Late summer in 1989 was much like any other year was. The lazy days of summer were coming to an end and school was getting started.
Twenty-five years ago it was noted in the newspaper that a new jail site had been selected. A parcel of land directly across from the old jail was donated by McMillan Limited to be used for the new detention center.
Also in the issue of Aug. 16 was a story about the robbery of a local convenience store. Two persons were involved in the robbery and their weapon of choice was a plastic gun. I bet the clerk in the store didn’t know it was a plastic gun. It probably scared just as badly as if it were real.
Do you remember Jack’s which was located on Douglas Avenue? That building was being remodeled to be used as a Taco Bell. The finishing touches were being made on the new restaurant. I really enjoyed eating tacos and nachos there. Little did I know that I would miss it when it was closed. I, and others that I know, would love to see a new Taco Bell set up shop here in Brewton.
The August 21 newspaper related the death of a member of the rescue squad, Jimmy Hayward Wilson. He apparently died just after being involved in a search for a teenager. Those people involved with the rescue squad do a wonderful job and get little gratitude for what they do. Think what it would be like if they, and others involved in volunteer work, didn’t exist.
When the local paper mill was known as Container Corporation, a man was killed when a crane fell on him at work. Accidents do happen, but if you checked the history of mishaps at the large mill now known as Georgia-Pacific, you would find that they don’t happen as often as you would think.
In the latter days of August, Labor Day was on the minds of the residents of Brewton and East Brewton. Special sales were planned at the stores and everyone looked forward to a holiday from work.
One such sale was held at Skinner’s Furniture Store. A Scratch and Dent sale was planned for that weekend. You don’t see those kinds of sales anymore.
Photographs in the newspaper are always a welcome sight. At least it is with me. If I can see what happened in a story, it strikes a chord with me. In the late days of August in 1989, Mr. Yancey Odom, who owned a farm near Riverview, was shocked to find that 14 cows had been struck by lightening. The paper ran a photograph of the cows and it was upsetting to say the least. Odom said that each cow was valued at between $7,000 and $8,000 each. Not only were the cows valuable; they were special cows, Odom said. Many of them were descendants of his original herd.
In the culmination of a trial, Karen Kelly was sent to Tutwiler Prison after being found guilty of the murder of Vickie Lynn Pittman.
In the last issue of August, 1989, an ad caught my attention. A Lower Alabama Jamboree took place at the Brewton Airport. There had been several ads leading up to the event which featured, among others, Juice Newton, Garth Brooks and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Attendance was not what was expected. To tell the truth, although I was living here in Brewton at the time, I don’t even remember it.
Maybe the people who thought about attending were thinking about a previous concert held at the airport. This one also took place at the airport in 1981, but it turned into a nightmare for people caught in the traffic. Its not easy to have a concert where there are only two lanes of traffic with one way in and one way out.