The West Rome football team went into the week one game behind crosstown rival East Rome in Region 7-AA... and that meant that West Rome had to win the Friday night game against Pepperell if they had any hope of advancing to post-season play. Coach Nick Hyder tapped senior Jimmy Edwards to take the quarterback position (replacing Mike Johnson, who fractured his shoulder two weeks earlier against Marietta) in hopes that his prior experience would help to offset the loss of Johnson. Alas, it was not to be: in spite of a great performance by Edwards, West Rome lost to Pepperell 26-14 as Pepperell methodically took advantages of weaknesses in West Rome's defense. West Rome dominated the first half and began the third quarter with a 14-6 lead, but Pepperell simply outplayed the Chieftains in the second half
We take the concept of school lunches for granted nowadays, but this time fifty years ago, there was no requirement that schools offer any sort of lunch program. Amendment Four was written to require the school lunch program to be considered a vital, essential, and mandatory part of any Georgia school. Georgia had higher than average school lunch program participation at 73%, while Rome City Schools' school lunch program participation was even higher than that at 80%. The proposed amendment would require schools to offer a lunch program and to subsidize lunches for students who were unable to afford the cost of a prepared lunch every day. "The price and availability of a school lunch determines whether some children can have any lunch at all or not," Mrs. Anne McDonald, president of the Georgia Food Association, said.
Rome businesses were pushing hard for the bond referendum for the construction of the proposed Floyd Junior College, with the Chamber of Commerce coming out strong in support of the referendum, along with all Rome radio stations.
Shorter Avenue had the dubious distinction of serving as the site of three of Rome's ten most dangerous intersections, determined by the number of accidents that occurred there in the prior year. The intersection with Redmond Circle (at the corner where West Rome High School stood) was the "winner," with the Burnett Ferry Road intersection coming in at #4 and the Division Street intersection coming in at #7.
Murphy's got the jump on Christmas by announcing plans to have Santa at the store every Saturday from November 2nd through Christmas. Big K actually brought in Santa one day earlier on Friday, November 1st, but that was just for one day, not for every weekend, so it was Murphy's for the win!
Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Kroger white bread for 18¢ a loaf, and a five-pound bag of oranges for 59¢. Piggly Wiggly had Chuck Wagon bacon for 49¢ a pound, Lady Alice ice milk for an ultra-low 29¢ a half-gallon, and Brach's Pic-a-Mix candy (I have always loved their chocolate covered peanuts and their malt balls!) for 49¢ a pound. Big Apple had veal cutlets for $1.19 a pound (which may be why we never once had veal when I was growing up), Mrs. B's frozen pizza for 59¢, and (get ready for it) six-foot tall aluminum pom-pom Christmas trees with 48 branches for only $3.97 each! A&P had rump roast (admit it, you still snicker at the name, don't you? Well, I do, anyway...) for 99¢ a pound, Golden Rise biscuits for 6¢ a can, and a 2 pound Jane Parker fruitcake for $1.79. Couch's had three-pound Armour Star boneless hams for $2.79, Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a can, and Bama jelly for 25¢ a jar.
The cinematic week began with Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (starring Shirley MacLaine) at the DeSoto Theatre, Bill Wallace of China (starring Gregory Walcott--and no, I've never heard of it, either) at the First Avenue, and A Covenant With Death (starring George Maharis) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Ugly Ones (starring Richard Wyler) the the Desoto Theatre, a double feature of Thunderball and From Russia With Love (two James Bond films starring Sean Connery) at the First Avenue, and The Shuttered Room (starring Carol Lynley) to the West Rome Drive-In. Fifty years later, it still baffles me that, in a town with only two indoor theatre, one of them would feature a double feature of a three-year-old and five-year-old film rather than actually showing something new...
This week in 1968, the Beatles maintained their hold on number one with "Hey Jude." Other top ten hits included "Those Were the Days" by Mary Hopkin (#2); "Love Child" by Diana Ross & The Supremes (#3); "Little Green Apples" by OC Smith (#4); "Hold Me Tight" by Johnny Nash (#5); "White Room" by Cream (#6); "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf (#7); "Elenore" by the Turtles (#8); "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#9); and "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots (#10).
Did you remember a time when soap operas were only fifteen minutes long? We'll, if you watched The Guiding Light or Search for Tomorrow prior to this week in 1968, you do! Both soaps went from a fifteen-minute format to a half-hour format this week in 1968, marking the end to fifteen-minute-long network programming.
Fifty years ago this week, the first solo Beatles album was released: Wonderwall Music by George Harrison. The album blended classical elements, Indian music, and a dash of experimentalism; guest musicians included Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton. Since Harrison did not include himself on the list of contributing musicians, many assumed that Harrison just produced the album, but he actually played keyboard and guitar on many of the tracks.
Friday, October 26, 2018
Friday, October 19, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/21/1968 to 10/27/1968
Head football coach Nick Hyder announced that Jimmy Edwards (who had served as the Chieftains' quarterback in 1967 but had been moved to halfback for the 1968 season) had been tapped to serve as the team's quarterback after Mike Johnson's shoulder fracture in the Marietta game—a fracture that would keep him out for the rest of the season. "The coaches feel like Johnson is one of the most versatile and talented boys ever to play football, and there's no doubt he'll be missed," Hyder said. "He graded out at 85% in the Marietta game before he was hurt, and that's a pretty impressive percentage when you're getting beat!" Coach Hyder stressed that West Rome wasn't a one-man team, though, and praised the performance of Edwards as well as sophomores Randy Hatch, John Sapp, and Chieftains star Roger Weaver. He also announced that the team was going to short another player going into the Friday game: Randy Brumbelow was out due to illness.
West Rome's new/returning quarterback faced a trial by fire as the Chieftains took on Cartersville's Hurricanes on Friday night, October 25th. Unfortunately, the injuries and roster changes took a toll on the team's performance, and they lost to Cartersville 21-14--their first region loss for the season and their second loss in a row (Marietta, who defeated them the week before, was a non-region team.)
Interest in a Floyd County junior college continued to grow, with the Rome Jaycees, the Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission, the Noon Optimists Club, the Coosa Boosters Club, and the Alto Park PTA all endorsing plans for the construction of a junior college, and encouraged all county residents to support the $3.2 million bond referendum to finance initial construction.
Governor Lester Maddox announced plans to ask for a state sales tax increase from 3% to 4% during the 1969 legislative session. Maddox also announced his intention to seek a tax increase on gasoline taxes, cigarette taxes, and corporate income tax. Maddox's requested tax hike would amount to the first sales tax increase since Georgia first implemented the 3% sales tax in 1951. The personal and corporate income tax rates had been in place without any changes since 1937. Maddox said that he felt it was time for Georgia's tax rate to increase, and that the extra revenue would be shared with local cities and states. (Democratic legislators, who held the majority in Georgia in the 1960s and the 1970s, didn't agree, and the tax increase went nowhere; it would ultimately be another twenty years before Georgia's tax rate increased.
Daylight saving time came to an end on Sunday, October 27th, as the state returned to Eastern Standard Time for the winter. Legislators announced led plans to prevent legislation in 1969 to end daylight saving time (but as we know, those plans went nowhere, and we're still stuck with changing our clocks twice a year).
Piggly Wiggly had smoked ham for 39¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice milk for 49¢ a pound. Kroger had chicken livers for 39¢ a pound, Campbell's chicken noodle soup for 12¢ a can, and cantaloupes for 49¢ each. A&P had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 39¢ a can, and tomatoes for 19¢ a pound. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Southern Maid biscuits for 10¢ a can. Couch's had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Stranger Returns (starring Tony Anthony) at the DeSoto Theatre, Rachel, Rachel (starring Marietta's own Joanne Woodward) at the First Avenue, and How I Won the War (starring John Lennon) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (starring Shirley MacLaine) to the DeSoto Theatre and Spree (a low-budget drug-addiction crime film starring no one you've ever heard of) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Rachel, Rachel hung around for another week at the First Avenue.
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with the mega-hit "Hey Jude" (which was, at the time, the longest single to ever place in the Top Ten). Other top ten hits included "Those Were the Days" by Mary Hopkin (#2); "Little Green Apples" by O C Smith (#3); "Fire" by the Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#4); "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots (#5); "Elenore" by the Turtles (#6); "Over You" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#7); "Hold Me Tight" by Johnny Nash (#8); "Love Child" by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#9); and "White Room" by Cream (#10).
West Rome's new/returning quarterback faced a trial by fire as the Chieftains took on Cartersville's Hurricanes on Friday night, October 25th. Unfortunately, the injuries and roster changes took a toll on the team's performance, and they lost to Cartersville 21-14--their first region loss for the season and their second loss in a row (Marietta, who defeated them the week before, was a non-region team.)
Interest in a Floyd County junior college continued to grow, with the Rome Jaycees, the Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission, the Noon Optimists Club, the Coosa Boosters Club, and the Alto Park PTA all endorsing plans for the construction of a junior college, and encouraged all county residents to support the $3.2 million bond referendum to finance initial construction.
Governor Lester Maddox announced plans to ask for a state sales tax increase from 3% to 4% during the 1969 legislative session. Maddox also announced his intention to seek a tax increase on gasoline taxes, cigarette taxes, and corporate income tax. Maddox's requested tax hike would amount to the first sales tax increase since Georgia first implemented the 3% sales tax in 1951. The personal and corporate income tax rates had been in place without any changes since 1937. Maddox said that he felt it was time for Georgia's tax rate to increase, and that the extra revenue would be shared with local cities and states. (Democratic legislators, who held the majority in Georgia in the 1960s and the 1970s, didn't agree, and the tax increase went nowhere; it would ultimately be another twenty years before Georgia's tax rate increased.
Daylight saving time came to an end on Sunday, October 27th, as the state returned to Eastern Standard Time for the winter. Legislators announced led plans to prevent legislation in 1969 to end daylight saving time (but as we know, those plans went nowhere, and we're still stuck with changing our clocks twice a year).
Piggly Wiggly had smoked ham for 39¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice milk for 49¢ a pound. Kroger had chicken livers for 39¢ a pound, Campbell's chicken noodle soup for 12¢ a can, and cantaloupes for 49¢ each. A&P had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 39¢ a can, and tomatoes for 19¢ a pound. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Southern Maid biscuits for 10¢ a can. Couch's had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Stranger Returns (starring Tony Anthony) at the DeSoto Theatre, Rachel, Rachel (starring Marietta's own Joanne Woodward) at the First Avenue, and How I Won the War (starring John Lennon) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (starring Shirley MacLaine) to the DeSoto Theatre and Spree (a low-budget drug-addiction crime film starring no one you've ever heard of) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Rachel, Rachel hung around for another week at the First Avenue.
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with the mega-hit "Hey Jude" (which was, at the time, the longest single to ever place in the Top Ten). Other top ten hits included "Those Were the Days" by Mary Hopkin (#2); "Little Green Apples" by O C Smith (#3); "Fire" by the Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#4); "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots (#5); "Elenore" by the Turtles (#6); "Over You" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#7); "Hold Me Tight" by Johnny Nash (#8); "Love Child" by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#9); and "White Room" by Cream (#10).
Friday, October 12, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/14/1968 to 10/20/1968
A study of the Rome City Schools told us what a lot of us already suspected: the schools on the west side of town fared better than schools in other parts of Rome, both in the condition and maintenance of the facilities and in the qualify of the education. Only two schools--Fourth Ward and Elm Street--were reported to be in need of significant renovations; the committee recommended closing Fourth Ward entirely and moving the students to other area schools, while they agreed with the system's plan to largely rebuild Elm Street. West End Elementary earned particularly high praise as "an excellent facility in a growing population center." They also recommended that West Rome High School and West Rome Junior High "be maintained as a permanent educational facility for the community." Oh, if only the school board had remembered this recommendation sixteen years later...
Roger Weaver was tapped as the Rome News-Tribune's Player of the Week for his outstanding performance in the Cedartown game. The newspaper lauded Weaver's 127 net yards on the ground, which helped to put West Rome in scoring position, as well as his game-winning field goal kick and his kickoff returns.
West Rome turned its attention to Marietta for its sixth game. While Marietta's 2-2-1 record was much less impressive than West Rome's 5-0 record, Marietta had proven very capable of holding the line against their opponents on defense (but less good at holding the ball on offense--fumbles had led to both of their losses). Alas, there no Chieftain-friendly fumbles on Friday night, as Marietta scored 24 points to deliver West Rome's first loss of the season--and adding injury to insult, they also took out West Rome quarterback Mike Johnson, who suffered a broken shoulder during the 24-0 loss.
West End Elementary's PTA Fall Festival was held from 5:30 until 9:30 pm at the school. Highlights of the event included a sweet shop, a country store, a fish pond, a dart game, a spook house, a movie, and an auction to raise funds for the school. I remember these fall festivals very well; one of the reasons I attended was to pick up some used comic books for a dime--it seemed like the country store always had used comic books! The sweet shop, featuring baked goods made by parents, was also a highlight of the event.
October heat waves are nothing new: this week in 1968, Rome was dealing with 80°+ temperatures every day, with Tuesday hitting 88°. The warmer temperatures held on through the weekend, which meant (as the Rome News-Tribune noted) "no football weather in the offing yet."
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Nabisco Shredded Wheat for 25¢ a box. Kroger had Cudahy Bar bacon for 49¢ a pound, iceberg lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Kroger brand white bread for 15¢ a loaf. A&P had chuck roast for 49¢ a pound, Eight O'clock Coffee for 49¢ a pound ,and carrots for a dime a bunch. Big Apple had smoked ham for 39 a pound, sweet potatoes for 15¢ a pound, and Poss Brunswick stew for 45¢ a can. Couch's had store-made sausage for 49¢ a pound, Pop Tarts for 35¢ a box, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Never a Dull Moment (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Bible (starring Stephen Boyd) at the First Avenue, and The Sweet Ride (staring Tony Franciosca) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Stranger Returns (starring Tony Anthony) to the DeSoto, Rachel, Rachel (starring Joanne Woodward) to the First Avenue, and Twist of Sand (starring Richard Johnson) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Television viewers around the world watched the first live broadcast from a spacecraft in orbit this week in 1968, as the crew of the Apollo 7 mission sent back six short broadcasts during their eleven-day space mission.
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with "Hey Jude." Other top ten hits included "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#2); "Little Green Apples" by OC Smith (#3); "Those Were the Days" by Mary Hopkin (#4); "Girl Watcher" by the O'Kaysions (#5); "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots (#6); "Over You" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#7); "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley (#8); "Elenore" by the Turtles (#9); and "I've Got to Get a Message to You" by the Bee Gees (#10).
The Guardians of the Galaxy made their premiere in the pages of Marvel Super-Heroes #18, released this week in 1968. However, it's not the Guardians that film viewers have come to know: while the concept was similar, this comic by Stan Lee & Gene Colan featured a totally different cast of characters, including Major Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Yondu, and Martinex. It would be many more years (and multiple lineup changes) before the team found any measure of success.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's third and final studio album, Electric Ladyland, was released this week in 1968, as was Three Dog Night (also known as One), the debut album by the group that featured Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron on very distinctive lead vocals.
Roger Weaver was tapped as the Rome News-Tribune's Player of the Week for his outstanding performance in the Cedartown game. The newspaper lauded Weaver's 127 net yards on the ground, which helped to put West Rome in scoring position, as well as his game-winning field goal kick and his kickoff returns.
West Rome turned its attention to Marietta for its sixth game. While Marietta's 2-2-1 record was much less impressive than West Rome's 5-0 record, Marietta had proven very capable of holding the line against their opponents on defense (but less good at holding the ball on offense--fumbles had led to both of their losses). Alas, there no Chieftain-friendly fumbles on Friday night, as Marietta scored 24 points to deliver West Rome's first loss of the season--and adding injury to insult, they also took out West Rome quarterback Mike Johnson, who suffered a broken shoulder during the 24-0 loss.
West End Elementary's PTA Fall Festival was held from 5:30 until 9:30 pm at the school. Highlights of the event included a sweet shop, a country store, a fish pond, a dart game, a spook house, a movie, and an auction to raise funds for the school. I remember these fall festivals very well; one of the reasons I attended was to pick up some used comic books for a dime--it seemed like the country store always had used comic books! The sweet shop, featuring baked goods made by parents, was also a highlight of the event.
October heat waves are nothing new: this week in 1968, Rome was dealing with 80°+ temperatures every day, with Tuesday hitting 88°. The warmer temperatures held on through the weekend, which meant (as the Rome News-Tribune noted) "no football weather in the offing yet."
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Nabisco Shredded Wheat for 25¢ a box. Kroger had Cudahy Bar bacon for 49¢ a pound, iceberg lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Kroger brand white bread for 15¢ a loaf. A&P had chuck roast for 49¢ a pound, Eight O'clock Coffee for 49¢ a pound ,and carrots for a dime a bunch. Big Apple had smoked ham for 39 a pound, sweet potatoes for 15¢ a pound, and Poss Brunswick stew for 45¢ a can. Couch's had store-made sausage for 49¢ a pound, Pop Tarts for 35¢ a box, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Never a Dull Moment (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Bible (starring Stephen Boyd) at the First Avenue, and The Sweet Ride (staring Tony Franciosca) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Stranger Returns (starring Tony Anthony) to the DeSoto, Rachel, Rachel (starring Joanne Woodward) to the First Avenue, and Twist of Sand (starring Richard Johnson) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Television viewers around the world watched the first live broadcast from a spacecraft in orbit this week in 1968, as the crew of the Apollo 7 mission sent back six short broadcasts during their eleven-day space mission.
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with "Hey Jude." Other top ten hits included "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#2); "Little Green Apples" by OC Smith (#3); "Those Were the Days" by Mary Hopkin (#4); "Girl Watcher" by the O'Kaysions (#5); "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots (#6); "Over You" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#7); "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley (#8); "Elenore" by the Turtles (#9); and "I've Got to Get a Message to You" by the Bee Gees (#10).
The Guardians of the Galaxy made their premiere in the pages of Marvel Super-Heroes #18, released this week in 1968. However, it's not the Guardians that film viewers have come to know: while the concept was similar, this comic by Stan Lee & Gene Colan featured a totally different cast of characters, including Major Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Yondu, and Martinex. It would be many more years (and multiple lineup changes) before the team found any measure of success.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's third and final studio album, Electric Ladyland, was released this week in 1968, as was Three Dog Night (also known as One), the debut album by the group that featured Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron on very distinctive lead vocals.
Saturday, October 06, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/7/1968 to 10/13/1968
Rome City Schools received Headstart Program approval for the current school year. The approval came almost two months after the school year began because of red tape in Washington, even though all required state and local forms were filed ahead of deadline. Rome qualified for $140,000 in federal funds for the program, which was about 90% of the funding that they requested. The program was designed to assist preschool children who are educationally and socially unprepared for first grade classes.
The Rome City Schools system also announced plans to request a $1 million bond referendum to raise money for classroom construction, including major new wings at Elm Street Elementary, new classrooms at West End Elementary, and the construction of two new junior high schools in East and West Rome, with the space currently devoted to junior high turned over to high school use instead.
Two West Rome students—Beverly Hall and Michael Witte—were named as semifinalists in the 1968-1969 National Merit Scholarship program. That meant that they advanced to the second step in the competition for about 2900 scholarships valued at more than $8 million.
The West End Mites defeated Alto Park 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon at the Boys Club Field. David Sapp scored the six points with a 21-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter.
West Rome was eager to extend its 5-0 season record with another win as they faced off abasing Cedartown in a 7-AA South headline game. "It'll take our finest effort," Coach Nick Hyder said. "Cedartown has always been ready for us, and it'll certainly take a better effort to win than we've put forth in the last couple of weeks. The game was made more challenging by injuries that sidelined Gerald Tucker, one of West Rome's defensive stars; Alan Carrington, who was out for the season after injuring his shoulder; and Johnny Rimes, who suffered a bruised kidney. In spite of all these setbacks, West Rome went on to win the game 16-14, thanks for a Roger Weaver field goal late in the second half; Weaver also racked up more than 127 yards on the ground during the game, making him the star player for the Chieftains.
The Floyd County Public Works Camp continued to be a rather porous operation: two more prisoners managed to walk away from a work detail this week in 1968. Their "vacation" from their 20-year prison terms was rather short-lived, though, as they were apprehended following a chase that began on the Alabama Highway outside of Rome and ended in Alabama.
Two juveniles, ages 11 and 14, were arrested and charged with vandalism, theft, and burglary after they stole bicycles from Sears, broke windows at Trammel Welding, and broke into the Trammell offices. The boys were also suspected in the theft of ties from Second Avenue Baptist Church and the theft of more than two dozen hubcaps.
Rome police officers petitioned the Rome City Commission for Social Security coverage at the Monday night commission meeting. In 1968, an officer with 25 years of service did NOT receive Social Security, since the city had opted out of social security participation (local governments were allowed to do this until the 1980s), but they did receive a pension of $100 per month, along with an additional $4 per month for every year of service over 25, up to a maximum of $152. That means that 38 years or more of service earned a city policeman $152 a month in pension benefits (even adjusting for inflation, that's equals only $1085 in today's dollars).
Coosa Valley Tech continued to grow with the addition of a practical nursing course. All applicants had to have completed at least the 10th grade in high school and had to pass an aptitude test. (Today, it's hard to imagine that someone with only a tenth grade education could qualify for any sort of nursing certification, but that's all that was needed in 1968!)
Kay's Kastles decided to take on Candler's Drugstore by cutting the price on their milkshakes to 29¢ each--only 4¢ more than Candler's 25¢ milkshake price. They also added a 27¢ 3-scoop cone to their menu--that made it larger than Candler's two-scoop cone, but Candler's cones were only a dime each, so you could buy two 2-scoop cones and a 5¢ one-scoop cone for less than the price of Kay's Kastles' 3-scoop. Ah, the wonders of an ice cream war!...
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Humpty Dumpty salmon for 69¢ a tall can, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound. A&P had spare ribs for 65¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 15¢ a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for 17¢ a can. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and white seedless grapes for 29¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 89¢ a pound, Parkay margarine for 25¢ a tub, and bananas for 12¢ a pound. Couch's had Armour Star sliced bacon for 59¢, Heinz tomato soup for a dime a can, and locally grown turnip greens for 15¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Pink Jungle (starring James Garner) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Bible (starring Stephen Boyd) at the First Avenue, and Von Ryan's Express (starring Frank Sinatra) at the West Rome Drive-In. the midweek switchout brought Never a Dull Moment (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto, Rachel,Rachel (starring Joanne Woodward) at the First Avenue, and The Mini Affair (starring Georgie Fame) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to number one for a fourth week with "Hey Jude." Other top ten hits included "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#2); "Little Green Apples" by OC Smith (#3); "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley (#4); "Girl Watcher" by the O'Kaysions (#5); "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots (#6); "My Special Angel" by the Vogues (#7); "I've Got to Get a Message to You" by the Bee Gees (#8); "Over You" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#9); and "Say It Loud—I''m Black and I'm Proud (Part 1)" by James Brown (#10).
Bea Benaderet, star of Petticoat Junction, died from lung cancer the week in 1968, shortly after the start of the show's sixth season. The show would continue without her, limping along for the remainder of the sixth season and a seventh season, but ratings declined significantly in her absence.
The Rome City Schools system also announced plans to request a $1 million bond referendum to raise money for classroom construction, including major new wings at Elm Street Elementary, new classrooms at West End Elementary, and the construction of two new junior high schools in East and West Rome, with the space currently devoted to junior high turned over to high school use instead.
Two West Rome students—Beverly Hall and Michael Witte—were named as semifinalists in the 1968-1969 National Merit Scholarship program. That meant that they advanced to the second step in the competition for about 2900 scholarships valued at more than $8 million.
The West End Mites defeated Alto Park 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon at the Boys Club Field. David Sapp scored the six points with a 21-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter.
West Rome was eager to extend its 5-0 season record with another win as they faced off abasing Cedartown in a 7-AA South headline game. "It'll take our finest effort," Coach Nick Hyder said. "Cedartown has always been ready for us, and it'll certainly take a better effort to win than we've put forth in the last couple of weeks. The game was made more challenging by injuries that sidelined Gerald Tucker, one of West Rome's defensive stars; Alan Carrington, who was out for the season after injuring his shoulder; and Johnny Rimes, who suffered a bruised kidney. In spite of all these setbacks, West Rome went on to win the game 16-14, thanks for a Roger Weaver field goal late in the second half; Weaver also racked up more than 127 yards on the ground during the game, making him the star player for the Chieftains.
The Floyd County Public Works Camp continued to be a rather porous operation: two more prisoners managed to walk away from a work detail this week in 1968. Their "vacation" from their 20-year prison terms was rather short-lived, though, as they were apprehended following a chase that began on the Alabama Highway outside of Rome and ended in Alabama.
Two juveniles, ages 11 and 14, were arrested and charged with vandalism, theft, and burglary after they stole bicycles from Sears, broke windows at Trammel Welding, and broke into the Trammell offices. The boys were also suspected in the theft of ties from Second Avenue Baptist Church and the theft of more than two dozen hubcaps.
Rome police officers petitioned the Rome City Commission for Social Security coverage at the Monday night commission meeting. In 1968, an officer with 25 years of service did NOT receive Social Security, since the city had opted out of social security participation (local governments were allowed to do this until the 1980s), but they did receive a pension of $100 per month, along with an additional $4 per month for every year of service over 25, up to a maximum of $152. That means that 38 years or more of service earned a city policeman $152 a month in pension benefits (even adjusting for inflation, that's equals only $1085 in today's dollars).
Coosa Valley Tech continued to grow with the addition of a practical nursing course. All applicants had to have completed at least the 10th grade in high school and had to pass an aptitude test. (Today, it's hard to imagine that someone with only a tenth grade education could qualify for any sort of nursing certification, but that's all that was needed in 1968!)
Kay's Kastles decided to take on Candler's Drugstore by cutting the price on their milkshakes to 29¢ each--only 4¢ more than Candler's 25¢ milkshake price. They also added a 27¢ 3-scoop cone to their menu--that made it larger than Candler's two-scoop cone, but Candler's cones were only a dime each, so you could buy two 2-scoop cones and a 5¢ one-scoop cone for less than the price of Kay's Kastles' 3-scoop. Ah, the wonders of an ice cream war!...
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Humpty Dumpty salmon for 69¢ a tall can, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound. A&P had spare ribs for 65¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 15¢ a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for 17¢ a can. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and white seedless grapes for 29¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 89¢ a pound, Parkay margarine for 25¢ a tub, and bananas for 12¢ a pound. Couch's had Armour Star sliced bacon for 59¢, Heinz tomato soup for a dime a can, and locally grown turnip greens for 15¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Pink Jungle (starring James Garner) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Bible (starring Stephen Boyd) at the First Avenue, and Von Ryan's Express (starring Frank Sinatra) at the West Rome Drive-In. the midweek switchout brought Never a Dull Moment (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto, Rachel,Rachel (starring Joanne Woodward) at the First Avenue, and The Mini Affair (starring Georgie Fame) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to number one for a fourth week with "Hey Jude." Other top ten hits included "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#2); "Little Green Apples" by OC Smith (#3); "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley (#4); "Girl Watcher" by the O'Kaysions (#5); "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots (#6); "My Special Angel" by the Vogues (#7); "I've Got to Get a Message to You" by the Bee Gees (#8); "Over You" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#9); and "Say It Loud—I''m Black and I'm Proud (Part 1)" by James Brown (#10).
Bea Benaderet, star of Petticoat Junction, died from lung cancer the week in 1968, shortly after the start of the show's sixth season. The show would continue without her, limping along for the remainder of the sixth season and a seventh season, but ratings declined significantly in her absence.
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