Twenty five years ago in 1981, there was much talk around town about the upcoming Harvest Jam which was to take place on Oct. 10. Maybe you remember all the work that went into securing the services of performers and concessions. One group was getting lots of attention when the city welcomed three members of the Oak Ridge Boys to town. As most of you know, one member of the group got his start right here in the area. His parents lived at Dixonville and his sister still does. This was the biggest event to feature the group in our area, but it was certainly not the only one.

While people were lining up to serve concessions, one group was turned down by the Brewton City Council. A license to sell beer on the festival premises was denied.

A man was killed in a motorcycle accident that took place on U.S. 31, south of Brewton when his motorcycle ran into the rear of a crane.

It was also time for the first football game of the season. The Brewton Standard featured a special section devoted to the local teams of T.R. Miller High School, W.S. Neal High School, Southern Normal High School and some colleges, such as Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

W.S. Neal took a different approach to a pep rally. Balloons were released at the pep rally before the first game of the season to symbolize the “lifting of spirits” for the year.

I also noticed that there were several engagements and weddings during this time.

James and Diane McCracken were married, as well as Tina Maddox and Will Rodgers. The engagement of David Stokes and Debbie Kahn was announced.

There was a photograph and cutline about the the Escambia County Rescue Squad who had recently been able to acquire a “Jaws of Life” with the help of many donations.

Another sign of the times was the announcement that the Department of Pensions and Securities (now known as the Department of Human Resources) were making the switch to using computers in its food stamp program.

My, my, times have changed. Many of us never dreamed we would see the surge of use of personal computers and cell phones. Most homes have at least one of each and the ones that don’t, certainly have access to one. I don’t know about you, but I am having trouble keeping up with all this technology.