January 3

At its installation of officers, Lake Gregory Yacht Club members were thrilled to learn the club had been named Associate Yacht Club of the Year by the Southern California Yachting Association for the fifth straight year.

January 10

Crestline resident Ethel Mohler, 82, once took to the ski slopes like a champ, but a broken hip and a couple of serious car accidents made it look like Ethel’s days on the slopes had come to an end. Her husband, Fritz Ward, a ski instructor at Snow Valley, knew how much she would like to join her granddaughter on the slopes, so he arranged with Jack Cooperman, the director of the Adaptive Sports Center at Snow Valley, to take Ethel out on a bi-ski to join in on the fun with her granddaughter.

January 17

Rim High School senior Joseph Joffrion was awarded his Eagle Scout badge at a Jan. 6 Court of Honor held at Lake Arrowhead Community Presbyterian Church. For his Eagle Scout project, Joseph created a memorial garden on the church’s grounds. While working on the project, said Joseph, he learned about construction, business and keeping a schedule.

January 24

After a nearly seven-year wait for state funding to come through, Rim of the World High School will finally get a $7 million major makeover, starting in April. “We’re very happy that the work can finally get underway,” said school board president Cindy Gardner.

February 7

A cold, steady rain fell during the 11th annual PolaRotary Bear Plunge, which took place on the beach at Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa on Feb. 2. The 84 jumpers raised approximately $40,000 for 28 local and national charities.

February 14

Lake Arrowhead-based Church of the Woods has launched a second attempt at persuading the San Bernardino County Planning Commission and board of supervisors to approve what some have called a “megachurch” on land it owns in Rimforest. The church’s proposed “Sonrise Project,” which had been rejected by county officials in 2010, is planned for 27 acres of steep, hilly, forested land on the east edge of Rimforest.

February 21

Twin winter storms over the recent President’s Day weekend brought rain, snow and bone-chilling temperatures to the San Bernardino Mountains, resulting in nightmarish driving conditions for motorists throughout the mountaintop communities.

February 28

During the second year of a bark beetle eradication project at Lake Gregory, inmates from Pilot Rock Conservation Camp removed scores of bark beetle-infested trees lining the south shore area of the county regional park. The project is expected to last between 60 and 90 days.

March 7

Motorists traveling Highway 138 south of Crestline and Highway 18 south of the stoplight at Lake Gregory Drive will, before the end of this year, be able to see informative road messages on changeable message signs that Caltrans crews began installing last October.

March 14

A sinkhole that suddenly appeared in the westbound lane of Crestline’s heavily traveled Lake Drive around 7 a.m. on March 6 resulted in damages to several vehicles and minor injury to at least one person. It may have also been responsible for a 13-hour power outage in Crestline’s Lake Drive business district.

March 21

Ace Garden Center in Crestline hosted the first of a series of monthly gardening seminars on March 9, during which Master Gardeners Holly Brown and Jodelle Smith presented instructions on starting plants from seeds. During the well-attended seminar, Smith demonstrated several useful gardening tools and techniques that make mountain gardening easier.

March 28

Incorporate Lake Gregory Commission Chair Bill Mellinger reported that the numbers look excellent for incorporating the Crestline communities. Mellinger said all the numbers they have received so far appear to indicate the new city would have a surplus of funds after they have paid for all community services and put money into a reserve fund.

April 4

After a three-year absence from the San Bernardino Mountains, Chief Ron Walls is returning as the head of the Mountain Division. Division Chief Walls will oversee fire and rescue operations, as well as emergency medical response throughout. The 600-square-miles of vegetation-covered mountains, foothills and valleys.

April 11

Lake Gregory Improvement Commission Chairperson Rick Dinon announced that construction activity on the rehab of Lake Gregory Dam has continued following a series of spring storms that slowed construction, but which also resulted in the rise of the lake’s level. “Basically, it’s done, we believe. As of April 2, the buttress fill has been completed, rip rap installed and the top of the buttress had been leveled,” Dinon said, adding that an inspection was performed by the state’s Division of Safety of Dams and that a final sign-off letter is expected soon.

April 18

After studying engineering in class for six weeks, the fifth-graders at Lake Arrowhead Elementary School teamed up with classmates to solve problems. “They were charged with a problem that affects them personally and also affects others globally,” said science teacher Brian Warner. After working on their projects for three weeks, the students displayed them in the school’s cafeteria and presented them to the younger students.

April 25

The 11th annual Duck Derby held at Lake Gregory last Saturday raised funds for the Jamboree Days fireworks to celebrate America’s birthday. The chamber of commerce made a curvy course of plastic sheeting for the plastic duckies to waddle down into the lake. The winning ducks won nice cash prizes for their adoptive parents, with the top performing duck bringing home $1,000.

May 2

Friday, April 26 was an historic day in Crestline’s long history, as the politicians arrived, along with over 200 local residents, to celebrate the completion of the buttress construction project and re-dedication of Lake Gregory Dam. The celebration began with a free “Breakfast with your Supervisor” event hosted by 2nd District County Supervisor Janice Rutherford. Breakfast was served on the newly built 40-foot-wide buttress that is supporting the 80-year-old dam, which was built by Arthur Gregory in 1937.

May 9

The fourth annual Family Science Night and open house at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School had its primary focus on protecting the environment. Over 800 students, teachers, school district administrators, families and interested community members swarmed the campus for over two hours, viewing with amazement individual student and classroom science projects.

May 16

This year’s Community Awards Banquet, presented by the Crestline-Lake Gregory Rotary Club, honored Roxana Crumley as Mountain Hero of the Year for helping the needy by operating the Crestline Food Bank; Chamber President Louis Boehle for the many positive changes he’s responsible for at the chamber and throughout the community; Sheriff’s Deputy Kelly Bush for being named Deputy of the Year; Wayne Allen for his help with Crest Forest Senior Citizens Club construction and remodeling projects; Sherri Fairbanks for her volunteerism with Friends of the Crestline Library; Cliff Bennett for his dedication to veterans, training of search-and-rescue workers and training hospital staff on combating violence at the hospital; Frank Hoeschler for being named the Knights of Columbus’ First Knight of the Year; and Gaston Maya was named Rotarian of the Year for beginning the free Rotary Thanksgiving Dinner.

May 23

The first trout derby of the season at Lake Gregory attracted nearly 300 anglers, with about 60 of them youth. Top winner in the adult category was Robert Balos, who caught a record-breaking 27-inch trout. Brandon Sabala took first place in the youth division with his 20.5-inch fish.

May 30

At Rim of the World Recreation and Park District’s May board meeting, it was revealed that five-year projections show that the district needs to ask for a tax rate increase on the November 2020 ballot. The district, which currently receives $22 per parcel, is looking to get $34 per parcel, a 55-percent increase.

June 6

According to Crestline-Lake Gregory Chamber of Commerce President Louis Boehle, Crestline’s Corks & Hops craft beer and wine walk, now in its third year, seems to be evolving, transitioning into something a little different, perhaps bigger and better than it was in its two formative years. “Attendance was more than double last year’s season opener,” said Boehle.

June 13

A steady stream of spectators walked on the docks at Lake Arrowhead Village, taking a close look at the 32 classic wooden boats on display during the 35th annual Antique & Classic Boat Show, sponsored by the Rim of the World Historical Society. In addition to the boats, 42 woodie cars were on display.

June 20

A team made up of seven Law Enforcement Explorers sponsored by the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station captured top honors at the 17th annual National Explorer Conference, hosted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The team’s advisor, Deputy Kelly Bush, said this year’s competition featured 10, team-oriented, law enforcement-based scenarios specifically designed to test the Explorers’ knowledge, competency and demeanor during high-stress events.

June 27

This year’s Jamboree Days parade will be led by two community volunteers who exemplify the vitality and small-town image of Crestline. Chosen as grand marshal was Russ Keller, who has spent years sharing Crestline’s history in a charming and light-hearted fashion. Riding in the parade as Citizen of the Year will be Rick Dinon, who headed the Lake Gregory Improvement Committee for eight years. Without his shepherding of the dam rehabilitation project, the currently full lake might have been a dustbowl rather than a lake.

– Continued next week –