Friday, March 02, 2018

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/4/1968 to 3/10/1968

Chieftains Tony Grass and Meg Grant became city commissioners for a day as  part of Rome-Floyd County Civic Youth Day (sponsored by the Rome-Floyd County Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y), where students shadows and—for a brief time—replaced various city and county officials. 

West Rome’s first week of spring football practice under new coach Nick Hyder took place this week in 1968. Hyder said that he had 15 lettermen returning to the 1968-1969 Chieftains team. Roger Weaver, Mike Johnson, and David Watkins were selected by team members to serve as tri-captains for the upcoming season.

The Thrift Store on Broad Street was robbed at gunpoint on Saturday, March 9th, right in the middle of the shopping day. The gun-wielding robber, Daniel T. King of Dublin, Virginia, was on the loose, but his two accomplices (Carole Maynard Akers, 27, and her sister-in-law Marilyn Rigney Akers, 21, also from Dublin) were caught less than two hours after the robbery and provided police with the identity of the robber.

Rome City Schools announced that they would keep their “school freedom of choice” plan for the next school year. The plan, which was first implemented int he 1968-1969 school year, allowed every student to choose the school that he or she would like to attend; no choices would be denied for reasons other than overcrowding. Students’ families remained responsible for transportation to the chosen school if it wasn’t the school in whose geographic district the student resided.

A&P made their big move to Gala Shopping Center this week in 1968. some of the grand re-opening specials included chuck steak for 49¢ a pound, Sealtest ice milk for 29¢ a half-gallon, and Campbell’s tomato soup for 15¢ a can. Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and lettuce for 16¢ a head. Kroger had five pounds of sugar for 39¢, whole smoked hams for 49¢ a pound, and Bama apple jelly for 25¢ a jar.. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 89¢ pound,   pears for 15¢ a pound, and Land o’ Lakes butter for 69¢ a pound. Couch’s had Hormel bacon for 69¢ a pound, Bama jelly for a quarter a jar (and you could use the jar for a drinking glass once all the jelly was gone), and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound. 

The cinematic week began with The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly (starring Clint Eastwood) at the DeSoto Theatre, Bonnie & Clyde (starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty) at the First Avenue, and Up the Down Staircase (starring Sandy Dennis) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Walt Disney’s Happiest Millionaire (starring Fred MacMurray) to the DeSoto Theatre; High, Wild, & Free (starring Gordom Freeman) to the First Avenue; and Hell’s Chosen Few (starring Jody Daniels) teo the West Rome Drive-In.  

Once again, Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra took the number one slot with “Love Is Blue (L’amour Est Bleu).” Other top ten hits included “Theme From) Valley of the Dolls” by Dionne Warwick (#2); “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding (#3); “Simon Says” by the 1910 Fruitgum Company (#4); “I Wish It Would Rain” by the Temptations (#5); “Just Dropped In (To See Waht Condition My Condition Was In” by the First Edition (#6); “Spooky” by the Classics IV (#7); “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight” by Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart (#8); “La - La - Means I Love  You” by the Delfonics (#9); and “Everything That Touches You” by the Association (#10). 


The final episode of Lost in Space aired on Wednesday, March 6th; after three years, the Robinsons and Dr Smith were destined to remain lost in space forever, apparently!

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