This might seem like Sweetwater news, as that is where J.D. and his family have lived for as long as I can remember, but he has a connection to Hobbs, by proxy, as it is popular to say now. He was the son of Jack and Ola Wallace of Roscoe, and Ola's sister was Daisy Templeton of Hobbs.
My dad has told me many a story about J.D., his exploits in World War II, the opening of two theaters, the Joy in Roscoe and Midway in Sweetwater, and how he knew Tom "Pinkie" Roden, famous boot-legger and politician. Dad has a way of bringing people alive with his story-telling.
I went to the Sweetwater library today and dug up some ads for the Midway, which still stands on the west end of Broadway outside of Sweetwater. By the way, that library has a wonderful newspaper archive.
Dad told me that when the Joy was open in Roscoe, he always enjoyed visiting his aunt because that meant he got to see the movies for free. He said that they did a lot of publicity, hiring a dressed up cowboy for the western features and even some movie stars. That's why I was looking in the archives, to find some names, but I still have some searching to do.
Dad also tells me about going to the Lance in Rotan when he was a kid, and another theater, which I will guess was the Ritz. I had someone contact me that had taken a photo of the Lance 26 or so years ago. He was interested in knowing if the Lance was open again, since I reported that they were showing movies for the kids program this summer. I wish it was open, again, I can just see the marquee lit up and folks milling around waiting for the movie to start.
Anyway, now for an update on the Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record headlines for the past two weeks. Get ready for the Fisher County Boot Scoot & Wild Hog Fest to be held Oct. 12th & 14th. It sounds like a lot of fun!
September 14th issue:
- Fisher County Commissioners Court Minutes
- New McCaulley Baptist Preacher Randy Curtis Photo
- Local EMS Air Evac Training Photo
- Hogfest Gospel Night & Pie Contest Oct 12th
- Roby 4-H Meeting Minutes
- Rotan School Board Meeting Minutes
- Gamma Tau Photos and Article
- Roby School Board Meeting Minutes
- Roby City Council Meeting Minutes
- Lions & Yellowhammers Game Rundowns
- Fisher County Historical Commission Minutes
- Rotan & Roby Track Meet Photos
September 7th Issue:
- Sandy Underhill Retires from City
- Sammy Baugh's Number to be Retired
- Several Break-Ins reported in Rotan
- Burn Ban Lifted for Fisher County
- Fisher County Healthcare Dev. Corp. Meeting Minutes
- Rotan School Board Meeting Minutes
- Roby Students Participate in Cabbage Program, Photos
- Obituary for Billie Harris
- Rundown on Yellowhammer & Lions Games
Of course, there is much more information in the paper than what is here. Remember that if you want to subscribe to the Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record, just click on the newspaper link to the right for info. TTFN, as Tigger says!
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