100 YEARS AGO — 1918

Deputy Sheriff Polk Critchfield arrested two young men from Stanford last Friday who were in the Mitchellsburg neighborhood. They were carrying heavy sacks on bicycles. Critchfield found that they contained several gallons of whiskey. One of the men claimed that the liquor was for his sick wife. But Mr. Critchfield thought they had too much booze for medicine, so he brought them to Danville where their cases came up before Judge Coulter. Each was given a $50 fine and 10 in jail.

The grocers of Boyle County met at the courthouse Friday night to receive instructions from the government on saving food supplies and the curtailment of man-power during the war. In order to facilitate the delivery of goods and to reduce the number of deliveries of groceries to homes, the government expects that only one delivery be made each day. People wanting groceries after one delivery will have to use a private carry system.

In Mercer County, Mr. Squifflett has had a big corn patch laid waste by blackbirds that roost in the big oak trees in the old graveyard adjoining what was formerly the Magoffin place. When they wake up in the morning, the blackbirds make straight for his corn patch and strip back the shucks as if done with a knife. Many of the ears have not a grain left on them. Mr. Squifflett is the well-known tailor, and someone told him to dress up a scarecrow out of an old suit of clothes which he did. The birds seem to enjoy it hugely. Instead of being frightened, they chum with it and light on it in the most familiar manner.

There is a man in Bozeman, Montana who will probably go through life wailing about the injustice of the draft board. He had presented to the draft board a letter written by his wife to prove that he had a dependent family. Here is the letter: Dear United States Army, My husband ast me to write a recommend that he supports his family. He cannot read, so don’t tell him. Just take him. He ain’t no good to me. He ain’t done nothing but play a fiddle and drink lemon essence since I married him eight years ago and I got to feed seven kids of his. Maybe you can get him to carry a gun. He’s good on squirrels and eatin’. Take him and welcum. I need the grub and his bed for the kids. Don’t tell him this, but take him.

75 YEARS AGO — 1943

The return of several thousand milk, soft drink and beer bottles per week is essential if Danville is to avoid a shortage of beverages said Mr. Glore, who is a local bottler. The situation is serious because the bottle manufacturers are doing so much war work they cannot supply the normal demand for replacement bottles. To make up for this loss, all empty bottles should be gathered up and returned to retail stores at once. Every family is urged to search the cellar, attic and garage for empties.

Advertisement from Budweiser: Today, corn syrup, rich in dextrose, is playing a more important role than ever before in supplying active America with the sugar that gives power to the body and keeps wits sharp. Candy is part of the field ration and sweets are served generously to our armed forces everywhere. Sweets served in war plants have greatly stepped up human energy and production. Tremendous quantities of corn syrup are used to make icings, cakes, candies and pies so temptingly good — and good for you. Budweiser’s corn products division, working entirely apart from the brewery, grew out of the experience that developed from years of laboratory research.

The Maple Avenue lunchroom wants to thank all the mothers and ladies who have helped give the students a well-balanced meal for the price they paid. The school has also been able to give free meals to about 98 children every day. Some mothers have canned over 300 cans of food for the lunch room this summer and hope to can more before fall. People who have surplus vegetables in their gardens may give them to the school.

50 YEARS AGO — 1968

It became official today that plans are being made to develop a large shopping center at the southeast corner of the intersection of Junction City Road (Hwy. 127) and the proposed  new Danville bypass, less than two miles from the courthouse in Danville. Plans include a large department store, large supermarket, large drug store, service station and at least seven smaller shops. The new development will be an ultra-modern shopping center and will provide the facilities and conveniences not often found in the outskirts of a city as small as Danville.

A check by The Advocate-Messenger of a poll taken among those attending the Kentucky State Fair shows George Wallace far ahead as the favorite presidential contender. Wallace polled 46.9 percent of the vote while Nixon ran a poor second.

A new homemakers club for young homemakers is in the process of being formed in the Junction City area.

Area 4-Hers who had livestock entries at the 1968 Kentucky State Fair include: Mike Camic, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Camic; Walter Goggin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Goggin Jr., and Allen Goggin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Goggin; Kevin Ellis, of Perryville, whose Landace boar pig won grand championship rosette; Rita Hoskins, of Hustonville.

25 YEARS AGO — 1993

The fact that two members of the Danville City Commission own stock in local banks could mean the city has to finance the $410,000 purchase of Hedgeville Water Association through an out-of-town bank. The three bidders were Bank One Lexington and Farmers National Bank, which are both in Danville, and Fifth Third Bank in Louisville. The recommended bid was Farmers for a fixed rate of 4.75 percent for seven years, which would cost the city $59,940 annually. The vote to accept the recommendation failed because the vote was tied at 2-2. Mayor John Bowling and Commissioner George Cunningham abstained. Bowling owns stock in Bank One and Cunningham owns stock in Farmers.

A zone change for Centre College was approved by the Danville City Commission, however objections were raised by an adjacent property owner. Centre is rezoning the land on Walnut Street and Beatty Avenue so it can build sorority and fraternity houses and remodel one building into a student activities center. The property was rezoned from commercial and industrial to R-2 (high density residential). William Moore, who owns one tract of industrial property between the Centre property and the railroad tracks, is concerned that having residential property so near his industrial site will hurt his chances of getting a tenant.

The name of the Boyle County High School student newspaper, The Confederate, was dropped several weeks ago. But school officials say there are no plans as yet to do away with the school’s nickname, the Rebels. Boyle County principal Tom Brown said he dropped the name of the school newspaper not long after he was hired for the job in July, and well before the NAACP raised the issue. “I just didn’t feel like that name represented the school,” he said.