Idyllwild’s Jewish Temple Har Shalom (Mountain of Peace) celebrated its second Hanukkah as an Idyllwild congregation festively and inclusively. Of all the Jewish holidays, Hanukkah may be the most familiar to Christians because of its proximity to and occasional overlap with Christmas. Other similarities include the exchange of gifts, special meals, games and decorations, and…
Each year, Santa allows the Town Crier to publish local kids’ letters on their way to the North Pole. Here’s this year’s crop of Christmas correspondence: Dear Santa, I would like a singing Elsa doll for Christmas this year. Merry Christmas. Love, Kinsey Dear Santa and Mrs. Claus, We have been good listeners and helpers…
This year marks the 108th anniversary of probably the most famous Christmas newspaper editorial of all time. It was written by Francis P. Church in response to a letter from 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon. It was published on Sept. 21, 1897, in the New York Sun. We reprint it each year for the enjoyment of our…
Fifth-grader Michael Stroud and his sister, fourth-grader Mei Li Stroud, are two of four Idyllwild School students who will represent the school at the Hemet Unified District Spelling Bee Tuesday, Jan. 12. Michael and Mei Li will represent Idyllwild Elementary. Michael finished first after correctly spelling “sonar.” Jessica Ruelas and Grace McKimson, both sixth graders,…
Christmas on this mountain has a character unique in Southern California. It is different because of Idyllwild’s tiny town ambience, its charming inns, homespun shops and restaurants, its village architecture preserved from an older time, and snow-covered roofs with chimneys lofting the smell of burning pine and cedar. And bracing alpine cold, yes, the kind…
The Art Alliance of Idyllwild, a 501(c)(3) organization, has announced it will be donating more than $15,000 toward keeping art alive in Idyllwild. The proposed funding will further AAI’s purpose as a nonprofit, which is to “enhance and expand Idyllwild’s reputation as an art community, to support the achievement of artistic excellence, and to support…
