50 Years Age – June, 1971

50 Years Ago – June, 1971

By Jim Ignasher

June, 1971

     Airman Paul R. Sherboken of Brayton Road just completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

   Navy petty officer 3/c Joseph S. Smith, Jr., of Greenville graduated from radar training school at Great Lakes Naval Air Station.

     On June 1st, the St. Philip’s Rosary Guild held a dinner at the Club 44 where new officers were elected. Mrs. John Higgins became the new president; Mrs. George Hebert, vice president; Mrs. Peter Almon, treasurer; and Mrs. John DeAngelis, secretary.

     Smithfield artist Alexis Krupka of Georgiaville displayed some of his paintings at the Saylesville Library in Lincoln.

     On June 13th the Georgiaville Fire Company held a memorial ceremony honoring fallen firefighters.

     Smithfield’s animal control officer George Kelley was faced with a mystery. He’d found a dog wearing a North Smithfield dog tag that was in the shape of a fire hydrant, and dated 1971. He contacted his North Smithfield counterpart for information about the animal’s owner, and was informed that he’d ordered the hydrant shaped tags, which were made at the ACI, but that they never arrived, and instead North Smithfield was now issuing ones shaped like flowers in case the others should be “found” and misused. The dog was taken to the animal shelter for further investigation.

     New cars advertised by local auto dealerships included a brand new Chevrolet Monte Carlo, with air conditioning, disc brakes, electric clock, full wheel covers, powered by a 350 V-8 engine for $3,699, and a Mercury Comet, “the better small car”, for $2,217.

     Gift ideas advertised for Father’s Day included colognes and after shaves such as English Leather, Old Spice, Brut 33, British Sterling, Black Belt, Jade East, and Tabac Original. One store advertised briar smoking pipes for $5.

     If one went to the Apple Valley Cinema they saw “Promise at Dawn” a pre WWII drama starring Melina Mercourt, or the dark comedy, “Little Murders”, starring Elliot Gould, and Marcia Rodd, set in a crime-ridden New York City neighborhood in the late 1960s. There was also “Little Big Man” a western starring Dustin Hoffman, who played an elderly man recounting the fanciful days of his youth.

     On June 16th a large barn on the farm of Seth Steere (located on Steere Road in Greenville) was lost to fire. It was said the glow of the flames could be seen for miles.

     On June 18th a group of local citizens established a community theatre group known as the Apple Valley Players. The following officers were elected at an installation dinner: Nancy St. Pierre, president; William Johnson, vice president; Donna Nicholson, treasurer; and Grace Gebhart, secretary. Plans were announced for their first production to be performed at Waterman’s Beach Club on July 23-24th. It was to be the first time summer theatre was to be performed in this area.

     The Apple Valley Junior Women’s Club elected new officers. Mrs. William Stamp was elected president; Mrs. Jerome Butterfield, vice president; Mrs. Anthony Simeone, treasurer; Mrs. Lloyd Thomas, corresponding secretary; and Mrs. Paul Levesque, recording secretary.

     The Smithfield Elks Lodge inducted forty-six new members which was the largest induction in the history of the lodge.

     In Smithfield Little League news, the Greenville Hardware Nine defeated the Christansen’s Dairy team of North Providence 6 to 5.

     From June 29th to July 4th the Smithfield Jaycees held a carnival at Waterman’s Lake in an area now occupied by housing. Entertainment included rides, Karate demonstrations, trained dog acts, a pig chasing contest, an egg throwing contest, a watermelon eating contest, and nine parachute jumps from airplanes in which the skydivers landed in the lake, and of course, fireworks.

     A “deluxe stereo system” and two bicycles were raffled.

 

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