The Redwood Players’ production of the current Broadway hit, “Hot l Baltimore,” opened to mixed reviews on Friday, Oct. 18, 1979.
The show, which tells the story of residents of a seedy hotel so run-down that its neon sign was missing the “e” in “Hotel,” was described by the Redwood Record’s reviewer as: “Gutsy. Flawed. At times inspired. Strong start and letdown of conviction towards the end. But still worth watching.”
Local actors portrayed a variety of colorful characters, including the hotel’s night clerk, a waitress, a shoe salesman, vaudeville players, hookers, johns, and an assortment of down-and-out urban oddballs seldom seen in Southern Humboldt.
Everyone involved in the show, from the director to the set-building crew, came from the Southern Humboldt community.
”Hot l Baltimore” played for two weekends in Oct. at the Redwood Playhouse, part of the Sprowel Creek Road school administration building.
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Following a survey to determine whether the public preferred one-hour or two-hour parking limits in Garberville, the Garberville-Redway Chamber of Commerce petitioned the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to amend Garberville’s parking ordinance to allow for two-hour parking limits.
The previous parking limit on the 60-plus spaces on Maple Lane, Church Street, Redwood Drive, and Sprowel Creek Road was one hour. Enforcement, which was done by a CETA-funded employee of the sheriff’s department during the summer, drew many complaints from the citizens.
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During the week of Oct. 16 through Oct. 22, 5.59 inches of rain fell in Southern Humboldt, according to Caltrans and the Eel River Conservation camp.
Measurable rain fell every day during the week, with Oct. 18 topping the chart at 1.55 inches.
Total rainfall for the season beginning July 1, 1979, was 7.11 inches, whereas total rainfall by the same date in 1978 was 4.12 inches.
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Garberville resident Ed Reed hosted a neighborhood meeting, one of 1,000 held on Oct. 18, 1979 throughout the US, to inform the public about “the part nuclear energy can play in meeting demands for electricity in the 1980s.”
Pacific Gas & Electric engineer Steve Nicols led the discussion and answered questions, stating: “We in the energy field need to devote some of our time to the community so that concerned people can better understand the need for the nuclear option.”
Nationally, the neighborhood meetings were part of the national Nuclear Energy Education Day (NEED), which was sponsored by Bechtel Corporation, General Electric Company, Kaiser Engineers, Inc., Westinghouse Electric, and PG&E.
The Redwood Record article did not state how many people attended the neighborhood meeting.
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Two raids by sheriff’s deputies yielded a total of 165 pounds of processed marijuana and 227 growing plants during the week of Oct. 18, 1979.
Thirteen officers raided a property in the Harris area and also arrested two suspects camping near the gardens. They confiscated weapons and water pumps as well as marijuana plants and processed pot.
In the Alderpoint area, nine deputies confiscated 150 plants, each 12-14 feet tall, but made no arrests.
These raids were the most recent in a series of 12 during the harvest season of 1979.
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Local fire protection districts learned that in accordance with Proposition 13, passed by California votes in 1978, their revenue was subject to the same property tax restriction of one percent of value as other jurisdictions throughout California.
FPD’s had sought an opinion from the state attorney general, hoping for an exemption because of prior indebtedness. Because of reduced tax revenues, some districts were at risk of defaulting on payments on new equipment and construction.
While Attorney General George Deukmejian ruled that FPD’s must adhere to Prop 13 limits, he pointed out that they could raise taxes if two-thirds of voters in their districts approved the increase.
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