Past Tense: May 27, 2021

70 years ago – 1951
Sportland, in the village center, put up umbrella tables outside by the pool.

65 years ago – 1956
Seven students graduated from Idyllwild Elementary School: Gary Bischof, Janet Froehlich, Dianne Granger, Diane Hunt, Marianne McConnell, Linda Michelsen and Carolyn Waltrip.

60 years ago – 1961
A new state park trail was being built from Deer Springs to Fuller Ridge.

55 years ago – 1966
Plans for the county airport system called for an Idyllwild airport on a 60-acre site, most likely situated in Garner Valley. The plan never came to fruition.

50 years ago – 1971
The U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation announced that a permit would soon be required for hiking and camping in the roadless areas of national forest lands in California.

45 years ago – 1976
A cook shack in Eleanor Park called “The Broiler in the Park” served up hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs and French fries every day for lunch and dinner.

40 years ago – 1981
Idyllwild lost a landmark of sorts when “the chimney” situated beyond High Castle was torn down to make way for construction of a new house. The chimney had been a popular meditation spot for locals since the house around it burned down in 1953.

35 years ago – 1986
Bumper to bumper traffic was reported at the entrance to Lake Hemet Campground over the Memorial Day Weekend. More than 4,300 people registered at the campground that weekend.

30 years ago – 1991
A group of Hill residents were holding meetings to discuss the imminent lack of a resident physician in Idyllwild, following Dr. Edward Reder’s announcement that he would be closing his Fern Valley Corners office.

25 years ago – 1996
The Town Crier moved to Village Center Drive. Long-time residents may recall that the building originally housed the Forest Service from 1970 until 1985, when the agency moved to its present ranger station on Pine Crest Avenue.

20 years ago – 2001
More than 200 people were on hand on a cool, misty Memorial Day to witness the annual American Legion Post 800 ceremony to honor those who have died serving the U.S. in war time.

15 years ago – 2006
Idyllwild Water District dedicated its solar plant. The 44-kilowatt solar array powers six of the district’s wells and its filtration plant.

10 years ago – 2011
Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff announced the potential layoff of up to 800 personnel. Cuts were planned in order to balance his budget for the next fiscal year as directed by the county executive.

5 years ago – 2016
Idyllwild Fire Protection District commissioners voted 4-0 to establish a Joint Powers Authority to provide fire and emergency service to the city of San Jacinto. Commissioner Larry Donahoo was absent.

1 year ago – 2020
The Idyllwild Rotary Club applied for and received a disaster relief grant for $694 from their Rotary district to help the community recover from the impacts of the pandemic. A generous Rotarian matched that amount and other members also chipped in to raise a total of $2,500.