By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
Jamboree Days in Crestline was a total success brimming with Good Vibes, with a community picnic, Duck Derby, parade, all-day festival and evening fireworks shot over Lake Gregory to celebrate Independence Day.
Allen Mairs, the Grand Poobah, flashed a peace sign to the crowd.
The theme, “Crestline Vibes 2025,” was exhibited all over town. The temperature was delightful and there was free water at numerous stations all over town from Optima Health. There were many food trucks, two bands – mthe Dad Bods at the beer garden, and the Saw Pit Canyon Band at Higher Grounds sponsored by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation – and KOLA 99.9 radio, which did a live remote and sponsored music trivia contests under the trees at How Money Works.
As visitors and residents walked along Lake Drive, they were able to visit those food truck and the many vendors who were selling their wares. In Top Town there was music under the tent at Mountain Cravings. There were five jump houses in the kids zone in the parking lot of Rim Bowling. Good Crestline Vibes were felt everywhere.
The parade had 53 entries, with grand marshals Richard and Elizabeth Krumwiede, Citizen of the Year Carrie Forebear and Grand Poobah Allen Mairs. There were nine announcers at stations along the route, some with VIP seating and refreshments. Before the parade there was a stilt walker in the Lake Gregory Village area. The dancing horses from Toni’s were a crowd favorite.
The Arthur Gregory trophy for Best Nonprofit went to the students and staff of Valley of Enchantment Elementary School.
The winners of the various parade trophies were: Judges trophy went to the Rim of the World Historical Society in the historic Crestline bus; the Arthur Gregory trophy for the Best Nonprofit entry went to the Valley of Enchantment Elementary School with all the school kids yelling their school cheer; the Charles S. Mann trophy for the Best Commercial entry went to the Baremor and Ghaffari’s McDonald’s restaurant entry with numerous McDonald’s characters; the Americana trophy was presented to the Lake Gregory Company; the Best Theme trophy went to The Bear Claw; the Showmanship trophy was earned by the Lake Arrowhead School of Dance. The float judges were Dawn Neuenschwander, Shane Brown and Lise Shipley.
The Crestline Chamber of Commerce wants to give a special thank you to Jimmy Deline for dispatching “the dead skunk in the middle of the road stinking to high heaven.” The skunk had been hit by a car and squished in the middle of the parade route before the parade began.
The fireworks show, arranged by Jason Pope of Pyro Spectaculars, was amazing, as always. The beach at Lake Gregory opened to viewers at 6:30 p.m. for the 9 p.m. show. Others sat in their homes overlooking the lake or along the shore.
The coordinator of the committee of volunteers who put on Jamboree Days was the hard-working Dirk Rinker, who also managed the special insert placed in all copies of the Alpine Mountaineer and distributed throughout town prior to the parade.
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