By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The 48th annual Jamboree Days festivities filled Crestline over the July 4th weekend, with thousands of visitors arriving to enjoy the annual fun. The community was celebrating both America’s 250th birthday and the 120th anniversary of the naming of Crestline in 1906.
On Friday, KOLA radio personalities were at Lake Gregory doing a simulcast from the beach. The farmers market and concert at Leisure Shores was held from 4 to 8:30 p.m., with the 710 Love Street band playing Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia music; many were dancing in the streets on the eastern shore of Lake Gregory.
The Lake Gregory Company offered a VIP party with dinner and the new floating cabanas were also opened up for reserved seating to watch the fireworks show. At 6:30 p.m. the North Shore beach at the lake was opened up for free admission for the 9 p.m. fireworks show. The fireworks are visible from many of the homes on the hills that surround the lake so local residents sponsor viewing parties from their decks.
The Arthur Gregory trophy went to Rim Youth Football & Cheer. (Photo by Mary-Justine Lanyon)
On Saturday, July 4, the 70 units participating in the Jamboree Days parade staged in Top Town. Prior to the start of the parade – which was delayed by a house fire on Arth Drive – a sheriff’s helicopter did a flyover.
The parade was announced to the spectators lining the route from nine spots: Chris Marin in Top Town; Douglas W. Motley and Rhea-Frances Tetley from Crestline Real Estate at Knapps Cutoff; Steve Garcia at TM Camping; Joseph Roth of Hot 92.3 the Beat at Higher Grounds Coffee Company; Mike Kovack at Mystic Mountain Music; Maxx Hill on the patio of Earth Elements (entertaining the audience pre-parade with his live performances); Eric Obermeit at Snyder’s Tires; Billie Bryant at 986 Pharmacy; and Ken Williams at the Brawling Brews lot.
Citizen of the Year Bill Mellinger and his wife, Debbie, rode in a 1966 Chevelle owned by Keith Thompson.
The four parade grand marshals rode on the Crestline Chamber of Commerce float which was a nod to the 2026 parade’s theme of “Purple Mountains Majesty” created by Set and Stage Creative. The four represent the major veterans service organizations on the mountain: Chief Master Sergeant Darrel Artiaga of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9624; Corpsman Cliff “Doc” Bennett, founder of RimVets; Corp. Michael Brewer of the “Mountain Patrol” of the Marine Corps League; and Air Force E3 trailblazer Judy Romero, commandant of American Legion Post 360. Also riding on the float was California State Assemblyman Tom Lackey.
The chamber float with rocks, greenery and a Crestline yodeler on the back was celebrating the 120th anniversary of the naming of the town, in a contest back in 1906.
Citizen of the Year Bill Mellinger and his wife, Debbie, rode in a 1966 Chevelle. (Photo by Mary-Justine Lanyon)
Six trophies given to the parade floats: Americana – Mountain Fifes & Drums; Theme – Valley of Enchantment Elementary School; Charles S. Mann Public Spirit – Goodwin & Sons Market; Arthur Gregory – Rim Scots Youth Football & Cheer; Showmanship – New Breed Martial Arts; Judges trophy – Crestline Chamber of Commerce.
Not only did parade participants throw candy to the crowd, many of the float riders shot bursts of water at folks, cooling them off.
The fun continued after the parade with the Jamboree Days festival. The town was flush with visitors, numerous artisan booths, vendor booths, kid zones with games and bounce houses, food trucks and beer gardens. The merchants and restaurants in town were all open, welcoming the thousands of visitors and residents. The Rim of the World Wrestling League held several brawling brews wrestling matches in the lot behind the 7-Eleven underneath the huge American flag held up by Ty Lashers crane, visible all over town. The Sawpit Canyon Band played on the base of the crane between the matches.
The two beer gardens also had music from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The beer garden at the Arrowhead Credit Union had music from the Middle Aged Dad Bods with their early 2000s rock music and the parking lot at Encompass had smooth bluegrass tunes from The Triple B band.
The entire weekend of festivities was sponsored by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation as these Purple Mountains Majesty that are being celebrated with Jamboree Days are their historical ancestral homelands.
As the days’ activities were concluding around 4 p.m., Jamboree Days Chairman Dirk Rinker was talking with Crestline Chamber President Louis Boehle. They agreed this year’s festivities went as well as or better than could be expected. The weather was perfect, the crowds were generally well-behaved and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Overall, America’s 250th birthday in Crestline was a celebration worth remembering.
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