Saturday was “May the 4th Be With You” day at the Rustic Theatre. “StarWars” fans from near and far congregated for showings of “PhantomMenace” and the original trilogy. A “Star Wars” trivia contest was heldon the patio with Luke Byers. Steve Shelala of Ace Comix brought thecollectibles, and a Mandalorian was available for photo ops….
Dyani Brunner moved to Idyllwild in 2021 and opened up shop as abookseller in February 2022. She called that first shop Speakeasybecause of its hidden-away location next to Oakwood Village. Speakeasy,along with partner enterprise Bookmarket, moved into their present spacein the Collective as soon as it opened last year. “Given our size, it surprises people…
Volunteers from many local groups gathered at the headquarters of AnimalRescue Friends of Idyllwild (ARF) Friday, May 3, to help out with theorganization’s new Wind Chime Garden. The garden will be a place whereanimal lovers can hang a wind chime as a memorial for departed pets, andplaques will honor donors. ARF staff were joined by,…
Ariel Hackney celebrated the grand opening of Merkaba’s Green Thingnursery Thursday, May 2. The name is a nod to Hackney’s first localbusiness, Merkaba, which she bought in December 2022. “It was among thereasons I moved up here. I’ve always loved Idyllwild, and always wanteda reason to be here. I loved Merkaba before I bought it….
Locals noticed a film crew at work the week of April 22 at severaldowntown localtions. The Gastrognome was taken over Tuesday andWednesday, with small “drifts” of fake snow scattered around the deck,and FERRO was next on the schedule. The Crier spoke with co-producer and director Jake Hilgren at the Gnome.“We’re filming a movie called ‘Christmas…
The Crier sat down with Julia Graham at her new teaching studio, HilltopMusic Lab, in the Collective. Graham moved into the space just a fewweeks ago, but tells us that already, 45 students are taking lessons andlearning about music at Hilltop. Graham spent about a year giving lessons out of her home in Idyllwild,and taught…
Six members of the Kretsinger family met Thursday, April 25 to posebehind the fountain in front of the Fort honoring Idyllwild plumbingpatriarch Charlie Kretsinger. Brian, Stacy, Griffin, Kinsey, Chuck andJackie were joined by Charlie Clayton, the expert mason who constructedthe fountain’s stone base, and members of the Idyllwild Water District(IWD), including Interim General Manager Curt…
The April 17 meeting of the directors of Idyllwild Water District (IWD)included a detailed update on progress on the lower administrativeoffice project, a number of legacy issues uncovered by Interim GeneralManager (GM) Curt Sauer and staff, and a review of board procedure anddecorum, including stipends for directors. In public comments David Hunt wished to “commend…
The Crier sat down last week with Leanna Lee, proprietor of Leanna’sIdyll-Awhile Bistro. She noted that Thursday, April 18, marked fiveyears from the day she closed escrow, in 2019. Idyll-Awhile was servingfor many years before that, but Lee is excited about her recent kitchenexpansion and the roll-out of a full dinner menu. Lee has a…
Taylor Brechtel has been showing his work and hosting events at hisRecht Gallery in the Courtyard since 2022. The Crier visited his galleryto introduce him to readers. Brechtel is originally from Orange County. He went to New York Citywhere he earned his bachelor’s in fine art from Parson’s School ofDesign and lived for 10 years….
