Looking Back at February 1976

By: HEATHER
BOGARD
Lifestyles Editor

This week, we take a look back at February 1976.
•Ville Platte Rice Dryer suffered a major loss after a fire destroyed oldest section of the facility. Close to 60 firemen and volunteers, as well as seven pumper trucks, from Ville Platte and the surrounding towns contained the fire “preventing a holocaust in that section of town.” The damage was estimated at approximately $300,000.
•The bicentennial wagon train stopped in Ville Platte while making its way to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, by July 4, 1976. The group was escorted locally by the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Posse, and the local Sertoma club hosted the group and served them a “Ville Platte sauce” at their city park encampment.
•Evangeline Telephone Company, a local subsidiary of Century Telephone Enterprises, completed its transfer of party lines to a system of private, one-party lines.
•Bobby Dardeau was named the new trustee for Ville Platte General Hospital.
•Mrs. Lionel “Aimee” Guillory retired after 27-and-a-half years with the Evangeline Parish Library.
•Mrs. Karl Fontenot was named Outstanding Homemaker of the Year.
•Randolph Trappey was named national president of the Sweet Potato Council.
•Masion de Beaute’ held its grand opening on February 28.
•Sale items at TG&Y included GT electric heater for $9.88, Kraco 23-channel, two-way CB radio for $129.88 and Midland eight-track player for $69.76.
•Sale items at Eckerd’s Drug Store included Pond’s Dreamflower Dusting Powder for 49 cents, Kodak trimlite camera for $19.99 and Vick’s Formula 44D for 99 cents.
•Sale items at A&P included grainfed beef ribeye steaks for $1.99 per pound, 10 pound bag of russet potatoes for $1.29 and 18 ounce box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes for 59 cents.
•Brown’s Furniture had a sale on Magnavox electronics, including a 25-inch Videomatic color television set for $649 and a six-piece audio center for $219.95.
•Evangeline Furniture had a sale on Zenith electronics, including a chromacolor giant screen console television set for $649 and a console stereo with eight-track player and recorder for $339.
•Movies playing at the Jan Theatre included “Hustle” starring Burt Reynolds and Catherine Deneuve and “The Killer Elite” starring James Caan and Robert Duvall.
•Popular songs of February 1976 included “I Write the Songs” by Barry Manilow, “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” by Diana Ross, “Love Rollercoaster” by Ohio Players, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” by The Four Seasons.