70 years ago – 1947
file photo
A wave of ladybugs buzzed through the village, coming out of hibernation. Somebody proposed an annual village lottery on the date the yearly flight would take place.
65 years ago – 1952
The Froehlichs were readying their new Rustic Theatre for a mid-June opening. Promised features included “a sloping floor, loge seats so relaxing you can barely lift your popcorn to your mouth and a crying room for infants who don’t fancy the feature.”
60 years ago – 1957
May ended with 4.54 inches of rainfall and 4 inches of snow.
55 years ago – 1962
The public was reminded that scooters were banned on local riding and hiking trails. The ban applied to all mechanical vehicles on state and forestry trails here.
50 years ago – 1967
Ernie Maxwell was returned to office for his 20th term as president of the Izaak Walton League.
45 years ago – 1972
The woods were cleaner after the “America’s Cleanest Forest” mission of local volunteers and a county road camp crew from Banning spent the weekend cleaning the area. The America’s Cleanest Forest Program was sponsored by the Izaak Walton League.
40 years ago – 1977
Progress on the first phase toward a possible wastewater treatment system for all of the mountain area was heard at a special meeting of the Mt. San Jacinto Water Study Agency. The only item on the agenda was a report from study engineer Peter Pountney of Hirsch & Co.
35 years ago – 1982
Most of the 35 people attending a meeting of the Hemet Unified School District Board of Trustees voiced support for the proposed secondary school in Garner Valley.
30 years ago – 1987
Mt. San Jacinto State Park marked its golden 50th anniversary with a big celebration.
25 years ago – 1992
Highway 243 from Ridgeview Drive to South Circle Drive was closed to through traffic due to the Strawberry Creek Bridge being replaced with a more stable, earthquake-proof bridge. The road was expected to reopen Sept. 9.
20 years ago – 1997
Idyllwild Arts graduated 63 seniors.
15 years ago – 2002
Increased costs caused Idyllwild Fire Protection District to raise its ambulance fees 21.4 percent.
10 years ago – 2007
A bald eagle chick was making a strong recovery after falling from its nest near Lake Hemet. Hopes were the eaglet would soon be returned to its home.
5 years ago – 2012
Idyllwild resident Erec VonSeggern won the California Federation of Women’s Club Young Musicians’ 2012 Music Competition.
1 year ago – 2016
Mary Lehman went to the Greek island of Lesbos, just off the Turkish coast. She had read of the developing emergency on Lesbos and went to lend her skills as a volunteer emergency medical technician to the escalating refugee crisis in Europe.
