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.

Friday March 13th
Visual Arts Senior Show
Idyllwild Arts
Parks Exhibition
6:00 pm
Open to the public

Come see the Senior Projects of Guy Bair, Jollie Dupuis, Jason Wu, Tula Forrey, Ash Pilkington, Lilia Kochis, and Len Northcutt!

Friday March 13th
ici – presence with unspeakable loss
Idyllwild Arts
Lowman Concert Hall
7:30 pm
Open to the public

ici is a solo show from IAA faculty Dr. Jeanette Louise Yaryan, featuring classical piano and spoken word, inviting the audience to be present with varying types of personal losses of which we do not speak. Through powerful music, cultural examination, storytelling, and personal insight, this original show will offer a poignant individual and collective journey. Composers include Bach, Shostakovich, Ligeti, and Kennedy, with spoken word and poetry by Yaryan.

Saturday and Sunday
March 14th & 15th
The Magic of the Living Breath
Spirit Mountain Retreat
Saturday 9 am – 4 pm
$75

Sunday: one-on-one sessions
Pay as you can

Saturday March 14th
Silly Saturdays
Improv Troupe
Idyllwild Arts
Rush Hall
1:00 pm
Open to the public

Come see our student-run IAA Improv Troupe perform! Produced with mentorship and guidance from Dramatic Arts faculty member Jeanette Knight, these performances are fun, silly, and even have audience participation in the tradition of the great Improv Clubs. Come out and laugh!

Saturday March 14th
Cocoon Soundbath
With Lili
26875 Live Oak Ln. (The Yurt)
6:00 – 7:00 pm

Saturday March 14th
St. Patrick’s Dinner
American Legion
54360 Marian View Dr.
Dinner 5 – 7
Irish Music 6 – 9
Everyone Welcome!

Sunday March 15th
Embodying the Goddess Within
With Lili
Present & Positive (The Yurt)
26875 Live Oak Ln.
10 am – 12 noon

Monday March 16th
“The Tender Return”
Idy Hot Yoga
54960 Pine Crest Ave. #3
5:30 – 7:30 pm
$40
Call to Register:
949-606-6045

Monday March 16th
Piano Fest
Idyllwild Arts
Lowman Concert Hall
7:30 pm
Open to the public

Please join the Idyllwild Arts Music Department for Piano Fest, our annual celebration of classical piano solos and duets featuring the students and faculty in the Idyllwild Arts Academy Classical Piano program. This year’s performance will feature a special set of duets by composer György Ligeti.

Tuesday March 17th
Listening Party
Idyllwild Arts
Fireside Room: Nelson Dining Hall
6:30 pm
Open to the public

Join us for a special evening celebrating the incredible original music created through this year’s Arts Enterprise Laboratory recording projects with Studio 45B. Our Music students from our Songwriting and Jazz programs stepped into the studio as professional artists — writing, arranging, and recording their own original work:

Wednesday, March 18th
Storytime ” Bubbles” 
Idyllwild Library
11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Get ready for a soap-er storytime that’s sure to be unbubble-ievable–it’s time to let your imagination float!

Wednesday March 18th
Spring Dance Concert
Idyllwild Arts
Bowman Theater
7:30 pm
Open to the public

Please join us as the Idyllwild Arts Dance Department presents their annual Spring Dance Concert! The Spring Dance Concert will also  feature The Little Mermaid, an entertaining one-act dance story combining ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and modern dance.

Idyllwild Scholarship Fund
Application Window Open Now!
Apply now thru April 15th
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.

ICF Grant Window Open!
Accepting Grant Proposals
Now – April 13th
Any local 501c3 eligible
Questions? Email us at Idycommfund@gmail.com

Youth Baseball Registration
Now Open

Saturday March 21st
Yoga & Mindfulness Workshop
With Kate Sirkin & Valerie Velez
53810 Pinecrest
Please RSVP:
katesirkin@gmail.com
kyoshinvelez@gmail.com

Sunday March 22nd
Spring Equinox Celebration
St. Hugh’s Church
Presented by Spirit Mountain
25525 Tahquitz Dr.
4:00 pm

Body & Soul

Click Here for a list of Yoga, Pilates, Aerobics, Meditation & Hypnosis 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
Everyday: 11 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

All events, venues & programs run by
Idyllwild Community Center

Idyllwild TOWN HALL
25925 Cedar St

Chair Exercise Class
FREE
Town Hall

Monday 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 12:30pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Friday
Yoga for Seniors
Town Hall
10:45 am – 11:45 am

Fit after 50
Free Exercise Class
Town Hall
Tuesday 10:00am – 11:00am
Wednesday 10:00am – 11:00am
Thursday 10:00am – 11:00am

Mondays
Tai Chi Class
Free!
Town Hall
10:30 am – 11:30 am

Every Other Thursday
Starts Jan. 22
Town Hall
25925 Cedar Street
5:30 – 6:30

Every 3rd Thursday
Chess League
Community Center
54201 Ridgeview Dr.

FEEDING AMERICA
First Tuesday of each month.

The Visitor Center is now open between the public bathrooms and Idyllwild Gardens on Saturdays & Sundays from 11am – 4 pm.

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.