Past Tense: July 8, 2021

70 years ago – 1951
Inie Wilson was in charge of Town Hall maintenance.

65 years ago – 1956
Pine Cove residents voted to form the Pine Cove County Water District.

60 years ago – 1961
Ernie Maxwell presented a program called “Some Fun in the Outdoors” as part of the Izaak Walton League’s Outdoor Series.

55 years ago – 1966
Idyllwild held its first July 4th parade. The parade route started from the old county road yard on Pine Crest, went through the village around Eleanor Park, up Circle Drive and ended at Town Hall.

50 years ago – 1971
The Forest Service began requiring wilderness permits for people wanting to hike or camp in the national forest wilderness.

45 years ago – 1976
In honor of the nation’s bicentennial, the Idyllwild Community Chorale gave a special performance on July 4 at the ISOMATA (now Idyllwild Arts) campus.

40 years ago – 1981
The Town Crier’s “Editorial Corner” commented on President Reagan’s opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment called the Equal Rights Amendment, which was running out of time to be ratified.

35 years ago – 1986
Plants and bushes donated by the Idyllwild Garden Club were planted in the center of town as part of a fundraising project by Idyllwild’s Jim Rizor, who was earning money to participate in the International Sports Exchange track meet in Innsbruck, Austria. From there, the youth would travel to Germany as part of the local Rotary Club Exchange Student Program.

30 years ago – 1991
Hill Rotarians rolled up their sleeves and grabbed their tools to begin construction on a new children’s playground at Town Hall. The Rotarians provided the labor and split the cost of supplies and equipment with County Service Area 36.

25 years ago – 1996
Hill residents were evacuated as the 9,580-acre Bee Canyon wildfire came within a quarter of a mile of homes in Pine Cove on July 1. The Town Crier’s July 4th edition’s headline read, “We’re still here!” and gave credit to the more than 2,000 firefighters who battled the blaze.
20 years ago – 2001
A local group called Concerned Citizens for the Conservation of Mountain Water was publicly questioning the right of Pine Cove resident Paul Black to export and sell water drawn from his property.

15 years ago – 2006
The grand marshal of the Fourth of July parade was Mary Arnaiz, who had worked at the local post office for 28 years.

10 years ago – 2011
Independence Day Parade, sponsored by the Idyllwild Rotary Club, had more than 70 entries and many other last-minute entries.

5 years ago – 2016
Better Wildlife Control owner Tracy Phillippi said he had captured 25 rattlesnakes on residents’ properties in the Idyllwild-Pine Cove area.

1 year ago – 2020
The Euphoria Brass Band from San Diego kicked off the Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines at Ferro.