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.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Friday, March 22, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/24/1969 to 3/30/1969
The city was ready to go on a four-lane highway from Shorter Avenue along Lavender Drive and Redmond Circle all the way to Alabama Road (a route that passed right in front of West Rome High School). but the project was on hold as they waited for the state to come through with its end of the deal. "The money is ready, Rome City Manager Bruce Hamler said, "but we are still waiting for the deeds from the State Highway Department. Without them, we are not able to obtain the rights-of-way and therefore are unable to start construction." While the four-lane road would offer alternative access to West Rome High School and West Rome Junior High when traffic was heavy on Shorter Avenue, the primary reason for the four-lane was to offer easier access to three industrial parks as well as General Electric, Trend Mills, and Rome Frozen Foods.
The Chieftains Club set the date for Showtime '69 (the replacements for Chieftain Acts): April 11th and 12th at the Rome City Auditorium. The theme for the year was "America, The Beautiful," produced by Clara Ellison and emceed by Lee Mowrey. The proceeds from the show would be used to help sponsor the activities of the academic, athletic, and music departments.
The city announced plans for a new housing project in West Rome, in an area bounded by Fortune Street, Georgia Avenue, and Battey State Hospital (an area known as "the shale pits"). The project, which would cost more than $3 million, would create 200 row houses in West Rome for low-income families.
A popup spring storm brought more than an inch of rain in less than an hour in the wee hours of Monday morning, accompanied by winds of 40 to 60 miles per hour While the bad weather knocked out power along Burnett Ferry Road near the Shorter Avenue intersection, there was no major damage.
Lester Maddox's proposed big budget, which was to have been financed with a sales tax increase, went down in flames when the state legislature refused to go along with the tax hike. Instead, the legislature refused to even vote on his proposal and chose to adjourn nine hours before their midnight deadline. "This is the first time I ever remember us wrapping up early and getting home in time for dinner on the final day," one representative remarked.
Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 68¢ a pound, tomatoes for 28¢ a pound, and a giant-sized box of Fab or Cheer for 59¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Van Camp's potted meat for 20¢ a can, and Campbell's pork & beans for 15¢ a can. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, duck eggs (yes, I said "duck eggs") for 19¢ a half-dozen, and cantaloupes for 49¢ each. A&P had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Jane Parker bread for 23¢ a loaf, and Lachoy chicken chow mein for 63¢ a can. Couch's had Oscar Mayer bacon for 69¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound, and bell peppers for a dime each.
The cinematic week began with Bueno Sera, Mrs. Campbell (starring Gina Lollobrigida) at the DeSoto Theatre, Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) at the First Avenue, and Angel in My Pocket (starring Andy Griffith) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought the documentary African Safari to the DeSoto Theatre, Where Eagles Dare (starring Clint Eastwood & Richard Burton) to the First Avenue, and The Party (starring Peter Sellers) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Tommy Roe held on to the number one slot for the fourth week with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (#2); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#3); "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#4); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#5); "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#6); "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#7); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#8); "My Whole World Ended" by David Ruffin (#9); and "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#10).
46¢
The Chieftains Club set the date for Showtime '69 (the replacements for Chieftain Acts): April 11th and 12th at the Rome City Auditorium. The theme for the year was "America, The Beautiful," produced by Clara Ellison and emceed by Lee Mowrey. The proceeds from the show would be used to help sponsor the activities of the academic, athletic, and music departments.
The city announced plans for a new housing project in West Rome, in an area bounded by Fortune Street, Georgia Avenue, and Battey State Hospital (an area known as "the shale pits"). The project, which would cost more than $3 million, would create 200 row houses in West Rome for low-income families.
A popup spring storm brought more than an inch of rain in less than an hour in the wee hours of Monday morning, accompanied by winds of 40 to 60 miles per hour While the bad weather knocked out power along Burnett Ferry Road near the Shorter Avenue intersection, there was no major damage.
Lester Maddox's proposed big budget, which was to have been financed with a sales tax increase, went down in flames when the state legislature refused to go along with the tax hike. Instead, the legislature refused to even vote on his proposal and chose to adjourn nine hours before their midnight deadline. "This is the first time I ever remember us wrapping up early and getting home in time for dinner on the final day," one representative remarked.
Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 68¢ a pound, tomatoes for 28¢ a pound, and a giant-sized box of Fab or Cheer for 59¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Van Camp's potted meat for 20¢ a can, and Campbell's pork & beans for 15¢ a can. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, duck eggs (yes, I said "duck eggs") for 19¢ a half-dozen, and cantaloupes for 49¢ each. A&P had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Jane Parker bread for 23¢ a loaf, and Lachoy chicken chow mein for 63¢ a can. Couch's had Oscar Mayer bacon for 69¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound, and bell peppers for a dime each.
The cinematic week began with Bueno Sera, Mrs. Campbell (starring Gina Lollobrigida) at the DeSoto Theatre, Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) at the First Avenue, and Angel in My Pocket (starring Andy Griffith) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought the documentary African Safari to the DeSoto Theatre, Where Eagles Dare (starring Clint Eastwood & Richard Burton) to the First Avenue, and The Party (starring Peter Sellers) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Tommy Roe held on to the number one slot for the fourth week with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (#2); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#3); "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#4); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#5); "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#6); "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#7); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#8); "My Whole World Ended" by David Ruffin (#9); and "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#10).
46¢
Friday, March 15, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/17/1969 to 3/23/1969
Alas, this is a particularly skimpy Fifty Years Ago... column for reasons beyond my control: the Rome News-Tribune is apparently missing file copies of four of the six weekly papers for this week i 1969, and the Rome library informed me that they had no copies, either. As a result, I have access to only the most limited news for the week. Let's make the best of it, though, shall we?
The West Rome Chieftain Club held their March meeting on Monday, March 17th, at the West Rome High School auditorium to finalize plans for Showtime '69, the student variety show that was salted to replace Chieftain Acts for 1969. .
Three Chieftains were named as finalists in the Governor's Honors Program, which meant that they were eligible to attend Wesleyan College for eight weeks during the summer to study in their chosen fields. The three honorees were Charles Wester (11th grade), who qualified in science; Marilyn Little (11th grade), who qualified in social science; and Janet Webb (11th grade), who qualified in English. In addition, Tommy Roberson (11th grade) qualified as an alternate in Music.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 46¢ a pound, Fab detergent for 39¢ a box, and lettuce for 15¢ a head. A&P had chuck roast for 89¢ a pound, bakery-fresh apple pies for 39¢ each, and vine ripe tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. Big Apple had ham for 39¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Bama jelly for 33¢ a jar. Couch's had fresh in-store-ground sausage for 59¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 59¢ a can, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound.
"Dizzy" by Tommy Roe held on to the number slot for a third week this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#2); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#3); "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (#4); "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#5); "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#6); "Indian Giver" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#7); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#8); "My Whole World Ended" by David Ruffin (#9); and "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#10).
John Lennon married Yoko Ono this week in 1969 in Gibraltar (they could have gotten married in Gibraltar or Spain).
Friday, March 08, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/10/1969 to 3/16/1969
Cold snaps in March are nothing new: on March 10th, 1969, Rome set a low temperature record when the mercury fell to 21 degrees. The cold snap was short-lived, though, as temperatures climbed back into the upper sixties by the end of the week. (Doesn't sound that much different than this year, does it?)
It may seem like a technicality, but it was a pretty big technicality: the Regents of the University System officially approved funds for the construction of Floyd Junior College this week in 1969. The total approved amount was $2.8 million, about $200,000 more than initially anticipated, largely due to increases in estimated construction costs.
Berry College announced that construction of its new student activity center was nearing completion, with just a few final touches needed before the new Krannert Center officially opened for business. The new building would have space for a ballroom, student government offices, student publication offices, a spacious snack bar, and a full bookstore, as well as student mailboxes and small meeting rooms. (It would be two more years before I would pay frequent visits to Krannert Center as a student at Berry--and I certainly remember buying a number of books and record albums at the bookstore during my four years at Berry!)
West Rome principal Dick McPhee was selected to serve as the president of the Georgia Secondary School Principals Association during the annual meeting of the Georgia Education Association; this was the third time that McPhee was tapped to serve as president of this group, which recommended policies and practices for high school principals across the state.
Citizens Federal increased the interest rate for its savings certificates (now known as certificates of deposit) to 5.25%, which inspired Rome Bank and Trust to top them 3 days later with an interest rate of 5.3%. While no other bank topped those rates this week in 1969, every major Rome bank was advertising savings certificates interest rates above 5%. National City Bank was even paying 4% on its savings accounts, so long as the account holder maintained a minimum balance of $500 or more.
While plans for a 4% state sales tax were tabled for the legislative session, the Georgia House of Representatives dud pass a surprise approval of a 1% local option sales tax, allowing counties and cities the option of increasing their sales tax for specific project. No one was sure if the bill would clear the Georgia Senate, but it looked quite possible.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 38¢ a pound, Bama catsup for 29¢ a bottle, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. A&P had swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, grapefruit for 9¢ each, and Marvel ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had pork chops for 79¢ pound, Merita bread for 25¢ a loaf, and Blue Bonnet margarine for 31¢ a pound. Big Apple had corned beef brisket for 89¢ a pound, Double Cola or Diet-Rite Cola for 39¢ a carton plus deposit, and Van Camp pork & beans for 20¢ a can. Couch's had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, JFG mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Night They Raided Minsky's (starring Jason Robards) at the DeSoto Theatre, 2001: A Space Odyssey (starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood) at the First Avenue, and Yellow Submarine (starring animated versions of the Beatles) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Play Dirty (starring Michael Caine) to the DeSoto Theatre, Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) to the First Avenue, and The Secret Ceremony (starring Elizabeth Taylor) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Tommy Roe held on to the number one slot for another week with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#3); "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#4); "Indian Giver" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#5); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#6); "This Girl's in Love with You" by Dionne Warwick (#7); "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#8); "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#9); and "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#10)
Neal Adams made his artistic debut on Marvel's mutant superteam in X-Men #56, written by Roy Thomas. While fans were extremely excited to see the superstar artist joining the X-Men creative team, it would turn out to be too little too late; even a team of this caliber couldn't sufficiently boost the X-Men's sales sufficiently to save them from cancellation less than a year later. Over at DC, the sword-and-sorcery boom that was so popular in paperback fiction made the jump to comics with the release of Showcase #82 featuring Nightmaster, cover-blurbed as "a great new sword and sorcery saga." (Apparently not so great, since the series would never earn its way out of the pages of Showcase, DC's try-out title.)
It may seem like a technicality, but it was a pretty big technicality: the Regents of the University System officially approved funds for the construction of Floyd Junior College this week in 1969. The total approved amount was $2.8 million, about $200,000 more than initially anticipated, largely due to increases in estimated construction costs.
Berry College announced that construction of its new student activity center was nearing completion, with just a few final touches needed before the new Krannert Center officially opened for business. The new building would have space for a ballroom, student government offices, student publication offices, a spacious snack bar, and a full bookstore, as well as student mailboxes and small meeting rooms. (It would be two more years before I would pay frequent visits to Krannert Center as a student at Berry--and I certainly remember buying a number of books and record albums at the bookstore during my four years at Berry!)
West Rome principal Dick McPhee was selected to serve as the president of the Georgia Secondary School Principals Association during the annual meeting of the Georgia Education Association; this was the third time that McPhee was tapped to serve as president of this group, which recommended policies and practices for high school principals across the state.
Citizens Federal increased the interest rate for its savings certificates (now known as certificates of deposit) to 5.25%, which inspired Rome Bank and Trust to top them 3 days later with an interest rate of 5.3%. While no other bank topped those rates this week in 1969, every major Rome bank was advertising savings certificates interest rates above 5%. National City Bank was even paying 4% on its savings accounts, so long as the account holder maintained a minimum balance of $500 or more.
While plans for a 4% state sales tax were tabled for the legislative session, the Georgia House of Representatives dud pass a surprise approval of a 1% local option sales tax, allowing counties and cities the option of increasing their sales tax for specific project. No one was sure if the bill would clear the Georgia Senate, but it looked quite possible.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 38¢ a pound, Bama catsup for 29¢ a bottle, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. A&P had swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, grapefruit for 9¢ each, and Marvel ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had pork chops for 79¢ pound, Merita bread for 25¢ a loaf, and Blue Bonnet margarine for 31¢ a pound. Big Apple had corned beef brisket for 89¢ a pound, Double Cola or Diet-Rite Cola for 39¢ a carton plus deposit, and Van Camp pork & beans for 20¢ a can. Couch's had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, JFG mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Night They Raided Minsky's (starring Jason Robards) at the DeSoto Theatre, 2001: A Space Odyssey (starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood) at the First Avenue, and Yellow Submarine (starring animated versions of the Beatles) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Play Dirty (starring Michael Caine) to the DeSoto Theatre, Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) to the First Avenue, and The Secret Ceremony (starring Elizabeth Taylor) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Tommy Roe held on to the number one slot for another week with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#3); "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#4); "Indian Giver" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#5); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#6); "This Girl's in Love with You" by Dionne Warwick (#7); "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#8); "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#9); and "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#10)
Neal Adams made his artistic debut on Marvel's mutant superteam in X-Men #56, written by Roy Thomas. While fans were extremely excited to see the superstar artist joining the X-Men creative team, it would turn out to be too little too late; even a team of this caliber couldn't sufficiently boost the X-Men's sales sufficiently to save them from cancellation less than a year later. Over at DC, the sword-and-sorcery boom that was so popular in paperback fiction made the jump to comics with the release of Showcase #82 featuring Nightmaster, cover-blurbed as "a great new sword and sorcery saga." (Apparently not so great, since the series would never earn its way out of the pages of Showcase, DC's try-out title.)
Friday, March 01, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/3/1969 to 3/9/1969
West Rome High School's marching band received a superior rating in Class B concert and sight reading at the Seventh District Music Festival; no other Rome schools received a superior rating in both categories. The junior high band received an excellent rating.
Convinced that approval of the upcoming referendum was likely, the Rome City Commission began drawing up regulations to control the sale of liquor in the city limits. The city determined that, should the referendum pass, any store wishing to sell liquor would have to pay $5000 for a license, and that the city would levy an 80¢ per gallon tax on all alcohol sold.
Apparently Rome and Floyd County weren't willing to let the local weather station go without a fight: the city commission, the county commission, and the Chamber of Commerce announce a joint effort to keep the local weather station open--and if necessary, they intended to raise local funds to pay for it.
After a quiet, relatively crime-free week, the weekend went downhill as Rome was plagued with multiple burglaries on Saturday night. The Central Plaza Super Discount was broken into and most than $300 was stolen from cash registers and a cash box hidden in a file cabinet. Rome Automobile on Martha Berry Boulevard was broken into, and the thieves made off with tools and equipment valued at over $400. HD Morgan Oil Company was burglarized; thieves made off with cigarettes and cash from the vending machines. and George's Marine was hit by thieves who made off with three motorcycle helmets, a motorcycle jacket, and one headlight.
Last-minute negotiations proved fruitless as the governor reluctantly accepted the fact that his intensely-promoted sales tax increase didn't appear destined to pass. Governor Maddox said that he and key party leaders would fine-tune the plan and possibly call the legislators back into session in the summer to reconsider the tax increase, which would raise state sales tax by 33% from 3% to 4%.
Microwaves came to Rome this week in 1969 as Adams Refrigeration and Air Conditioning announced that they would be the first store in Rome to sell the Amana Radarange microwave oven. "Cook a five pound roast in 37 minutes," their ad touted. "Hamburger in the bun in 1 minute. No heat, no pots, no pans! The microwave offered 135 watts of power (about 15% what most of today's microwaves offer) and was available for only $599.99.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.08 a pound (apparently 1969 was the year that steak routinely topped the $1 a pound mark), grapefruit for 7¢ each, and a two-pound bag of Ore-Ida tater tots for 38¢. Big Apple had Double Cola for a nickel a bottle, Crisco oil for 39¢ a quart, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, glazed doughnuts for 39¢ a dozen, and a two-pound jar of Ann Page peanut butter for 75¢. Kroger had fresh fryer breast for 49¢ a pound, perch filet for 45¢ a pound, and pole beans for 19¢ a pound. Couch's had their own in-store-made sausage for 59¢ a pound, Bama jelly for 29¢ a jar, and cabbage for 5¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Lady in Cement (starring Frank Sinatra) at the DeSoto Theatre, 2001: A Space Odyssey (starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood) at the First Avenue, and Yellow Submarine (starring animated versions of the Beatles, along with a brief clip of the real Fab Four at the very end) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Night They Raided Minsky's (starring Jason Robards) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue and the West Rome Drive-In flipped films, with 2001 moving to the drive-in while Yellow Submarine moved to the First Avenue.
Tommy Roe soar3ed to number one this week in 1969 with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#3); "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#4); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#5); "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "This Girl's In Love With You" by Dionne Warwick (#7); "Indian Giver" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#8); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#9); and "This Magic Moment" by Jay & the Americans (#10).
Little did we know how big they would eventually become: Genesis released its debut album, From Genesis to Revelation, this week in 1969. The original group consisted of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Anthony Phillips, and Chris Stewart; it would be many more years before Phil Collins became a part of the band.
Convinced that approval of the upcoming referendum was likely, the Rome City Commission began drawing up regulations to control the sale of liquor in the city limits. The city determined that, should the referendum pass, any store wishing to sell liquor would have to pay $5000 for a license, and that the city would levy an 80¢ per gallon tax on all alcohol sold.
Apparently Rome and Floyd County weren't willing to let the local weather station go without a fight: the city commission, the county commission, and the Chamber of Commerce announce a joint effort to keep the local weather station open--and if necessary, they intended to raise local funds to pay for it.
After a quiet, relatively crime-free week, the weekend went downhill as Rome was plagued with multiple burglaries on Saturday night. The Central Plaza Super Discount was broken into and most than $300 was stolen from cash registers and a cash box hidden in a file cabinet. Rome Automobile on Martha Berry Boulevard was broken into, and the thieves made off with tools and equipment valued at over $400. HD Morgan Oil Company was burglarized; thieves made off with cigarettes and cash from the vending machines. and George's Marine was hit by thieves who made off with three motorcycle helmets, a motorcycle jacket, and one headlight.
Last-minute negotiations proved fruitless as the governor reluctantly accepted the fact that his intensely-promoted sales tax increase didn't appear destined to pass. Governor Maddox said that he and key party leaders would fine-tune the plan and possibly call the legislators back into session in the summer to reconsider the tax increase, which would raise state sales tax by 33% from 3% to 4%.
Microwaves came to Rome this week in 1969 as Adams Refrigeration and Air Conditioning announced that they would be the first store in Rome to sell the Amana Radarange microwave oven. "Cook a five pound roast in 37 minutes," their ad touted. "Hamburger in the bun in 1 minute. No heat, no pots, no pans! The microwave offered 135 watts of power (about 15% what most of today's microwaves offer) and was available for only $599.99.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.08 a pound (apparently 1969 was the year that steak routinely topped the $1 a pound mark), grapefruit for 7¢ each, and a two-pound bag of Ore-Ida tater tots for 38¢. Big Apple had Double Cola for a nickel a bottle, Crisco oil for 39¢ a quart, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, glazed doughnuts for 39¢ a dozen, and a two-pound jar of Ann Page peanut butter for 75¢. Kroger had fresh fryer breast for 49¢ a pound, perch filet for 45¢ a pound, and pole beans for 19¢ a pound. Couch's had their own in-store-made sausage for 59¢ a pound, Bama jelly for 29¢ a jar, and cabbage for 5¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Lady in Cement (starring Frank Sinatra) at the DeSoto Theatre, 2001: A Space Odyssey (starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood) at the First Avenue, and Yellow Submarine (starring animated versions of the Beatles, along with a brief clip of the real Fab Four at the very end) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Night They Raided Minsky's (starring Jason Robards) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue and the West Rome Drive-In flipped films, with 2001 moving to the drive-in while Yellow Submarine moved to the First Avenue.
Tommy Roe soar3ed to number one this week in 1969 with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#3); "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#4); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#5); "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "This Girl's In Love With You" by Dionne Warwick (#7); "Indian Giver" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#8); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#9); and "This Magic Moment" by Jay & the Americans (#10).
Little did we know how big they would eventually become: Genesis released its debut album, From Genesis to Revelation, this week in 1969. The original group consisted of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Anthony Phillips, and Chris Stewart; it would be many more years before Phil Collins became a part of the band.
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