Past Tense

75 years ago – 1948 In a playoff in Palms Springs, Butler’s Nutcrackers defeated the Register Ragdolls to become Women’s Bowling League champs.

70 years ago – 1953 The first light snow of the season hit the mountain area.

65 years ago – 1958 To mark “Double Tenth,” or Chinese New Year, Mary Nelson announced forming a Chinese wind and string ensemble.

60 years ago – 1963 David “Bud” Hunt Jr. was selected by the Idyllwild Fire District commission to fill a vacancy on the station staff.

55 years ago – 1968 Directors of the Idyllwild Protective League voted to disband the organization, formed in 1958 to “preserve the natural beauty and charm of the Idyllwild area.”

50 years ago – 1973 At a meeting of the Idyllwild Property Owners, an official from the California Department of Transportation assured locals that highways 74 and 243 were not destined to become freeways.

45 years ago – 1978 Paul West, editor and writer for hit series such as “The Waltons,” “The Donna Reed Show,” “Ozzie and Harriet” and “Father Knows Best,” was guest speaker for a Rotary Club lecture at the Rustic Theatre.

40 years ago – 1983 Idyllwild resident Lora Steere, 96, collected her 81st Squirrel Card when she visited Tahquitz Peak with a little help from her friends. Steere, who suffered a hip injury 10 years earlier, was carried to the peak in a special litter designed to accommodate her wheelchair.

35 years ago – 1988 Town Crier founding publisher and editor Ernie Maxwell was the speaker for the first meeting of the fall season of the Idyllwild Literary Society.

30 years ago – 1993 Hill resident Chris Thile, 12, took first place in the mandolin division of the National Flatpicking Guitar Championship at the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas. Chris was the youngest contestant ever to win any of the annual championships.

25 years ago – 1998 About 250 people danced to oldies music at the Idyllwild School PTA’s fifth-annual “Blast to the Past.” The event raised more than $700 for the school.

20 years ago – 2003 California voters recalled Gov. Gray Davis and chose Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace him. Idyllwild voters turned out in large numbers for the recall election.

10 years ago – 2013 A Santa Ana wind event combined with near-record low fuel moisture posed a substantial fire threat through the prior weekend.

5 years ago – 2018 The terms of three Idyllwild Fire Protection District Commissioners were to expire in December. All three incumbents — Commission President Rhonda Andrewson and commissioners Ralph Hoetger and Henry Sawicki — were seeking election to another term. Andrew Balendy was also on the November ballot challenging the incumbents for one of the three seats.

1 year ago – 2022 Alex Ortiz, 11, of San Diego was visiting with his mother and two siblings when he was bitten by a rattlesnake. Luckily, the bite contained no venom and he was released from the hospital after treatment and observation