Erwin welcomed Guard troops home from Iraq in 2005

Dive into the archives of The Erwin Record to learn what made the pages of Uncoi County's weekly newspaper in past decades. Sixty Years Ago 1965 The Erwin Record reported that East Tennessee State University celebrated Homecoming Week with a special appearance by entertainer Bob Newhart. His appearance took place at the Memorial Gym along with the folk and jazz music group Village Stompers. The football game the following day was against Eastern Kentucky University. ••• Unaka Stores Inc. advertised their fall opening with specials on men's cardigans for $8.99, lady's car coats for $10.95 and up and girl's flannel pajamas for $1.88 per set. ••• The newspaper introduced the Unicoi County High School Homecoming queen candidates. Sixteen students were competing for the crown in 1965. Fifty Years Ago 1975 The Erwin Record introduced Tom Harris, the newspaper's new ad manager with a brief article and photo. Harris, a graduate of UCHS and ETSU, was introduced by S. Lee Vance, the newspaper's editor and vice president. ••• An advertisement in the newspaper publicized an open house to celebrate the reopening of First Federal Bank in Erwin after a 15-month remodeling project. The bank's president was John Logan. Forty Years Ago 1985 The second Miss Unicoi County Apple Festival Pageant was held Oct. 5 on the front porch of the Bank of Tennessee in downtown Erwin. Ten contestants were scheduled to compete for the crown. Tracy Davis, the 1984 Miss Unicoi County Apple Festival, was set to crown the winner. ••• The UCHS Blue Devils beat West Greene, 21 to 7 in a game coached by Louis Thompson. ••• Volunteer leaders held their United Way campaign kickoff breakfast at The Elms restaurant. A goal of $37,200 was set for the year. Thirty Years Ago 1995 The 18th annual Unicoi County Apple Festival was held Friday-Saturday, Oct. 6-7. More than 300 arts and crafts vendors and 25 food vendors were scheduled to line the streets of downtown Erwin for the event. ••• The Blue Devil football team coached by Zane Vance beat Happy Valley 16-6. A fumbled recovery by Nick Lingerfelt resulted in one of the game's touchdowns and ranked among the game highlights. ••• White's Fresh Foods advertised several sales, including 8-ounce country ham slices for $1.59, 12-ounces of Valleydale bacon for 99 cents and a pound of Red Delicious Apple for 79 cents. Twenty Years Ago 2005 Plans were made to welcome home from Iraq the return of Erwin's Tennessee Army National Guard Unit. Members departed for intensive training in June of 2004 and were stationed in Iraq as part of the 278th Regimental Combat Team. ••• Members of the UCHS cross county squad geared up for a big home matchup in the 4-mile run as part of the Unicoi County Apple Festival's official events. Also scheduled to participate in the run were Olympic competitors from a track club near Atlanta. Ten Years Ago 2015 Rainy weather didn't dampen spirits at the 38th annual Unicoi County Apple Festival. The festival, although not a record in attendance, was deemed a success by organizers. Chamber of Commerce Director Amanda Delp reported that several vendors enjoyed record sales at the event. ••• The UCHS Blue Devil football team defeated Chuckey-Doak 44-33. Blue Devil Nick Fender rushed for 176 yards on 20 carries, including a touchdown. – Compiled by Managing Editor Bryan Stevens.