By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
Crestline will come alive on July 5, 2025, for the 58th annual Jamboree Days parade, a beloved tradition celebrating community spirit and small-town charm.
This year, the Crestline Chamber of Commerce has selected Richard and Elizabeth Krumwiede, owners of Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery, as the grand marshals, embodying the parade’s theme, “Crestline Vibes 2025.” Their journey from passionate winemakers to local icons reflects the creativity, dedication and community focus that define Crestline’s unique character.
Richard and Elizabeth’s story began in 1999 when they discovered a 3.5-acre property in Crestline’s quaint Dart Canyon. They were captivated by its allure, which reminded them of the Sierra foothills. In 2007, inspired by their love for wine and the landscape of California’s Central Coast, they planted Zinfandel and Syrah grapes, launching Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery. Their modest goal was to craft exceptional wines and ciders to share with friends over good food.
Today, their small-batch winery produces about 700 cases of Bordeaux and Rhône varietals annually, alongside 500 cases of hard ciders made from heirloom apples grown on site and sourced from historic local orchards.
The Krumwiedes’ commitment to quality has earned them international acclaim, with 21 gold medals, including 10 double golds, from prestigious competitions like the Sunset Magazine international wine competition, where their 2017 Grenache was named “Best of Show Red Wine.”
Richard, a UC Davis-certified winemaker and former landscape architect, brings meticulous craftsmanship to every bottle, while Elizabeth’s artistic touch, evident in her watercolor paintings, enhances the winery’s picturesque grounds featured in Sunset Magazine.
Beyond their award-winning wines and ciders, the Krumwiedes are pillars of the Crestline community, consistently donating time and resources to local nonprofits. Their winery, a cozy destination for tastings by appointment, welcomes visitors to experience the “rugged elegance” of their Dart Canyon neighborhood. They’ve restored a historic orchard, dubbed “Big Moon Orchard,” and host events that celebrate local culture, fostering connection and pride. Yelp reviewers praise the “beautiful setting” and “friendly staff,” noting the couple’s personal warmth as they share their passion with guests.
As grand marshals, Richard and Elizabeth will serve as a combined centerpiece of the Jamboree Days parade, which kicks off at 10 a.m. along Crest Forest Drive, winds down Fern Drive and continues toward Lake Gregory, along Lake Drive, celebrating Crestline’s vibrant mountain heritage.
The Krumwiedes’ story of transforming their dream into the ambience of a thriving, community-focused winery perfectly captures the “Crestline Vibes 2025” theme and serves as an inspiration to all.
The Jamboree Days parade is sponsored by the Crestline Chamber of Commerce, a local volunteer organization of local business owners, with the help of volunteer community members, for the enjoyment of all residents and visitors. They are currently seeking volunteers to help with many of the small actions that, when coordinated, lead to a fantastic festival day of a parade, an afternoon of activities with a vendor’s marketplace of amazing items, various styles and tastes of food trucks, two live bands, a children’s fun zone and an evening sky filled with fireworks reflecting upon the lake.
You could also become a parade participant by entering your car, truck, horse or other vehicle, or bring your group and walk the parade, which is mostly a flat route downhill from Top Town to the lake’s shore. Parade registration is now open, with the deadline for parade entries on June 27. When you register online at www.jamboreedays.com and scroll down to “register here,” have a brief description of your entry ready for the announcers to read as your entry passes by, plus decide which category to enter for the trophy, as there are six opportunities to win. You may also want to purchase a VIP seating location for the parade at www.jamboreedays.com.
Again, this year, there will be a community picnic occurring on the Sunday before Jamboree Days, on June 29 at the San Moritz field, where they will “hat” the Grand Poobah, have relay races and other exciting family-friendly activities. The concluding activity of the community picnic is the annual Duck Derby. This will be the first year the ducks will be swimming to shore, instead of rushing to the lake. The Duck Derby is free to view and it will be exciting to see if the duck can find the shore, so they may need some encouragement from our local firefighters!
It’s more fun to adopt your own duck to join in on the race and to cheer it on. Cash prizes are awarded for first, second and third place, plus the annual “lame duck” for the last duck in. Tickets are now on sale at Goodwin’s Market, at the Chamber of Commerce office and other local businesses or at www.crestlinechamber.org/duckderby/.
Guests may bring their own picnics to the community picnic – bring a blanket to spread out on the lawn. There will also be some paid food options. There will be bounce houses, gunny-sack and three-legged races, watermelon and pie-eating contests, cornhole, face-painting, balloon animals and craft vendors. All parking and activities are free to the public, except for voluntary purchases.
If all this inspires you to become involved in the “Crestline Vibes-2025” activities and fun, including the parade and the picnic, adopt a duck for the duck derby, run a booth or listen to a live band, or any of the other aspects of Jamboree Days, volunteers are needed to put all of this on. Call the chamber office at (909) 338-2706 or see their website at www.jamboreedays.com to find out how to get involved.
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