At long last, a work order was issued for the East Rome US 411/US 27 interchange at the site then known as "Goat Hill." This was the first three-level traffic interchange in Georgia; it was planned so ambitiously because the state was confident that a direct connection from Rome to I-75 was forthcoming in the near future (little did they know that the Rollins family would devote a half-century to blocking that vital link).
State Revenue Agents destroyed another large still in the Texas Valley area, confiscating and then dumping more than 3000 gallons of moonshine. (No wonder that the Snuffy Smith comic strip, with it frequent jokes about "revenooers," was a popular part of the Rome News-Tribune's comic strip page!)
School registration numbers were tallied, and West Rome High School added almost fifty students, pushing enrollment up to 966 students for the 1964-1965 school year. As a result, 11 teachers were added to the West Rome faculty, including Mrs. Robert Greene (English); Mrs. Elsie Washington (math); Mr. Jack Wiggins (drafting and math); Mr. Robert Greene (science); Ms. Carlee McCarter (typing); Mrs. Janice Vick (English); Mr. Novis Van Johnson (math and history); Mr. Bob Jones (chorus), Mr. Charles Anderson (math); Ms. Sandra Allen (reading) and Mrs. Betty Deadwyler, typing. (This includes 7th grade teachers, who were listed because the 7th grade was housed in the West Rome High School building at this time.)
Senior class officers were elected for the 1964-1965 school year; the new officers include Chris Lawler, president; Ken Payne, vice president; Carole Sewell, secretary; Gerry Law, treasurer, and Judy Wessenger, chaplain.
Mrs. Mann, sponsor of the West Rome yearbook The Watanyah, announced that Judi Burns had been chosen as senior editor and Muriel McAbee would serve as junior editor.
The West Rome Pep Club elected its officers for the school year: Janice Scherer, president; Ken Payne, vice president; Judy Wessenger, secretary; and Lynn Moore, treasurer.
Dalton surprised everyone by pulling off a 25-14 upset win over the Chieftains in West Rome's second football game of the season. Thankfully, this wasn't a region game, so it didn't hurt West Rome's hopes for a region championship.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 45¢ a pound; Wellesley Farms ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon; and turnip greens for a dime a pound. Kroger had Toppy brand bacon for 39¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 26¢ each, and hen turkeys for 49¢ a pound. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, large cans of pork and beans for a quarter, and a 32-ounce jar of peanut butter for 69¢. A&P had ground beef for 37¢ a pound, tomatoes for 15¢ a pound, and 20 ounces of Surf detergent for 28¢. Couch's had sliced bologna for 39¢ a pound, a 14-ounce bottle of Hunt's catsup for 15¢, and lemons for 4¢ each.
The cinematic week began with The Night of the Iguana at the DeSoto, The Killers at the First Avenue, and All the Way Home at the West Rome Drive-In. The mid-week change up brought Marnie to the DeSoto, Ride the Wild Surf to First Avenue, and Tom Jones (the movie, not the singer) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Animals held on to the number one slot with "The House of The Rising Sun." Other top ten hits included "Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes (#2); "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (#3); "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin (#4); "Bread and Butter" by the Newbeats (#5); "C'Mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#6); "GTO" by Ronny & The Daytonas (#7); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#8); "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" by the Shangri-Las (#9); and "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison (#10). The number one album this week in 1964? Dean Martin's Everybody Loves Somebody, which was also the best-selling album of Martin's career.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/24/1964 to 8/30/1964
Summer came to an end this week in 1964 as school registration took place on Wednesday, August 26th, with students returning to school on Thursday, August 27th.
Coach Kennedy told the Rome News-Tribune that he was "anxiously awaiting to see what this year's football team can do against the competition" after a week of intensive training at Berry College. The season began on Saturday night at Barron Stadium with the Chieftains facing off against the Coosa Eagles; West Rome won the game 14-0, with Dickie Sapp being selected as the Rome News-Tribune's lineman of the week for a 73-yard run that set up the first West Rome touchdown, followed later in the game by a 3-yard sweep to score the second touchdown.
Rome's McDonald's, less than a year old, experienced its first armed robbery on August 24th, 1964, when a gunman entered the store after closing, held up the staff at gunpoint, and made off with $875 in cash. By the end of the week, a Rome man and a Marietta man were arrested for the holdup.
The Rome/Floyd County economy continued to generate more good news: area banks reported that area economic activity increased by 7% over the same months in 1963, showing that both businesses and people were spending more money... and that they had more money to spend!
With Georgia law requiring that all cars pass a safety inspection before new tags could be issued beginning in 1965, Rome entrepreneurs were actively setting up inspection stations, with almost four dozen sites in Rome begin licensed to perform the inspections. All inspections had be performed between January 1st and March 31st, 1965; there was a maximum $5 fee per vehicle for the inspection.
Piggly Wiggly had Maxwell House Instant Coffee for $1.19 a jar (the 1960s and the 1970s were a boom period for instant coffee sales), shank portion ham for 35¢ a pound, and Coca-Cola or Tab for 99¢ plus deposit for a 24-bottle case. Kroger had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Kroger's ice milk for 29¢ a half-gallon. A&P had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and ten pounds of potatoes for 49¢. Big Apple had snapper filets for 59¢ a pound, Big Apple bread for 19¢ a loaf, and Banquet frozen cream pies for 27¢ each. Couch's had baking hens for 29¢ each, five pounds of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢, and yellow corn for 6¢ an ear.
In the first half of the week, moviegoers could choose from What a Way to Go at the DeSoto, 633 Squadron at the First Avenue, and Who's Minding the Store? at the West Rome Drive-In. The last half of the week brought The Night of the Iguana to the DeSoto, The Killers to the First Avenue (perhaps the best film adaptation of any Ernest Hemingway novel!), and Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed? (with the unusual pairing of Dean Martin and Elizabeth Montgomery) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Animals took number one this week in 1964 with "House of the Rising Sun." Other top ten hits included "Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes (#2); "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin (#3); "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "C'Mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#5); "Bread and Butter" by the Newbeats (#6); "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (#7); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#8); "How Do You Do It?" by Gerry & the Pacemakers (#9--and a song that the Beatles previously recorded but chose not to release); and "GTO" by Ronny & the Daytonas (#10).
Coach Kennedy told the Rome News-Tribune that he was "anxiously awaiting to see what this year's football team can do against the competition" after a week of intensive training at Berry College. The season began on Saturday night at Barron Stadium with the Chieftains facing off against the Coosa Eagles; West Rome won the game 14-0, with Dickie Sapp being selected as the Rome News-Tribune's lineman of the week for a 73-yard run that set up the first West Rome touchdown, followed later in the game by a 3-yard sweep to score the second touchdown.
Rome's McDonald's, less than a year old, experienced its first armed robbery on August 24th, 1964, when a gunman entered the store after closing, held up the staff at gunpoint, and made off with $875 in cash. By the end of the week, a Rome man and a Marietta man were arrested for the holdup.
The Rome/Floyd County economy continued to generate more good news: area banks reported that area economic activity increased by 7% over the same months in 1963, showing that both businesses and people were spending more money... and that they had more money to spend!
With Georgia law requiring that all cars pass a safety inspection before new tags could be issued beginning in 1965, Rome entrepreneurs were actively setting up inspection stations, with almost four dozen sites in Rome begin licensed to perform the inspections. All inspections had be performed between January 1st and March 31st, 1965; there was a maximum $5 fee per vehicle for the inspection.
Piggly Wiggly had Maxwell House Instant Coffee for $1.19 a jar (the 1960s and the 1970s were a boom period for instant coffee sales), shank portion ham for 35¢ a pound, and Coca-Cola or Tab for 99¢ plus deposit for a 24-bottle case. Kroger had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Kroger's ice milk for 29¢ a half-gallon. A&P had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and ten pounds of potatoes for 49¢. Big Apple had snapper filets for 59¢ a pound, Big Apple bread for 19¢ a loaf, and Banquet frozen cream pies for 27¢ each. Couch's had baking hens for 29¢ each, five pounds of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢, and yellow corn for 6¢ an ear.
In the first half of the week, moviegoers could choose from What a Way to Go at the DeSoto, 633 Squadron at the First Avenue, and Who's Minding the Store? at the West Rome Drive-In. The last half of the week brought The Night of the Iguana to the DeSoto, The Killers to the First Avenue (perhaps the best film adaptation of any Ernest Hemingway novel!), and Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed? (with the unusual pairing of Dean Martin and Elizabeth Montgomery) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Animals took number one this week in 1964 with "House of the Rising Sun." Other top ten hits included "Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes (#2); "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin (#3); "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "C'Mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#5); "Bread and Butter" by the Newbeats (#6); "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (#7); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#8); "How Do You Do It?" by Gerry & the Pacemakers (#9--and a song that the Beatles previously recorded but chose not to release); and "GTO" by Ronny & the Daytonas (#10).
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/17/1964 to 8/23/1964
Rome was particularly quiet in mid-August 1964. School was just a week away, and students were already being bombarded with the usual pre-school advice: start going to bed earlier so you'll be ready for the first day, bring pencils and pens and paper and notebooks to school on the first day to take notes, make sure you know the bus schedule if you're riding the bus, etc.
Rome was still looking for teachers to fill last-minute vacancies; West Rome High School had only one remaining faculty vacancy as of August 19th, and the superintendent was confident that the system would find a qualified teacher by the time classes started.
Rome's economic engine continued to rev up: the Rome-Floyd County Chamber of Commerce reported that almost two dozen businesses were engaged in new construction or major expansion in Rome, including General Electric, the Fairbanks Co., Kay Townes Antenna, Integrated Products, Anderson Manufacturing, Fox Manufacturing, Parrish Bakeries, Rome Frozen Foods, and Rome Casket Company.
And if that won't enough good news, Rome and Floyd County also posted an unemployment rate of only 3.7%, with an annual payroll of $49.6 million, a 12" increase over the year before.
Most of us take the US 411/US 27 interchange for granted—after all, it's been there almost as long as most of us can remember—but in 1964, it wasn't there in its current state, and Rome business leaders and politicians were getting pretty darn frustrated. On August 20th, they voted to request the State Highway Department issue a conditional work order to let Ledbetter Brothers begin site prep while the final details were being negotiated.
Floyd County got its first automatic voting machines this week in 1964, just in time for the upcoming November Presidential elections. The machines were on display at the courthouse so that interested parties could come by and check them out to learn how the newfangled devices actually tabulated your votes.
Piggly Wiggly had Delmonico steaks for 99¢ a pound, white corn for a nickel an ear, and a 24-bottle case of Coke or Tab for 99¢ (and so the price creep began... that's a dime per case higher than they were charging in 1962 and early 1963, the first years I covered in this weekly nostalgic interlude). A&P had Libby's potted meat for a dime a can, half or whole hams for 49¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound. Kroger had cubed steak for 79¢ a pound, Swift's bologna for 29¢ a pound, and a two-pound jar of Blue Plate apple jelly for 29¢. Big Apple had five pounds of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢, lamb shoulder roast for 19¢ a pound, and Swift's premium bacon for 49¢ a pound. Couch's had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, pink salmon for 29¢ a can, and a three-pound can of Snowdrift shortening for 59¢.
If you wanted to catch a movie the first half of the week, your choices were McHale's Navy (with Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, and the rest of the TV series cast) at the DeSoto, Paris When It Sizzles (with William Holden and Audrey Hepburn) at the First Avenue, and The Running Man (not the Stephen King film, the movie with Laurence Harvey and Lee Remick) at the West Rome Drive-In. The mid-week change up brought Robinson Crusoe on Mars (with Paul Mantee) to the First Avenue, What a Way to Go! to the DeSoto, and Walt Disney's Merlin Jones to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1964 was "Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes. Other top ten hits included "The House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals (#2); "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin (#3); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#4); "C'Mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#5); "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (#6); "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (#7); "Walk—Don't Run '64" by the Ventures (#8); "Bread and Butter" by the Newbeats (#9); and "How Do You Do It?" by Gerry & the Pacemakers (#10).
Rome was still looking for teachers to fill last-minute vacancies; West Rome High School had only one remaining faculty vacancy as of August 19th, and the superintendent was confident that the system would find a qualified teacher by the time classes started.
Rome's economic engine continued to rev up: the Rome-Floyd County Chamber of Commerce reported that almost two dozen businesses were engaged in new construction or major expansion in Rome, including General Electric, the Fairbanks Co., Kay Townes Antenna, Integrated Products, Anderson Manufacturing, Fox Manufacturing, Parrish Bakeries, Rome Frozen Foods, and Rome Casket Company.
And if that won't enough good news, Rome and Floyd County also posted an unemployment rate of only 3.7%, with an annual payroll of $49.6 million, a 12" increase over the year before.
Most of us take the US 411/US 27 interchange for granted—after all, it's been there almost as long as most of us can remember—but in 1964, it wasn't there in its current state, and Rome business leaders and politicians were getting pretty darn frustrated. On August 20th, they voted to request the State Highway Department issue a conditional work order to let Ledbetter Brothers begin site prep while the final details were being negotiated.
Floyd County got its first automatic voting machines this week in 1964, just in time for the upcoming November Presidential elections. The machines were on display at the courthouse so that interested parties could come by and check them out to learn how the newfangled devices actually tabulated your votes.
Piggly Wiggly had Delmonico steaks for 99¢ a pound, white corn for a nickel an ear, and a 24-bottle case of Coke or Tab for 99¢ (and so the price creep began... that's a dime per case higher than they were charging in 1962 and early 1963, the first years I covered in this weekly nostalgic interlude). A&P had Libby's potted meat for a dime a can, half or whole hams for 49¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound. Kroger had cubed steak for 79¢ a pound, Swift's bologna for 29¢ a pound, and a two-pound jar of Blue Plate apple jelly for 29¢. Big Apple had five pounds of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢, lamb shoulder roast for 19¢ a pound, and Swift's premium bacon for 49¢ a pound. Couch's had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, pink salmon for 29¢ a can, and a three-pound can of Snowdrift shortening for 59¢.
If you wanted to catch a movie the first half of the week, your choices were McHale's Navy (with Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, and the rest of the TV series cast) at the DeSoto, Paris When It Sizzles (with William Holden and Audrey Hepburn) at the First Avenue, and The Running Man (not the Stephen King film, the movie with Laurence Harvey and Lee Remick) at the West Rome Drive-In. The mid-week change up brought Robinson Crusoe on Mars (with Paul Mantee) to the First Avenue, What a Way to Go! to the DeSoto, and Walt Disney's Merlin Jones to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1964 was "Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes. Other top ten hits included "The House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals (#2); "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin (#3); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#4); "C'Mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#5); "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (#6); "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (#7); "Walk—Don't Run '64" by the Ventures (#8); "Bread and Butter" by the Newbeats (#9); and "How Do You Do It?" by Gerry & the Pacemakers (#10).
Saturday, August 09, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/10/1964 to 8/16/1964
On August 10th, the Rome News-Tribune shared the news that most students were just as happy not knowing: the final two weeks of summer vacation had arrived! School was scheduled to start back on August 27th, beginning the 1964-65 school year that would continue through June 1st. And yes, that meant that back in the mid-1960s, we did get almost three full months off for the summer... and we didn't back to class during what is traditionally the hottest part of the summer.
West Rome High School was allocated $65,000 for the construction of an industrial arts shop, contingent on the the school system receiving the scheduled funding from the Georgia Department of Education. Plans called for the shop to be up and running by the 1965-1966 school year.
Coach Paul Kennedy talked with the Rome News-Tribune about his prospects for the 1964 football season, and he was (as usual) cautious in his comments. "We think we're going to have a pretty good team, but you can never really tell," Coach Kennedy said. "Right now all we're concerned about is Coosa," the team that West Rome was set to play in their season opener on August 29th. "We certainly don't want to go into that game over-confident. We realize that Coosa is going to be a strong club, and against us, we expect them to become super-human." Coach Kennedy had good things to say about quarterbacks Ronnie Kennedy and Ronnie Parker, along with returning players Jerry Coalson, Gordon Walden, Ken Payne, Dickie Sapp, Donnie Hill, and Richard Camp.
Low unemployment and a strong emphasis on education (complete with lower class sizes) left many school systems—including Rome's—with a teacher shortage as the school year began. The state estimated they would have 1,000 unfilled positions at the start of school, while the Rome school system had eight unfilled positions, including one at West Rome. School superintendent M.S. McDonald said that the shortage "won't prevent the opening of any schools, but we may have to double up in some classes."
The start of a news school year meant back to school shopping, and Miller's Department Store cashed in on new clothes shopping with a Seventeen Fashion Show on Wednesday, August 12th, hosted by Pat Sadowsky, editor of Seventeen Magazine. Door prizes included a Magnavox stereo system, a Bulova Caravelle watch, and (of course) clothes from Bobbie Brooks and other manufacturers. More than 300 teenage girls showed up for the event. Meanwhile, Sears announced extended hours, staying open until 9pm for the two weeks leading up to school's start. And everyone got in on the act for the weekend as Rome merchants celebrated "August Dollar Days" on Friday and Saturday with their biggest bargains of the season on clothes, school supplies, and more.
Merchants had every reason to be excited about the sales season: the Federal Reserve released June's department store sales numbers in mid-August, and it showed that Rome sales were up 15% over the same month in 1964, while furniture stores reported a 2% growth. Charge account balances were 12% higher, but Romans were paying off those accounts in an average of 68 days, compared to 77 days in 1963.
After two weeks of extremely hot weather with temperatures reaching the mid and upper 90s, Rome got a break in mid-August when a cool front dropped highs to the low 80s and lows to the mid-50s. Considering how few homes had central air conditioning in 1964, this was undoubtedly appreciated by many of us in West Rome!
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 39¢ a pound, Plymouth coffee for 69¢ a pound, and ten pounds of potatoes for 49¢. Kroger had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and (no, I'm not making this up) Cantaloupe a la Mode for 25¢ each—and yes, that was a half a cantaloupe with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center of it! (I'll wait while you make the appropriate ewww sounds...) Big Apple had baking hens for 29¢ a pound, JFG coffee for 59¢, and Georgia peaches for 19¢ a pound. A&P had cubed steak for 89¢ a pound, canned biscuits for 8¢ a can, and corn for a nickel an ear. Couch's had Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 49¢ a pound, Blue Plate jelly for 33¢ a jar, and fresh okra for 15¢ a pound (and I can almost smell Mom's fried okra...).
The cinematic week began with the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night at the DeSoto, The Carpetbaggers at the First Avenue, and a double feature of Come Blow Your Horn (with Frank Sinatra) and Hud (with Paul Newman) at the West Rome Drive-In. McHale's Navy set sail from television to the big screen at the DeSoto for the last half of the week, while The New Interns (with Dean Jones, Telly Savalas, Barbara Eden, and Stefanie Powers) made its Rome premiere at both the First Avenue and the West Rome Drive-In.
The Supremes took the number one position this week in 1964 with "Where Did Our Love Go?" Other top ten hits included "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin (#2); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#3); "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (#4); "The House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals (#5); "C'mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#6); "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (#7); "Walk—Don't Run '64" by the Ventures (#8); "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Dusty Springfield (#9); and ""How Do You Do It?" by Gerry & the Pacemakers (#10).
West Rome High School was allocated $65,000 for the construction of an industrial arts shop, contingent on the the school system receiving the scheduled funding from the Georgia Department of Education. Plans called for the shop to be up and running by the 1965-1966 school year.
Coach Paul Kennedy talked with the Rome News-Tribune about his prospects for the 1964 football season, and he was (as usual) cautious in his comments. "We think we're going to have a pretty good team, but you can never really tell," Coach Kennedy said. "Right now all we're concerned about is Coosa," the team that West Rome was set to play in their season opener on August 29th. "We certainly don't want to go into that game over-confident. We realize that Coosa is going to be a strong club, and against us, we expect them to become super-human." Coach Kennedy had good things to say about quarterbacks Ronnie Kennedy and Ronnie Parker, along with returning players Jerry Coalson, Gordon Walden, Ken Payne, Dickie Sapp, Donnie Hill, and Richard Camp.
Low unemployment and a strong emphasis on education (complete with lower class sizes) left many school systems—including Rome's—with a teacher shortage as the school year began. The state estimated they would have 1,000 unfilled positions at the start of school, while the Rome school system had eight unfilled positions, including one at West Rome. School superintendent M.S. McDonald said that the shortage "won't prevent the opening of any schools, but we may have to double up in some classes."
The start of a news school year meant back to school shopping, and Miller's Department Store cashed in on new clothes shopping with a Seventeen Fashion Show on Wednesday, August 12th, hosted by Pat Sadowsky, editor of Seventeen Magazine. Door prizes included a Magnavox stereo system, a Bulova Caravelle watch, and (of course) clothes from Bobbie Brooks and other manufacturers. More than 300 teenage girls showed up for the event. Meanwhile, Sears announced extended hours, staying open until 9pm for the two weeks leading up to school's start. And everyone got in on the act for the weekend as Rome merchants celebrated "August Dollar Days" on Friday and Saturday with their biggest bargains of the season on clothes, school supplies, and more.
Merchants had every reason to be excited about the sales season: the Federal Reserve released June's department store sales numbers in mid-August, and it showed that Rome sales were up 15% over the same month in 1964, while furniture stores reported a 2% growth. Charge account balances were 12% higher, but Romans were paying off those accounts in an average of 68 days, compared to 77 days in 1963.
After two weeks of extremely hot weather with temperatures reaching the mid and upper 90s, Rome got a break in mid-August when a cool front dropped highs to the low 80s and lows to the mid-50s. Considering how few homes had central air conditioning in 1964, this was undoubtedly appreciated by many of us in West Rome!
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 39¢ a pound, Plymouth coffee for 69¢ a pound, and ten pounds of potatoes for 49¢. Kroger had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and (no, I'm not making this up) Cantaloupe a la Mode for 25¢ each—and yes, that was a half a cantaloupe with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center of it! (I'll wait while you make the appropriate ewww sounds...) Big Apple had baking hens for 29¢ a pound, JFG coffee for 59¢, and Georgia peaches for 19¢ a pound. A&P had cubed steak for 89¢ a pound, canned biscuits for 8¢ a can, and corn for a nickel an ear. Couch's had Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 49¢ a pound, Blue Plate jelly for 33¢ a jar, and fresh okra for 15¢ a pound (and I can almost smell Mom's fried okra...).
The cinematic week began with the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night at the DeSoto, The Carpetbaggers at the First Avenue, and a double feature of Come Blow Your Horn (with Frank Sinatra) and Hud (with Paul Newman) at the West Rome Drive-In. McHale's Navy set sail from television to the big screen at the DeSoto for the last half of the week, while The New Interns (with Dean Jones, Telly Savalas, Barbara Eden, and Stefanie Powers) made its Rome premiere at both the First Avenue and the West Rome Drive-In.
The Supremes took the number one position this week in 1964 with "Where Did Our Love Go?" Other top ten hits included "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin (#2); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#3); "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (#4); "The House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals (#5); "C'mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#6); "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (#7); "Walk—Don't Run '64" by the Ventures (#8); "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Dusty Springfield (#9); and ""How Do You Do It?" by Gerry & the Pacemakers (#10).
Sunday, August 03, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/3/1964 to 8/9/1964
This was a quiet week in West Rome. Summer was coming to an end, and the school year was looming in the not-too-distant future. August began appropriately hot and dry, but to kids enjoying their last weeks of freedom, the was no problem.
The Rome City Board of Education completed its analysis of a potential city-county school system merger, and they concluded that "there would be no purpose to the merger unless the children of both systems were provided with better educational opportunities than are available at present." Apparently the final decision was that such benefits were not present, since there never was a city or county vote to approve the merger.
Federal government red tape slowed down construction of the East Rome Hwy 411/Hwy 27 interchange. Ledbetter construction spokespeople and district highway engineer WH Jackson were both convinced that the delay would be very brief, and assured Romans that the construction would still be completed on time.
Brazelton-Wallis Printing Company and C&H Transportation both announced expansion plans; the two companies confirmed that they would be relocating just a couple of miles from West Rome High School, on Redmond Court.
Adults who never earned their high school diplomas got a second change as the GED Test was administered in early August at West Rome High School. Testees had to be 20 years of age or older, and they had to supply their own pencils and paper in order to take the test.
The General Forrest Hotel was the site of the Northwest Georgia Coin Show on August 7th and 8th; admission was free, and more than a thousand Romans attended the event.
Piggly Wiggly had lamb shoulder roast for 23¢ a pound, corn for a nickel an ear, and a 20-ounce jar of Maxwell House Instant Coffee for $1.39. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Libby's Vienna sausages for 19¢ a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 79¢ a pound, Duke's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and four rolls of Northern bathroom tissue for 29¢. A&P had 10 pounds of Good Loaf flour for 99¢, pork roast for 29¢ pound, and Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Couch's had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, Shopper's Bacon for 49¢ a pound, and Campbell's tomato soup for a mere dime a can (how nice that one of my favorite foods was also so very inexpensive!).
The cinematic week began with Walt Disney's The Moonspinners at the Desoto, The Carpetbaggers at the First Avenue, and The Longest Day at the West Rome Drive-In. The Beatles hit Rome in mid-week as A Hard Day's Night began its run at the DeSoto Theater, The Carpetbaggers hung around for a second week at the First Avenue, and The Sword in the Stone brought Arthurian legendry to the West Rome Drive-In.
Just as A Hard Day's Night finally came to Rome, the film's title song fell out of first place on the Top Ten charts. "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin leapt to first place; other top ten hits included "Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes (#2); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#3); "Rag Doll" by the Four Seasons (#4); "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (#5); "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Dusty Springfield (#6); "Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)" by Jan & Dean (#7); "C'mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#8); "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" by the Jelly Beans (#9); and "The House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals (#10). However, the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night album did hold onto its number one position for another week.
The Rome City Board of Education completed its analysis of a potential city-county school system merger, and they concluded that "there would be no purpose to the merger unless the children of both systems were provided with better educational opportunities than are available at present." Apparently the final decision was that such benefits were not present, since there never was a city or county vote to approve the merger.
Federal government red tape slowed down construction of the East Rome Hwy 411/Hwy 27 interchange. Ledbetter construction spokespeople and district highway engineer WH Jackson were both convinced that the delay would be very brief, and assured Romans that the construction would still be completed on time.
Brazelton-Wallis Printing Company and C&H Transportation both announced expansion plans; the two companies confirmed that they would be relocating just a couple of miles from West Rome High School, on Redmond Court.
Adults who never earned their high school diplomas got a second change as the GED Test was administered in early August at West Rome High School. Testees had to be 20 years of age or older, and they had to supply their own pencils and paper in order to take the test.
The General Forrest Hotel was the site of the Northwest Georgia Coin Show on August 7th and 8th; admission was free, and more than a thousand Romans attended the event.
Piggly Wiggly had lamb shoulder roast for 23¢ a pound, corn for a nickel an ear, and a 20-ounce jar of Maxwell House Instant Coffee for $1.39. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Libby's Vienna sausages for 19¢ a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 79¢ a pound, Duke's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and four rolls of Northern bathroom tissue for 29¢. A&P had 10 pounds of Good Loaf flour for 99¢, pork roast for 29¢ pound, and Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Couch's had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, Shopper's Bacon for 49¢ a pound, and Campbell's tomato soup for a mere dime a can (how nice that one of my favorite foods was also so very inexpensive!).
The cinematic week began with Walt Disney's The Moonspinners at the Desoto, The Carpetbaggers at the First Avenue, and The Longest Day at the West Rome Drive-In. The Beatles hit Rome in mid-week as A Hard Day's Night began its run at the DeSoto Theater, The Carpetbaggers hung around for a second week at the First Avenue, and The Sword in the Stone brought Arthurian legendry to the West Rome Drive-In.
Just as A Hard Day's Night finally came to Rome, the film's title song fell out of first place on the Top Ten charts. "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin leapt to first place; other top ten hits included "Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes (#2); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#3); "Rag Doll" by the Four Seasons (#4); "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (#5); "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Dusty Springfield (#6); "Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)" by Jan & Dean (#7); "C'mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#8); "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" by the Jelly Beans (#9); and "The House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals (#10). However, the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night album did hold onto its number one position for another week.
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