By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer
As we prepare to usher in 2026, the staff of the Alpine Mountaineer has carefully considered and then selected a handful of articles from the past year that we feel have had a significant impact on the lives and lifestyles of our readers. No matter whether it was a positive or negative impact, mountain residents deserve to know what’s affecting their community and their lives and how we might intervene to keep those impacts in a positive direction, for the health and well-being of all concerned.
With this in mind, here are what we consider the most important and essential articles of each week of the year 2025.
Jan. 2 – On Christmas Day, many people gather with family members, friends or neighbors to celebrate the holiday. But some people don’t have anyone to spend the day with. Enter Holland Lowe, executive director of Operation Provider. For more than three decades, she and her nonprofit agency have mounted a Christmas dinner at the Elks Lodge in Rimforest. Lowe said her reason for doing this is, “I don’t want anyone to spend Christmas alone.”
The Elks Lodge was filled with happy diners and lots of conversation during the Christmas dinner put on by Operation Provider. (File photos)
Jan. 9 – Folks who arrived at the bonfire in Lake Arrowhead Village on Dec. 14 most likely spotted Chad Logan of Logan Construction giving away toys at a table he had set up outside the bonfire area. On Jan. 18 Logan sponsored what he called a Community Giveback at which folks were able to select clothing and household goods they were in need of.
Jan. 16 – An electrical outage on the mountain that began at 3:47 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9 and lasted until Friday evening affected every resident and visitor in diverse ways. Many are dependent on electrical devices, some for medical reasons. Subsequently, many residents sought ways to recharge their devices to receive emergency information, in case a fire began, to find Internet connections and warmth as well.
Jan. 23 – Always willing to help when help is needed, longtime Crestline resident Rosemarie Labadie, who has organized and hosted Crestline’s yearly backpack giveaway for nearly a decade, had learned about an organization called Mercy Chefs several years ago and decided to sign up on their website to volunteer with them. When she got a call for help from Mercy Chefs about the fires burning in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, she was ready to help by joining with professional chef Larry LeBlanc, to provide the highest quality of meals to the most people in the most difficult of circumstances in their time of greatest need. “This experience with Mercy Chefs was truly an exciting and fulfilling volunteer opportunity. I’m glad I went and I hope my schedule allows me to return,” she said.
Jan. 30 – It was the time of the year that Rim Special Athletes conducted their veterans winter sports clinics at Snow Valley. They offer these classes to help America’s injured veterans recover from injuries such as amputations, brain injuries, PTSD, blindness and other injuries by integrating alpine skiing and snowboarding into interventions that physically challenge their bodies through movement, building their confidence and giving them a feeling of resiliency. RSA provides them with adaptive equipment, supplies and instructors to enable them to achieve these goals.
Feb. 6 – The 16th annual PolaRotary Bear Plunge at the Lake Arrowhead Resort was a phenomenal success, luring some 145 participants and 18 teams bold enough to brave Lake Arrowhead’s 43-degree water as they ran and jumped into the lake. Following the rules, no wetsuits were permitted, each participant had to be 18 or older and they had to raise at least $50 for the charity of their choice.
It was a fine day for a dip – 145 folks plunged into Lake Arrowhead to raise funds for their designated charities.
Feb. 13 – The Rim Blue Star Moms installed five Hometown Hero Banners on Feb. 4. Blue Star Moms present included were President Tracy Williams, Vice President Nadia Phillips, Financial Secretary and Banner Chair Alma Diaz, Recording Secretary Brenda Shingleton and Treasurer Sandi DeMarco. The banners, created by NeuArt Studio in Rimforest, were installed free of charge by Josh Snyder, owner of Big Top Tree Company.
Feb. 20 – The largest in a series of rainstorms that drenched Southern California on Thursday, Feb. 13 left dozens of motorists stranded on Highway 330 between Running Springs and the city of Highland late in the day. A torrential downpour, propelled by what weather forecasters are calling an atmospheric river , unleashed several major rockslides and mudflows across the busy artery used every day by hundreds of residents, skiers, snowboarders and other winter sports enthusiasts.
Feb. 27 – The Friends of Big Bear Valley are counting down. Pip watch will begin on March 1. That’s when the eggs bald eagles Jackie and Shadow have been incubating may begin to hatch. Sandy Steers, the executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, told members of the Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club on Feb. 19 that bald eagles began wintering in Big Bear 20 to 30 years ago. The lakes further north froze over so they headed south so they could find food.
March 6 – At the National Grocers Association convention in Las Vegas, Goodwin and Sons Market received the Exceptional Independent Grocery Store award. “This award means a lot to our family and our staff, as we have worked so hard to rebuild the store and get our operation back and running. This award recognizes not only the design but the operation as a whole,” said Vice President and General Manager Mike Johnstone.
March 13 – Folks around the world have been glued to their screens, watching as Jackie and Shadow, the bald eagles in Big Bear incubated their three eggs. Jackie laid the first egg on Jan. 22, followed by the second on Jan. 25 and the third on Jan. 28. Sandy Steers explained that eagles practice delayed incubation so the eggs will hatch at approximately the same time.
March 20 – Last week’s mid-winter snowstorm, fed by an atmospheric river approaching from the north, resulted in hazardous driving conditions, leading to pandemonium as several major arteries were closed. Highway 18 was closed at the 4,000-foot level at 7 p.m. on March 13 until after midnight. On Friday night, March 14, it was closed at Pali Mountain, west of Running Springs, also until after midnight, due to stuck busses and dozens of storm-related collisions with unprepared motorists sliding on ice, into snow berms and center dividers at the same time that Caltrans crews were removing rocks and snow.
A mid-winter storm caused highways to be closed and buses to get stuck.
March 27 – Superior Court Judge David Mazurek, on Tuesday, March 18, rejected a motion by the Public Defender’s Office to have 35-year-old Line Fire arson suspect Justin Wayne Halstenberg’s case moved out of San Bernardino County. Halstenberg is accused of intentionally igniting the blaze which charred 43,000 acres of forest timber and brush, injured six firefighters and damaging and destroying five structures at the intersection of Baseline Street and Alpine Road in Highland. The District Attorney’s Office opposes the motion. Halstenberg’s public defender, Justin Ewaniswzyk, believes his client could never get a fair trial in San Bernardino County.
April 3 – The Bear Valley Protection Society, centered in Running Springs, is conducting projects throughout the mountain communities to make the environment and forest healthier. Led by Adam Creason, the group is seeking volunteers for this spring and summer activities of cleaning the forest and community areas.
April 10 – It was hot, humid and amazing. “It” was the weather in Belize and “it” was the medical mission trip 24 people were on with the Humanitarian Aid for Development and Relief Agency (HAFDRA). Mountain resident Shellie Mundall Boydston, one of the founders of HAFDRA, is Editor Mary-Justine Lanyon’s dental hygienist. When Boydston told Lanyon about the trip to Belize, she was intrigued and hooked. Boydston founded HAFDRA in 2019 with her twin sister, pediatric nurse practitioner Sherri Mundall, and Jessica Mazakas, a fourth-grade teacher at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School. HAFDRA has been providing dental screenings and sealants for the mountain’s elementary school children.
April 17 – Nearly 200 young wranglers participated in this year’s Junior Trout Rodeo, sponsored by the Arrowhead Lake Association for its youngest members. ALA staff, which organized this year’s rodeo, set up 33 fishing spots along the shoreline of Tavern Bay Beach Club. Eleven-year-old Parker participating in his first rodeo, caught a beauty of a lightning trout, which he released back into the lake. A little farther down the shoreline, four families were fishing together. They planned to take six of the fish they caught home for dinner.
April 24 – At the April 15 Crestline Chamber of Commerce meeting, Richard and Elizabeth Krumwiede were announced as the 2025 grand marshals for the annual Jamboree Days parade, which will take place on July 5 at 10 a.m. The Krumwiedes, owners of the award-winning Sycamore Ranch Vinyard and Winery in Dart Canyon, are being honored for their success in positively promoting the quality of the community through their award-winning wines and ciders.
May 1 – The weather was miserable, with rain, snow, fog and bone-chilling temperatures, but spirits were high on Rebuilding Day 2025 on Saturday, April 26. For 31 years, licensed contractors and volunteers have descended on the homes of folks in need of help, chosen to have repairs done at their homes on the last Saturday of April. Rebuilding Together Mountain Communities solicits applications, which a selection committee reviews and then visits those homes. This year, they received just seven applications and chose five homes to be worked on.
May 8 – Family Science Night at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School in Crestline was not only fun, but educational as well. From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. hundreds of students, teachers and parents met on the playground and in classrooms to witness fun and exciting science experiments and demonstrations. One such demonstration had willing students jumping through a hula hoop soaked in glycerin “to change the surface tension into bigger and better bubbles,” explained kindergarten/preschool teacher Sydney McCook.
May 15 – It may be hard for some to believe, but it has been just a year since Goodwin’s Market reopened its doors, after being closed for more than 14 months to rebuild, following the roof collapse that destroyed the old store. “We put a lot of thought into this, and our market is designed for the next generation,” said Goodwin’s Vice President and General Manager Mike Johnstone.
May 22 – Lake Gregory will officially open for summer fun on Saturday, May 24, with the north and south shore beaches ready for visitors and the lake’s waterplay islands arranged for fans. “Even though Memorial Day weekend is a little early this year, we will be fully ready for summer fun,” said Lake Gregory Manager Nathan Godwin.
May 29 – Line Fire arsonist Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 35, a resident of Norco, was found guilty on Thursday, May 22 of igniting the September 2024 Line Fire, which burned out of control for over three months and laid waste to 44,000 acres of timber and tinder dry brush in the San Bernardino National Forest.
June 5 – Rim of the World Unified School District has announced they will be serving free meals under the Seamless Summer Option to students 18 and under from June 16 to July 30, with the exception of holidays on June 19 and July 4. The meals will be available at no cost at Charles Hoffman Elementary School in Running Springs and Valley of Enchantment Elementary School in Crestline, where summer school will be taking place.
June 12 – The Soroptimist International Rim of the World “Making a Difference for Women Awards” luncheon was held on Sunday, June 1 at the Lake Arrowhead Country Club. The Soroptimists have been presenting their awards recognizing the efforts and achievement of women in the community since their chartering as Soroptimist International of Lake Arrowhead, 49 years ago.
June 19 – As the 243 members of Rim of the World High School and Rim Virtual Academy proceeded onto Townsend Memorial Field, parents and friends couldn’t help but notice the variety of stoles the students were sporting, ranging from traditional National Honor Society and AVID stoles to personalized ones. As Principal Brian Willemse welcomed the soon-to-be graduates and the school’s staff and guests, he quoted Aristotle, who said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Willemse added, “We often fail to recognize the exceptional nature of so many things in our lives. I encourage you to find all the exceptional in every moment of every day.”
Members of the Class of 2025 wore a variety of stoles with their caps and gowns.
June 26 – At their June 18 meeting, Chris Levister, past president of the Blue Jay Jazz Foundation, told members of the Women’s Club of Lake Arrowhead, “We’re not just the Blue Jay Jazz Festival. In fact, the foundation supports talented young musicians with scholarships.” Levister added that the foundation also has an instrument library that lends instruments to students who are unable to afford renting or purchasing them.
0 Comments