

Black History Month celebrated with Idyllwild Arts concert
By Idyllwild Town Crier
Idyllwild Arts Academy held its annual Black History Month Concert Saturday night in the William M. Lowman Concert Hall on campus. The hall was filled to capacity with jazz fans, as well as students, faculty and staff. “Afro-American Symphony” by William Grant Still and special performances by Seahawk MoJO (Modern Jazz Orchestra) featuring music from Duke Ellington, Thelonious Sphere Monk and Daniel Jackson rounded out the evening. At left: Black History Month Concert Founder, Conductor, Arranger and Composer Marshall Hawkins (right) watches with the orchestra as the percussionists and traditional dancing take to the stage before intermission. Above: Idyllwild Arts Academy music major Sumi Onoe performed as the piano soloist with the Idyllwild Arts Orchestra, opening the Black History Month Concert with “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin. Sumi and the orchestra received a standing ovation for the performance.


The last of four Saturday bald eagle counts will take place Saturday morning, March 14. This is the 36th year of the eagle counts. During the February count, more than 275 people participated, looking for soaring or perched bald eagles. Observers sighted 17 bald eagles; two adult eagles were seen at Lake Hemet. No experience…
By the Associates of the Idyllwild Arts FoundationContributed The Associates of the Idyllwild Arts Foundation has been recognizing a volunteer of the year since 1970. The honoree’s name is kept secret and is known only by the previous year’s recipient and the search committee. The Associates is proud to announce Suzie Bennett as its 2020…
Idyllwild has a community full of people from all backgrounds, personalities and talents. Marcia Waldorf fell in love with Idyllwild the first time she came into town in 1969 while on a trip. “I had always gone to Big Bear and never had heard of Idyllwild,” Waldorf said. “But when I came around that corner…
Several months ago, the Art Alliance of Idyllwild’s board wished to support Idyllwild’s local musicians. It came up with the idea to record and press a CD. The musicians will receive a number of free copies they may sell at their gigs. These CDs also will be for sale through the AAI’s Courtyard Gallery and…
More than 100 people affiliated with the Desert Sun School (later the Elliott-Pope Preparatory School) in Idyllwild from the year 1942 to the school’s closure in 1990 held a reunion last Saturday. The reunion was on the school campus, now the site of Astrocamp. Some Idyllwild notables who attended were Marshall Hawkins, who taught sports…