The Alpine Sun has been the voice of integrity serving Alpine since 1952 with a Friday publication that includes a subscriber based mailing of 4,500 issues and on the first Friday of the month, we publish the Sun Spot Shopper delivered to over 7,500 homes. Our publication services all of Alpine and the Backcountry covering the communities of Alpine, Harbison Canyon, Dehesa, Flinn Springs, Descanso, Guatay, Pine Valley, Mt. Laguna, Campo, Jacumba and Lake Morena Village.
The Alpine Sun is dedicated to providing the latest in real news including breaking news on wildfires, weather conditions, Planning Group meetings, and County plans for our communities and roads. We also update you with upcoming community events in our Sun Dial. We work hard to cover district news from GUHSD, AUSD, and MEUSD covered by great writers who are attuned to the wants and needs of Alpine and the Back Country.
The roots of a country newspaper
Clark Irvine used his Tavern Road home in Alpine as a retreat from his busy Hollywood life, as a Warner Brothers publicity man, in the 1930s. Living among Hollywood’s greats, he considered Myrna Loy, Will Rogers, Lon Chaney and Douglas Fairbanks, among others, his friends. In 1949, Clark and his wife Alice put Hollywood aside and moved to their former weekend retreat in Alpine and made it their home.
Sensing a need for a local weekly newspaper, the Irvine’s started The Alpine Sun – the first issue was published on Feb. 14, 1952. The original Alpine Sun was a 5.5 inch by 8.5 inch pamphlet that averaged about 24 pages each week.
Clark, whose father was also a newspaper founder and editor, called himself “Your Editor” and was reported to have had “several lifetimes of experience in his 70-plus years.”
Originally from Oregon, he worked as office boy, played bit parts in films and on stage, ran a merry-go-round, wrote a syndicated column called “Studioland,” was San Goldwyn’s publicity director, fought in World War I, covered the Honolulu waterfront and lectured for the United Press.
Alice and Clark Irvine raised three daughters – Cynthia and twins Celeste and Cecile. The girls grew up learning to help with all the needs of what their father affectionately called “America’s tiniest newspaper” – The Alpine Sun.
Alice was always there to help in any way possible and when Clark became seriously ill, she and the girls took over and got the paper out on time. The girls were raised to be reporters, columnists and news photographers. It was a family affair to be sure.
