Here’s a look at some stories happening the week of Aug 20-26.
Aug. 22, 1937: Gold Cup International at Dayton Speedway
Speed demons from several states were converging on Dayton to take part in races including the Gold Cup race at Dayton Speedway.
The biggest event of the day was to be the Gold Cup Handicap. In that race, the 12 fastest cars from qualifying races would be positioned at different points on the track for the start of the race. The winner would be the driver that passed all the other cars.
All eyes would be on local driver Everett Saylor, who had been in a man-to-man battle with driver John McDowell all season. At this point in the season, Saylor was at the top of the standings for the Central States Racing Association.
Newly improved banking at the track was expected to help drivers break many previous speed records.
Aug. 20, 1944: 20,000 NCR workers and guests attend program at Old River
More than 20,000 NCR employees and guests, seated in a temporary “bowl” in Old River Park, waved flags and listened to Floyd “Whitey” Gates of the American Red Cross as he delivered a patriotic message broadcast from Normandy, France.
Gates was the with the first Red Cross workers and was the first Daytonian to hit the Normandy beachhead on D-Day.
Col. E.A. Deeds welcomed the NCR employees and thanked them for their part in the war effort.
The host of the evening was Earl Reeder, president of the Dayton Coca-Cola Co.
Performances throughout the night was reported to be “colorful and glamorous.”
The program also included the Boyd Raeburn band and singing star of the 1944 Ziegfeld Follies, Sara Ann McCabe.
Aug. 21, 1968: Pentecostal tent revival in Orchard Hill draws attention
Rev. Charles Wendling believed he had the solution to the crime in the Orchard Hill area, located between West Carrollton and Miamisburg — religion.
So he planned a “noisy, singing, healing tent revival.”
“You betcha we’re going to shout,” he said, “We’ll shout loud enough so they’ll come over here wondering what’s going on.”
The house next to the tent was the place where 23-year-old Ruby Stapletown was shot to death by Miamisburg police the year prior.
Officers had been trying to find someone shooting out the lights in the neighborhood. Police fired bullets from a sub-machine gun, two revolvers and a riot gun at the home. Ruby was killed in her bed, and her father was wounded in both legs.
Wendling believed his kind of “happy” religion would appeal the the largely Appalachian migrant families that lived in that area. His church practiced the “old fashioned gift of tongues.”
Aug. 20, 1978: New lake filled with swimmers despite ban
Caesar Creek Lake was dedicated in July 1978.
The beach area of the man-made lake had a large wooden sign that said “No Swimming.”
Just a month later, literally hundreds of people could be found swimming there on sunny weekend afternoons.
Rangers said that the large number of swimmers made enforcing the ban nearly impossible.
The area had not yet been opened for swimming because there were no lifeguard towers or buildings. Another problem was that there were no trash cans.
When asked about the ban on teenage swimmer said, “Yes, I know that, we are actually not supposed to be swimming here. But, as you can see, everyone does. Nobody runs us off.
Aug. 22, 1989: It appears area marijuana crop safely harvested
A daylong police search of 14 Clark County sites where marijuana was reported to be growing netted fewer than 25 pot plants.
They had already been harvested.
Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly surveyed the areas from a helicopter, looking through binoculars. Two teams from the Clark County Drug Task Force conducted the field searches.
Drug traffickers often cultivated marijuana in corn fields and forests, where they can not be easily seen from the road.
The previous year, the statewide program seized more than 82,000 marijuana plants in 84 counties.
Aug. 26, 1999: Regal Cinemas’ Hollywood 20 opens at Fairfield Commons
The Dayton area’s first 20-screen megaplex held its grand opened in 1999 at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.
Regal Cinemas’ Hollywood 20 was to feature 20 auditoriums with stadium-style seating, high-backed chairs with retractable cupholder armrests, wall-to-wall screens and state-of-the-art digital surround-sound systems.
The neon-intense, art deco-themed complex presented a number of amenities unique to the Dayton market, including two-day advance ticket sales, wireless listening devices for the hearing-impaired and “Booster Buddy” seats for small children.
The snack bar sold cappuccino and fresh-baked cookies.
Ticket prices were $7.75 after 6 p.m.; $5 for all shows before 6 p.m.
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