The West Rome elementary, junior high, and senior high concert bands held their spring concerts on Friday, May 23rd at 7:30 pm at the West Rome High School auditorium, performing a mix of classical selection and Broadway tunes. Two days later, they held a Sunday afternoon concert, performing popular music--including a medley of James Brown songs!
Martin Rollinson was second runner-up in the state boys oratorical contest sponsored by the Georgia District of Optimists International. Rollinson previously won the local and region competitions and represented Rome in the state contest.
The Rome School Board discussed their plans to reject changes in their desegregation program that were ordered by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Of course, this could have led to a total loss of federal funding for Rome schools. At the last minute, reason prevailed and the board decided to send a letter seeking a compromise with HEW, and asking the agency to accept the school system's interim desegregation plan until they could work out a resolution.
An armed robber held up the Donut Shack on North Broad Street on Tuesday morning. The robber waited until the owner was leaving the building to make a bank deposit and then pulled a gun on the owner, ordering him to drive to another location on North Broad, at which point the thief took the cash and ran away.
Krannert Center at Berry College officially opened this week in 1969. The new student center was more than three times the size of the old student center and included a bookstore, a restaurant/snack bar, function rooms, and other features designed to enhance student life at Berry.
Piggly Wiggly had beef liver for 39¢ a pound, corn for 8¢ an ear, and a giant size box of Cheer detergent for 49¢. Big Apple had sirloin steaks for 99¢ a pound, tomatoes for 15¢ a pound, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, large eggs for 38¢ a dozen, and watermelons for $1.19 each. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 33¢ around, Pepsi Cola for 28¢ a carton plus deposit, and bananas for a dime a pound. Couch's had Armour's country ham for $1.19 a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, and cabbage for a nickel a pound.
The cinematic week began with Charly (starring Cliff Robertson) at the DeSoto Theatre, Michael and Helga (starring Ruth Gassman) at the First Avenue, and Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Hannibal Brooks (starring Oliver Reed) to the DeSoto, Night of the Following Day (starring Marlon Brando) to the First Avenue, and Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (starring Gina Lollobrigida) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles' "Get Back" held on to the number one spot for the second week in a row this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy (#2); "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (#3); "Oh Happy Day" by the Edwin Hawkins Singers (#4); "Hair" by the Cowsills (#5); "These Eyes" by the Guess Who (#6); "Atlantis" by Donovan (#7); "Gitarzan" by Ray Stevens (#8); "In the Ghetto" by Elvis Presley (#9); and "Grazing in the Grass" by the Friends of Distinction (#10).
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Friday, May 10, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/12/1969 to 5/18/1969
Heavy rains on Sunday, May 18th, caused flooding on Paris Drive and Conn Street; the rains also contributed to two accidents with minor injuries on Shorter Avenue--a two-car accident near Burnett Ferry and a three-car accident near Shorter College. Thankfully, neither accident resulted in serious injuries.
WRGA radio in Rome announced plans to hire Juanita Lester, formerly of Rome's official weather station at Russell Field, to do local weather. Considering all the attention that Lester's dismissal had gotten in the past few months, this was probably a great publicity move for the station.
Rome's safecracking burglars were back in action this week in 1969, "peeling" the safe at the RL Kimsey Cotton Brokerage Company on First Avenue. (In case you were interested in launching a safecracking career, here's how you "peel" a safe: you begin working on the corner near the door, prying up the outermost of the multiple layers of metal that comprised most safes manufactured prior to 1940, then pull the layer back; you repeat the process layer after layer until you've created an opening in the wall of the safe. This technique doesn't work on more modern unibody steel safes, so don't try this at home.) An undetermined amount of cash was taken. the same night, burglars also broke into the Double Cola Bottling Company on East Second Avenue, stealing an undetermined amount of change collected from area vending machines; Marshall Jackson Motor Company, stealing tools from the shop and approximately $100 in cash from the office; and Wicker's Electric Company on North Fourth Avenue, stealing about $50 in cash and a .38-caliber pistol. On Sunday night, May 18th, thieves broke into Fred Fowler's Cleaners on East Main Street and "punched' the safe (which is exactly what it sounds like: thieves use heavy-duty tools to punch through or punch out entirely the lock mechanism of the safe), stealing approximately $225 in cash and $900 in checks (although there's not much they can do with checks); the same night, thieves also broke into Steadman Service Station on Maple Street and stole almost $400 with of radios along with four pistols. (Apparently some folks just left pistols laying around at work!)
Piggly Wiggly had large eggs for 45¢ a dozen, chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, and Poss Brunswick Stew for 49¢ a can. Big Apple had sirloin steak for $1.09 a pound, lettuce for 13¢ a head, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 39¢ a carton plus deposit. Kroger had lamb chops for 89¢ a pound, grapefruit for 17¢ each, and Sealtest ice milk for 49¢ a half-gallon. A&P had chicken livers for 59¢ a pound, Blue Bonnet margarine for 39¢ a pound, and golden delicious apples for a dime each. Couch's had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 20¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Charly (starring Cliff Robertson) at the DeSoto Theatre, a double feature of A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More (starring Clint Eastwood) at the First Avenue theatre, and Twisted Nerve (starring Hayley Mills) at the West Rome Drive-In. The end-of-the-week switchout brought Michael & Helga (starring Ruth Gassman) to the First Avenue and Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Charly hung around at the DeSoto for another week.
The Beatles' "Get Back" soared to the top spot on the charts this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (#2); "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy (#3--and one of the songs that Susan and I included in our wedding); "Hair" by the Cowsills (#4); "Oh, Happy Day" by The Edwin Hawkins Singers (#5); "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#6); "Atlantis" by Donovan (#7); "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel (#8); "Gitarzan" by Ray Stevens (#9); and "These Eyes" by the Guess Who (#10).
WRGA radio in Rome announced plans to hire Juanita Lester, formerly of Rome's official weather station at Russell Field, to do local weather. Considering all the attention that Lester's dismissal had gotten in the past few months, this was probably a great publicity move for the station.
Rome's safecracking burglars were back in action this week in 1969, "peeling" the safe at the RL Kimsey Cotton Brokerage Company on First Avenue. (In case you were interested in launching a safecracking career, here's how you "peel" a safe: you begin working on the corner near the door, prying up the outermost of the multiple layers of metal that comprised most safes manufactured prior to 1940, then pull the layer back; you repeat the process layer after layer until you've created an opening in the wall of the safe. This technique doesn't work on more modern unibody steel safes, so don't try this at home.) An undetermined amount of cash was taken. the same night, burglars also broke into the Double Cola Bottling Company on East Second Avenue, stealing an undetermined amount of change collected from area vending machines; Marshall Jackson Motor Company, stealing tools from the shop and approximately $100 in cash from the office; and Wicker's Electric Company on North Fourth Avenue, stealing about $50 in cash and a .38-caliber pistol. On Sunday night, May 18th, thieves broke into Fred Fowler's Cleaners on East Main Street and "punched' the safe (which is exactly what it sounds like: thieves use heavy-duty tools to punch through or punch out entirely the lock mechanism of the safe), stealing approximately $225 in cash and $900 in checks (although there's not much they can do with checks); the same night, thieves also broke into Steadman Service Station on Maple Street and stole almost $400 with of radios along with four pistols. (Apparently some folks just left pistols laying around at work!)
Piggly Wiggly had large eggs for 45¢ a dozen, chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, and Poss Brunswick Stew for 49¢ a can. Big Apple had sirloin steak for $1.09 a pound, lettuce for 13¢ a head, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 39¢ a carton plus deposit. Kroger had lamb chops for 89¢ a pound, grapefruit for 17¢ each, and Sealtest ice milk for 49¢ a half-gallon. A&P had chicken livers for 59¢ a pound, Blue Bonnet margarine for 39¢ a pound, and golden delicious apples for a dime each. Couch's had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 20¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Charly (starring Cliff Robertson) at the DeSoto Theatre, a double feature of A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More (starring Clint Eastwood) at the First Avenue theatre, and Twisted Nerve (starring Hayley Mills) at the West Rome Drive-In. The end-of-the-week switchout brought Michael & Helga (starring Ruth Gassman) to the First Avenue and Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Charly hung around at the DeSoto for another week.
The Beatles' "Get Back" soared to the top spot on the charts this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (#2); "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy (#3--and one of the songs that Susan and I included in our wedding); "Hair" by the Cowsills (#4); "Oh, Happy Day" by The Edwin Hawkins Singers (#5); "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#6); "Atlantis" by Donovan (#7); "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel (#8); "Gitarzan" by Ray Stevens (#9); and "These Eyes" by the Guess Who (#10).
Friday, May 03, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/5/1969 to 5/11/1969
Senator Richard Russell, the man who did absolutely nothing to try to save Rome's weather station until the final day, told Romans that he had not given up hope that the manned weather station might be reinstated. However, when asked exactly how that might happen, Senator Russell was all bluster and no substance. The situation was complicated by the fact that Rome Congressman John Davis had his feelings hurt when the Rome Chamber of Commerce representatives talked with fifth district congressman Fletcher Thompson before they talked with him. As a result, Davis made no effort whatsoever to help Rome maintain a manned weather station. "The senator interceded to a small degree," Davis said, "but did make it a strong point [as opposed to Davis, who made it no point at all]. If he did make saving the station a strong point, it could be reinstated." Meanwhile, the Rome City Commission once again brainstormed over possible plans to join with the county in seeing if they could raise local funds to reopen the station. (And if the phrase "full of sound and fury but signifying nothing" comes to mind, there is good reason...)
The 12th Annual America's Junior Miss Pageant selected a new Junior Miss on Tuesday night--but alas, West Rome's Kippy Scarborough performed well but was not tapped as the winner. Instead, a California teen was chosen to receive the title.
West Rome's baseball team had a busy schedule this week in 1969, as the team had to make up rainouts from earlier in the season. As a result, the team played Darlington on Monday, winning 8-7; Cass on Tuesday, winning 6-1; Calhoun on Wednesday, losing 14-1; Model on Thursday, winning 7-1; and East Rome Friday, winning 6-4. As if that wasn't enough, the team had to travel to Legion Field as soon as their game against Model was over in order to once again place Darlington in an 8pm tournament game, which they won 7-2. A win in that game pitted them against Cedartown at 9pm on Saturday, which they lost 4-1. And if you're keeping count, that is indeed seven games in six days!
The Rome City Commission and City Manager Bruce Hamler announced that Bill Hart would assume the role of Rome's police chief effective June 1st. The city commission gave no reason for the changes, but they did say that Captain JL Couch would continue to receive full pay until January 1970, when he would have to retire anyway due to departmental age regulations.
The Rome City Schools' plans for elementary school desegregation failed to gain approval from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, since the plans would not have eliminated all-black student bodies at some elementary schools. This sent the school system back to the drawing board for a plan that truly desegregated Rome elementary schools. The board also voted to raise tuition for out-of-city students to $45 a month (up from $32.50 a month) and to end the practice of accepting new tuition students, which meant that only those already attending Rome schools on a tuition plan would be able to do so beginning in the 1969-1970 school year. The school system also voted to move ahead with plans to build a joint city-county vocational high school across Old Lindale Road from Coosa Valley Tech.
Piggly Wiggly had shank portion ham for 39¢ a pound, pecan pies for 68¢ each, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, yellow corn for 6¢ an ear, and RC or Diet-Rite Cola for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. A&P had rib roast for 99¢ a pound, Ann Page peanut butter for 39¢ a jar, and a 32-ounce jar of Bama dill pickles for 35¢, Kroger had chuck roast for 49¢ a pound, Del Monte catsup for 33¢ a bottle, and Sealtest ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon. Couch's had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 17¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Swiss Family Robinson (starring John Mills) at the DeSoto Theatre, Sinful Davey (starring John Hurt) at the First Avenue Theatre, and Submarine X-1 (starring James Caan) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Charley (starring Cliff Robertson) to the DeSoto Theatre, a double feature of A Fistful of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More (starring Clint Eastwood) to the First Avenue, and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (starring Christopher Lee) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The 5th Dimension held on to the number one slot for the sixth straight week with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." Other top ten hits included "Hair" by the Cowsills (#2); "Get Back" by the Beatles (#3); "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#4); "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy (#5); "Hawaii Five-0 by the Ventures (#6); "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel (#7); "Atlantis" by Donovan (#8); "Gitarzan" by Ray Stevens (#9); and "These Eyes" by the Guess Who (#10).
The 12th Annual America's Junior Miss Pageant selected a new Junior Miss on Tuesday night--but alas, West Rome's Kippy Scarborough performed well but was not tapped as the winner. Instead, a California teen was chosen to receive the title.
West Rome's baseball team had a busy schedule this week in 1969, as the team had to make up rainouts from earlier in the season. As a result, the team played Darlington on Monday, winning 8-7; Cass on Tuesday, winning 6-1; Calhoun on Wednesday, losing 14-1; Model on Thursday, winning 7-1; and East Rome Friday, winning 6-4. As if that wasn't enough, the team had to travel to Legion Field as soon as their game against Model was over in order to once again place Darlington in an 8pm tournament game, which they won 7-2. A win in that game pitted them against Cedartown at 9pm on Saturday, which they lost 4-1. And if you're keeping count, that is indeed seven games in six days!
The Rome City Commission and City Manager Bruce Hamler announced that Bill Hart would assume the role of Rome's police chief effective June 1st. The city commission gave no reason for the changes, but they did say that Captain JL Couch would continue to receive full pay until January 1970, when he would have to retire anyway due to departmental age regulations.
The Rome City Schools' plans for elementary school desegregation failed to gain approval from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, since the plans would not have eliminated all-black student bodies at some elementary schools. This sent the school system back to the drawing board for a plan that truly desegregated Rome elementary schools. The board also voted to raise tuition for out-of-city students to $45 a month (up from $32.50 a month) and to end the practice of accepting new tuition students, which meant that only those already attending Rome schools on a tuition plan would be able to do so beginning in the 1969-1970 school year. The school system also voted to move ahead with plans to build a joint city-county vocational high school across Old Lindale Road from Coosa Valley Tech.
Piggly Wiggly had shank portion ham for 39¢ a pound, pecan pies for 68¢ each, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, yellow corn for 6¢ an ear, and RC or Diet-Rite Cola for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. A&P had rib roast for 99¢ a pound, Ann Page peanut butter for 39¢ a jar, and a 32-ounce jar of Bama dill pickles for 35¢, Kroger had chuck roast for 49¢ a pound, Del Monte catsup for 33¢ a bottle, and Sealtest ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon. Couch's had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 17¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Swiss Family Robinson (starring John Mills) at the DeSoto Theatre, Sinful Davey (starring John Hurt) at the First Avenue Theatre, and Submarine X-1 (starring James Caan) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Charley (starring Cliff Robertson) to the DeSoto Theatre, a double feature of A Fistful of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More (starring Clint Eastwood) to the First Avenue, and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (starring Christopher Lee) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The 5th Dimension held on to the number one slot for the sixth straight week with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." Other top ten hits included "Hair" by the Cowsills (#2); "Get Back" by the Beatles (#3); "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#4); "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy (#5); "Hawaii Five-0 by the Ventures (#6); "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel (#7); "Atlantis" by Donovan (#8); "Gitarzan" by Ray Stevens (#9); and "These Eyes" by the Guess Who (#10).
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