West Romans awoke to a light dusting of snow on Monday, January 27th--but it wasn't enough to cover the grass, much less to close schools. That wasn't the case farther north, though, as Dalton and Toccoa both had heavy snowfalls that closed roads. While the weather warmed up quickly and melted any residual snow, the precipitation continued as rain for the remainder of January, pushing the monthly rainfall totals for 7.72 inches.
West Rome's boys basketball team defeated Cedartown 54-41, but the girls didn't fare quite as well, losing a close game 38-37. Kenny Stephens was the top scorer for the boys with 15 points, while Debbie Poarch was once gain the top scorer for the girls with 17 points.
Jimmy Carter paid a visit to Berry College on Wednesday, January 29th, delivering a speech on the future of education. In 1969, Carter was merely a former statue legislator and a failed candidate for governor; his major successes were yet to come.
Governor Lester Maddox began putting financial pressure on Floyd County legislators to support this proposed tax increase. Unless they voted in favor of the increase, Maddox told them that he would remove the proposed $6 million 300-bed regional mental health hospital and the proposed $12.5 million 400-bed tuberculosis treatment center (both of which were planned for the Battey State Hospital facility in Rome) from his budget.
Floyd Hospital announced the opening of its four-bed cardiac care unit this week in 1969. Because of the expense of equipping and maintaining a cardiac care unit, the hospital administrators announced that the patient cost would be $75 per day for the time that the patient spent in the coronary care unit, versus $50 a day for a private hospital room and $38 a day for a semi-private room. (If we adjust it for inflation, that would make the cost for a hospital stay at $550 a day for cardiac care, $375 a day for a private room, and $275 a day for a semi-private room--and that's not a co-pay cost, but the total cost of a hospital stay!)
Rome's industrial expansion continued with the announcement that Inland Container was investing a half-million dollar expansion that would add more than 60 new jobs to the facility. The announcement was made at an employee recognition banquet that Inland held at the Forrest Hotel in Rome.
Two boys riding a motorcycle on Booger Hollow Road hit a cow on Thursday afternoon. The boys were rounding a curve and saw the cow in the middle of the road, but said they didn't have time to avoid the collision. The boys were treated and dismissed from Floyd Hospital; the cow reportedly wandered off (perhaps it sought medical treatment on its own). And I'm very proud that I resisted the urge to comment that the boys should have steered away from the cow. I wasn't there, though, so perhaps there were extenuating circumstances that made the accident udderly unavoidable...
Burglars hit three West Rome businesses in the wee hours of Monday morning. The thieves broke into Tom's Toasted Peanut Warehouse on Hanks Street, stealing four machines valued at $1900.00, along with other merchandise. Rome Poultry, also n Hanks street, was broken into as well, and about $100 in cash was stolen. And finally, burglars entered Metropolitan Life Insurance Company on Shorter Avenue, not too far from Hanks Street, but were unable to open the safe. (I lived in the blithe ignorance of youth, I guess: I had no idea that burglaries and break-ins were so common in Rome, and never imagined that some of them actually occurred within a mile or two of my house!)
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.08 a pound, Lady Alice ice milk for 33£ a half-gallon, and squash for 19¢ a pound. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Jello for 9¢ a box, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had beef tenderloins for $1.99 a pound, Starkist tuna for 39¢ a can, and a one-pound package of Parkay margarine for 29¢. Big Apple had spare ribs for 59¢ a pound, Bama blackberry jelly for 23¢ a jar, and RC or Diet-Rite Cola for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Couch's had lamb chops for 89¢ a pound, Castleberry's beef stew for 59¢ a can, and sweet potatoes for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (starring Dean Jones) at the DeSoto Theatre, Barbarella (starring Jane Fonda) at the First Avenue, and West Side Story (starring Natalie Wood) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Secret Ceremony (starring Elizabeth Taylor) to the DeSoto, If He Hollers, Let Him Go (starring Dana Wynter) to the First Avenue, and Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (starring Rosalind Russell) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Tommy James & the Shondells held on to the number one slot for a second week with "Crimson and Clover." Other top ten hits included "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Worst That Could Happen" by Brooklyn Bridge (#3); "Touch Me" by The Doors (#4); "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#5); "I Started a Joke" by Bee Gees (#6); "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye (#7); "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations (#8); "Hang 'Em High" by Booker T & the MG's (#9); and "Can I Change My Mind" by Tyrone Davis (#10).
No one knew it at the time, but the Beatles made their last public performance on January 30th. The event was the famous "rooftop concert" that would be documented in the 1970 film Let It Be. The performance was stopped early by the police due to noise complaints from businesses in the vicinity of the Apple Building at 3 Saville Row in London.
Friday, January 25, 2019
Friday, January 18, 2019
Fifty Years Ago in West Rome - 1/20/1969 to 1/26/1969
West Rome defeated their down-the-road rivals, the Coosa Eagles, 50-43 on Friday night, with Kenny Stephens the top scorer at 18 points. The girls team also won, 59-33, with Debbie Poarch accounting for 33 of those points (which means that she scored as many points as the entire Coosa team!).
The Rome Jaycees announced plans to collect petition signatures to call for a referendum on the legal sale of alcoholic beverages in Rome and Floyd County. "The Rome Jaycees take no position either for against the legal sale of alcoholic beverages," the group said in its statement of support, "but does feel that the present situation calls for a current statement of public policy by the taxpayers and citizens in the form of a referendum."
Gibson Discount Center announced plans to open a store on Highway 27 north of Rome, near the Georgia State Patrol headquarters. The company said that they envisioned the new store as being 20% bigger than Big K in West Rome, which was at the time the largest store in Rome and Floyd County. The store expected to hire 200 full and part-time employees once it opened.
Fairbanks Manufacturing announced plans to add 20,000 additional square feet to its West Rome plant. Fairbanks was Rome's oldest continuously-operating industry, dating back to 1887. The expansion would also lead to the creation of 60 new jobs.
General Electric also set a hiring record this week in 1969, with 1812 people employed at the plant located just up the road from West Rome High School. Nearly 200 new employees were hired in 1968 and the first week of 1969, making GE the largest single employer in the entire Northwest Georgia area.
Nowadays, if we want to talk to someone anywhere in the country, we just grab our mobile phone and give them a call—but it was entirely different back in the late 1960s, when the person-to-person daytime rate for a call from Rome to New York was more than a dollar a minute! To save on that cost, Southern Bell began pushing their Long Distance Direct service, which meant that you dialed the number rather than asking the operator to connect you to a person. The advantage? It was 40% cheaper. The disadvantage? If someone answered but the person you wanted to talk to wasn't there, you still had to pay for the first minute (with person to person calls, you only paid from the moment you began talking to the specific person you were trying to call). And the rates dropped an additional 25% if you called Long Distance Direct after 7:00 pm, which mean you could talk cross-country for as low as 40¢ a minute (that's almost $3.00 in today's money, adjusted for inflation)!
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, Oreida tater tots for 38¢ a two-pound bag, and a 35-ounce box of Fab detergent for 19¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Bailey Supreme coffee for 55¢ a pound, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had perch filet for 39¢ a pound, Appian Way frozen pizza for 33¢ each, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. A&P had beef liver for 35¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and Amour Treet for 55¢ a can. Couch's had Oscar Mayer wieners for 59¢ a pound, Duncan Hines cake mix for 33¢ a box, and Van Camp's chili with beans for 33¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (starring Dean Jones) at the DeSoto Theatre, Barbarella (starring Jane Fonda) at the First Avenue, and a double feature of Thunderball and From Russia With Love (two James Bond films starring Sean Connery) at the West Rome Drive-In. Both The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit and Barbarella hung around for the remainder of the week, but the West Rome Drive-In traded James Bond for The Fox (starring Sandy Dennis).
Tommy James & the Shondells scored a number one hit with "Crimson and Clover" this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Worst That Could Happen" by Brooklyn Bridge (#3); "Touch Me" by the Doors (#4); "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye (#5); "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations (#6); "I Started a Joke" by the Bee Gees (#7); "Hooked on a Feeling" by BJ Thomas (#8); "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited (#9); and "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#10).
Neil Young released his eponymous first solo album this week in 1969... sort of. The album was released for a couple of days in November 1968, but a manufacturing error resulted in an album that sounded so bad that Warner/Reprise records recalled all copies and redid the album for a January release.
The Rome Jaycees announced plans to collect petition signatures to call for a referendum on the legal sale of alcoholic beverages in Rome and Floyd County. "The Rome Jaycees take no position either for against the legal sale of alcoholic beverages," the group said in its statement of support, "but does feel that the present situation calls for a current statement of public policy by the taxpayers and citizens in the form of a referendum."
Gibson Discount Center announced plans to open a store on Highway 27 north of Rome, near the Georgia State Patrol headquarters. The company said that they envisioned the new store as being 20% bigger than Big K in West Rome, which was at the time the largest store in Rome and Floyd County. The store expected to hire 200 full and part-time employees once it opened.
Fairbanks Manufacturing announced plans to add 20,000 additional square feet to its West Rome plant. Fairbanks was Rome's oldest continuously-operating industry, dating back to 1887. The expansion would also lead to the creation of 60 new jobs.
General Electric also set a hiring record this week in 1969, with 1812 people employed at the plant located just up the road from West Rome High School. Nearly 200 new employees were hired in 1968 and the first week of 1969, making GE the largest single employer in the entire Northwest Georgia area.
Nowadays, if we want to talk to someone anywhere in the country, we just grab our mobile phone and give them a call—but it was entirely different back in the late 1960s, when the person-to-person daytime rate for a call from Rome to New York was more than a dollar a minute! To save on that cost, Southern Bell began pushing their Long Distance Direct service, which meant that you dialed the number rather than asking the operator to connect you to a person. The advantage? It was 40% cheaper. The disadvantage? If someone answered but the person you wanted to talk to wasn't there, you still had to pay for the first minute (with person to person calls, you only paid from the moment you began talking to the specific person you were trying to call). And the rates dropped an additional 25% if you called Long Distance Direct after 7:00 pm, which mean you could talk cross-country for as low as 40¢ a minute (that's almost $3.00 in today's money, adjusted for inflation)!
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, Oreida tater tots for 38¢ a two-pound bag, and a 35-ounce box of Fab detergent for 19¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Bailey Supreme coffee for 55¢ a pound, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had perch filet for 39¢ a pound, Appian Way frozen pizza for 33¢ each, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. A&P had beef liver for 35¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and Amour Treet for 55¢ a can. Couch's had Oscar Mayer wieners for 59¢ a pound, Duncan Hines cake mix for 33¢ a box, and Van Camp's chili with beans for 33¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (starring Dean Jones) at the DeSoto Theatre, Barbarella (starring Jane Fonda) at the First Avenue, and a double feature of Thunderball and From Russia With Love (two James Bond films starring Sean Connery) at the West Rome Drive-In. Both The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit and Barbarella hung around for the remainder of the week, but the West Rome Drive-In traded James Bond for The Fox (starring Sandy Dennis).
Tommy James & the Shondells scored a number one hit with "Crimson and Clover" this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Worst That Could Happen" by Brooklyn Bridge (#3); "Touch Me" by the Doors (#4); "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye (#5); "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations (#6); "I Started a Joke" by the Bee Gees (#7); "Hooked on a Feeling" by BJ Thomas (#8); "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited (#9); and "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#10).
Neil Young released his eponymous first solo album this week in 1969... sort of. The album was released for a couple of days in November 1968, but a manufacturing error resulted in an album that sounded so bad that Warner/Reprise records recalled all copies and redid the album for a January release.
Friday, January 11, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 1/13/19 to 1/19/19
West Rome drum majorette Kippy Scarborough represented Rome and Floyd County in the Georgia Jaycee Junior Miss Pageant on Friday and Saturday, January 17th and January 18th--and she made a great impression on the judges, winning the title at the Georgia Junior Miss Pageant in Cartersville. That meant that Kippy would go on to represent Georgia in May at the National Junior Miss Pageant in Mobile, Alabama.
The Chieftains took on Cass on Friday, January 17th. While West Rome had a better win/loss record that Cass, Coach Randall Kent warned that the Colonels had been particularly strong since mid-December. Turned out he was right to be worried: Cass racked up an 83-55 victory over West Rome's boys. Thankfully, the girls team stopped the evening from being a total disaster, racking up a 58-34 victory; Juanita Williams was the leading scorer for the Chieftains with 24 points.
Rome landed a premier industry this week in 1969 with the announcement that Bekaert Steel Wire Corporation would be constructing a 135,000 square foot building on the US 411 interchange at Furnace Road. The plant was expected to initially employee sixty people, but could eventually expand to employ more than 100. And that wasn't the only bid of good news on the manufacturing front for Rome: Design Homes Corporation announced plans to build a mobile home manufacturing plant on Old Lindale Road, which would ultimately employ 120 people.
Governor Lester Maddox unveiled his proposed two-year state budget of $2.3 billion, which included $18.5 million for new state health facilities (including a tuberculosis treatment center) in Rome. The proposal also included an increase in the state sales tax from 3% to 4%. One state representative said that Governor Maddox was "asking for a Cadillac on a Ford budget."
Rome's state senator, Sm Doss, introduced a bill to repeal legislation passed in 1968 that secured retirement pensions for state legislators. "I feel that legislators are not entitled to a retirement program," Rome state representative Charles Graves said in support of Doss. Graves and Doss said they had already lined up a number of votes to support their efforts to reverse the retirement program for legislators.
Navy Lieutenant William Covington, attached to the Civil Engineer Corps, was announced missing in action after his helicopter was shot down on a mission from Da Nang to Chu Lai, Vietnam. Covington was shot down on January 7th, but the military withheld the announcement until it completed five days of searching for the helicopter crew.
Piggly Wiggly had top round steak for 98¢ a pound, large eggs for 53¢ a dozen, and Bama jelly for 26¢ a jar. Kroger had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, Del Monte fruit cocktail for a quarter a can, and Blue Plate mayonnaise for 38¢ a quart. A&P had smoked ham for 35¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and a 1.5 pound can of Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢. Big Apple had pork chops for 89¢ a pound, Banquet frozen cream pies for 29¢ each, and RC or Diet Rite cola for 33¢ a carton (plus deposit). Couch's had chicken breast for 45¢ pound, Van Camp's pork &I beans for 17¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Impossible Years (starring David Niven) at the DeSoto Theatre, Don't Raise the Bridge—Lower the River (starring Jerry Lewis) at the First Avenue, and Wild in the Streets (starring Shelley Winters) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (starring Dean Jones) to the DeSoto Theatre, Barbarella (starring Jane Fonda) to the First Avenue, and The Other Side of Bonnie & Clyde (starring Burl Ives) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Marvin Gaye held on to the number one slot for the seventh week with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Other top ten hits included "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & The Shondells (#2); "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations (#3); "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited (#4); "Everyday People" by Sly & The Family Stone (#5); "Hooked on a Feeling" by BJ Thomas (#6); "Touch Me" by The Doors (#6); "Worst That Could Happen" by Brooklyn Bridge (#8); "I Started a Joke" by the Bee Gees (#9); and "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield (#10).
Iron Butterfly followed up their monster hit album In-A-Gadda-da-Vida with their third album, Ball, released this week in 1969. The album was the final one to feature the lineup of Doug Ingle, Ron Bushy, Lee Dorman, and Erik Brann. While critics agreed that the album was more ambitious and more diversified than the group's prior release, it failed to duplicate In-A-Gadda-da-Vida's success.
Dick York, well known as Darrin on the hit series Bewitched, collapsed on the set of the show on January 13th and was subsequently hospitalized. Within days, York's serious health issues led to his abrupt resignation from the series, and York was replaced with Dick Sargent, who played Darrin Stephens for the remainder of the series.
The Chieftains took on Cass on Friday, January 17th. While West Rome had a better win/loss record that Cass, Coach Randall Kent warned that the Colonels had been particularly strong since mid-December. Turned out he was right to be worried: Cass racked up an 83-55 victory over West Rome's boys. Thankfully, the girls team stopped the evening from being a total disaster, racking up a 58-34 victory; Juanita Williams was the leading scorer for the Chieftains with 24 points.
Rome landed a premier industry this week in 1969 with the announcement that Bekaert Steel Wire Corporation would be constructing a 135,000 square foot building on the US 411 interchange at Furnace Road. The plant was expected to initially employee sixty people, but could eventually expand to employ more than 100. And that wasn't the only bid of good news on the manufacturing front for Rome: Design Homes Corporation announced plans to build a mobile home manufacturing plant on Old Lindale Road, which would ultimately employ 120 people.
Governor Lester Maddox unveiled his proposed two-year state budget of $2.3 billion, which included $18.5 million for new state health facilities (including a tuberculosis treatment center) in Rome. The proposal also included an increase in the state sales tax from 3% to 4%. One state representative said that Governor Maddox was "asking for a Cadillac on a Ford budget."
Rome's state senator, Sm Doss, introduced a bill to repeal legislation passed in 1968 that secured retirement pensions for state legislators. "I feel that legislators are not entitled to a retirement program," Rome state representative Charles Graves said in support of Doss. Graves and Doss said they had already lined up a number of votes to support their efforts to reverse the retirement program for legislators.
Navy Lieutenant William Covington, attached to the Civil Engineer Corps, was announced missing in action after his helicopter was shot down on a mission from Da Nang to Chu Lai, Vietnam. Covington was shot down on January 7th, but the military withheld the announcement until it completed five days of searching for the helicopter crew.
Piggly Wiggly had top round steak for 98¢ a pound, large eggs for 53¢ a dozen, and Bama jelly for 26¢ a jar. Kroger had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, Del Monte fruit cocktail for a quarter a can, and Blue Plate mayonnaise for 38¢ a quart. A&P had smoked ham for 35¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and a 1.5 pound can of Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢. Big Apple had pork chops for 89¢ a pound, Banquet frozen cream pies for 29¢ each, and RC or Diet Rite cola for 33¢ a carton (plus deposit). Couch's had chicken breast for 45¢ pound, Van Camp's pork &I beans for 17¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Impossible Years (starring David Niven) at the DeSoto Theatre, Don't Raise the Bridge—Lower the River (starring Jerry Lewis) at the First Avenue, and Wild in the Streets (starring Shelley Winters) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (starring Dean Jones) to the DeSoto Theatre, Barbarella (starring Jane Fonda) to the First Avenue, and The Other Side of Bonnie & Clyde (starring Burl Ives) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Marvin Gaye held on to the number one slot for the seventh week with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Other top ten hits included "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & The Shondells (#2); "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations (#3); "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited (#4); "Everyday People" by Sly & The Family Stone (#5); "Hooked on a Feeling" by BJ Thomas (#6); "Touch Me" by The Doors (#6); "Worst That Could Happen" by Brooklyn Bridge (#8); "I Started a Joke" by the Bee Gees (#9); and "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield (#10).
Iron Butterfly followed up their monster hit album In-A-Gadda-da-Vida with their third album, Ball, released this week in 1969. The album was the final one to feature the lineup of Doug Ingle, Ron Bushy, Lee Dorman, and Erik Brann. While critics agreed that the album was more ambitious and more diversified than the group's prior release, it failed to duplicate In-A-Gadda-da-Vida's success.
Dick York, well known as Darrin on the hit series Bewitched, collapsed on the set of the show on January 13th and was subsequently hospitalized. Within days, York's serious health issues led to his abrupt resignation from the series, and York was replaced with Dick Sargent, who played Darrin Stephens for the remainder of the series.
Friday, January 04, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 1/6/1969 to 1/12/1969
Romans awoke to a very frigid six degrees on Monday morning, January 6th, with a chance of flurries later on Monday afternoon. The cold front pushed temperatures into the 20s as far south as Gainesville, Florida, while temperatures fell to zero in Hiawassee. The cold weather didn't last for very long, though, with highs warming up to the low fifties and lows in the mid-thirties by the middle of the week.
The Rome City Commission kicked off their first meeting of 1969 on Monday night--and by the time the meeting was over, Romans had a 4 mil tax increase to 38 mills, an almost 12% tax increase that took Rome City taxes up the maximum allowed by Georgia law. In addition, the city announced plans to re-evaluate all city properties, pointing out that a tax re-evaluation had not been done in almost fifteen years. With most values expected to increase significantly, this meant that Rome residents could expect even larger tax increases by the time the new bills came in. The city did say that, if the re-evaluation produced significantly more income than anticipated, they would consider reducing the 4 mill tax increase. (This tax increase included school system funding as well, since there was no separate school tax at this time.)
And no sooner was a tax increase announced than the Rome Board of Education announced plans to purchase classroom television sets for both East Rome and West Rome High School, as well as city elementary schools and junior high schools. Initial plans called for each high school school to receive a half-dozen televisions plus carts that would enable them to be rolled to classrooms when needed; a smaller number of sets would be allotted to each elementary school, but the city anticipated buying 75 sets and carts in total for a cost a $12,000. Savage TV and Electronics won the contract for the TV sets, and it was expected that all sets would be installed and ready for use by the start of the 1969-1970 school year. Superintendent Milton McDonald said that some schools would receive extra televisions because their local PTA groups were supplementing the tax money. Ideally, the city hoped that the PTA funding and the tax revenues would enable them to have one television set for every four teachers, although they admitted that they would probably be shooting for one TV for every five teachers to begin with.
West End and Elm Street both posted victories in Mite League basketball games held at the Boys Club. West End defeated Model 33-17, with Rickey Ramsey the top scorer at 15 points; Elm Street defeated Alto Park 47-12 with Brad Hatch the top scorer at 16 points.
Piggly Wiggly had Cudahy ham for 58¢ a pound, Lady Alice ice milk for 29¢ a half-gallon, and a five-pound bag of Colonial sugar for 38¢. Big Apple had whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, JFG coffee for 49¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, strawberries for 33¢ a pint, and Jane Parker donuts for 25¢ a dozen. Kroger had center-cut pork chops for 89¢ a pound, large eggs for 55¢ a dozen, and Kroger gelatin for 7¢ a box. Couch's had lamb shoulder roast for 49¢ a pound, Gold Meal mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and tomatoes for 25¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Impossible Years (starring David Niven) at the DeSoto Theatre, Bullitt (starring Steve McQueen) at the First Avenue, and Hell Fighters (starring John Wayne) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Lady in Cement (starring Frank Sinatra) to the DeSoto, Don't Raise the Bridge—Lower the River (starring Jerry Lewis) to the First Avenue, and Wild in the Streets (starring Shelley Winters) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Marvin Gaye's grip on the number one slot on the Billboard charts continued for a sixth week with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Other top ten hits included "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations (#2); "Beautiful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited (#3); "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & The Shondells (#4); "Hooked on a Feeling" by BJ Thomas (#5); "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell (#6): "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder (#7); "Touch Me" by the Doors (#8); "Worst That Could Happen" by Brooklyn Bridge (#9); and"Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield (#10).
Led Zeppelin changed music history with the release of their first album this week in 1969. The album cemented Jimmy Page's role as one of rock's most influential and innovative guitarists, while Robert Plant's voice (described by Rolling Stone as "goosefart vocals") gave the band a sound quite unlike anything rock fans had heard before.
The Rome City Commission kicked off their first meeting of 1969 on Monday night--and by the time the meeting was over, Romans had a 4 mil tax increase to 38 mills, an almost 12% tax increase that took Rome City taxes up the maximum allowed by Georgia law. In addition, the city announced plans to re-evaluate all city properties, pointing out that a tax re-evaluation had not been done in almost fifteen years. With most values expected to increase significantly, this meant that Rome residents could expect even larger tax increases by the time the new bills came in. The city did say that, if the re-evaluation produced significantly more income than anticipated, they would consider reducing the 4 mill tax increase. (This tax increase included school system funding as well, since there was no separate school tax at this time.)
And no sooner was a tax increase announced than the Rome Board of Education announced plans to purchase classroom television sets for both East Rome and West Rome High School, as well as city elementary schools and junior high schools. Initial plans called for each high school school to receive a half-dozen televisions plus carts that would enable them to be rolled to classrooms when needed; a smaller number of sets would be allotted to each elementary school, but the city anticipated buying 75 sets and carts in total for a cost a $12,000. Savage TV and Electronics won the contract for the TV sets, and it was expected that all sets would be installed and ready for use by the start of the 1969-1970 school year. Superintendent Milton McDonald said that some schools would receive extra televisions because their local PTA groups were supplementing the tax money. Ideally, the city hoped that the PTA funding and the tax revenues would enable them to have one television set for every four teachers, although they admitted that they would probably be shooting for one TV for every five teachers to begin with.
West End and Elm Street both posted victories in Mite League basketball games held at the Boys Club. West End defeated Model 33-17, with Rickey Ramsey the top scorer at 15 points; Elm Street defeated Alto Park 47-12 with Brad Hatch the top scorer at 16 points.
Piggly Wiggly had Cudahy ham for 58¢ a pound, Lady Alice ice milk for 29¢ a half-gallon, and a five-pound bag of Colonial sugar for 38¢. Big Apple had whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, JFG coffee for 49¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, strawberries for 33¢ a pint, and Jane Parker donuts for 25¢ a dozen. Kroger had center-cut pork chops for 89¢ a pound, large eggs for 55¢ a dozen, and Kroger gelatin for 7¢ a box. Couch's had lamb shoulder roast for 49¢ a pound, Gold Meal mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and tomatoes for 25¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Impossible Years (starring David Niven) at the DeSoto Theatre, Bullitt (starring Steve McQueen) at the First Avenue, and Hell Fighters (starring John Wayne) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Lady in Cement (starring Frank Sinatra) to the DeSoto, Don't Raise the Bridge—Lower the River (starring Jerry Lewis) to the First Avenue, and Wild in the Streets (starring Shelley Winters) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Marvin Gaye's grip on the number one slot on the Billboard charts continued for a sixth week with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Other top ten hits included "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations (#2); "Beautiful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited (#3); "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & The Shondells (#4); "Hooked on a Feeling" by BJ Thomas (#5); "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell (#6): "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder (#7); "Touch Me" by the Doors (#8); "Worst That Could Happen" by Brooklyn Bridge (#9); and"Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield (#10).
Led Zeppelin changed music history with the release of their first album this week in 1969. The album cemented Jimmy Page's role as one of rock's most influential and innovative guitarists, while Robert Plant's voice (described by Rolling Stone as "goosefart vocals") gave the band a sound quite unlike anything rock fans had heard before.
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