State and local law enforcement agents were searching the Tonganoxie area for two inmates who had escaped from the Kansas State Penitentiary and had broken into a Lansing home demanding weapons, money, and a car.

Anti-apartheid protesters at Kansas University were just concluding a week of activities designed to draw local attention and more participants to their cause.

Jazzy mail-order catalogs were beginning to flood American mailboxes in preparation for the Christmas season. There were an estimated 6,500 different catalogs coming into people’s homes, compared to 4,000 just four years earlier. The trend was towards more sharply focused publications with slick, clever writing aimed at wealthy consumers – or those who wished to appear so.

Movies being shown in Lawrence this week in 1985: “Sweet Dreams,” “Agnes of God,” “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” “Commando,” and “Jagged Edge.” House of Hupei, 2907 W. 6th, advertised a $5.25 Sunday buffet; Shiloh Country & Western Private Club invited locals to come “Dance on Lawrence Largest Dance Floor;” and the Sanctuary (“reciprocal with over 300 clubs!”) offered $1.75 “Super Schooners” all day Sunday.