On Dec. 11, 1946, country singer Hank Williams made his first recordings.
In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, in Hernando, Tennessee. The marriage lasted 13 years.
In 1964, singer Sam Cooke was shot and killed at a Los Angeles motel.
In 1972, Genesis performed its first U.S. concert at Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
Also in 1972, police in Knoxville, Tennessee, arrested singer James Brown for disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped after Brown threatened to sue the city.
In 1992, former talk show host Johnny Carson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In 2015, Motorhead played their last show, in Berlin. Frontman Lemmy died 17 days later.
Also in 2015, actor Pamela Anderson was featured on the cover of the final Playboy magazine to feature nudity.
Today’s birthdays: Actor Rita Moreno is 93. Singer David Gates of Bread is 84. Actor Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”) is 84. Actor Lynda Day George (TV’s “Mission: Impossible”) is 80. Singer Brenda Lee is 80. Actor Bess Armstrong is 71. Singer Jermaine Jackson is 70. Bassist Mike Mesaros of The Smithereens is 67. Bassist Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue is 66. Actor Ben Browder (“Stargate SG-1”) is 62. Singer-bassist Justin Currie of Del Amitri is 60. Bassist David Schools of Widespread Panic is 60. Actor Gary Dourdan (“C.S.I.”) is 58. Actor-comedian Mo’Nique is 57. Actor Max Martini (“The Unit”) is 55. Rapper-actor Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) is 51. Actor Rider Strong (“Boy Meets World”) is 45. Actor Xosha Roquemore (“The Mindy Project,” “Precious”) is 40. Actor Karla Souza (“How To Get Away With Murder”) is 38. Actor-singer Hailee Steinfeld is 28.
The Litchfield Kiwanis Club had originally planned to have an open house this week, but due to the busyness of the season, it has been moved to February. The event will be held in the Captain’s Club in downtown Litchfield on February 7th from 4-to-6 p.m.
Kiwanis member Ian McGuire says they’ve been working with the Lake Ripley Elementary Special Education coordinator to work on a project installing communication boards in the local playgrounds.
McGuire says there will be information about the communication boards at the February 7th event and they will be raising money to pay for them. He says the Kiwanis Club likes to help children, and they helped with the LAMP Turkey Bingo event last month. Long-time Kiwanis member Leland Fredman says they are also working on a project at Litchfield Middle School called “Who Gets the Job which will help teach students about writing resumes, interviewing and other valuable skills.”
Fredman says the Litchfield Kiwanis Club meets on Thursdays at noon at the Captain’s Club in downtown Litchfield for lunch and a speaker, and new members are welcome to join.
Litchfield Community Education is busy with winter activities, but plans are already underway for several spring events and beyond. Several adult trips are scheduled, and they fill up quickly.
Community Education Director Grant Solem says there’s a trip on March 4th to St. Cloud for lunch and to see “Divas Through the Decades” at the Paramount Theater, and a trip to the Plymouth Playhouse April 25th for lunch and “37 Postcards.” He says there’s also a trip on May 28th for lunch and a trek around Green Lake on the Green Lake Cruises Danny Boy houseboat.
Solem says a trip is also planned for September 17th to see “Grease” at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre; and Litchfield Community Theatre will be performing “Almost Maine” February 14th, 15th and 16th at the Bernie Aaker Auditorium. He says there’s a New Year’s Eve party for children ages 7-to-15 on Dec. 31st in the Wagner Gym from 6:30-to-8 p.m., and then a 50s-themed party for adults from 9-to-11 p.m. that same evening in the Wagner Gym. Call 693-2354 for more details on any Litchfield Community Education events.
Despite a blast of cold weather, the Candy Cane Parade in Litchfield is still on as scheduled on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Thirty-five units are in the line-up for the parade tomorrow evening.
The parade will begin at the 5th Street/Marshall Avenue intersection and will head south on Marshall to 2nd Street, then east to Holcombe Avenue, the north – back to 5th Street. The Litchfield Opera House will be open following the parade for a time of carol-singing and hot chocolate.
