Saturday, October 10, 2015

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/11/1965 to 10/17/1965

One of the advantages of having multiple community-focused high schools rather than one high school located in the hinterlands: members of the West Rome Chieftains Club launched their membership drive this week in 1965—and the drive directors had mapped out the West Rome area to ensure that members of the Chieftains Club would be able to visit every single home in the West Rome district to try to encourage parent involvement! That's something that the folks at Rome High School wouldn't even attempt nowadays...

The Rome City School System joined in observing National School Lunch Week this week in 1965—and they really know how to make lunchrooms popular back then! To commemorate the week, they replaced Tuesday's hot dog lunch with a foot long hot dog lunch (and to a kid like me who loved hot dogs, there could be no better way to celebrate School Lunch Week than to get a chili dog that was twice as big as usual!).

Rome police solved a whole lot of burglary cases in two fell swoops when they cracked not one but two burglary rings. The first ring involved four Romans, while the second ring involved ten men. More than $20,000 in cash and merchandise was found at the sites of the two arrests. According to Sheriff's investigator Bill Hart, all evidence indicated that the two groups of burglars didn't know each other and had no connections.

West Rome celebrated its homecoming on Saturday, October 16th--and what better way to celebrate than with a football victory? The Chiefs defeated Cedartown 26-7, with Roger Weaver taking the spotlight. Weaver scored West Rome's first touchdown and gained 63 of set Rome's 172 yards. While he didn't score again, his running set up the second and third touchdowns, which were scored by Ronnie Parker and Arbie Lovell; the fourth touchdown was scored by David Garrett.

214 people attended the YMCA Program Planning Caravan on Saturday at West Rome High School. The event was designed to acquaint Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y officers with the responsibilities of their office; the West Rome Tri-Hi-Y acted as host for the caravan.

In a time when every soft drink manufacturer was using nothing but deposit bottles, Double Cola began touting their new no-deposit 12 ounce bottles this week in 1965. Even better, the bottle caps for these new bottles offered purchasers a chance to win prizes and gifts.

Friday was  fish day in Rome, with Redford's promoting their Friday fish fillet dinner for 65¢, including pinto beans, creamed potatoes, cole slaw, hot rolls, and coffee or tea. Meanwhile, Kentucky Fried Chicken had their Friday fish dinner for only 79¢, including two flounder fillets, french fries, hot biscuits, and tartar sauce (I had no idea KFC even offered fish fillets!). And not to be left out, McDonald's was pushing their new Filet o' Fish sandwich with a three-for-69¢ special. And of course, the school lunch on Friday was--you guessed it--fish!

Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, baking hens for 29¢ a pound, and cabbage for a nickel a pound. Big Apple had Porterhouse steak for $1.09 a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had standing rib roast for 75¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 8¢ a pound, and Armour chili for 33¢ a can. A&P had pork loin for 65¢ a loud, tokay grapes for a dime a pound, and a 24-ounce jar of Ann Page jelly for 45¢. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Castleberry's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound. 

The cinematic week began with The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) at the DeSoto Theater and Mirage (with Gregory Peck & Diane Baker) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) to the DeSoto and Young Dillinger (with Nick Adams) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend screenings included a double feature of Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) and The Earth Dies Screaming (with Willard Parker).

The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#3); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#6); "Just a  Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys (#8); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#9); and "You're the One" by the Vogues (#10).

Cher released her first solo album, All I Really Want to Do, this week in 1965. The covers album was produced by Sonny Bono.

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