18 December 1896: For Children, "Dolls, Knives, Etc."

On this day in 1896, McGregor's Bookstore, which also sold athletic equipment and stationery supplies, much like college bookstores do today, ran this advertisement of their holiday offerings:

At the time, David W. McGregor's store was on the corner of Broad Street and College Avenue, across from the University, where Starbucks is located today.

Learn More:

• Weekly Banner, Aug. 1885 - Jan. 1897 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• 1897-1898 Athens City Directory on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Athens, Georgia, in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• Children at Play: An American History by Howard P. Chudacoff in the general collection.
• Children of a New Century by Jane A. Schott in the children's collection.
• Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood by Steven Mintz in the general collection.
• The Collector's Guide to Switchblade Knives: An Illustrated, Historical, and Price Reference by Richard V. Langston in the general collection.
• The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden in the general collection.
• The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan in the general and children's collections.
• The Double-Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan in the general collection.

18 December 1918: "Too old for a toy and too young for a gun"

On this day in 1918, and throughout the week, Athens Cycle Company ran this clever rhyming advertisement in the Athens Banner encouraging parents to buy their children bicycles for Christmas:

Athens Cycle Company was located at 279 Lumpkin Street in downtown Athens, in the building where The Arch Bar is today. Besides bicycles, Athens Cycle Company also sold motorcycles and sewing machine motors.

Learn More:

• Athens Banner, Dec. 1918 - July 1919 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Bicycling Magazine's New Bike Owners Guide in the general collection.
• Cyclist BikeList: The Book for Every Rider by Laura Robinson in the children's collection.
• The Complete Book of Bicycling by Eugene A. Sloane in the general collection.
• A Kid's Guide to Stay Safe on Bikes by Maribeth Boelts in the children's collection.
• The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair: For Road and Mountain Bikes by Todd Downs in the general collection.
• The Noblest Invention: An Illustrated History of the Bicycle by Lance Armstrong in the general collection.
• Bicycling Magazine in GALILEO. (call 706-613-3650 for current password) 
• Around the World on a Bicycle by Fred A. Birchmore in the Heritage and general collections.
• Yesterday's Motorcycles by Robert F. Karolevitz in the general collection.
• Sewing Short Cuts: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques by Pamela J. Hastings in the general collection.
• The Practical Book of American Guns by John Houston Craige in the general collection.
• Toys and Games by Helen McNiven in the children's collection.
• A Christmas Story in the DVD collection.
• Bike Athens website.

10 September 1908: Alleged Thief Nabbed in Bicycle Chase

On this day in 1908, three Athens police officers captured an alleged gun thief, Homer Favors, after an all-day chase that took them from the police station in Athens to Crawford, Georgia. The distance between Athens and Crawford is approximately 15 miles, and at the time, most roads were unpaved.

As reported in the Weekly Banner the next day, after Officers J. P. McCall, Fred Seagraves, and J. F. Short

ran on Favors yesterday morning near the River street bridge over the Oconee river and as soon as they could get to the station house Officers McCall and Short took their bicycles and started after him.

He had a pretty good start of them [sic] but he was afoot and they were on wheels. About five miles out near Winterville they phoned to the chief at city headquarters that they were closing in on (Favors) and hoped to soon catch him.

Chief McKie told them to go ahead until they got him.

The next heard from them was at Crawford yesterday afternoon about five o'clock and the message told of his capture at that place.

Favors himself had made a good run, as well as the policemen, having run afoot from Athens to Crawford in about six hours. He was brought back to the city last night and will be turned over to the state court.

Learn More:

• Athens Weekly Banner, Jan. 1906 - Dec. 1908 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• 1909 Athens City Directory in the Heritage collection.
• Athens: A Pictorial History by James K. Reap in the Heritage and general collections.
• The Story of Oglethorpe County by Lena Smith Wise in the Heritage and general collections.
• The Self-Coached Runner by Allan Lawrence in the general collection.
• Better Cross-Country Running for Boys and Girls by George Sullivan in the children's collection.
• Coping with Confrontations and Encounters with Police by Claudine G. Wirths in the general collection.
• The Police in American Society by Edward F. Dolan in the general collection.
• Choosing a Career in Law Enforcement by Claudine G. Wirths in the general collection.
  
• Once Upon a Telephone: An Illustrated History by Ellen Stock Stern in the general collection.
• Bicycle: The History by David V. Herlihy in the general collection.
• The Noblest Invention: An Illustrated History of the Bicycle by Lance Armstrong in the general collection.

20 March 1980: Mixed Response to Filmmakers on Virginia Avenue

On this day in 1980, the Athens Observer ran a story about the reaction of local residents during the filming of the ABC television series Breaking Away. The program was a prequel to the movie of the same name that had won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Direction, and Musical Score. The film was shot and set in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana.

Much of the filming for the television version was done on Virginia Avenue, where the show's producers had selected a house to use as part of their set. Local reaction ranged from "it's just exciting having all those movie stars right next to you" to "they had the streets blocked...but I wasn't in a hurry" to "I don't feel like anybody has the right to come to my house at 7 or 7:30 in the morning banging on my door demanding I move my automobile." It was generally agreed that the crew "could have used a little more diplomacy."

The television version of Breaking Away lasted only one season, despite having two Emmy nominations. The show starred Shaun Cassidy, who did not appear in the film. Only three actors from the movie were in the television show.

Athens has long been a biking town. Athenian Fred Birchmore was the first person to circle the world on a bicycle in 1935. Tourist guides and planning department proposals for bike routes going back to the mid-1970s. Spring, 1980, marked the first Athens Twilight Criterium. In recent years, many streets were repainted with bike lanes (pdf), and BikeAthens has become a strong advocate for alternative transportation options in the city, including a Safe Routes 2 School program to encourage children to walk or ride bikes to school rather than taking a bus or car.

Learn More:

• Athens Observer, Mar. 1980 - Oct. 1980 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• A Portrait of Athens and Clarke County by Frances Taliaferro Thomas in the Heritage and general collections.
• Clippings File for Athens-Clarke County in the Heritage collection.
• Around the World on a Bicycle by Fred A. Birchmore in the Heritage and general collections.
  
• Road Biking Georgia: A Guide to the Greatest Bicycle Rides in Georgia by John T. Trussell in the general collection.
• Brown's Guide to Georgia Outdoors: Biking, Hiking, and Canoe Trips by John Wesley English in the Heritage Collection.
• Bicycle Book by Gail Gibbons in the children's collection.
  
• Breaking Away Episode Guide on TV.com.
• Breaking Away Series guide on Independent Movie Database website.