Blue Devils debuted in Appalachian Conference play in 1995

Enjoy a dive into the archives of The Erwin Record to learn what made the pages of Unicoi County's weekly newspaper in decades past. Sixty Years Ago 1965 Lawson Memorial Funeral Home opened for business on Dec. 1 on Main Avenue under the management of Franklin B. Lawson. ••• Morrill Motors of Shallow Ford, one of Unicoi County's newest industrial plants, scheduled a holiday open house on Dec. 4, 1965. The plant employed 83 employees at the Shallow Ford location, and also operated Morrill Electric at Rocky Fork. ••• A.R. Brown and Co. advertised toy and gift ideas for Christmas, including a motorific torture track that featured 18 track selections for $16.57, a 17-inch Softee flex doll for $3.99, a Kenner's Easy-Bake Oven for $10.88 and a Wonder Colt hobby horse for $15.55. Fifty Years Ago 1975 The annual Erwin Christmas Parade on Nov. 29 launched the holiday season. A very large turnout came out to see beauty queens, twirlers, horses, band music and a visit from Santa Claus. Kids also enjoyed getting candy tossed from floats. ••• The Capitol Theatre in downtown Erwin advertised a special showing of Walt Disney's "Bambi," along with Disney's "The Hound Who Thought He was a Raccoon." The Holiday Drive-in advertised Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in "The Way We Were." ••• The Savings Center in Erwin advertised a pre-Christmas sale on items such as an artificial six-foot Scotch pine Christmas tree for $13.88, three bags of Christmas bows for $1 and indoor Christmas lights for 99 cents. Forty Years Ago 1985 The American Cancer Society honored Mrs. Homer Vance with a plaque presented by J. Alan "Rocky" McInturff to honor for 20 years of service her late husband contributed to the organization. ••• The UCHS Blue Devils defeated Chuckey-Doak Black Knights, 54-36, to raise their record to 3-0. ••• Video Images advertised its selection of movie rentals such as "Gremlins," "Vision Quest" and "The Best of John Belushi." The store was located on Main Avenue. ••• McDonald's, located at the time in the Erwin Village Shopping Center, promoted an appearance by Santa Claus every weekend until Christmas, as well as McDonald's gift certificates. Thirty Years Ago 1995 Members of the Erwin Planning Commission voted to recommend an ordinance amendment to open the door to taller business signs in the town. Mayor Garland "Bubba" Evely asked the commission for input on the controversial issue. ••• Keesecker's advertised a holiday sale featuring a 4-head VCR for $269, Christmas trays for $16.88 and a La-Z-Boy chaise recliner rocker for $379. ••• The UCHS Blue Devils made their debut in the Appalachian Conference with a 55-38 win over Hampton. The girls team also beat Hampton, 48-32. Twenty Years Ago 2005 Capitol Cinema advertised a grand reopening celebration set for Dec. 9 with showings of "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" and "Chicken Little." The ad noted that free commemorative T-shirts would be available for the first 100 admissions to the newly-opened local theater. ••• When it comes to helping people in need, Unicoi Countians always step up. A load of toys and other Christmas gift were collected to send to Moss Point, Mississippi, to make the holiday season a little brighter for victims of Hurricane Katrina. ••• The Blue Devil boys basketball team was still striving for a perfect season with a 8-0 record after recent wins over Cloudland, Unaka and Sullivan North. Ten Years Ago 2015 MedicOne Medical Response and the Red Rock Resale Shop have joined to provide assistance to homeless individuals in Unicoi County. The Bucket of Hope Project will collect needed items for the homeless and distribute the donations in buckets. ••• UCHS senior Caleb Clawson qualified for the Tennessee Inter-Scholastic Swim Coaches Association Meet, which was scheduled for February in 2016. – Compiled by Managing Editor Bryan Stevens.