This week Idyllwild Arts (IA) Summer Programs presents its annual Native American Arts Festival, an institution-within-the-institution for more than 20 years, returning after a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shaliyah J. Ben, director of the IA Native American Arts program and coordinator of the festival, gave the Crier some background on this year’s festival. She…
Idyllwild’s synagogue, Temple Har Shalom, is welcoming a new rabbi. Rabbi Ilana Grinblat has led high holiday services for several years, including virtually during COVID, but will now be performing shabbat services regularly in person.Temple Board President Pat Schnetzer described how a community gathering for religious observances became a synagogue: “It started in April of…
“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen,” a new documentary about the making of the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” will be screened at the Rustic Theater at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 18. An informal Q and A session with Fiddler cast member and longtime Idyllwilder Michèle Marsh, who played the middle of Tevye’s three marriageable…
Editor’s note: This story is continued from last week. Paying for fire insurance doesn’t necessarily mean you are covered One homeowner, who declined to be named because of ongoing negotiations, discussed the complications that arise after a partial loss from fire. When a building is completely gone, insurers have little option but to pay the…
Idyllwild Library is kicking off its annual Summer Reading program, a six-week reading party, from Monday, June 13, to Friday, July 22. An Idyll-Beast sighting is expected during the inaugural morning children’s session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first day. The theme this year is “Reading beyond the beaten path,” encouraging people (and…
Fire is reshaping the American West. Communities in Wildfire Urban Interface zones, like ours, live in constant tension with a devastating force that can, in a single day, incinerate the homes and earthly possessions of neighborhoods and even towns. The stories of the big fires that have captured the attention of the world, names like…
The California Department of Insurance (CDI) is rolling out new regulations mandating that insurers in the state offer discounts to policyholders who undertake fire hazard mitigation and structure “hardening.” The rules are intended to make decisions about rate and risk more transparent and more tuned to the specific risk of an individual property, as opposed…
A group of veterans on the last leg of a cross-continent ride in a covered wagon spent this last weekend at Living Free’s War Horse Creek camp. The vets are drawing attention to a number of causes that help veterans deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and successfully reenter civilian life. Their mission dovetails…
With “Chapatti,” Idyllwild Actors Theatre (IAT) brings a heartwarming Irish tale of older animal lovers finding each other to the Rustic Theatre. The title refers not to the delicious Indian flat bread, but to a man’s best friend, an adopted stray dog. The play, set in Dublin, has been described as a “deft mix of…
This Saturday, a dedication ceremony will be held to celebrate Idyllwild’s first California Registered Historical Landmark, the “Donaldson Futuro.” Located in Pine Cove, residents may have heard of or caught a glimpse of this “flying saucer house” that arrived on the Hill in 2004. It has since been lovingly restored to a Technicolor glory that…
