Law officers liken 1985 Halloween duty to 'war'

Explore the archives of The Erwin Record and see what made the weekly newspaper's pages in decades past. Sixty Years Ago 1965 Roles were cast for Pat Alderman's musical production "The Hermit of the Bald," set for performance later in November at the Unicoi County High School auditorium. Featured in the cast were Linda Rhodes as Mary Vance, Julie Cornett as Grannie, David Elliott as Hog Greer and Doug Bennett as Holland Higgins. ••• The Big Seven Conference Championship, played at Gentry Stadium in Erwin, went to the visiting Science Hill Hilltoppers, who beat the Blue Devils, 37-7. ••• Unaka Stores on Main advertised a sale on Hushpuppies. The popular brand of shoe offered several types, including Sidewalk-Softeners for $10.95, Smooth Casuals for $9.95 and Ladies Casuals for $9.95. The store also promoted S&H green stamps with purchases. Fifty Years Ago 1975 Officials broke ground for a new construction for a new surgical unit and renovations at Unicoi County Memorial Hospital. The change also planned included and enlarged, expanded modernized emergency room. ••• The Blue Devils finished the season with a close matchup with Science Hill, losing 18-13 before a packed house at Gentry Stadium. The team finished with a 5-5 overall record. ••• Publix Food Markets advertised specials, including a pound of Armour bacon for $1.39, a pound of Red or Golden Delicious apples for 25 cents, three cans of Hunts whole tomatoes for 99 cents and an 18-ounce carton of Betty Crocker cake mixes in all flavors for 59 cents. Forty Years Ago 1985 A headline about an incident on Halloween night had law enforcement describing the holiday as "war out there" after they responded to 200 Halloween "revelers" assembled in front of the Unicoi County YMCA on Main. Members of the assembly threw rocks, bottles, soft drink cans, pumpkins, lumps of coal, small bricks, eggs and tomatoes at passing cars, officers and each other. By the end of the evening, 12 juveniles were arrested and released into the custody of their parents. Several officers were struck by some of the thrown objects and three windows were broken at the YMCA. ••• Erwin restaurant The Elms advertised several specials, including croissant sandwiches (baked ham, crispy bacon or sizzling country sausage) for 99 cents each or with cheese and scrambled eggs for $1.29. The restaurant promoted its table service, cafeteria, special buffet, carryout, catering, banquet facilities and rental services. Thirty Years Ago 1995 David Kent Harris took out a qualifying petition to run for Assessor of Property in Unicoi County. At the time, Harris was also serving as a member of the Erwin Board of Mayor and Alderman. ••• White's Fresh Foods advertised a pound of sliced turkey breast for 99 cents, a pound of boneless round steak for $1.79, two 64-ounces carton of Minute Maid orange juice for $3 and two 37-ounce Mrs. Smith's pies (cherry, apple or Dutch apple) for $5. ••• Twenty Years Ago 2005 Crowds lined Erwin's street to welcome back the first 12 members of the local Army National Guard Unit to return home after completion of a tour of duty in Iraq as part of the 278th Regimental Combat Team. The other members of the unit were expected to arrive the following week. ••• Lynn Harris opened her Sandwich Express on Union Street. In addition to sandwiches, she offered a variety of soups, including potato, French onion, taco and tortellini. Her sandwich offerings included classic meatball and Italian trio. She also offered sweet tea and desserts. Ten Years Ago 2015 The Unicoi County High School Marching Band brought home first-place honors for Class A at the Hilltoppers Invitational Marching Band Competition in Johnson City. The band's show was titled "Somebody." The band was under the direction of Evangeline Hurter. ••• UCHS sophomore Megan Todd took top honors in the Region 1-A/AA Girls Individual Race at Daniel Boone High School on Oct. 29. With this win, she returned for a second year to the TSSAA State Meet. – Compiled by Managing Editor Bryan Stevens.