AWARD WINNER
In last 3 years Democrat has won
14 State Press Assn, awards. Eight
of them are first place awards.
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Eightieth Year of Continuous Publication
1968
June 11
June 12
June 13
June 14
June 15
June 16
June 17
BOONE WEATHER
Hi Lo Snow Prec
79 58
60 .49
56 .15
67 Hi Lo
74 49
76 50
79 53
81 54
80 56
81 55
82 55
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1968
VOL. LXXX— NO. 51
10 CENTS PER COPY
24 PAGES—3 SECTIONS
$5,350,000 Spent For Food By Local People
Retail Business In Watauga Sets Records In 1967
(Special to the Democrat)
NEW YORK, June 15—Incomes were up in Watauga
County in the past year and the improvement was re
flected in the volume of retail business that was done.
Sales of food, wearing apparel, furniture, household
appliances and other items were at a record level.
As a result, according to the final tabulations, most
retail stores had a top notch year.
Just how well they made out is detailed in a new
report on consumer buying, released by the Standard
Rate and Data Service. It shows how people in the
local area and in other parts of the country spent their
money during the year.
In Watauga County, a large portion of it went for
food. Approximately 20 cents out of every dollar spent
in local retail stores was for such purchases.
As a consequence, bakeries, butcher shops, grocery
stores, supermarkets and other food outlets in the
area had a sales volume of $5,350,000, a gain over
the prior year’s $4,957,000.
This was solely for take-home food. Expenditures in
restaurants and Ift other eating and drinking places
are excluded.
If the amount that was expended in food stores were
to be divided uniformly among the local population,
it would be equivalent to $1,171 per household.
This was more than was spent in that direction in
most other parts of the South Atlantic States. The
average was $1,141 per household. In the State of
North Carolina it was $1,110.
Other retail stores in the local area also profited
from the big consumer spending.
Those selling cars, motorcycles, boats and other
automotive equipment and supplies had receipts totaling
$5,949,000, against the previous year’s $5,594,000.
Department stores and variety stores carrying general
merchandise had a sales volume of $1,492,000. Their
1966 total was $1,296,000.
Specialty and apparel shops, including those selling
hats, shoes, dresses and other articles of clothing,
ended the year with $1,736,000, as against the prior
year’s $1,588,000.
Furniture and home furnishings stores accounted
for $2,273,000 compared with the former year’s
$1,987,000.
Archie Pierce
Named Acting
WAMY Official
Archie Pierce of AsheCounty
has recently been named Acting
County Co-ordinator for the
WAMY Community Action pro
gram.
He succeeds Hugh Wire who
resigned to return to his native
California where he will be
working with the Presbyterian
Church in Los Angeles.
For the past two years, Pierce
has worked with the program
as community organizer. In
addition to the many projects
he has helped communities
organize, he was instrumental
in the development of the county
housing co-operative.
A native of Ashe County,
Pierce received his B.S. degree
from N.C. State C oil eg e and has
taught school in Maryland and
Kansas. He says he feels that
the community action program
has made a lot of progress in
the three years that it has been
functioning and that the potential
for the program is very great.
“People in general,” he says,
seem to be more and more
interested in seeing the program
make the progress that is so
needed to help all our citizens
achieve a more effective and
productive life.’*
Chambers Of Commerce To
Host Highway Commission
The chambers of commerce of Boone, Blowing
Rock and Lenoir will be host to the North Carolina
Highway Commission Wednesday and Thursday, the
26th and 27th.
The Hon. Dan K. Moore, Governor of North Carolina,
will be featured speaker at the Wednesday night banquet
at the Green Park Hotel in Blowing Rock.
Assembling at the Hotel with Commission Chairman
Joseph M. Hunt Jr. will be 14 commissioners and a
total of 80 other Highway Department officials.
Wednesday evening at 7 a social hour will be held
and at 8 the banquet will begin. Master of ceremonies will
be Ty Boyd erf Charlotte and the welcome will be
given by Bill Williams, president of the Blowing Bock
Chamber of Commerce. The Rev. Richard Holshouser
will have the invocation.
Thursday morning at 10, the Commissioners will
conduct their business meeting, after which they and
their wives will be taken on a red carpet tour of the
area. During the two-day event, each chamber of com
merce will be represented by 15 persons. Gov. and
Mrs. Moore are to be entertained at Hound Ears
Club while here.
The Blowing Rock Chamber has arranged a pro
gram of mountain music for the banquet.
Col. Carmel Shook Is New
Commander Jet Fighter Wing
Mac Dill AFB, Fla.—U. S.
Air Force Colonel Carmel M.
Shook, Chief of U. S. Strike
Command’s Joint Operations
Division, departed MacDill
AFB June 10 with his wife and
three children to accept his new
assignment at Nellis AFB, Las
Vegas, Nevada, as Commander
of the 474th Tactical Fighter
Wing—the U. S. Air Force’s
first F-lll ‘‘swing-wir^” tact
ical jet fighter unit.
The 49-year-old fighter pilot
has served in tactical air oper
ations assignments throughout
most of his Air Force career
which began January 1940 at
Langley Field, Va. He earned
his commission as a 2nd lieu
tenant in November 1942 through
the Aviation Cadet Program.
In subsequent assignments,
he served in the European The
ater during World War II and
flew 112 combat missions in the
P-47 ,4Jug” aircraft.
Other highlights of his Air
Force career include a tour in
Korea as commander of an F
86 fighter squadron; and F-104
aircraft flying assignment as
vice commander of the 479th
Tactical Fighter Wing at George
AFB, Calif, and a tactical fly
ing tour in Southeast Asia prior
to his assignment at U.S.Strike
Command Headquarters in July
1966.
To date Colonel Shook has
earned the Distinguished Fly
ing Cross, Bronze Star, 19
-awards of the Air Medal, and
the Air Force Commendation
Medal.
His family include his wife,
Pat, and three children—Sand
ra, 17; Kathy, 15; and Bobby,
8.
Colonel Shook was born in
(Continued on page two)
COL. CARMEL M. SHOOK
Watauga YDC Meets Monday
The Watauga County Young
Democrats Club will hold its
regular meeting at the tem
porary Courthouse Monday
evening, 7:30, June 24.
Eddie P. Norris, president,
stated thatthere will be a speak
er. and that the club will make
plana (or the aummer and (all.
The possibility of Watauga
County having the next State
President of the YDC will be
considered.
All members and Interested
persons are urged to attend.
Courthouse, Ambulance Provided For
Commissioners Set Tax Rate
At $1.23 As Budget Is OK’d
Kate Increase
Is Necessary,
Officials Say
The Watauga County Com
missioners Friday gave final
approval to the 1968-69 budget
estimate which was set at
$572,784 and which necessi
tates a tax levy of $1.23 as
against the present $1.10 rate.
Of the amount requested from
the Commissioners by the vari
ous agencies $85,500 was cut.
Of the additional levy over
one-half of the amount is im
posed as a result of bonds sold
for the construction of the new
courthouse. A levy of 7 cents
is required for this purpose.
An additional 3 cents is
necessary for repairs to county
buildings and construction not
covered by the bonds, while
5 cents is added to meet the
obligation incurred by pro
viding county ambulance ser
By cutting down on some
other items, the school fund
was increased from 25 cents
to 30 cents.
Of the total budget which
is published in the Democrat
today, 34% is for debt service,
24% for school fund, 18% for
health, welfare and social
security and 24% for the opera
tion of county affairs and coun
ty offices.
Final approval of the budget
means, the Commissioners
pointed out, that they cut 19
cents from departmental re
quests. The requests would
have brought a levy of $1.42
and the levy will actually be
$1.23.
Boy Injured At
Horse Show
With the evening performance
of the Cove Creek Horse Show
barely under way Saturday, the
horse race collided head on
with entries in the just-com
pleted pony race.
David Aldridge, 12, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Aldridge
and grandson of the Lee Ander
sons of Vilas, took a serious
fall, stood almost upright, then
fell again.
Until the Watauga Ambulance
Service arrived, young Aldridge
was in the care of a registered
nurse who was in the crowd.
Meanwhile, plans were made
for the necessary destruction of
a pony ridden by Ricky Isaacs.
The pony’s left rear leg was
shattered by the impact, al
though the pony ridden by David
Aldridge was not seriously hurt
After treatment and exami
(Cont on page 7, Sec. C)
FAMILIAR SCENE AS HORN IN THE WEST IS STAGED
All Wataugans Are Invited To
Attend Horn Opening At No Cost
Every citizen of Boone and
Watauga County is being in
vited to attend—free of
charge—the opening 1968 per
formance of Horn in the West
on the night of Saturday, June
29.
The Board of Directors of the
Southern Appalachian Historical
Association, sponsor of the
popular outdoor drama, an
nounces that each and every
resident of the county is cor
dially asked to view the opening
production as guests of the
management.
“We wish to urge and en
courage everyone to take ad
vantage of Watauga County
Night at Horn in the West, for
this production actually belongs
to the people of this county,”
said drama managers Dick
Spring Meet SAHA
Set For Next Thurs.
The annual spring member
ship meeting of the Southern
Appalachian Historical Asso
ciation will be held at the Holi
day Inn of Boone on Thursday,
June 27.
Dr. Robert L. Randall,presi
dent of the SAHA, stated that
all association members will be
treated to a closed dress re
hearsal of Horn in the West
outdoor drama following the
dinner meeting which is sched
uled to commence at 6:30 p.m.
Barkley, Lewis Gaston and Bob
Snead.
“The drama depicts the his
tory of this county, and there
are just too many Watauga Coun
ty citizens who have not seen
a performance in several
years," they added. “We want
everyone to witness this out
standing production for their
own personal enjoyment and so
that they may serve as sup
porters of the drama to the
many visitors of the county
during future years.”
Tickets for admittance to the
opening night performance may
be picked up in various business
establishments throughout
Boone and the county’s scatter
ed communities between June
20 and 27, and at the Horn
in the West office at the Daniel
Boone Theater off Blowing Rock
Road.
Children under 12 years of
age must be accompanied by
an adult to attend the special
Watauga County Night perform
Graham And Broyhill To Be
Speakers At Land Bank Meet
JAMES A. GRAHAM
CONGRESSMAN BROYHILL
Iuumea n, uiaikim, iwrui
Carolina’s Commissioner of
Agriculture, and Tenth District
Rep. Broyhill will be special
guests at the annual stockhol
% ders* meeting of the Federal
i Land Bank Association of Boone.
John H. Hollar, Boone FLBA
manager, says the program will
begin at 11 a. m. Saturday, June
29, in the auditorium of the
Appalachian Elementary School.
A couple of years ago, the
starting hour was moved for
ward to give stockholders an
opportunity to see the Daniel
Boone Wagon Train Parade be
ginning at 9:30 a. m.
More than 1,100 persons were
(continued on page three)