

Mountain Folk: Opliger then and now
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Brandon Opliger (son of Rocky Opliger, retired US Forest Service, San Bernardino National Forest) in the left photo, taken approximately in 1989. Opliger was in an IFPD engine. His mother Lori (Friemoth) Richter worked for IFPD and Brandon was four or five years old. The right-hand photo is Brandon now, age 26, employed with the U.S. Forest Service, Cleveland National Forest, on the Palomar Hotshot Crew, out of Oak Grove Station. Photos courtesy of Lori (Friemoth) Richter

Jan Priestly’s pottery was selected for the recent 2013 Potters Council show entitlae “Green.” The show was last week in Houston, Texas … Local composer Peter Davison received another nomination from the Hollywood Music in Media organization, for best classical composition, “Mount Tahquitz” from his CD “Forest Home.” Nominations were announced in February and the…
Erec VonSeggern, a sophomore from Idyllwild, won the Wisconsin State Flute Festival held in Madison. He was awarded a first-place prize of $350. It was the third straight year a Lawrence University student has won the state flute festival competition. For his 15-minute finals performance, VonSeggern played Georges Hüe’s “Fantaisie Pour Flûte et Piano,” “Night…
Seventeen Idyllwild and Pine Cove residents took advantage of free county transportation to the Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights in Riverside on Saturday, Jan. 7. The outing, suggested by the Forest Folk committee of active older adults and provided courtesy of Town Hall Recreation, began at 2 p.m. from Town Hall and returned all attendees…
On June 15, Cody Wohlman, Idyllwild School from kindergarten through eighth grade and a Hemet High School graduate, earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California, Davis. While there, he focused on large animal treatment. He and his wife Silvia, who also graduated last month, have passed their state and national licensing…
Marc Kassouf, full-time Idyllwild resident and owner of the Stay Idyllwild Group of inns (Quiet Creek Inn and Strawberry Creek Inn), has been elected to the governing board of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International. PAII is a national professional organization with more than 800 members representing inns, bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, vendors, associations…
The Reverend Sharon Hudson, regional support coordinator of the Centers for Spiritual Living, will be in Idyllwild on Sunday, Sept. 24, for the ordination of the Rev. Helen Henderson. Before becoming eligible for ordination, Henderson was required to complete at least 6,000 hours of active service as a licensed minister, and pass a review by…