Mountain Folk

The New York International Wine Competition awarded Idyllwild’s Middle Ridge Winery Temecula Valley Red Wine Winery of the Year for 2023. It also awarded gold to its 2017 Mourvedre; silver to its 2017 Cinsaut and 2020 Pinot Noir; and bronze to its NV Ranger Red. Chris Johnston is the wine maker.
Danielle McKnight, Hemet High School 2011 graduate, has been selected to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, class of 2016. After her graduation from the Maine Maritime Academy in early May, she will return to Idyllwild for some rest before begin her duties in Annapolis in late June, according to her grandfather, Jim Kent. To get…
Idyllwild Arts Academy student Shukhrat Turdikhodjaev is one of 112 southern California high school semifinalists in The Music Center’s 33rd annual Spotlight Program.Turdikhodjaev is a semifinalist in the jazz instrumental category.“Each semifinalist will audition virtually again before a new panel of judges, who will then select the top two finalist performers in each category for…
Monica Eileen Smith, daughter of Bob and Adele Smith of Idyllwild, passed the California State Bar exam and was sworn in recently by Northern California District Judge Edward J. Davila. She graduated from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco in 2013 and lives in Mountain View with her husband and two children. A frequent…
Dr. Richard MacNeal, a co-founder of MSC Software and former Garner Valley resident, died at age 94 on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. A one-hour memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at Lake Avenue Church, 393 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena. MacNeal was important in the history of Idyllwild Arts, especially during the…
Ensign Danielle McKnight, U.S. Navy, immediately after her first solo flight in the pictured aircraft, the T-6 Texan. She is in-flight training at Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas. After the Idyllwild native graduated from Hemet High School, McKnight graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in May 2016. As an ensign in the U.S. Navy,…