Past Tense: February 2, 2017

70 years ago – 1947

The highlight of the week was Mike and Dorothy Michelsen opening their long-awaited Fern Valley Market. The opening took place after 12 months of all sorts of delays and problems, according to the couple. “Alpine” is the market’s name.

65 years ago – 1952

Two couples from Los Angeles started a weekend ski-tow operation at Hidden Lodge. Because the tow was at the 6,500-foot level, snow lasted longer than in the center of Idyllwild.

60 years ago – 1957

A buyer was found for the Pine Cove Water District’s $110,000 bond issue.

55 years ago – 1962

New owners Bob and Jan Oates announced plans to extensively remodel the Fern Valley Market building with an alpine theme. Oates said a pharmacy would occupy the north end of the building.

50 years ago – 1967

Sgt. Gary Dykes phoned from Singapore where he was resting after taking part in Operation Cedar Falls in Vietnam. Gary said most of his squad was wiped out in combat during a push northwest of Saigon.

45 years ago – 1972

The county Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for a 253-space mobile home park at Dutch Flat.

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Kay Ceniceros was named to fill a vacancy on the county Planning Commission. She was the first woman ever to serve on the commission.

40 years ago – 1977

Idyllwild Fire Chief Bud Hunt said ground might be broken as early as July on the new Idyllwild Fire Station, thanks largely to a successful effort to grab a federal block grant and a low-interest federal loan. Hunt was behind both.

35 years ago – 1982

A public hearing on Mile High Recovery’s request for a halfway house in Idyllwild was set for March 2. The hearing was requested by Kay Ceniceros, Riverside County supervisor, for the 3rd District. Ceniceros told the Town Crier that several concerns prompted her to call for the hearing.

30 years ago – 1987

The state Water Resources Control Board was holding up approval of another $8 million in grant funds to cover increased costs under a $15 million Idyllwild sewer project.

25 years ago – 1992

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received county approval to build a 3,232-square-foot church on 2 acres of property at Tollgate Road and Highway 243. The structure was expected to take 8 to 9 months to build and would be in a Swiss alps design.

20 years ago – 1997

For the first winter in a long time, Josh Bischof, then 19 years old, was on the sidelines. He had been working toward a spot on the U.S. Olympic team since age 12, and was finally living the life of a back-country teen.

15 years ago – 2002

South Coast Air Quality Management — the agency that enforces air quality rules in much of Southern California — issued a notice of violation to the Hemet Unified School District for breaking regional and federal rules during the removal of some asbestos roofing tiles found buried behind Idyllwild School in July 2000.

10 years ago – 2007

The U.S. Small Business Administration told local business owners at a Chamber of Commerce meeting about an opportunity for low-interest loans if they suffered economic injury from the Esperanza Fire that began Oct. 26, 2006.

5 years ago – 2012

The Friends of the Idyllwild Library broke ground on the new library building in Strawberry Plaza.

1 year ago – 2016

Ron Singerton, a speaker for the Idyllwild Community Center Speaker Series discussed the publishing industry.