Vidalia Onion

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   The 26th Annual Vidalia Onion Festival takes place in Vidalia, Georgia next month.  The city's web site explains the history of the Vidalia onion (not chronicled in THE ONION):

http://www.vidaliaga.com/history.htm
http://www.vidaliaga.com/

   What does DARE have?
   OED has 1969, and the online NEW YORK TIMES has the late 1970s.  Unfortunately, I don't have the ATLANTA JOURNAL AND CONSTITUTION online, nor am I within walking distance of a Georgia library.
   The Georgia PINES library catalog is not downloading now.  Give me a few days, but someone out there might know their onions.