In September 1971, Frank Dixon (left) planned to celebrate his 89th birthday that month by challenging Bill Neuhoff (right) to a bike race. Dixon pedaled regularly to and from his home on Lower Pine Crest.
FILE PHOTO

65 years ago - 1956
The Christian Science Church was being built on Cedar Street.

60 years ago - 1961
Keith Froehlich hiked 86,992 feet while measuring the trails within the State Park Wilderness area.

55 years ago - 1966
As a result of a new county ordinance banning burning dumps, then-County Supervisor Floyd McCall announced that a public cut-and-fill dump would replace the open-burning pit used by the community for several decades. The U.S. Forest Service made 20 acres of public land available for the facility, which was to be maintained by the county Roads Department.

50 years ago - 1971
Ma Poates, Idyllwild pioneer and mother of Eleanor Johnson (for whom Eleanor Park was named), died at the age of 93.

45 years ago - 1976
After having changed their minds a couple of times, members of the Pine Cove Property Owners Association voted to petition the County Board of Supervisors to approve a Municipal Advisory Commission for Pine Cove.

40 years ago - 1981
Town Hall offered a class on how to safely use and properly maintain a chain saw.

35 years ago - 1986
Cindy Allert celebrated her 10th anniversary of ownership of the Idyllwild Beauty Shop at a surprise party that her employees organized. Today, Allert is still at the helm after 45 years.

30 years ago - 1991
A team of seven Idyllwild ham radio operators from the local Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services organization conducted a simulated earthquake exercise to test their readiness for a real emergency.

25 years ago - 1996
Riverside County approved Idyllwild Arts Foundation’s 10-year master plan that included plans for a new 30,000-square-foot dormitory, a 16,000-square-foot library, a painting studio, an exhibition building, a theater and a headmaster’s residence.

20 years ago - 2001
Idyllwild streets were quiet as townspeople tried to cope with feelings of shock and anger after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

15 years ago - 2006
A hiker was lost for four days in the Mt. San Jacinto State Wilderness. Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit volunteers eventually found him, but only after a heavy storm interrupted their search for a day.

10 years ago - 2011
Jerry Buchanan and longtime resident Larry Donahoo easily won the fire commission seats up for election.

5 years ago - 2016
The San Jacinto Mountain Community Center board was being preliminarily considered to run the recreation programs in Idyllwild.

1 year ago - 2020
The Idyllwild Community Center board was delighted to announce that the major renovation of Idyllwild’s Town Hall was complete.