99 years ago in 1923
Warren and most of the Mahoning Valley groped a slow way through the densest morning fog in many months. Street cars, busses and automobiles crawled along at slow rates of speed and thousands of workers were late reaching their jobs as transportation was only at a snail’s pace.
The denseness of the fog was so great that to travel even at a moderate rate of speed was impossible. Accidents were few and none was serious. Had the fog been lighter more accidents would have occurred, police said.
In some places, the fog was a swirling one. Rotating with the earth as its axis the moisture-laden atmosphere whirled around and around in a lazy sort of Maypole dance.
The fog settled in at night and did not lift for 12 hours.
50 years ago in 1972
More than 300 enthusiastic bicycle riders participated in the Anti-Drug Peddlers Bike Hike, which raised nearly $500 for a Warren-Howland Drug Education Council campaign.
The bike hike, held along an eight-mile East Market Street course between Courthouse Square in downtown Warren and Howland High School attracted mostly young persons, but there were many older persons and families. Almost all completed the full route, despite a constant threat of rain during the hike.
There were no difficulties in traffic control or safety and the American Red Cross, which provided emergency first aid, reported treating only one person for bruises.
25 years ago in 1997
Elton John’s new single, “Candle in the Wind 1997,” a tribute to the late Princess Diana, had people lining up in front of record stores.
“It’s been pretty incredible,” said Earl Swegan, manager of Waves Music store at the Eastwood Mall. “We had between 700 and 1,000 phone calls in the past two days from people anxious to get a copy of the song.”
Swegan said he became slightly alarmed when his shipment did not arrive on time.
“We had people sitting outside the store for hours just waiting for us to get them,” he said.
He finally received the 250 compact discs and 210 cassettes, priced at $3.49 each in the afternoon.
Marvel Gibbs of Warren was one of many Princess Diana admirers happy to finally get her hands on the song. She came back four different times before she finally gave up for the day.
“I’ve been waiting for it,” she said as she clutched her cassette the next afternoon. “It’s a beautiful song, and she was a beautiful woman.”
10 years ago in 2012
The Hartford Apple Festival had pretty much everything a community festival would have — plenty of food, rides and games for children… and arm wrestling?
That’s right, arm wrestling for women and men.
“It just takes everything you got; struggling, trying to get your best move, said John Whitman, the 21-year-old from Hartford who won the right-handed open class 150 pounds or less.
“You can’t let off for a second because the other guy is going to take advantage of it.”
Inside the tend that had square dancing before the double-elimination tournament began Sunday, participants, when their name was called, locked hands and tried mightily — some yelled and grunted trying to summon all their power — to best their opponent.
The matches, for the most part, ended quickly.
— Compiled from the archives of the Tribune Chronicle by Allie Vugrincic.
