By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The Crestline Chamber of Commerce has just successfully held two large public events back-to-back in July: Jamboree Days and Corks & Hops. At their monthly chamber meeting, they reflected on how the events went and are looking forward to the rest of the summer and fall seasons of events.
Dirk Rinker, who has chaired Jamboree Days for the past three years, spoke on the many aspects of Jamboree Days, beginning with the Community Picnic on June 30. He said 50 percent more families came and enjoyed the free afternoon in the meadow than last year. He thanked Woodlands Church and the other churches that supplied most of the volunteers and coordination for the picnic.
Rinker than spoke about the Jamboree Days parade with its 46 entries and the 40 vendors that lined Lake Drive on July 6. He thanked all the many volunteers, 19 sponsors and advertisers. He gave special thanks and recognition to Ken Williams of San Marzano who donated 15,000 cans of water, as well as to Ace Hardware which, through their “round-up requests”, raised $6,000 for the fireworks fund and Goodwin’s for raising $1,500 and donating 800 pounds of ice to keep the water cold that hot day.
The Patriot Bear chainsaw sculpture, carved by Kirby Craig, was won by Dale Eldridge. The final accounting is not yet in.
Rinker thanked Jerry Renfro for being a great 2024 Crestline Citizen of the Year and the Johnsons of SkyPark for being the parade’s grand marshals, excellently representing the theme “Amazing Mountain Adventures.” He promised to order fewer degrees of temperature next year since the thermometer registered a high of 98 degrees that day. Each year, the attendance for Jamboree Days has increased and the event has run smoothly under the expert volunteer direction of Rinker.
Corks & Hops was the next weekend, on July 13. It also went well, reported Chamber VP Michelle Hake, although the high temperatures seemed to put a damper on attendance that weekend. They hope to attract 400 visitors to town for these events each first Saturday of the month from May through October. The next Corks & Hops event will be on Aug. 3; tickets are now on sale on the website, corksnhops.com.
The Crestline Chamber welcomed new members: RD Durant Workshop, which does custom woodworking and antique restoration; Posh Pet Nanny, which does professional pet sitting; Project Alive, offering health services with a special focus on Huntington’s Disease; Mountain Tech Support; Spiritual Jewelry, making custom jewelry locally; and the reopening of Fort Gregory Outdoor Company, which has a new retail store location on Lake Drive, offering camping, fishing and other outdoor, year-round survival essentials. Each owner in attendance got to talk about their business.
Damage from the 2023 winter storm to the chamber building itself is still being repaired. The bathroom now has running water again after being off all winter, and the contract for the $20,000 ADA compliant ramp to the back door has been signed. The deck was damaged and fell off of the building during the heavy winter storm.
The board is also thrilled at the installation of the new Top Town neon sign that was completed in time for the Jamboree Days parade. This was a project of the chamber’s tourism committee; it took about a year for it to be designed, created, completed and installed.
The summer issue of the Crestline Magazine has been mailed to local mailboxes from Cedarpines Park to Skyforest and distributed to visitor centers throughout the SoCal region. The magazine committee will be issuing a fall/winter edition and will soon begin working on that issue. Advertisers who want to be included should contact the chamber office soon.
The Welcome to Crestline metal signs that were recently made will be placed at the entrances to Crestline at the stop sign in Top Town and at the split of Old Mill Road on Highway 138 north of town. There is one more sign looking for a location to be placed. The tall Crestline lighted sign above the new barber shop in town needs new light bulbs and the proceeds from the Duck Derby will be used to hire an electrician to get it operating.
The Crestline Chamber of Commerce public meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month at the chamber office at 24385 Lake Drive at 5:30 p.m. The business office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the visitor’s center is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local businesses are invited to place their business cards and advertising material in the office so the community knows what is occurring. Membership in the Crestline Chamber of Commerce helps to promote tourism and informs local residents of services and businesses in the community through many mediums including email mailings.
For more information call the office at (909) 338-2706 or email them at info@crestlinechamber.org or see their website at crestlinechamber.org.
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