Things got off to a slow start 50 years ago in 1968.

The first baby born in the New Year was Dennis Allen Jarrell Jr., who was born at 11:29 a.m. on New Year’s Day. He weighed eight pounds and 15 ounces.

The Strand Theatre in Atmore went all out when “The Sound of Music” came to town. The movie, starring Julie Andrews was to show from Jan. 4-17 with prices for an adult ticket being $1.50. Most of us have seen this movie at least one time and by some, many times.

Right now as I write this all I can remember is the television show “Better Late Than Never” where I saw William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw, Henry Winkler and George Forman visit the place they filmed “The Sound of Music.”

Container Corporation bought a piece of land, in Carney Timberlands.

They bought 23,000 acres worth $7.5 million. This would have been when the mill was relatively new.

A&P was selling dinnerware at 24 cents per piece while Piggly Wiggly had slab bacon for 38 cents a pound and pork chops for 48 cents a pound.

The U.S. Postal Service went up on the cost of postage. This is timely, as we are now facing another increase.

Luveda Shanks was named Employee of the Year at Greenlawn Hospital.

Dr. Harold Crosby was to speak at the Atmore Chamber of Commerce banquet. He was the president of the University of West Florida.

The United Fund goal of $23,000 was reached. They collected $23,857, with inmates from the prison pushing them over the goal.

There was a notice of the engagement of Joan O’Leary of New York to Billy Herman Vickery, a graduate of Escambia County High School and Troy University. He also played professional baseball for the Washington Senators.

A 77 year-old woman died in an accident when the vehicle she was in collided with a train.

Atmore cheerleaders set up roadblocks and collected funds for the March of Dimes.

Sears had a contest to guess the weight of Chilly Willy the Pig. The winner got to keep the pig. You don’t see many of those around anymore.

Moore Motors advertised that they would paint your car for $59.50.

Watson Hardware was selling used tvs for $50 with a free antenna.

Times were changing. It had been no time since television came on the scene and now they were selling used ones.

It was strange to turn the page of the newspaper and find Santa Claus staring at me. He was actually advertising the end of the time to sign up for the Christmas Club.