Litchfield Police, Litchfield Fire Dept. and several area fire departments responded to a house fire in the 400 block of South Austin Avenue this morning around 2:15. The preliminary report is that two people died in the fire.
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On this day in music, January 19, 1963, The Beatles made their national TV debut on the UK’s Thank Your Lucky Stars. Filming at Birmingham’s Alpha Television Studios, the young band played their second single, “Please Please Me,” which had just been released a week earlier. While the show didn’t have much faith in the group, placing them last in a roster of seven acts, the appearance was instrumental in helping the Fab Four gain exposure. Not long after, “Please Please Me” would take off on the UK charts and the band would be booked on a national tour.
In 1980, Pink Floyd’s 11th studio album, The Wall, began a 15-week run at the top of the Billboard 200. The double LP prog-rock opera has since become one of the highest-grossing albums of all time in the US, trailing behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller and the Eagles’ Greatest Hits.
In 1967, The Monkees scored their one and only UK No.1 hit with “I’m a Believer.” The Neil Diamond-penned song was wildly successful, attaining gold status within two days of release, while also topping the pop charts in the US, Australia, Canada, and beyond.
In 2011, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler added some rockstar spice to American Idol when he made his debut as a judge on the long-running show’s tenth season.
In 1993, the classic line-up of Fleetwood Mac reunited after six years for a one-off performance at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration. The band’s 1977 hit, “Don’t Stop,” was used as the theme for Clinton’s campaign.
In 1980, The Pretenders scored their first UK No.1 hit with “Brass in Pocket.” On the same day, the British-American band’s self-titled debut began a four-week run at the top of the UK album chart.
In 2006, legendary soul singer Wilson Pickett died at the age of 64, following a heart attack. The influential artist, who scored 15 Top 40 singles in the US, was best-known for such hits as “Mustang Sally,” “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,” and “In The Midnight Hour.”
BORN ON JANUARY 19
1935: Johnny O’Keefe
1937: Phil Everly (Everly Brothers)
1943: Janis Joplin
1946: Dolly Parton
1949: Robert Palmer
1950: Francis Buchholz (The Scorpions)
1979: Wiley
The 16th annual Wintercade Ice Fishing Contest will be held on Lake Ripley in Litchfield on February 14th from 1-to-3 p.m. Only a few tickets remain – at the American Legion, the Muddy Cow and Running’s – all in Litchfield.
Monica Schreiber says the Litchfield Visitors Bureau recognizes this event as one that draws a lot of people to Litchfield, and it’s held on one of the town’s main tourist attractions – Lake Ripley. She says they are so thankful for the committee members who organize this event.
Schreiber says a Wintercade ticket would make a great Valentine’s gift. Wintercade Committee Member Heather Lease says the ticket qualifies you for cash prizes and for the grand prize which is a Bobcat UV34XL.
Lease says you do not need to be present to win the big prizes, but you do need to be present to win the numerous door prizes that are given away at the lake. She says they are watching the ice depths and if it’s not safe on the lake, they would move the ice fishing contest to the Litchfield Fire Hall.
Wintercade Committee Member Nicole Larson says the ice depth is at about 13-to-15-inches right now on Lake Ripley, and they like it to be about 18-inches to make sure it’s safe. She says it’s a fun, family-friendly event.
Larson says it was such a beautiful, sunny day last year for the Wintercade Ice Fishing contest. She says the Litchfield Fire Department will have a concession stand open during the event. The Wintercade Ice Fishing Contest has helped to raise over $200,000 in its first 15 years, and half of that is donated each year to veterans’ organizations and the other half is donated to other local charitable organizations.
