HERITAGE: Blue Devil basketball team reached state in 1986

Journey back through the archives of The Erwin Record and see what made the pages of Unicoi County's own weekly newspaper in past decades. Seventy Years Ago1956Elm Street Elementary School planned to host a performance of the operetta "Up on Old Smoky." The show was a presentation featuring mountain ballads by the seventh and eighth grade students at the school and was staged in the theater at Erwin's former municipal building.•••The Capitol Theater advertised a showing of James Stewart and June Allyson in "Strategic Air Command" in Technicolor. The theater also promoted a showing of Robert Mitchum and Olivia de Havilland in "Not as a Stranger." Sixty Years Ago1966The antique locomotive that was displayed at the Clinchfield Railroad Shops in Erwin neared a commitment for a public display place. Although the railroad had wanted to get rid of the locomotive, the town of Erwin was interested in displaying the locomotive in its municipal parking lot. The town also agreed to refurbish the engine.•••Tom Cash, writer and editor in Vanderbilt University's Alumni and Development Office, had successfully combined his vocation with his hobbies by appearing in more than 25 plays in and around the Nashville area. Cash, a UCHS and ETSU graduate, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George O. Cash. He was also the author of a poetry book, "One Drummer," published in 1964. Fifty Years Ago1976The Southeastern Autorama, in cooperation with the Unicoi County Centennial Birthday Celebration, agreed to move the annual car show from Labor Day to July 1-3 to coincide with the big bash.•••The Savings Center in Erwin promoted several specials, including a Windsor 23-channel CB Radio for $99.97, three Cannon bath towels for $5.99 and a Mr. Scott leisure suit for $25. Forty Years Ago1986The Blue Devil basketball team was Nashville bound for a second consecutive year. Coached by Mike Williams, the team was slated to play Sweetwater in the opening round of state play. The team beat Rockwood, 47-44, in a substate game to reach the state tournament. •••Students with Margaret Sue Range Dancing School made a clean sweep of first-place trophies at the Tri-State Dance Competition in Asheville, North Carolina. Thirty Years Ago1996Incumbent candidates fared well in the Republican Primary held on March 12. Assessor of Property Bill Gaines won a narrow victory over challenger David Kent Harris. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ronald Wilcox handily defeated his opponent, Larry Rose. •••The UCHS Blue Devil baseball team jumped out to a 3-0 record by beating such opponents as Hampton and Maryville. Twenty Years Ago2006Walmart Manager Gary Taylor told The Erwin Record that the Unicoi Supercenter was scheduled to open June 14. Taylor noted that the Unicoi location was smaller than most other Supercenters but would still offer the "best of the best."•••Kianna Watson, a student at Love Chapel Elementary School, won a state gymnastics award at the Tennessee Gymnastics Competition by taking first place in the 11-year-old division of the competition. Ten Years Ago2016A 10-year-old student Jacob McKinney was honored by the Unicoi County Board of Education for saving the life of his 8-year-old cousin, Brianna Butler, in a house fire. "The word hero gets thrown around a lot," said Director of Schools John English. "Sometimes, it's warranted, and sometimes it's not, but I can certainly say that this young man is an absolute hero."•••Unicoi County Middle School track and field team members Kody Lewis and Kaitlin Bailey combined for three first-place finishes in a track meet in Johnson City. Lewis earned top honors in the 100- and 200-meter dashes while Bailey took home the top spot in the 100-meter against Middle Eight Conference foes.— Compiled by Managing Editor Bryan Stevens.