Past Tense: May 16, 2013
65 years ago – 1948
Plans were being made for The Wild Idle Days celebration to be held in July.
60 years ago – 1953
Dick and Virginia Homan took over operation of the Hillbilly Variety Store while owner Edith Oliver recuperated from surgery.
55 years ago – 1958
Idyllwild’s first massage parlor was opened. J.L. Hatch invited everyone to drop in and try a massage, and the first customer each day got a free one.
50 years ago – 1963
Opera singer Lily Pons and a party of friends dined at the Schwarzwaldhaus Restaurant after touring Idyllwild.
45 years ago – 1968
Three-thousand fingerling rainbow trout were dropped by helicopter into Tahquitz and Andreas creeks, on the Palm Springs side of the mountains. They were the first California streams ever stocked with trout from a hovering helicopter.
40 years ago – 1973
Water started flowing in Lake Perris, culminating 22 years of planning and construction. Miss Idyllwild, Janet McCaghren, and the Town Crier were present for the dedication ceremonies.
35 years ago – 1978
The House Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C., approved $1.95 million for the U.S. Forest Service’s acquisition of a 1,500-acre portion of Garner Ranch.
40 years ago – 1983
Town Hall Recreation Program Director Shirley Root announced a planned summer day camp that would provide Hill children with weekday activities at Town Hall during summer vacation break.
25 years ago – 1988
The traditional Mother’s Day snowstorm arrived two days early, leaving almost 2 inches of snow that disappeared quicker than the flapjacks at the annual Lions Club Mother’s Day breakfast.
20 years ago – 1993
After many delays, the Strawberry Creek Bridge was finally opened. It was a particular relief to business owners who stated that their businesses had suffered devastating losses since construction began in March 1992.
15 years ago – 1998
A big sweep by deputies from Lake Hemet Sheriff’s substation and assisting agencies picked up several of the area’s parole and probation violators. The operation was part of a larger crackdown conducted throughout San Jacinto Valley and surrounding communities.
10 years ago – 2003
The Strawberry Fuelbreak was completed, giving Idyllwild about 2 miles of defensible space against wildfires.
5 years ago – 2008
Assemblyman John J. Benoit led a ceremony at the Silent Valley RV Club in Poppet Flat dedicating the 30 miles of Highway 243 from Banning to Mountain Center as the “Esperanza Firefighters Memorial Highway.”
1 year ago – 2012
It was announced that six long-time Idyllwild School teachers — Iva Botton, Patty Carratello, Diane D’Arcy, Joan Gray, Holly Guntermann and Vic Scavarda — were retiring at the end of the term.
