Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/17/1967 to 4/23/1967

It was a quiet week for UFOs in West Rome: there was only one reported sighting, off Radio Springs Road. Once again, the person who reported the UFO said they saw a circular disc-shaped object with a brighter central light; it seemed to hover for a brief time and then disappeared towards the southeast.

West Rome raced to seven first places on Monday, April 17th, to win a four-way track meet. The Chiefs defeated Cherokee, Dalton, and Trion 92.5/88.5/57/26. Jerry Arnold won first place in both the mile and the two mile; Benny Padgett won the hundred yard dash; Tommy Sapp took first in low hurdles; Xavier Smith took first place in high hurdles; and Johnny Rimes took first place in triple jump. West Rome’s 440 relay team also racked up a first place win.

West Rome’s baseball team pulled off a 3-2 victory over Darlington on Wednesday, April 19th. The Chiefs scored the winning run in the seventh inning and narrowly prevented Darlington from tying the game up in the eighth.

A burglar broke into the Berry College snack bar on Thursday night and stole $150.00, confirming my suspicion that Berry College charged entirely too much for burgers and snacks.

An extremely dry spring left Rome tinderbox-dry and more than 3” below normal in rainfall, with no measurable rain in more than three weeks. Warm temperatures and low humidity made for a potential fire problem, leading the fire marshall to call for a complete outdoor burning ban.

One good thing about all the dry weather, though: land clearing was ahead of schedule for Gala Shopping Center, right across the street from West Rome High School. Berry College had assigned a team of archeology students to keep watch over the site clearing in case any fossils, remains, or cultural artifacts should be uncovered. Thus far, though, nothing of note had been found.

Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 79¢ a pound, okra for 39¢ a pound, and Luzianne coffee for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Bama grape jelly for 25¢ a jar, and Armour pork & beans for a dime a can. Kroger had T-bone steak for 99¢ a pound, Dixie Crystals sugar for 37¢ for a five-pound bag, and Kroger bread for 20¢ a loaf. A&P had pork chops for 55¢ a pound, Tetley tea bags for 45¢ a box, and cabbage for a nickel a pound. Couch’s had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Double Cola for 99¢ a case (plus deposit), and Hunt’s catsup for 29¢ a bottle.

The cinematic week began with In Like Flint (with James Coburn) at the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In, and Georgy Girl at the First Avenue Theater. The midweek switchout brought Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding (with Sandra Dee & George Hamilton) to the DeSoto, The Blue Max (with George Peppard) to the First Avenue, and Deadlier Than the Male (with Elke Sommer) to the West Rome Drive-In.

The father and daughter duo of Frank & Nancy Sinatra held on to the number one slot for another week with “Somethin’ Stupid.” Other top ten hits included “Happy Together” by the Turtles (#2); “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” by the Monkees (#3); “I Think We’re  Alone Now” by Tommy James & the Shondells (#4); “Western Union” by the Five Americans (#5); “This Is My Song” by Petula Clark (#6); “Sweet Soul Music” by Arthur Conley (#7); “Bernadette” by the Four Tops (#8); “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” by Aretha Franklin (#9); and “Jimmy Mack” by Martha & the Vandellas (#10).

The final episode of Please Don’t Eat The Daisies aired on Saturday, April 22nd. The show, based on the book by Jean Kerr, did very well in its first season when it aired on Tuesday nights; when it was move to Saturday nights for the second season, ratings plummeted. Oddly enough, the show apparently took place in the Man from UNCLE universe: Robert Vaughn & David McCallum appeared as Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin in the first-season episode “Say UNCLE,” while Stefanie Powers appeared as The Girl From UNCLE’s April Dancer in the second-season episode “Remember Lake Serene?”  (Maybe it was a nod of appreciation to Daisies star Patricia Crowley, who appeared in the pilot episode of Man from UNCLE). Oh, and one more oddity: Please Don't Eat the Daisies is the oldest television series whose entire starring cast is still alive as of the time I’m writing this...