Boy Scout Troop 251 of San Gabriel pitched tents in Sculptress Lora Steere’s Idyllwild front yard in December 1966, and worked for their Scout Merit Badges by repairing benches and tables, raking leaves and doing odd jobs. The 12 boys in turn received instruction in sculpture from Steere, as well as benefiting from her rich experience in nature lore, history and travel. file photo

70 years ago - 1949
Work was progressing on the first building of the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts (now Idyllwild Arts Academy), with Clarence Bischof as contractor.

65 years ago - 1954
The first rain of the season finally arrived on Nov. 11.

60 years ago - 1959
The mysterious X Disease, which attacked ponderosa pines, was spreading rapidly in the San Bernardino Mountains but had not been spotted in local pines.
55 years ago - 1964
A major snow storm dumped 20 inches on Idyllwild.

50 years ago - 1969
The County Planning Department voiced opposition to a 2,200-acre housing development in Garner Valley proposed by the J.P. Edmondson Co. of Fort Lauderdale.

45 years ago - 1974
Jack Garner announced his proposal to build a 200-acre recreational vehicle park with 200 campsites on Baldy Mountain.

40 years ago - 1979
Idyllwild local Theresa (McCaughey) Teel was born at home in Fern Valley. Her father, Jerry, delivered her, overseen by Idyllwild Fire Department personnel, including Jim Manietta.

35 years ago - 1984
The Idyllwild Precision Shopping Cart Drill Team was busy practicing for its upcoming appearance in the 8th Occasional Doodah Parade in Pasadena.

30 years ago - 1989
The U.S. Forest Service bought 398 acres of property at the top of Baldy Mountain.

25 years ago - 1994
The San Jacinto fault line was shaking up Hill residents as two earthquakes hit in two days, both centered a few miles southwest of Idyllwild.

20 years ago - 1999
Two Idyllwild Arts Academy students, Svetlana Tsoneva and Simeon Simeonov, flew to Boston to tape shows for a new Public Radio International show titled “From the Top.” Tsoneva and Simeonov, both violinists, were chosen from a national talent search and were two of only three musicians from California selected.

15 years ago - 2004
The American Legion Post 800 held its annual Veterans Day ceremony.

10 years ago - 2009
Festival Director Steve Savage was casting Idyllwild as a leading player in the upcoming Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema 2010, debuting Jan. 11, 2010 in Idyllwild at the Rustic Theatre.

5 years ago - 2014
Riverside County’s preparedness for potential Ebola victims was the topic of the previous week’s Mountain Emergency Medical Services Committee meeting. Marie Weller and Dan Bates of the county’s Emergency Preparedness and Response agency described how the county was prepared to respond in case this emergency strikes locally.

1 year ago - 2018
A group of parents had formed Cub Scout Pack 96 for children ages kindergarten through fifth grade.