Davis report on the “California Grape Situation and Outlook” delivered by Extension Viticulturist A.N. The 1968 "scene" at Lodi's A&W (a restaurant chain that originated in Lodi in 1915) - one of the most popular afterschool activities for teens (unlike "white lightning," the mythical "biggest thrill of all" in Merle Haggard's " Oakie from Muskogee," which also came out in 1969)Īlthough it would take Lodi another 25 years to really get into the premium quality varietal wine groove, it wasn’t like the region was doing nothing. Which is fine by most Lodi natives, who much prefer that growth be restrained enough to maintain a green expanse of surrounding agriculture - pushed back against urban encroachment from Stockton to the south and the bedroom communities of Sacramento to the north, and unregulated growth of strip malls and subdivisions from within. Enough for, say, a Safeway, a Walmart, a Costco and no less than five free-standing Starbucks but evidently not for a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. Census Bureau has put it closer to 68,000. At the time, Lodi's population was 28,691. The Lodi wine region’s 15 or so wineries, unfortunately, were more equipped for the production of dessert wines, bulk wines or brandies.ġ969 Lodi Grape Festival Queen Lana Mirko displaying clusters of Flame Tokay just before the annual blue ribbon judging for the largest and most "perfect" grapes (image courtesy of Lodi Grape Festival)Īs a city, Lodi celebrated 100 years of existence in 1969 (prior to 1869, the settlement was called Mokelumne - much harder to say). was still lined with vineyards, and curbs and sidewalks were finally installed to allow kids to walk to school a little more safely (image courtesy of Lodi Historical Society)Īs fate would have it, since “Oh lord, I’m stuck in Cucamonga again” just didn’t work for Fogerty, it's "Lodi" that ended up being one of so many people's all-time favorite songs.ġ969, as it were, was also the year when the American wine industry reported sales of dry table wines exceeding sweet fortified dessert wines for the first time since pre- Prohibition days (re Gastineau, Fermented Food Beverages in Nutrition). I'm way out in Lodi! The song went from 'Lodi' to 'Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi, again,' not a happy thought. There I was… I wasn't in Los Angeles, not even in Cucamonga. Rather, I projected myself ahead maybe 10 years, as a country musician singing that minor hit I had 10 years ago. I sat down and wrote about being on the road, being a musician - not the happy, glamorous part. The first time I ever heard the word 'Lodi,' I thought it was the coolest sounding name, so I saved it for the longest time. The Golliwogs.īut according to the man himself, communicating with fans over 30 years later on : Fogerty staggering through the streets of Lodi, there are still some who can recall seeing his group in the late '60s at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, when they were still known as. His career, if anything, practically shot out of a cannon into big-time venues shortly after he got out of the Army in 1967. Fogerty was never a down-and-out musician playing in a club in Lodi. “Lodi,” however, is not even a true tale. Still, it’s a heckuva lot easier to sing than “ New York, New York,” and mercifully sap-free, unlike “ San Francisco with Flowers In Your Hair.” Sure, it’s about a musician feeling sorry for himself but most fans would take “Lodi” any day, over almost any other song about a town or city. For a song with such a sweet, memorable opening chord progression, “Lodi” sure has a downer of a chorus: Oh lord, I’m stuck in Lodi a. Otherwise we were hearing “ sock-it-to-me” on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In and “ Proud Mary,” “ Everybody’s Talkin’,” “ Get Together,” “ Get Back,” “ A Boy Named Sue,” “ I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and so many other all-time classics over the air waves.ġ969 was also the year that the song “ Lodi” - composed by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival - came out on the B-side of “ Bad Moon Rising,” and later on their Green River album. Star Trek was just cancelled, which only got Trekkies warmed up. Sports fans had their “ Miracle Mets” and “Broadway Joe” Namath. There was a little thing called Woodstock, which everyone and their friends’ friends claimed to have “almost” attended. If you weren’t born yet, we envy your youth, but feel sorry you missed it. In this 1969 photo, Lodi native Ellen Turner gazes up at the city's first-ever yield sign - prior to that, there was just not enough traffic to warrant this in a city of less than 25,000 - at the corner of Chestnut and School Streets (image courtesy of Lodi Historical Society)Ĭontinued from: A history of Lodi winegrowing, part 2 - from Tokay to a Golden Ageġ969. A history of Lodi winegrowing, part 3 - 1969, a year of big changes
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