Past Tense: October 23, 2014
65 years ago – 1949
Idyllwild had 7 inches of snow and a low of 18 degrees.
60 years ago – 1954
With every $10 in purchases made at Dutton’s Corner Store, a five-piece place setting of oven-proof dishes could be purchased for $1.19.
55 years ago – 1959
Young artists of the seventh and eighth grades painted the town when they adorned merchant windows with Halloween themes in the annual Window Decoration contest.
50 years ago – 1964
Idyllwild and the surrounding mountain area was featured on Slim Barnard’s “The Happy Wanderer” show on KNBC, Channel 4.
45 years ago – 1969
An aerial survey of forests dying from the effects of smog in the San Bernardino Mountains caused foresters to raise their estimate of the damage. It showed that about 50 percent, or 1.3 million trees, had damage.
40 years ago – 1974
The girls of Scout Leader Emily Pearson’s troop, working on earning their cooking badges, prepared and served a complete dinner for their parents at Town Hall.
35 years ago – 1979
Idyllwild challenged a Northern California town to a stop-smoking showdown for the Nov. 15 Great American Smokeout.
30 years ago – 1984
It was reported that the total cost of building the new Idyllwild Fire Station could be about $200,000, half the original bid estimates.
25 years ago – 1989
More than 200 signatures had been collected on a petition protesting a proposed redevelopment plan to fund a parking lot in Idyllwild.
20 years ago – 1994
Idyllwild School officials decided to change the theme of a school dance from a Halloween masquerade to “Hurray for the New Pep Squad” after parents, claiming censorship, protested the earlier decision to not allow witch costumes.
15 years ago – 1999
Some people in Idyllwild reported seeing an iridescent glow in the sky after being shaken from their beds at 2:46 a.m., Oct. 16, by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake centered at the 29 Palms Marine Corps base. No injuries were reported.
10 years ago – 2004
The Idyllwild community turned out en masse to a farewell dinner in honor of Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor Jim Venable who would be leaving office in January.
5 years ago – 2009
Lee Arnson, Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit head, said RMRU was called out at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 16 to rescue one severely dehydrated Marine on the Skyline Trail above Palm Springs.
1 year ago – 2013
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 had finally had an effect on Idyllwild School beyond spring’s standardized testing. Eleven students from Hemet Unified School District schools began attending Idyllwild Monday and three more were expected, according to Idyllwild Principal Matt Kraemer.
