Past Tense: August 4, 2022
75 years ago – 1947
A new telephone service was inaugurated, offering six trunk lines to Hemet.
70 years ago – 1952
Paul and Mary Gormley were manning the lookout post at Ranger Peak. During the rest of the year, the Gormleys worked as cook and butler for a family in the San Francisco area.
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The Chamber of Commerce had 368 members. Dues were $3, with business memberships at $12.
65 years ago – 1957
The sixth-annual Shakespearean Festival was held at ISOMATA (now Idyllwild Arts). The drama department presented “The Taming of the Shrew.”
60 years ago – 1962
Floor was poured for a new building for Idyllwild Ice and Fuel Supply next to the post office. A cement sidewalk was added in front of the post office.
55 years ago – 1967
Camp Emerson inaugurated its new 2-acre lake.
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A class of ISOMATA students adjourned to the Black Forest Bakery to practice bakery arts. The project involved 61 pounds of pink, green, blue and yellow cookie dough; 35 pounds of white bread dough; and unlimited imagination.
50 years ago – 1972
More than 200 friends witnessed the marriage of Millie Herbert and Ed Emmel in the Community Church.
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Town Crier carried a recipe for Hopi Piki, Indian ceremonial bread. Needed, as it turned out, was a Piki stone, which not every household had.
45 years ago – 1977
Desert Sun School had a new headmaster, Vin Skinner.
40 years ago – 1982
An Anza man, Robert McQuaery, was standing under a tree near the picnic area at Lake Hemet when a lightning bolt hit him full force in the chest. McQuaery was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.
35 years ago – 1987
The Idyllwild Arts Foundation announced a four-year, $2.6 million improvement plan.
30 years ago – 1992
Becky Chase was driving her 1976 Chevrolet on Highway 74 when it slid out of control on the rain-slicked road and tumbled down the side of an embankment. Chase thanked her seat belt for saving her life. She escaped the collision without a scrape.
25 years ago – 1997
Dave Ziegler, former manager of Jo’An’s Restaurant, led an unusual crew of people in the grand opening parade of the restaurant.
20 years ago – 2002
Members of the Queen of Angels Catholic Church marched down North Circle Drive to pray for rain.
15 years ago – 2007
A 25-year veteran tree climber lost his footing, hit his rib cage against a tree, slid 2 feet, but managed to climb the remaining 8 feet to the ground. Once his safety equipment was removed, he claimed breathing problems and couldn’t sit down. He was airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
10 years ago – 2012
The Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce announced new officers for fiscal year 2012-13 at its installation dinner at the Fern Valley Inn.
5 years ago – 2017
Mountain Community Fire Safe Council, with the U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire, Idyllwild Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management, State Parks and Esri, prepared the original Hill Community Wildfire Protection Plan in 2006. It was updated in 2010.
1 year ago – 2021
Steve Perez, Idyllwild Nature Center ranger, confirmed the Lemon Lily Restoration Day would not be occurring that year.
