Eduardo Santiago was the guest author at the Jan. 30 meeting of the Idyllwild Community Center Bookclub, held monthly at the Creekstone Inn. Santiago’s new novel, “Midnight Rumba,” had been chosen as the club’s book for January, and the novelist was gracious enough to agree to attend the discussion.

Mountain Center resident and artist Dore Capitani was honored and a bit overwhelmed when his beautiful blue intricately cut steel sphere, “Betty,” was installed on the famous El Paseo in Palm Desert.

With a short window to prepare as a new board, the Art Alliance of Idyllwild staged a successful public art celebration that combined two events that had previously been held separately — a plein air painting competition, with Idyllwild Arts Academy longtime visual arts faculty member David Reid-Marr as judge, and a gallery tour of…