

Concert hall groundbreaking
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CONCERT HALL GROUNDBREAKING: Bruce Ryan, Building and Grounds Committee chair; Bill Lowman, past Idyllwild Arts president; Faith Raiguel, immediate past board chair; Pamela Jordan, Idyllwild Arts president; Lillian Lovelace, Board of Governors and Buzz Holmes, campaign co-chair, pose for a photo and sing some songs Saturday during the Groundbreaking Celebration of the William M. Lowman Concert Hall. Photo by Jenny Kirchner

For 11 years, Kathy Wilson’s Idyllwild Ghost Town has frightened and delighted fans of the phantasmagorical from on and off the Hill. Now, year 12 is in doubt. Wilson’s month-long Halloween attraction, a walk through live action and animatronic spook fest, had firmly established itself as a major audience draw at the Idyllwild Community Center…
The Idyllwild Nature Center is planning its annual Wildflower and Art Festival for Memorial Day weekend. The event includes guest speakers, naturalist-led walks, native plant sales, vendors, children’s crafts, more than 100 wildflowers identified and on display, art and more. Local artist Gerry High will lead a wildflower art demonstration and children’s workshop. Bea Torrez…
By Kate Kramer Special to the Town Crier Last month I gave a presentation about the Idyllwild Lemon Lily Festival at the state meeting for the California Native Plant Society in San Jose. Native plant lovers from across California were a receptive audience for the story of the festival and the local efforts in conserving…
Built in 1921, the Historic Hemet Theatre is one of the oldest surviving movie houses in the country, according to CEO Susan Carrier. The first movie house in Hemet was built in 1913 across the street from the current theater where the Strawberry Bike Shop building stands. The theater was a vibrant cultural center of…
Conor O’Farrell, the Town Crier’s award-winning columnist, also is an actor. Currently, he is a regular on the new series “Game of Silence” Thursdays on NBC. While it is not his first television series, he said, “It is the first time I’ve been a series regular. That’s a different thing for me.” Most of the…
Steve Giove, retiring United States Marine Corps drummer and band leader, brings a septet of veteran USMC musicians to the Idyllwild Summer Concert Series. Whimsically named MCJAM, Marine Corps Jazz Alumni Musicians, the seven take stage at the Butterfield Commons at Strawberry Creek at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28. Six are USMC veterans and one…