The history of St. Patrick’s Day is fascinating. St. Patrick was not Irish, he was English. Born in Britian in 390 when England was under Roman rule, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates at age 16, and held as a slave in Ireland for 6 years. While a slave, he became deeply devoted to his Christian faith, and after a dream telling him to escape, he travelled 200 miles and found passage on a ship back to England. Reunited with his family, he studied to be in the priesthood and again had a dream where the people who had enslaved him in Ireland were calling him back. He returned to preach the gospel in 433 and was a bishop in Ireland until his death on March 17th, 461. He was considered one of the most successful Christian missionaries ever. Officially his death was celebrated in Ireland as a solemn religious holiday as early as the 1600’s..

Before the American revolution, Irish soldiers serving in the British army marched together on March 17th 1757 and formed a society to help Irish immigrants. Then in 1845 with the great potato famine in Ireland, a huge number of Irish immigrants came to America seeking a better life. Many settled in Boston where the Charitable Irish Society helped them acclimate to American life. They would march in large groups to church on March 17th in what would eventually become competing St. Patrick’s Day parades. America has more Irish immigrants than any other country in the world.

It wasn’t until the 1950’s and the influence of television that the Irish saw all the fun being had in America with their holiday. It was still frowned upon to drink on this holiday in Ireland as late as the 1970’s but in the 1990’s to promote tourism, the Irish government began promoting their own holiday in the “American” style.

Shamrocks come from the Irish word “seamrog” which means little clover. St, Patrick was known for using the clover as a symbol to teach about the holy trinity in the Christian religion. It normally only has 3 leaves but 1 in 10,000 has a mutated 4th leaf (a 4-leaf clover) and it is considered very lucky to find one of these. If you find one and give it away, supposedly it will double your luck.

Leprechauns are a product of Ireland dating to the 8th century. They are considered fairies and famous for being the shoemakers of the fairy world. They hide from humans, live under bridges or in caves, and are very protective of their “pots of gold” which is their payment for making shoes for all the fairies. It has long been told that if you can catch a leprechaun, you can force him (for there are no female leprechauns) to tell you where he hides his gold. Usually this is at the end of a rainbow, which can’t be found because a rainbow is an illusion that hangs in the sky between the sun, the rain, and your eyes. If you say something is “at the end of a rainbow” it means it’s impossible to achieve.

Click Here to go to the
PCT Information Page

Mountain Community Mutual Aid
Food Distribution CANCELLED Thursday March 13th Due to weather! Sorry.

Next Food Distribution – Thurs. March 27th.

Note…Date & Time Change….Monday at 7:00 pm.

Monday March 17th
Piano Fest Concert
In memory of Doug Ashcraft
Idyllwild Arts
Lowman Concert Hall
7:00 pm

Our annual Piano Fest concert features performances from all Idyllwild Arts classical piano majors and includes solos, duets, and piano concertos reflecting numerous styles and periods in celebration of this incredible 88-key instrument.

This year’s performance is dedicated in loving memory to Dr. Douglas Ashcraft, who worked at Idyllwild Arts for over 30 years in a range of roles including piano faculty, Dean of Arts, and Head of School. Doug passed away on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 and will forever live on in the hearts of the many students, colleagues, family members, and friends who knew and loved him deeply.

Thursday March 13th
Multidimensional Health Support Group
Quantum Healing Center
54445 N. Circle Dr.
5:00 pm

More information: Mary Chatler
951-634-4304
divineintegrationqhht@gmail.com

Thursday March 13th
Megillah Reading & Purim Party
Town Hall
25925 Cedar St.
7:30 pm

Friday March 14th
Full Moon Eclipse Sound Bath
With Rena
Present & Positive (The Yurt)
26875 Live Oak Ln
7:30 pm – 9 pm
$22

Friday March 14th
Full Worm Moon

March’s full moon is commonly called the Full Worm Moon. This is because of the earthworms that wriggle out of the ground as the earth begins to thaw in March. Here’s a little known fact about March’s full moon: it was called the Worm Moon only by Southern Native American tribes. In fact, there’s no way the Northern tribes would have ever called it the Worm Moon – and the reason why is fascinating.

Essentially, earthworms did not exist in Northern America. It would be literally impossible for Northern tribes to see worms popping up in March. All the earthworms you see in Northern America today are invasive species brought in by colonists. These earthworms were brought over either out of a misguided intent to help fertilize the soil, or as an accident along with transported plants or the soil used for ballast in ships. Little did the colonists know that during the last ice age, glaciers had spread so far across Canada and the northern parts of the United States that all earthworms had been completely wiped out.  

Saturday March 15th
Silly Saturdays
Improv Troupe
Idyllwild Arts
Rush Hall
2:00 pm

Come see our student-run IAA Improv Troupe and faculty Jeanette Knight faculty perform! These are fun, silly, and even have audience participation in the tradition of the great Improv Clubs. Come out and laugh!

Saturday March 15th
Past Life Regression
Group Meditation
Quantum Healing Center
54445 No. Circle Dr. Unit D
7:00 pm
$22

Saturday March 15th
Spring Music Dept. Showcase
Idyllwild Arts
Lowman Concert Hall
7:30 pm

The Music Department Showcase is an opportunity for audiences to immerse themselves in performances from all facets of the Music Department: Classical Instrumental, Piano, Songwriting, Jazz, Contemporary and Classical Voice, and even Spoken Word performances make an appearance at these invigorating presentations of our young artists!

Monday March 17th
St. Patrick’s Day

Monday March 17th
Ol Time Radio
“The Six Shooter”
Middle Ridge Winery
54301 N. Circle
5:00 pm

Tuesday March 18th
Mountain Disaster Preparedness
Monthly Meeting
Idyllwild Library
4:00 – 5:30
Everyone Welcome

Tuesday March 18th
Holistic Pet Care
Greg Tilford
Idyllwild Library
5:30 pm

Wednesday March 19th
Rotary Meeting Speaker
Monty Crawford
General Manager of Idyllwild Inn, Tahquitz Pines, and Strawberry Creek Inn.
American Legion
54360 Marian View Dr.
7:30 am

Everyone welcome!

Wednesday March 19th
Kids Story Time
“It’s Spring Time“
Idyllwild Library
11 am

Wednesday March 19th
Kids Book Club
“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”
Idyllwild Library
4:30 pm

Best Book Club (ages 9-14) will read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, book two of the Chronicles of Narnia series. Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

Come to library to pick up your free copy of the book.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Idyllwild Library

Wednesday March 19th (& 20th & 21st)
Spring Dance Concert
Idyllwild Arts
Bowman Theater
7:30 pm

Join the Idyllwild Arts Dance Department for their Spring Dance Concert! Highlights include a full-length one-act ballet, A Midsummer’s Night Dream

Youth Baseball
Registration Open!

Season: April 8th – June 5th

ARF’s Pet of the Year
Annual Contest
Entries accepted Wed. March 10th – Sunday March 23rd

Idyllwild Scholarship Fund
Apply now thru April 9th
Scan the QR Code to apply

If you didn’t get a chance to donate to the Idyllwild Scholarship fund for local seniors, there’s still time….
Click on the link below.

Idyllwild Community Fund
Grant Applications Open March 1st
Due by April 11th
Help Available

If your 501c3 Organization in Idyllwild needs money for a specific project or program, you can apply to ICF starting Saturday March 1st. For more info, email us at info@idyllwildcommunityfund.org

Sunday March 23rd
Spring Equinox Celebration
St. Hugh’s Church
25525 Tahquitz Dr.
4:00 pm

Saturday April 5th
BINGO at Town Hall
Presented by Rotary
Benefiting Idyllwild Garden Club
4:30 pm

You should see the prices that are given for EVERY round of Bingo. It’s incredible. If you’ve never attended, you should try it out.

Order before noon on
MONDAY 3/24

Food Distribution – Thurs. March 27th, 2025

MOUNTAIN AID
Need food or other items?
Want to help those who do?
Twice monthly food boxes for every budget.
By ordering a food box, you help pay for those who can’t pay.

Pick-up at Camp Maranatha
54162 Maranatha Dr.
www.MountainAid.net to order

Snow Plow/Shoveling Services

This list will move toward the bottom of Good Morning Idyllwild in the next issue so if you need it, look further down each newsletter in the “Need to Know” section.

Body & Soul

Click Here for a list of Yoga, Pilates, Aerobics, Meditation & Hypnosis in Idyllwild.

Emergency Radio Station

In Idyllwild, have a portable radio with batteries available and tune into WNKI AM 1610 Radio station for Emergency announcements in Idyllwild.

Delivery in Idyllwild

Bear Necessities Delivered
Groceries/Restaurant Food/Mail/Pharmacy/Etc.
Call or Text: (951) 512-0800
Available 7 Days a Week
Monday – Wednesday 11 am – 8 pm
Thursday – Sunday 8 am – 8 pm
Deliver to Idyllwild, Pine Cove & Mountain Center.

The New Bathrooms are OPEN!
Next door to the Idyllwild Gardens Nursery – Across the street from the Rustic Theatre.
Open Daily 9am – 5pm

Thank you to Shane & Ashley Stewart for donating the land for these bathrooms and to Stephanie Yost with ICC for her persistence with the County of Riverside to FINALLY get us public bathrooms. Thank you to the County of Riverside and Supervisor Manuel Perez for making this happen. It’s been a LONG time coming! Bathrooms will be locked at night.

Hotel Information
Upcoming Weekends
www.IdyLodging.com

Idyllwild Churches

All events, venues & programs run by
Idyllwild Community Center

Fit after 50
Free Exercise Class
Town Hall

Mondays
12-pm – 1pm

Tue/Wed/Thur
10am – 11am

Fridays
12-pm – 1pm

Wednesdays
Sing & Dance with Fran
Ages 2 – 5 years
Town hall
25925 Cedar St.
3:30 – 4:15
$5

Gymnastic Classes
Coming Soon…
Thursdays
Town Hall
4pm – 6pm

FEEDING AMERICA
First Tuesday of each month.

The Visitor Center is now open between the public bathrooms and Idyllwild Gardens on Saturdays & Sundays from 10am – 4pm.

If you would like to volunteer to talk to visitors, help them find their way and point them in the direction of “A Good Time” please contact me at hello@GoodMorningIdyllwild.com.