By Becky and Jack Clark

Co-publishers

Now, 11 businesses are Town Crier Members: Baily Winery; Everitt’s Minerals & Gallery; The Family Business (tax preparation); Fern Valley Inn; Idyllwild Backhoe; Idyllwild Vacation Rentals; Middle Ridge Winery Tasting Gallery; Mountain High Escrow; The Red Kettle (restaurant); Sandlin & Son Refrigeration; and Sub Rosa Apothecary.

Also, four nonprofit organizations and two public agencies have joined as Members: Friends of San Jacinto Mountain County Parks; Hemet Public Library; Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends; Idyllwild Arts Academy; St. Hugh’s Episcopal Church; and one anonymous public agency.

The Red Kettle restaurant is the first business making special discounts available to all Town Crier Members. We thank Bruce Ross, The Red Kettle’s owner, for so strongly supporting our Membership model.

We very much appreciate the contributions all these businesses and nonprofits are making toward keeping a real newspaper on our Hill. Please remember to support these business and organizations that are supporting your community newspaper.

Meanwhile, more and more readers of the Town Crier on and off the Hill are converting their old subscriptions into new Memberships. This can be done at any time; no need to wait until your old subscription runs out. Becky is adept at tacking on remaining subscription weeks onto new Membership dates, so you will lose nothing. You will gain uninterrupted, continued subscriptions to both printed and online issues of the Town Crier, our “Idyllwild Town Crier Member” car-window decal to encourage others to join us, in-print recognition of your Membership in the Town Crier (unless you request anonymity, which we kind of hope you don’t do since your Membership will encourage your friends and associates to join also), occasional offers from local businesses (see the current offer by The Red Kettle in a following paragraph), invitations to what we hope will be an annual Town Crier Membership Party, and — most important of all — the satisfaction of knowing you are doing your part to save and support a real newspaper on our Hill.

Currently, subscribers are converting their old subscriptions to new Town Crier Memberships at a rate averaging about 10 to 12 each week. If this continues until the one-year anniversary of the Membership model (Aug. 17, 2018), we can expect about 375 to 450 more new Memberships by then. This will bring Town Crier Memberships at various membership levels to around 650 to 700, which — assuming they carry on — can sustain our community’s newspaper year after year.

If you have received a Red Kettle card from us in the mail, you are eligible for special discounts on meals at that historic and much-loved restaurant in the center of town. If you wish your business to participate in the Town Crier Membership special offers program — as The Red Kettle is doing — please contact Jack or Becky at the Town Crier office at 951-659-2145.

Also, the “Town Crier Member” decals have gone out in thank-you cards. They are designed to be placed on the “inside” of your vehicles’ windows to withstand ice and snow. We hope you will display these decals to encourage others to join us.

Many thanks to all you Charter Members. Your responses are encouraging other community-minded readers to join with you. The Town Crier is now a Member-supported newspaper that can serve our community into the future just as long as the Members want it. That has been the objective since we began the Membership model.

Idyllwild Town Crier
Charter Members

Saving and Supporting the Town Crier
for our Community

(290 Charter Members as of November 20, 2017

Angels (4) — Other amount, unlimited above $1,000 annually:  Nancy Borchers $2,000; Kathy & Tom Kluzak $1,250; Sub Rosa Apothecary (Julia Meadows & Marc Peterman) $1,200; (1) Anonymous $2,500.

Heroes (4) — $1,000 annually:  Anne & Barnaby Finch; Charles “Chic” Fojtik; Janice Lyle; (1) Anonymous $1,000.

Patrons (9) — $500+ annually:  Scott Bump & Cynthia Grady; Morgan Cannon; Kitty Kieley Hayes; Pamela Jordan & Christopher Scott; Ron Luebbert; The Mills Family; Dave & Shanna Robb; (2) Anonymous $500.

Sponsors (57) — $250+ annually:  Donald Abrams; Sharon & Thomas Apostle; Austin Tile (Chris & Julee Austin); Anne Bleaden; Pete & Suzy Capparelli; Blair Ceniceros; Diann Coate; Laurel & Redmond Corbett; Arthur & Deborah Cravets; Sandii Castleberry Daigh; Isabelle Dubois; Marcia Edwards $300; The Family Business (tax preparation - Craig & Janice Coopersmith); Dave & Laurie Fraser; Marsha & Susan Freed; Friends of San Jacinto Mountain County Parks; Dick & Karen Hadik; Paula & Robert Hetzler; David Hunt & Kris Kirschbaum; Idyllwild Backhoe (Carol & David Jones, Denise & Justin Jones); Idyllwild Vacation Rentals (Chris Titus); Christine Iger; Ben & Nanci Killingsworth; Anne & Jon King; Kathy & Will Kleindienst; Dianne Lake; Barbara Larsh; John Larue $350; Jason Laurence & Alexandra Napier; Martha Ludlum & Steven Morris; Chuck & Martha Lumia; Nancy Wallace Lungren for Don & Elizabeth Wallace Family Trust; Linda McCaughin & Phil Strong; Charles & Margaret Mooney; Mountain High Escrow; Sue Nash & Tom Paulek; Thomas Noce; Betty & Walter Parks; Ben & Rue Pine; Raphael Plunkett; Andy Ridgwell; Fran & Steve Robb; Martha & Scott Schroeder; Gary Schwandner; Paul Shnable; Adele & Bob Smith; Karen Smith; Anne Stone; Greg Trigeiro; Alex & Valerie Virtue; Barry & Jolene Wallace; Kay Wanner & Charlies Wix; Brian Weiss; Barbara Woolfolk; (3) Anonymous $250.

Sustaining Readers (216) — $100+ annually:  Patricia Altman; D.M. Ankenbrandt; Bruce Bainbridge; Baily Winery (Carol & Phil Baily) $150; Robert Ballard; Cheryl & Lon Barr; Albert Bates; Jeanne Bauer; Kathleen & Ron Beaufort; Nancy Beddingfield & Paul Leverenz; Kerry Berman; Rick Bernardin; Cathy & Doug Bernhagen; Douglas & Maureen Boren; Ron Boustead & Ruth Riven Boustead; Bernard & Jorgine Brause $200; Denise Brown & David Golman; Paul Browne; Ann & Will Brundage; Kathy Bryson; Charles Buchanan; Kenneth Camoirano; Bruce Campbell; Garrett & Harmeet Capune; Steve Chadwick; Duane & Ermylee Chamlee; Ben & Jean Chase; Reg Cohen; Nancy Collins; Roberta Corbin & Lawrence Kueneman; Virginia Criste; Joe Curtis; Barbara & David Cutter; Barbara Czescik; Margaret & Michael D’Ambra; Jayne Davis; Mark Davis & Eduardo Santiago; Iris & Peter Davison; John & Linda Denver; Mizzi Diamond & Tim Doyle; Sherryn Digby; Ruthe Donlon; Carol & Dennis Dunbar; Greg & Nancy Dunlap; John Dunne; Jennie & Steven Espinosa; Everitt’s Minerals & Gallery (Janet & Larry Everitt); Fern Valley Inn (Gary & Marcie Erb); Farah Fisher; Amy Fogerson & Kent Weishaus; Chris Fox; Michael Franich; Françoise Frigola; Roland Gaebert; Bruce & Carolyn Ganoe; Merle & Rosemarie Gardner; Don & Louise Giger; John & Kathleen Gilliland; Cathy & Gil Gillogly; Dick & Jan Goldberg; Christine & Jan Goldsmith; Eleanor Gorth; Mary Gosney & Rebecca Gunn; Patti Gould; Gary & Joan Gray; Bob & Corrine Greenamyer; Karin & Richard Greenwood; Harry Griswold & Stephanie Webber;
Mark Gumprecht & Christine Rheaume; Carolyn Hall; Linda Hanson; Marcia Harlan & Charles Phelan; Emily Heebner & Eric Young; Hemet Public Library; Carole Herman & Sandi Mathers; Paul & Theresa Hert; Wayne Hester; Robert Hewitt & Janice Murasko; Jim & Mary Hobbes; Heidi & Todd Hoggan; Richard Honn & Marguerite Snow; Douglas Hopper; Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends; Idyllwild Arts Academy; David Israelsky & Janice Zahn; Don “Jac” & Mimi Jacaruso; Jan Jaspers-Fayer; Josh & Lea Johnson; Barbara Jones; Doug Kelbert; Donna & Sam Kelly; Marilyn Kemple; Donna Kennedy & William Linehan; Ted & Beverly Kilman; Barbara & Ted Kinoshita; Helen Knauer; Marcia & Ron Krull; Nadiene Kuhn for Diane Smith; Diana & Terry Kurr; Elaine Latimer; Erin Latimer; Trudy Levy; Bob Lippert; Elizabeth Locke; Elaine Lockhart; Barbara & Michael Longbrook; Cathy & Dave Lopez; Marsha Lytle; Michèle Marsh & Peter Szabadi; Brian Marshall; Brian C. Marshall; Barbara Mathahs; Erin Matthews; Bret McCaughin-Strong; Ralph McClurg; Joan McCullough; Maureen McElligott; Michael McKenzie & Robert Thorson; Jane Meier; Carol Mendoza; George & Sheila Meyer; Leslea Meyerhoff; Maurice Meysenburg; Middle Ridge Winery Tasting Gallery (Chris & Melody Johnston); Susan Millard; Marcia & Richard Montaño; Melissa Montgomery-Lynch; Maria & Mark Morgan; Wayne Myers & Aaron Twombly; Marion Nelson; Christen Ng; Gwen Oesch; Dawn & Jim O’Keeffe; Steve Olson & Stephanie Yost; Robert Parker; Neil Passage; Gerald Pauley; Anthony Pearson; Barbara & Dave Pelham; Heather Perry; Cecil & Shirley Peters; Robert Peterson; John Petty; Marlene & Thomas Pierce; Jim Pomeroy $150; Jack & Nancy Pyster; Ed & Sandy Reed; Mike Reed; Jim Rees; George & Kathryn Reeves; Linda & Manny Rider; Margaret & Ned Roberts; Debbi Roeder; Maureen & Steve Rose; Don & Julie Roy; Robert Sandifer; Sandlin & Son Refrigeration (David Sandlin); Vic Scavarda; Charles Schelly; Richard Schnetzer; Steve Shaw; Dale Sheneman; Judith & Ronald Shenkman; Doug & Lois Sheppard; Carol Simonek; Bee Smith; Bill & Linda Smith; Jeannie Sprenger; Patricia and Will Sproule; St. Hugh’s Episcopal Church; Edward Stavert; Jean Stein & Pamela Williams; Kirk & Yvonne Stephenson; Richard Stinson; Patsy & Steven Stratton; Stephen Sutton; Mary Talley; Jim Tanner; Jacob & Theresa Teel; James & Joanne Tenney; John Thomford; Norman Toback; Arthur Tobias; Deidre & Joe Vail; David Verplank; Anne & Douglas Walker; Barb & Thom Wallace; Pamela Walton; Bill Waring; Glenn Warren; Sallie Warwick; Annette Wasell c/o Aria Board & Care; Charles & Susan Weisbart; Sheila Weldon; Sharon & Stephen White; Bob & Sunny Wilcox; Richard Wilkerson; Barbara & Steve Wilkes; Joanne Williams; Elizabeth & Thomas Wirt; Jim Wise; Catherine Wood; James Wymer; Fredricka & Paul Young; Linda Young; Alexander and Lorna Zukas; (1) Anonymous $200; (9) Anonymous $100.

Thank you all!

Remember that the Town Crier’s weekly News Meeting is open to the entire public. That’s where we decide on the stories we will cover in the next issue of the paper. Some readers have regularly attended and contributed for years. The meetings currently are at the Town Crier office at 54405 North Circle Drive, Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., unless Monday is a Town Crier holiday — then the meeting is at 8:30 a.m. the following day, Thursday. The next meeting after this Wednesday morning’s Nov. 22 meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 8:30 a.m.