Nick Hyder may have been West Rome's football coach, but he was willing to host a public forum t East Rome High School if the cutes was right. In this case, the cause was a discussion of alcohol problems--particularly problems involving teenagers. Hyder was involved as the president of the Concerned Citizens of Rome & Floyd County Opposed to the Alcohol Referendum.
West Rome's baseball team defeated Model 11-2 on April 3rd, thanks in large part to a strong pitching performance by Steve Harrell and Mike Ashworth, who held Model to only four hits for the game.
A lack of sate matching funds forced the Rome City School Board to delay a bond referendum to raise funds for a system-wide building program. The state had initially committed $2 million to Rome's building program, but no money was included in the state's budget due to all the attention focused on Governor Maddox's push for a sales tax increase. "It looks like we are out of the construction business," Superintendent Dr. M.S. McDonald said. Other problems were likely to result from this, since part of the building program was designed to comply with desegregation requirements established in conjunction with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
After several years of effort, Eastern Airlines finally got permission to subcontract its Rome air service to another carrier. The new startup air service, Georgia Air Inc., Eastern agreed to cover some of Georgia Air's startup costs. The Rome Chamber of Commerce and the Rome Aviation Committee were unhappy with the change, pointing out that Georgia Air could only operate in Georgia, so that meant that the city's daily flights to Chattanooga would be discontinued; that left Rome with only one scheduled flight to Atlanta every morning and one scheduled flight from Atlanta back to Rome every afternoon.
And the bad news continued for Russell Field: a delegation of Romans who travelled to Washington in an effort to convince the US Weather Bureau to maintain its manned weather station at Russell Field came back with no commitment at all. Rome's weather station was one of thirteen around the country scheduled for closing, and the Rome Chamber of Commerce was having trouble getting enough local financial support to cover the estimated $25,000 a year that it would cost to keep the station open and to pay weather observer Juanita Lester's annual salary.
The Girl Scout annual cookie sale began on Friday, April 4th. Cookies were priced at 50¢ per box, and buyers could choose from chocolate mint (not yet known as thin mint), butter shortie, peanut butter, and assorted sandwich cookies. The sale would continue through April 20th.
Easter fell on Sunday, April 6th; as a result, almost every Rome area business was closed. Even Big K, who had led the push to extend local retail business hours and phase out the last remnants of local "blue laws," locked its doors on Easter Day.
Citizens Federal increased their interest rate for savings certificates (the precursor to certificates of deposit) to 5.25% compounded quarterly, the highest rate in Rome and Floyd County. Rome Bank & Trust responded by offering 5% on ALL savings accounts with at least $25 in deposits, while National City Bank raised their savings certificates rates to 5.127% compounded daily and Home Federal scrambled to match the Citizens Federal rate for deposits of $200 or more.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 39¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and bananas for a dime a pound. Big Apple had ham for 49¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a pound, and RC or Diet-Rite Cola for 35¢ a carton plus deposit. A&P had chuck roast for 69¢ a pound, grapefruit for a dime each, and a dozen golden delicious apples for 49¢. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Blue Bonnet margarine for 29¢ a box, and Mueller's spaghetti for a dime a box. Couch's had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Poss's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and sweet potatoes for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with the documentary African Safari at the DeSoto Theatre, Where Eagles Dare (starring Clint Eastwood) at the First Avenue, and The Party (starring Peter Sellers) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek brought Support Your Local Sheriff (starring James Garner) to the DeSoto Theatre and Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (starring Peter Noone and the rest of Herman's Hermits) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Where Eagles Dare nested for another week at the First Avenue.
The 5th Dimension had the number one song this week in 1969 with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." Other top ten hits included "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#2); "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe" (#3); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#4); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#5); "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#6); "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#7); "Hair" by the Cowsills (#8); "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#9); and "Twenty-Five Miles" by Edwin Starr (#10).
This week in 1969, CBS cancelled The Smothers Brothers due to the inclusion of political commentary that CBS censors had failed to approve. The variety show would be replaced with Hee Haw, effective immediately--but because it would take two months to produce episodes of the bucolic comedy sketch show, CBS would have to run specials for eight weeks to fill the air time left empty by the Smothers Brothers' abrupt dismissal.
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