Fifty years ago in 1966, I was rather new to this area. We moved here from Greenville after living there for only a short time. Back in those days the city welcomed newcomers by bringing a basket of goodies. It was nothing big, but just enough to let you know that someone noticed. I remember a photographer came by the place we were renting on Douglas Avenue and took our picture to be in The Brewton Standard. I remember that it was an awful photo, not due to the photographer, but due to my looks. That picture looked as if I could bite a 20-penny nail into. Ever since that time, I have tried to stay out of photographs.

Another person that was new to Brewton was a new assistant coach for the T.R. Miller Tigers. It was announced that Frank Cotten had been hired by the city school system. Frank came from Coffeeville to begin his long run as coach and principal at the high school.

There was a photograph in The Brewton Standard of a little girl selling lemonade at her lemonade stand. That little girl was none other than Lynda Leigh Page. In that same newspaper was a column looking back 10 years to 1955 and there was an article about the new jail being built. I assume this to be the one that once stood across the street from the present site.

One newspaper of the time had a map drawn out showing the new parking places downtown behind the stores on St. Joseph. This was 50 years ago. I don’t know if this was only a plan or if it was already done. I had no idea that the parking lot behind the stores was that old.

The Brewton Chamber of Commerce was working with the merchants to put together a Dollars Day sale. Even back then they were trying to pull attention to the downtown businesses.

Part of the Dollars Day sale was a couple of things featured at West Brothers. They were selling sheets for $1.97 each or $1.77 for a twin size.

Now I remember those sales back then. I worked at West Brothers for a time and it was the craziest I ever saw. People would line up outside the doors and when the doors opened, people would run over you to get in. One of their favorite places to run to was the table full of sheets and towels. Women would be pulling sheets in every direction. It was a hoot. I have to admit that I got some really good bargains at those sales.

The newspapers were full of football and getting back to school. Some things never change. One paper devoted one whole page to an upcoming bride who was trying to learn how to cook. Her directions were to take some flour and add something else. That made me think about my mother’s recipe for old-fashioned teacakes. I loved them and asked her one day to give me the recipe.

She said to take some flour…when I asked her how much, she just said “as much as it takes.” I never did get that recipe.

Years later my brother called me one day and said that he had finally figured it out. After that he became the teacake baker for the whole family. One of my mother’s sisters got the first batch and she informed my brother that he was to bring her teacakes every week.

I ran across an item that sort of floored me. It seems in 1966 people were objecting to playing Beatle records.

Brewton joined with other cities to ban the records from our area and the local radio station also refused to play them.

Now I remember all the hoop-la surrounding Elvis Presley, but I had not realized that the Beatles were also on the banned list.

The last thing I noticed was that the Alabama Power electrical workers were on strike. They were marching in front of the old office that used to be downtown.