“Many locals have never ridden the Scenic Sky Chair or experienced Snow Summit in the summer months,” says Chris Riddle, Vice President of Marketing for Big Bear Mountain Resorts. “With the grand opening of Snow Summit Adventure Park, we want to ensure our local community gets a first glance to see what’s new right here in their own backyard.”

Guests who will be participating in mountain biking will be required to fill out an EZ Waiver. This can be completed ahead of time by visiting http://waiver.snowsummit.com/.

The Adventure Park offers the following recreational activities for summer:

• The mile-long Scenic Sky Chair
• Outdoor dining at the View Haus
• Mountaintop trail hiking
• Cross-country mountain biking in the San Bernardino National Forest
• Downhill mountain biking on new trails designed by Gravity Logic
• Downhill and cross-country mountain bike rentals for all skill levels in the base area
• The side-by-side Flying Squirrel Zip Line (opening soon)

Chris Riddle, Vice President of Marketing at Big Bear Mountain Resorts, promises, “This is only the beginning for the Snow Summit Adventure Park. We have plans throughout the summer to expand trails and add to the many perks that Big Bear has to offer.”

For more information, visit www.bigbearmountainresorts.com.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Alex Collins

Big Bear Lake, CA, June 13, 2013 - San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Alex Collins will be Grand Marshall in this Saturday’s Big Bear Heritage Parade. The parade is presented by the Old Miners Association, which is celebrating 65 years of festivities.

This year’s theme is “Big Bear Thanks You,” to show gratitude for the law enforcement officers, first responders and military personnel who protected our community during the February 2013 Christopher Dorner incident.

Deputy Collins  has been with the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station since 2008, and despite being on family leave at the time to welcome the birth of his son, he returned to duty to help his fellow officers. He was shot multiple times during the February 12 standoff, and after several surgeries is now on the road to recovery.

San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon will also participate, riding with the Sheriff’s Rangers Mounted Posse.

The day begins with a pre-parade reception hosted by Bear Mountain at 11:00 a.m., and the public is welcome to stop by and pay their respects to the men and women of our military. A noon ceremony will be held in memory of fallen officer Deputy Jeremiah MacKay. The reception will also feature food; the posting of colors by an All-Service Color Guard at noon; remarks from military representatives and local officials; and the display of MRAPs, Humvees with machine guns, Sheriff’s Department tactical gear, a Coast Guard Flotilla boat, fire rigs and community outreach groups.

Following the “Big Bear Thanks You” reception, the Big Bear Heritage Parade will begin at 4:00 p.m. at China Garden Road then proceed west down Big Bear Boulevard to Georgia Street.

The Big Bear Cycling Association is looking for 100 cyclists to participate in the parade. To sign up, call (909) 238-0875.

For more information, visit http://www.oldminers.org.

The event will be the morning of Saturday, June 22. Sign-in at the event is from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the west end of the Alpine Pedal Path on North Shore Lane in Fawnskin. Pre-registration, requests for sponsorships and donations can be done online at www.fofwalkathon.com or by phone at (909) 878-3091.

There are three walks to choose from: “Love to Walk,” 9.2 miles; “Casual Walker,” 5 miles; and “I’ll Watch from Here,” 0 miles. All participants — even non-walkers — receive an event T-shirt, snacks and water. Prizes will go to the top three individuals and the top three teams who bring in the most donations. For those who are walking, there are also prizes for completing the route and for visiting each of the Partner Organization booths.

Participants can register as an individual or as a team member. Each participant can either designate a specific nonprofit to receive their registration fee and donations or choose to have the funds shared with all Partner Organizations.

Partner Organizations:
AARP-Local Chapter 2598
“A” Garden Club of Big Bear Valley
American Legion Post 584
Bear Valley Center for Spiritual Enrichment
Big Bear Lake International Film Festival
Big Bear Lions Club
Big Bear Valley Community Gardens Project
Big Bear Valley Hummingbird Project, Inc.
Cantree (sponsored by BB Association of Realtors)
Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley
DOVES of Big Bear Valley, Inc.
Friends of Fawnskin
Friends of the Big Bear Alpine Zoo
Friends of the Big Bear Valley Library
Habitat for Humanity
Historical Society
Lutheran Social Services
Meals on Wheels
Mountain Healing Arts Association
Seven Stars Foundation, Inc.
Sierra Club, Big Bear Group
SCMF-Big Bear Discovery Center
Sugarloaf Property Owners Association

For more information, visit www.fofwalkathon.com or send email  friendsoffawnskin@gmail.com.

The hole in one prize this year is a new top of the line set of Taylor Made Woods, Irons and a D2 Bag.

The Rotary Golf tournament is an annual event which raises funds for the club’s many Big Bear Valley projects and scholarships.  The local Rotary Club annually sponsors the valley’s renowned Fireworks Extravaganza, the Santa Visits program, the Dr. Bob Davies Dental Screening project, the Holiday Luncheon for Seniors, high school foreign exchange students, school literacy programs, Big Bear Idol, Speech Contest, the Eagle of Excellence Awards, $10,000 in annual scholarships for graduating senior high school students, and many other activities which benefit the residents of the Big Bear Valley.

Major Sponsors for the event, at press time, are U.S. Bank, ReMax Big Bear, and Big Bear Mountain Resorts.  Hole sponsorships and other donation opportunities are also available.

Rotary is the largest international service organization, and the local club, which has been serving our community since 1947, includes 85 men and women of all ages.  The motto of the organization is “Service Above Self,” and the various projects which the club annually sponsors in the community are evidence of its commitment to service.  In addition, Rotary International sponsors, through it thousands of local clubs around the world, many foreign charitable projects, including the extremely successful End Polio Now program, which is designed to eradicate polio worldwide.

For further information, and to obtain golf tournament registration forms, please contact Mr. Leo McCarthy at (909) 866-6463 or Mr. John Callahan at (909) 641-3643.  For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Mr. Simeon Prophet at (909) 800-7750.

The Gun Buy Back Program offered an opportunity for residents throughout San Bernardino County to surrender firearms they no longer wanted to possess.  In exchange for surrendering weapons, participants received a Stater Bros gift card of up to $200.

Over the past five years, 3,783 guns have been reported stolen in the Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction.  A records check will be conducted on each surrendered firearm, and every attempt will be made to return them to their rightful owner.

County Sheriff John McMahon said, “The program ensures these weapons will not fall into the hands of criminals.  Making the streets safer for the citizens of this county remains my top priority.”

Morongo Indian Reservation, CA Sunday June 9, 2013 4:45 pm – The Hathaway Fire, which was reported minutes before noon today, has now burnt approximately 1300 acres and is still growing. The fire apparently started on the Morongo Indian Reservation and quickly spread, due to high winds, into the San Gorgonio Wilderness area.  The fire is currently moving north to an area known as Raywood Flats.  According to the Forest Service they have no containment figures at this time. The fire is burning through an area of mixed Chaparral and Timber in the southernmost area of the San Gorgonio wilderness area.  Hand crews and air support are being used because of the remote nature and roadless landscape which is best described as steep and rocky.  250 firefighters are on hand with more personnel expected to arrive overnight.  Helicopters and fixed wing air support continue to work the fire.  According to Bob Poole of the US Forest Service, there is no threat to Big Bear.  He went on to say that the Hathaway Fire is currently burning approximately 25 miles south of the Big Bear Valley and, as such, the threat of flying embers igniting a fire near Big Bear is very remote.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.