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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2024 21 By Rhonda Louden The sales of the first phases to be released in our community were arranged by lottery. The sales office at the time was in our RCN Building. Bill and Tanya Guy were allowed to pick out their top five choices and when the lottery numbers were drawn, theirs was number 33. They didn't get their top choice, or even their second choice. But they did get their fourth choice and, it turned out, they were very happy with their home on Turtle Creek. It took about 11 months for the first homes to be completed and they moved into their new home in October of 2005. Their front yard landscaping was complete when they moved in and their initial HOA dues were $100 per month. Those first buyers did not even have models to choose from and had to make their choices by looking at paper plans and the models at the new Four Seasons development in Hemet. Those models were not the homes being built in Beaumont, but buyers were told that they were "comparable." The original models were on the street next to The Lodge, Slippery Rock Creek. Bill and Tanya remember that houses were released initially on only about eight streets, a very small community compared to today. When The Lodge opened, it contained the Bistro area, and Smitty and Kathy were the first to staff it. Many of the original homeowners gathered for a potluck for Monday Night Football at the Bistro while it was closed on Mondays. The close-knit community went to dinner every Friday night as well, initially in the area, often Redlands, and then at the Bistro. There was a large group (partially pictured in the group picture below left) that frequently went out to dinner on Friday nights, often to places that are still open like The Sand Trap and Domenicos. Although the community was small, or maybe because it was small, it seemed that everyone took an active role in one way or another to settle and improve their new community. In December 2007, the tree in The Lodge was thought to be lacking and so a group of the women got together and decorated it, making dozens of gold bows to adorn the large tree (see photo below, right, that includes Cindy Graves!). There was a Safety Committee, but no Facilities Committee, so when there were suggestions for facilities improvements there was no place to go but the Safety Committee. The name was changed to the Safety and Facilities Committee and later the Facilities Committee separated, and Bill Guy was the first chair. The important improvement they accomplished right off the bat was the widening of the dance floor. That area initially ended at the dividing lines of the Ballroom — too small even then with only Martha Franck's line dance group and a small ballroom dance club. Solar power was considered by the committee even back then in 2008/9 but they could not get consensus on a relatively new power source. Bill also helped to get the RV Group going and later ran it for several years. Tanya was part of the group that started and ran bingo. It wasn't easy because since real money was involved, every cent had to be accounted for. Each caller had to be fingerprinted. None of the funds could be donated to our facilities here for such things as needed speakers and instead, had to be donated to charity. Residents from all over could come through our gate to play. The games had to be open to the public. When Tanya and her group no longer wanted to take on the responsibility and no one else stepped up, the games ended here at Four Seasons. Many of our residents still head over to Sun Lakes regularly to play bingo. Tanya also remembers being in the first aerobics class and helped to start the first ballroom dance club. In 2006, a group of women redecorated the tree in e Lodge. Pictured are Cindy Graves, Mary Loquet, and Tanya Guy with one of the gold bows the women handmade to decorate the tree. In the Beginning… is social group attending a Hoedown at e Lodge in 2008 (L-R): Pete and Padoo Peralta, Gene Tamplin who was active in the Wine Club and regularly presented at the meetings sharing his vast knowledge of winemaking and wine history, Sonya Tamplin*, Bev Jack, Nancy Barnaby* (now Nancy Ginnetti) , Bill and Tanya Guy*, Rob Jack, and Dick Barnaby, who was the first Board president. (*Still living in the community.)

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