Roger Weaver became the number one rusher for the 1966 football season in Region 6-AA as a result of his 190 yards against Calhoun the week before. This put Weaver over the 1000 yard mark for the season, Benny Padgett was the number one scorer in Region 6-AA with 64 points; Weaver took the second place scoring slot with 49 points.
The hottest ticket of the year was the West Rome-East Rome football game on November 4th. Chieftains fans certainly got their money’s worth: West Rome defeated the Gladiators 21-0, securing the Region 6-AA crown in the process. More than 6500 tickets were sold to the game, which meant that a standing room only crowd was on hand to watch the Chiefs march to victory. Roger Weaver rushed for 177 yards in the game, scoring two touchdowns.
The West End Mites took first place in Division 1 of Mite League play after beating Alto Park 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon, November 1st. Sammy Johnson scored the game’s only touchdown.
What a meteorological difference fifty years makes! Romans woke up on November 3rd to a 31 degree low and a light dusting of snow; accumulations of 1” were reported as close by as the top of Lavender Mountain.
After a lengthy study, the Civil Aeronautics Board recommended that Eastern Airlines continue its daily Rome flights to and from Atlanta and Chattanooga. While this wasn’tt a government mandate, the recommendation carried a lot of weight, making it much more difficult for Eastern to abandon its Rome routes entirely.
Piggly Wiggly had T-bone steak for 99¢ a pound, five pounds of grapefruit for 39¢,and Mama apple jelly for 20¢ a jar. Kroger had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, ten pounds of Domino sugar for 99¢, and baking potatoes for a dime a pound. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for a quarter a pound, black eye peas for a dime a pound, and Reynolds Wrap for 29¢ a roll. A&P had perch fillets for 35¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 9¢ a pound, and Poss’s Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can. Couch’s had chicken breast for 49¢ a pound, JFG Mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Coca-Cola for 99¢ a case plus deposit.
The cinematic week began with Return of the Seven (with Yul Brynner) at both the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In and Beau Geste (with Guy Stockwell) at the First Avenue Theatre. The midweek switch out brought Fantastic Voyage (with Raquel Welch and some other, less memorable people) at the DeSoto Theatre and The Swinger (with Ann-Margret & Tony Franciosa) at both the First Avenue Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In.
Johnny Rivers took the number one slot this week in 1966 with “Poor Side of Town.” Other top ten hits included “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees (#2); “96 Tears” by ? and the Mysterians (#3); “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys (#4); “Dandy” by Herman’s Hermits (#5); “Winchester Cathedral” by the New Vaudeville Band (#6); “You Keep Me Hanging’ On” by the Supremes (#7); “If I Were a Carpenter” by Bobby Darin (#8); “Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly” by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels (#9); and “I’m Your Puppet” by James & Bobby Purify (#10).
The Monkees took the number one slot this week with their eponymous debut album. Other memorable albums in the top ten this week included The Mamas & the Papas, And Then… Along Comes the Association, Revolver, and The Kinks Greatest Hits.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/24/1966 to 10/30/1966
On Tuesday, October 25th, the Rome News-Tribune recognized Benny Padgett as the number one scorer in Rome football. With seven touchdowns, ten points after, and one field goal, Padgett had racked up 55 points for the season thus far, was six points ahead of his nearest region competitor.
The Chieftains took on Calhoun in a non-region game on November 28th.
Coach Kennedy took the game as seriously as any other, however, as did the team, racking up a 39-6 victory.
West Rome’s Oaknoll Cemetery (located on Alabama Road just a bit past West Rome High School) had to deal with mercenary cemetery thieves this week in 1966. 78 bronze urns were stolen from the cemetery early Wednesday morning. “We want to find the kind of ghouls who go to a cemetery and rob the dead,” Officer Doyle Sutherland said. “This is one of the most macabre and morbid thefts I have ever seen.” Each urn weighed about five pounds, leading police to believe the thieves brought a pickup truck and loaded it up. (In the years since, urn thefts at Oaknoll have become far too common--and it's not just Oaknoll who has to deal with metal thieves, as cemeteries all over the country report the same sort of problems.)
The second phase of the East Rome Interchange was ahead of schedule this week in 1965. The first phase, which opened up in the fall of 1966, brought the road from Cartersville to Rome; phase two would take it from East Rome to US 27 near Six Mile (not too far from the eventual site of Floyd Junior College). Plans called for phase two to be completed by late 1967.
In an era of text messages and terse emails, the art of letter writing has largely fallen by the wayside, but the Rome Chamber of Commerce was doing its part to help people become better letter writers: they hosted a seminar on Writing Better Business Letters on Tuesday evening. More than a hundred people showed up at the Georgia Power Company Auditorium to learn how to write effective, precise letters.
McDonald’s began promoting its new “twice as hearty” doubles in 1966. “These man-sized hamburgers—with or without cheese” are double the size and satisfaction,” the ad touted, “made with double patties of ground chuck plus choice cuts of beef for flavor.”
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Libby’s corn for 16¢ a can, and a one-pound jar of Shurfine peanut butter for 33¢ (which explains why I ate so many peanut butter sandwiches as a child!). Kroger had fresh whole fryers for a quarter a pound, vine ripe tomatoes for 20¢ a pound, and a one-pound bag of Bailey’s Supreme coffee for 65¢. Big Apple had the never-popular Swift’s premium two-pound turkey roll for $3.49, eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and bananas for a dime a pound. (Put those bananas together with that Piggly Wiggly peanut butter and you have one of my favorite sandwiches.) A&P had beef liver for 35¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 15¢ a pound, and a five-pound Jane Parker fruitcake for $3.99. Couch’s had center cut pork chops for 65¢ a pound, Coca-Cola (or Tab or Sprite) for 99¢ a case plus depict, and a pound of Durkee’s flaked coconut for 49¢,
The cinematic week began with The Fighting Prince of Donegal (with Peter McEnery) at the DeSoto Theatre, Khartoum (with Charlton Heston & Laurence Olivier) at the First Avenue, and The Group (with Candice Bergen) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought Return of the Seven (with Yul Brynner) to the DeSoto, Mister Buddwing (with James Garner & Suzanne Pleshette) to the First Avenue, and Don’t Give Up the Ship (with Jerry Lewis) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Monkees took the number one slot for the first time this week in 1966 with “Last Train to Clarksville.” Other top ten hits included “96 Tears” by ? and the Mysterians (#2); “Poor Side of Town” by Johnny Rivers (#3); “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by the Four Tops (#4); “Dandy” by Herman’s Hermits (#5); “Hooray for Hazel” by Tommy Roe (#6); “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin (#7); “If I Were a Carpenter” by Bobby Darin (#8); “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” by the Rolling Stones (#9); and “Walk Away Renee” by the Left Banke (#10).
A Halloween tradition was born on Thursday, October 27th, 1966, when CBS premiered It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The network called on Coca-Cola (who sponsored the Peanuts Christmas Special) to sponsor the Halloween special; when Coke passed on a solo sponsorship, CBS approached Dolly Madison to co-sponsor the show. Both Coke and Dolly Madison would become primary co-sponsors of many more Peanuts specials over the years. CBS aired the special every year from 1966 through 2000; ABC bought the rights and began airing it annually in 2001.
The Chieftains took on Calhoun in a non-region game on November 28th.
Coach Kennedy took the game as seriously as any other, however, as did the team, racking up a 39-6 victory.
West Rome’s Oaknoll Cemetery (located on Alabama Road just a bit past West Rome High School) had to deal with mercenary cemetery thieves this week in 1966. 78 bronze urns were stolen from the cemetery early Wednesday morning. “We want to find the kind of ghouls who go to a cemetery and rob the dead,” Officer Doyle Sutherland said. “This is one of the most macabre and morbid thefts I have ever seen.” Each urn weighed about five pounds, leading police to believe the thieves brought a pickup truck and loaded it up. (In the years since, urn thefts at Oaknoll have become far too common--and it's not just Oaknoll who has to deal with metal thieves, as cemeteries all over the country report the same sort of problems.)
The second phase of the East Rome Interchange was ahead of schedule this week in 1965. The first phase, which opened up in the fall of 1966, brought the road from Cartersville to Rome; phase two would take it from East Rome to US 27 near Six Mile (not too far from the eventual site of Floyd Junior College). Plans called for phase two to be completed by late 1967.
In an era of text messages and terse emails, the art of letter writing has largely fallen by the wayside, but the Rome Chamber of Commerce was doing its part to help people become better letter writers: they hosted a seminar on Writing Better Business Letters on Tuesday evening. More than a hundred people showed up at the Georgia Power Company Auditorium to learn how to write effective, precise letters.
McDonald’s began promoting its new “twice as hearty” doubles in 1966. “These man-sized hamburgers—with or without cheese” are double the size and satisfaction,” the ad touted, “made with double patties of ground chuck plus choice cuts of beef for flavor.”
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Libby’s corn for 16¢ a can, and a one-pound jar of Shurfine peanut butter for 33¢ (which explains why I ate so many peanut butter sandwiches as a child!). Kroger had fresh whole fryers for a quarter a pound, vine ripe tomatoes for 20¢ a pound, and a one-pound bag of Bailey’s Supreme coffee for 65¢. Big Apple had the never-popular Swift’s premium two-pound turkey roll for $3.49, eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and bananas for a dime a pound. (Put those bananas together with that Piggly Wiggly peanut butter and you have one of my favorite sandwiches.) A&P had beef liver for 35¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 15¢ a pound, and a five-pound Jane Parker fruitcake for $3.99. Couch’s had center cut pork chops for 65¢ a pound, Coca-Cola (or Tab or Sprite) for 99¢ a case plus depict, and a pound of Durkee’s flaked coconut for 49¢,
The cinematic week began with The Fighting Prince of Donegal (with Peter McEnery) at the DeSoto Theatre, Khartoum (with Charlton Heston & Laurence Olivier) at the First Avenue, and The Group (with Candice Bergen) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought Return of the Seven (with Yul Brynner) to the DeSoto, Mister Buddwing (with James Garner & Suzanne Pleshette) to the First Avenue, and Don’t Give Up the Ship (with Jerry Lewis) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Monkees took the number one slot for the first time this week in 1966 with “Last Train to Clarksville.” Other top ten hits included “96 Tears” by ? and the Mysterians (#2); “Poor Side of Town” by Johnny Rivers (#3); “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by the Four Tops (#4); “Dandy” by Herman’s Hermits (#5); “Hooray for Hazel” by Tommy Roe (#6); “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin (#7); “If I Were a Carpenter” by Bobby Darin (#8); “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” by the Rolling Stones (#9); and “Walk Away Renee” by the Left Banke (#10).
A Halloween tradition was born on Thursday, October 27th, 1966, when CBS premiered It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The network called on Coca-Cola (who sponsored the Peanuts Christmas Special) to sponsor the Halloween special; when Coke passed on a solo sponsorship, CBS approached Dolly Madison to co-sponsor the show. Both Coke and Dolly Madison would become primary co-sponsors of many more Peanuts specials over the years. CBS aired the special every year from 1966 through 2000; ABC bought the rights and began airing it annually in 2001.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/17/1966 to 10/23/1966
The state department of education met in Rome on Friday, October 21st, unveiling the proposed new pay scale for Georgia teachers. The new budget would take the pay for a beginning teacher all the way to $5000 a year. Other proposed improvements included the gradual rollout of a statewide kindergarten program and reduction of the student-to-teacher ratio to 25-to-1 from the then-current 28-to-1.
The Chieftains faced off against Cass Colonels on Thursday night, October 20th in a home game that would determine whether West Rome secured a spot in the Region 6-AA playoffs. Cass seemed to think they had a chance to rack up their first win of the season, but it wasn’t to be: West Rome trounced them 50-13--but at least it did mark the first time that Cass had managed to score all season. So how did they score? Well, by the end of the first half, when West Rome was winning 41-0, Coach Kennedy gave some of his second-stringers a chance to get in some game time. Jimmy Culberson, Jerry Hill, Benny Padgett, Roger Weaver, and Wayne Worsham all scored touchdowns during the game, while Jimmy Edwards was the only Chieftain to score two touchdowns. This put West Rome 6-0 in region play.
The Discount House on Division Street in West Rome (right behind the First National Bank’s West Rome Branch) had a special on “famous name” (which means no one you’ve heard of) 1967 home stereo systems for $49.99 each, which included a built-in turntable, radio, and two speakers. (I don’t remember the Discount House at all, even though I routinely walked to Henson’s Drugs at the Corner of Shorter and Division in my endless quest for comic books and even went a bit further to Super Discount from time to time; apparently I never knew that there was a discount store on Division Street.)
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, Lay’s potato chips for 39¢ a twin-pack bag, and a five-pound bag of seat potatoes for 39¢. Kroger had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and a six-bottle carton of Coca-Cola, Tab, or Sprite for 29¢ plus deposit. Big Apple had beef liver for 25¢ a pound, turnip greens for 25¢ a pound, and a four-bag pack of Ivory soap for 25¢. A&P had smoke hams for 39¢ a pound, two pounds of Nutley margarine for 35¢, and a dozen glazed donuts for 39¢. Couch’s had stew beef for 89¢ a pound, Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half gallon, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Agony & the Ecstasy (with Charlton Heston & Rex Harrison) at the DeSoto, La Dolce Vita (with Marcello Mastroianni) at the First Avenue, and Modesty Blaise (with Monica Vitti—an espionage-adventure film based on the novels by Peter O’Donnell) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Fighting Prince of Donegal (with Peter McEnery) to the DeSoto, Khartoum (with Charlton Heston & Laurence Olivier) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Quick Gun (with Audie Murphy) and Fail Safe (with Henry Fonda) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1966 was “96 Tears” by the enigmatic ? and the Mysterians. Other top ten hits included “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees (#2); “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by the Four Tops (#3); “Poor Side of Town” by Johnny Rivers (#4); “Walk Away Renee” by The Left Banke (#5); “Dandy” by Herman’s Hermits (#6); “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin (#7); “Hooray for Hazel” by Tommy Roe (#8); “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In the Shadow?” by the Rolling Stones (#9); and “See See Rider” by Eric Burdon & the Animals (#10).
This was also that The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators ws released. This debut album made musical history as the first album to use the word “psychedelic” to describe a style of music.
ABC became the first network to broadcast all of its national news programming in full color beginning this week in 1966.
The Chieftains faced off against Cass Colonels on Thursday night, October 20th in a home game that would determine whether West Rome secured a spot in the Region 6-AA playoffs. Cass seemed to think they had a chance to rack up their first win of the season, but it wasn’t to be: West Rome trounced them 50-13--but at least it did mark the first time that Cass had managed to score all season. So how did they score? Well, by the end of the first half, when West Rome was winning 41-0, Coach Kennedy gave some of his second-stringers a chance to get in some game time. Jimmy Culberson, Jerry Hill, Benny Padgett, Roger Weaver, and Wayne Worsham all scored touchdowns during the game, while Jimmy Edwards was the only Chieftain to score two touchdowns. This put West Rome 6-0 in region play.
The Discount House on Division Street in West Rome (right behind the First National Bank’s West Rome Branch) had a special on “famous name” (which means no one you’ve heard of) 1967 home stereo systems for $49.99 each, which included a built-in turntable, radio, and two speakers. (I don’t remember the Discount House at all, even though I routinely walked to Henson’s Drugs at the Corner of Shorter and Division in my endless quest for comic books and even went a bit further to Super Discount from time to time; apparently I never knew that there was a discount store on Division Street.)
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, Lay’s potato chips for 39¢ a twin-pack bag, and a five-pound bag of seat potatoes for 39¢. Kroger had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and a six-bottle carton of Coca-Cola, Tab, or Sprite for 29¢ plus deposit. Big Apple had beef liver for 25¢ a pound, turnip greens for 25¢ a pound, and a four-bag pack of Ivory soap for 25¢. A&P had smoke hams for 39¢ a pound, two pounds of Nutley margarine for 35¢, and a dozen glazed donuts for 39¢. Couch’s had stew beef for 89¢ a pound, Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half gallon, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Agony & the Ecstasy (with Charlton Heston & Rex Harrison) at the DeSoto, La Dolce Vita (with Marcello Mastroianni) at the First Avenue, and Modesty Blaise (with Monica Vitti—an espionage-adventure film based on the novels by Peter O’Donnell) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Fighting Prince of Donegal (with Peter McEnery) to the DeSoto, Khartoum (with Charlton Heston & Laurence Olivier) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Quick Gun (with Audie Murphy) and Fail Safe (with Henry Fonda) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1966 was “96 Tears” by the enigmatic ? and the Mysterians. Other top ten hits included “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees (#2); “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by the Four Tops (#3); “Poor Side of Town” by Johnny Rivers (#4); “Walk Away Renee” by The Left Banke (#5); “Dandy” by Herman’s Hermits (#6); “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin (#7); “Hooray for Hazel” by Tommy Roe (#8); “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In the Shadow?” by the Rolling Stones (#9); and “See See Rider” by Eric Burdon & the Animals (#10).
This was also that The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators ws released. This debut album made musical history as the first album to use the word “psychedelic” to describe a style of music.
ABC became the first network to broadcast all of its national news programming in full color beginning this week in 1966.
Friday, October 07, 2016
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/10/1966 to 10/16/1966
Rome City Schools got $91,000 in federal funds to expand the language program at East Rome and West Rome high school. Plans called for creation of a junior high school feeder program for French and Spanish, the addition of one more full-time or two more part-time language teachers at both West Rome and East Rome, and technological upgrades to both language labs.
Sophomore Roger Weaver was the talk of the town after his performance in the prior week’s game against Coosa. Weaver may have only scored one of the Chieftains’ touchdown,s but he managed to rack up 142 yards in 24 carried, making him the Region 6-AA rushing leader. For the season, Weaver’s average to date was 130+ yards per game. “Roger is not a quick starter,” Coach Paul Kennedy said, “but once he picks up momentum he’s real hard to stop. He’s probably the hardest and toughest runner we’ve ever had a West Rome… The boy just doesn’t get tired.”
The Chieftains took on Cedartown’s Bulldogs on Friday, October 14th—and ironically, they had to do it without Roger Weaver, who had to sit out the game due to an injury. However, Chieftain Jerry Hill stepped in to pick up the slack, rushing for more than 80 yards and leading West Rome to a 7-6 victory over the Bulldogs. This put West Rome at the top of Region 6-AA with a 4-0 region record
“Father’s Night” took place at Elm Street Elementary at 7:30pm on Thursday, October 13th. West Rome coach Nick Hyder was the guest speaker at the event, focusing on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and its benefits.
After several years of almost uninterrupted good economic news, Romans awoke to an unpleasant surprise on Tuesday, October 11th, as Celanese Fibers announced plans to close its forty-year-old Rome rayon plant, eliminating a thousand jobs. Celanese said it would continue to run its acetate plant, keeping some 700 jobs active for the foreseeable future—but the loss of a thousand jobs would have a $5 million impact on Rome’s economy.
Piggly Wiggly had T-bone steaks for 79¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon, and bananas for a dime a pound. Kroger had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, five pounds of Pillsbury flour for 49¢, and grapefruit for a dime each. Big Apple had pork roast for 45¢ a pound, Chase & SanbOrn coffee for 59¢ a pound, and Van Camp beef stew for 49¢ a can. A&P had ocean perch filets for 35¢ a pound, Bama preserves for 33¢ a can, and Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can. Couch’s had picnic hams for 39¢ a pound, Nabisco saltines for 29¢ a box, and Eatwell tuna for 23¢ a can. (man, we had some strange brands in the 1960s, didn't we?)
The cinematic week began with This Property Is Condemned (with Natalie Wood & Robert Redford) at the DeSoto Theatre, Assault on a Queen (with Frank Sinatra & Virna Lisi) at the First Avenue, and Smoky (with Fess Parker) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Agony & The Ecstasy (with Charlton Heston) to the DeSoto, La Dolce Vita (with Marcelo Mastroianni and Anita Eckberg) to the First Avenue, and Apache Woman (with Lloyd Bridges) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Four Tops took the number one slot this week in 1966 with “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Other top ten songs included “96 Tears” by ? and the Mysterians (#2); “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees (#3); “Cherish” by the Association (#4); “Psychotic Reaction” by Count Five (#5); “Walk Away Renee” by The Left Banke (#6); “Poor Side of Town” by Johnny Rivers (#7); “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?” by Jimmy Ruffin (#8); “Dandy” by Herman’s Hermits (#9); and “See See Rider” by Eric Burdon and the Animals (#10).
After several months at the top of the album charts, the Beatles’ Revolver was supplanted by The Supremes A’ Go-Go, which pushed the Beatles down to second place, while Ray Conniff was knocked out of fourth place by The Mamas & the Papas’ eponymous first album. The Doctor Zhivago soundtrack and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’s What Now My Love held on to third and fifth place in the charts. (While we tend to think of the mid60s as a prime era for rock and soul, albums that we would now classify as Easy Listening or Adult Contemporary continued to chart through the 1960s.)
And speaking of albums, two 1960s classics were released this week fifty years ago: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel and The Monkees by… well, you can figure it out. This was the third studio album for the folk-rock Simon & Garfunkel, generating such hits as “Homeward Bound,” “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” and the title song, while the Monkees’ album was their first LP, featuring such songs as “The Monkees Theme,” “I Wanna Be Free,” and “The Last Train To Clarksville”—plus a personal favorite of mine, the zany “Gonna Buy Me a Dog.”
This was also the week that ABC unveiled an unusual television experiment: a made-for-TV version of Brigadoon that included several songs that were cut from the 1954 theatrical film. Robert Goblet, Peter Falk, & Sally Ann Howes starred in the special, which was both a popular and a critical success; however, it aired only one other time, in 1967, before disappearing completely, and no one subsequently has been able to locate a complete copy in the network’s vaults.
Sophomore Roger Weaver was the talk of the town after his performance in the prior week’s game against Coosa. Weaver may have only scored one of the Chieftains’ touchdown,s but he managed to rack up 142 yards in 24 carried, making him the Region 6-AA rushing leader. For the season, Weaver’s average to date was 130+ yards per game. “Roger is not a quick starter,” Coach Paul Kennedy said, “but once he picks up momentum he’s real hard to stop. He’s probably the hardest and toughest runner we’ve ever had a West Rome… The boy just doesn’t get tired.”
The Chieftains took on Cedartown’s Bulldogs on Friday, October 14th—and ironically, they had to do it without Roger Weaver, who had to sit out the game due to an injury. However, Chieftain Jerry Hill stepped in to pick up the slack, rushing for more than 80 yards and leading West Rome to a 7-6 victory over the Bulldogs. This put West Rome at the top of Region 6-AA with a 4-0 region record
“Father’s Night” took place at Elm Street Elementary at 7:30pm on Thursday, October 13th. West Rome coach Nick Hyder was the guest speaker at the event, focusing on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and its benefits.
After several years of almost uninterrupted good economic news, Romans awoke to an unpleasant surprise on Tuesday, October 11th, as Celanese Fibers announced plans to close its forty-year-old Rome rayon plant, eliminating a thousand jobs. Celanese said it would continue to run its acetate plant, keeping some 700 jobs active for the foreseeable future—but the loss of a thousand jobs would have a $5 million impact on Rome’s economy.
Piggly Wiggly had T-bone steaks for 79¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon, and bananas for a dime a pound. Kroger had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, five pounds of Pillsbury flour for 49¢, and grapefruit for a dime each. Big Apple had pork roast for 45¢ a pound, Chase & SanbOrn coffee for 59¢ a pound, and Van Camp beef stew for 49¢ a can. A&P had ocean perch filets for 35¢ a pound, Bama preserves for 33¢ a can, and Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can. Couch’s had picnic hams for 39¢ a pound, Nabisco saltines for 29¢ a box, and Eatwell tuna for 23¢ a can. (man, we had some strange brands in the 1960s, didn't we?)
The cinematic week began with This Property Is Condemned (with Natalie Wood & Robert Redford) at the DeSoto Theatre, Assault on a Queen (with Frank Sinatra & Virna Lisi) at the First Avenue, and Smoky (with Fess Parker) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Agony & The Ecstasy (with Charlton Heston) to the DeSoto, La Dolce Vita (with Marcelo Mastroianni and Anita Eckberg) to the First Avenue, and Apache Woman (with Lloyd Bridges) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Four Tops took the number one slot this week in 1966 with “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Other top ten songs included “96 Tears” by ? and the Mysterians (#2); “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees (#3); “Cherish” by the Association (#4); “Psychotic Reaction” by Count Five (#5); “Walk Away Renee” by The Left Banke (#6); “Poor Side of Town” by Johnny Rivers (#7); “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?” by Jimmy Ruffin (#8); “Dandy” by Herman’s Hermits (#9); and “See See Rider” by Eric Burdon and the Animals (#10).
After several months at the top of the album charts, the Beatles’ Revolver was supplanted by The Supremes A’ Go-Go, which pushed the Beatles down to second place, while Ray Conniff was knocked out of fourth place by The Mamas & the Papas’ eponymous first album. The Doctor Zhivago soundtrack and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’s What Now My Love held on to third and fifth place in the charts. (While we tend to think of the mid60s as a prime era for rock and soul, albums that we would now classify as Easy Listening or Adult Contemporary continued to chart through the 1960s.)
And speaking of albums, two 1960s classics were released this week fifty years ago: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel and The Monkees by… well, you can figure it out. This was the third studio album for the folk-rock Simon & Garfunkel, generating such hits as “Homeward Bound,” “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” and the title song, while the Monkees’ album was their first LP, featuring such songs as “The Monkees Theme,” “I Wanna Be Free,” and “The Last Train To Clarksville”—plus a personal favorite of mine, the zany “Gonna Buy Me a Dog.”
This was also the week that ABC unveiled an unusual television experiment: a made-for-TV version of Brigadoon that included several songs that were cut from the 1954 theatrical film. Robert Goblet, Peter Falk, & Sally Ann Howes starred in the special, which was both a popular and a critical success; however, it aired only one other time, in 1967, before disappearing completely, and no one subsequently has been able to locate a complete copy in the network’s vaults.
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