
Photo by John Drake
Photo: Autumn Equinox celebration
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Michael Madrigal leads the ceremony celebrating the Autumnal Equinox in the gardens of Spirit Mountain Retreat. Among the crowd of Idyllwild locals was the featured choral local group Local Color (sitting).

The Idyllwild Community Center organization is presenting a Valentine’s celebration from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at Town Hall. This fundraiser and fun-raiser will support the ICC building project. The program will include Greg Kojar singing love songs and a “Not-So-Newlywed Game” featuring local couples. Preselected entertaining contestants for the game include Elaine…
Missoula Children’s Theatre team members Erin Norlie and Alex Kowalchik will work with the students in 4-hour rehearsal blocks for each of the five rehearsal days to produce the popular, “The Secret Garden.” This is a musical version of the familiar children’s story commissioned for the theater group.
The one-day Songwriters Festival last Saturday was a success for Idyllwild. The event raised $600 in ticket sales for the Idyllwild HELP Center and the Idyllwild Community Center (ICC). An additional $900 donation was made to the Idyllwild HELP Center by the Idyllwild Listening Room Songwriting Retreat sponsorship that was held at Spirit Mountain Retreat…
History teacher grew up on hill Six members of the Idyllwild School’s staff are former Idyllwild School students. Mike Van Zee is the latest to return to his educational roots. The new seventh and eighth grade history teacher has been an outstanding third grade teacher at Bautista Creek School in Hemet for the past 22…
Roland Gaebert, retired State Park Ranger, is busy assisting Pacific Crest Trail through-hikers as an unofficial “trail angel.” He also volunteers widely throughout Idyllwild – as a Forest Service fire lookout, Mountain Disaster Preparedness Disaster Assistance Station supervisor, Idyllwild Rotary, Mile High Radio Club and for WNKI, Idyllwild’s emergency radio station. Gaebert is an avid…