DaytonDailyNews.com

TROTWOOD — The Presidential race may be over, but the race for a newspaper marking the historic event has just begun.

"The first hour we opened, they were gone," said Vernetta Walker, service clerk at the Walgreens, 5271 Salem Ave. in Trotwood. "People were waiting in the parking lot when we opened up (at 7:30 a.m.)."

Gladys Collins, 68, of Trotwood was one of many customers who came into the Walgreens around 10 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5, seeking to buy a newspaper.

"Ah shoot!" Collins said as Walker told her the store was out of the Nov.5 edition of the Dayton Daily News. "I've been three places and haven't been able to find one yet."

An additional 7,000 Dayton Daily News Nov. 5 editions with Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election were printed and will be available at retail locations throughout the greater Miami Valley.

Sammy Stevens of Dayton said he was not surprised that stores ran out of newspapers early Wednesday. "Well, I am not amazed because it's a historic. It's history. They are going to hang onto (the newspapers)," he said.

"This is my fifth stop in an effort to find a newspaper," said Leroy Roberts, 69, of Trotwood, after he found out Walgreens had sold out.

Roberts spent election night online, searching for Associated Press articles on the election coverage. He printed off each new update because he wanted to create a timeline of articles that he could pass down to his children and grandchildren. "It's going to be valuable in 50 years."

Walker recalled from her check-out counter how when she was a little girl, her grandfather, who was a black man in his 70's and a native of Georgia, would not vote. She said her grandfather used to tell her, "You know what they do to black people's vote? They make toilet paper out of them."

The Cub Foods in the Consumer Square in Trotwood sold its second bundle of newspapers around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to Customer Service Manager Denice Finley-White.

"When I came in at 8 a.m., they were were sold out," said Carey Gibson, 30, a customer service clerk at Cubs, of the grocery store's first bundle of 30 Dayton Daily News newspapers.

Gas stations also sold out early.

The Giant Oil gas station, formerly a BP Gas Station, at 5835 N. Main St. sold out about two hours after the gas station opened at 6:30 a.m., according to Lisa Williams, 37, the station's clerk.

Some business managers like Dusty Terrill, were waiting for new bundles of newspapers as of 11 a.m.

Terrill said his normal 6 a.m. delivery of newspapers didn't show up until close to 8 a.m. at his Shell gas station near North Main Street and Siebenthaler Avenue.

They sold out in an hour.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2414 or kwynn@DaytonDailyNews.com.