75 years ago – 1948

“Don’t look for the Town Crier next week,” advised the editor. “We’re skipping every other week to do our winter chores.”

70 years ago – 1953

The Marais-Miranda folk opera “African Heartbeat” premiered at the Bowman, but the weather was so cold the audience huddled in blankets.

65 years ago – 1958

Anza Electric Cooperative was conducting a survey to see how many potential users there might be for telephone service in Anza.

60 years ago – 1963

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was getting set to open.

55 years ago – 1968

Prolonged drought had turned brush lands into a living tinderbox. Low rainfall had been recorded for more than 18 years.

50 years ago – 1973

Five occupants of a house on Fern Valley Drive barely escaped death when their house, along with two cars, was destroyed by a fire. The fire originated from a can of ashes removed from the fireplace and placed on the deck. Burn holes could be seen in the bottom of the burned-out can. The family dog perished.

45 years ago – 1978

More than 51,000 people visited the mountain area over Labor Day weekend, according to figures the U.S. Forest Service compiled. Of that number, 23,648 visited Idyllwild.

40 years ago – 1983

The Garner Valley Volunteer Firefighters barbecue was called a “great success,” with nearly 700 people attending the dinner and dance. Proceeds were to be used for fire and rescue equipment.

35 years ago – 1988

Heavy, last-minute enrollment and a power outage added to the usual hectic activity at area schools during the first day of the new school year.

30 years ago – 1993

The Disaster Preparedness Committee was working to purchase caches of medical supplies for each of its Neighborhood Collection Points on the Hill.

25 years ago – 1998

The fifth-annual Jazz in the Pines festival was very successful with a 25% increase in attendance over the previous year.

20 years ago – 2003

The Bobcats, an Idyllwild American Youth Soccer Organization that Chris Read coached, came back champions of a regional tournament. The five girls went undefeated in four games to win the girls under age 10 tournament.

15 years ago – 2008

Internationally recognizable Camel and Marlboro man Bob Beck died at home in Idyllwild after a difficult struggle with cancer.

10 years ago – 2013

A summer storm pummeled Idyllwild with pea-sized hail causing flash-flood warnings throughout central Riverside County.

5 years ago – 2018

Thursday morning, Aug. 30, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Marijuana Extraction Team removed a grove of marijuana from U.S. Forest Service lands north of Lake Fulmor.

1 year ago – 2022

Officials assigned to the unified command for the 11,500-acre Fairview Fire, which was first reported in East Hemet Sept. 5, spoke to the public at the Riverside County Fire Station 52 in Garner Valley.