Center were losing about $500 a month operating it and said they were tired of “subsidizing the government.”
25 years ago - 1989
Riverside County’s population explosion made the Hill’s General Plan obsolete and a revision process was to begin, according to a county official.
20 years ago - 1994
Mountain Community Patrol would soon be seen in action with 14 community members preparing to graduate the training program sponsored by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
15 years ago - 1999
About 40 artists, gallery owners and art lovers showed up at the Rainbow Inn for the organizational meeting of the Art Alliance of Idyllwild.
10 years ago - 2004
Idyllwild Arts Academy was in the public spotlight with two students winning major awards. Amrita Khalid, a freshman creative writing major, was awarded the Gold Award in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for two of her poems, and Yao Guang Zhai, a sophomore music major, won the Music Center’s Spotlight Award for his clarinet performance.
5 years ago - 2009
Ken Dahleen, producer of the Idyllwild Summer Community Concert Series, faced a daunting $15,000 deficit but was upbeat about the 10th anniversary season and a new venue for the series at the Idyllwild Community Center property.
1 year ago - 2013
The Hill’s homegrown mountain bike race, the Idyllwild Spring Challenge, was gearing up for its ninth year. The Idyllwild Cycling event is typically held each year in May on the May Valley trail system from the race’s starting point in the Hurkey Creek campground.