Michelle Hake, who has been a member of the Crestline-Lake Gregory Chamber board since 2017, was elected president of the board at the chamber’s Jan. 18 meeting.

She is excited over her selection and that all the community events Crestline is known for are back on the schedule for this year, including the Duck Derby, Corks & Hops and Jamboree Days with the parade scheduled for Saturday, July 2.

Hake was born in Houston, Texas, and moved to the mountains in 2016 from the Los Angeles area with her husband, Daley, who is a director of photography. Since moving here and opening their retail store Hearth and Sage General Store in Top Town Crestline, many family members have followed them by moving up to the mountain. The Hakes are the parents of a 3-year-old son, Asher.

Michelle has extensive experience in producing events and doing volunteer coordination for both commercial and nonprofit groups. Her specialty is creating spaces which allows people to get involved in big projects, like large community events. She was instrumental in rebranding the Crestline Corks & Hops events and has been involved at multiple levels with all the other Crestline events since joining the chamber, especially the Fall Festival in Top Town. Hake has also been actively involved in the production of the Crestline Magazine for the past few years. It will be mailed to local post office boxes and put in visitor centers in February to promote the Crestline community.

Although not seeking the presidency, when nominated by the board, Hake said it got her to thinking about the future of Crestline.

“I think I can get us to new places now that we have a full board and the manpower and enthusiasm to do more things. I have a three-stage plan to get us back on track after all the forced government closures since 2019. I think, with the personnel and motivation to move forward, this next year and the year after will be exciting times for the Crestline chamber,” she said.

Hake added, “We do need to realize what the chamber of commerce is and is not. It is a vehicle for attracting tourism to our community and is not a government body that can make laws and change the town. But, if we could do some future economic development for our businesses, then the town could create a sustainable economy, which will benefit us all.

“I see myself as a person who can use my expertise to look at talented people and enable them to use their skills, passions and strengths to all work together for a common goal, resulting in a successful outcome,” Hake said. “The chamber is an excellent venue for these people to get involved and to excel for the benefit of many.”

Hake has plans to upgrade the visitors center, currently located in the chamber office, to make it more welcoming and to use it as a place to direct visitors to the local stores, activities, restaurants and points of interest, which can benefit residents by directing them to services and businesses.

Past president Louis Boehle, who served the Crestline chamber for four-and-a-half years as its president, said, “I had the honor of passing the torch to an amazing colleague and friend, Michelle Hake, at the chamber meeting. It’s been an incredible journey serving this community through all the good times and the trials, but I wouldn’t change the experience for anything.”

Boehle is the owner of Encompass Antiques and Gifts in Lake Gregory Village and, as chamber president, he presided over the rebranding of Corks & Hops, the relocation of the Duck Derby and Easter Egg Hunt and created the Fall Festival to bring attention to the historic Top Town area of Crestline. He envisioned and created the mural project, which, by using the transient occupancy taxes (TOTs) paid by visitors who stay in motels and registered Airbnbs, is bringing renewed interest to the community. With those TOT funds, a new brochure will be designed with QR codes to bring additional focus to the murals for visitors.

Boehle plans to mentor Hake in her new role as president, as he was mentored by the previous president, Mick Hill.

The last couple years have been difficult due to COVID but, through the chamber’s negotiations with the county, new streetlights in the business sections of town will be installed and additional parking spaces created for those shopping in town.

To contact the chamber, call them at (909) 338-2706 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, or email them at [email protected] Visit their website at www.CrestlineChamber.org for the updated calendar of events. To contact President Michelle Hake directly, email her at [email protected]