100 YEARS AGO — 1917

The senior class of Centre College has announced to the faculty that every man is ready to enlist in the Army or Navy and will do so if given their diplomas now. The faculty is ready to do this the minute it is deemed absolutely necessary for the men to go. Centre College men are the first to make this proposition, and their action is commendable indeed.

While breaking hemp and cleaning up the farm of Mr. Kit Chenault, who resides on Irvine Pike, a wagon load of hemp was partially destroyed by fire last week. In driving near a bunch of burning refuse, the hemp on the wagon caught fire. The driver unhitched the team of mules and they scampered away. A heroic effort was made to put out the flames, and the wagon was saved with only slight damage.

On Sunday, motorcyclists appeared on the scene in full force, and more unnecessary racket was made than ever before heard in Danville. The machines began to pass early in the morning and the racket was kept up all day. At noon, just as the congregations were leaving the houses of worship, a bunch of these pesky machines passed through blowing horns and making the racket these nuisances generally keep up. It might be well to nip these fellows in the bud. A stiff fine and the work will be passed to put on the soft pedal when passing through Danville on Sunday, especially at hours of public worship.

Sun Brothers’ Great Show will pitch tents here on April 28! Everything pertaining to the circus show of today has radically improved. The tents are larger and better ventilated and are rainproof. Also, all present day shows are all conducted on a strictly business basis, just the same as some mercantile business. The elimination of all obnoxious features. There will not be a parade when the circus comes to town. Messrs. Sun have found that by letting their performers and animals rest during the morning, they can give a better show in the afternoon.

75 YEARS AGO — 1942

Miss Martha Susan Pleasants turned 100 years old on April 17 and has lived her entire life in the same house two miles out of Crab Orchard. She lives on a tract of land that was given to her family by the government and no other deed has ever been made for the land. “Aunt Sue”, as she is known to the people of the area, was born in the big two-story house. Miss Pleasants doesn’t think much about being 100 years old. Although not as active as she once was, she still gets about without any assistance. Four years ago relatives were surprised to see her riding a horse. And it hasn’t been so long ago that she was able to throw a rock with enough skill to kill rabbits running across the large yard of her house. Living with her are a nephew, Vernon Pleasants and his family.

A letter signed by Stephen Early, Secretary to the President of the United States, and received by Mrs. Henry Jackson, executive chairman of the Danville Sesquicentennial Committee reads as follows: Please accept the President’s thanks for your letter of April 9th outlining the interesting program you are planning to carry out in Danville in observance of the Sesquicentennial of the first Constitution of Kentucky.

The Boyle County Rationing Board granted permits for the purchase of two new cars during the past week and issued cards for the purchase of six new truck tires and tubes, two new passenger car tires, four passenger tire tubes and five retreaded tires.

Mrs. C.B. Breeding and children, Donald and Roberta Joyce, arrived in Danville Friday from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, where they were living when the Japs attacked that place on December 7. Mr. Breeding is in the U.S. Navy there and is attached to a submarine patrol unit. Mrs. Breeding and her children are visiting Mr. Breeding’s parents at their home on Second Street and Lexington Avenue.

Marshall VanMeter, chairman of the Victory Ball committee, has announced that soldiers in uniform will be admitted to the ball tonight at the special rate of 50 cents each; ladies, unattended at 50 cents each. Tickets for couples are $1.25. Dancing begins at 10 p.m. and will continue until 1 a.m. at the gymnasium of the Kentucky School for the Deaf on Third Street. Fifty boxes will be occupied by patrons of the Ball and honored guests, including Governor and Mrs. Keen Johnson.

50 YEARS AGO — 1967

A new city fire hall for the Danville Fire Department, to be known as the South End Station, has been occupied for the first time. It is located on South Fourth Street at the top of the hill about a quarter of a mile south of the business area. City Fire Chief Hubert Preston will be in charge of it, as well as the Danville Fire Hall on Main Street.

More Boy Scouts than ever before attended the spring camporee of the Wilderness Trail District last weekend on Herrington Lake in a wooded section between Gwinn and Dunn Islands. Nearly 250 Scouts and adult leaders representing 13 troops in Boyle, Mercer, Garrard, Lincoln and Casey counties camped out Friday and Saturday nights, according to A. Jack May.

25 YEARS AGO — 1992

Expressing concern about reports of disorderly conduct by young people in Danville, the city commission asked the mayor and city manager to discuss the problems with the two school superintendents. Rumors are spreading about “rumbles” due to the fight that broke out at the water tower at the water treatment plant, and about gatherings that have resulted in fights at SuperAmerica on Main Street.

The Boyle County District Court wiped the slate clean for two adults and 20 juveniles charged with unlawful assembly for allegedly joining a couple hundred others last month to watch a fight at the water treatment plant water tower. Officer J.T. Thomas was the first of eight officers who arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd and take down names. He got there early because an O’Hara Drive resident had called to complain about students parking on her lawn. Police arrived to a crowd standing in the street at the intersection of O’Hara and Parkview drives. “We could have had a brawl instead of a fight between two people,” said an officer.

A final development plan for the new grocery store, Food Lion, off of Perryville Road has been approved. The store will be built on Ben-Ali Drive near the Lowe’s store.

The Boyle County Board of Education approved a bid from IBM to buy a new 30-station computer lab for the Boyle County Middle School. The plan is to pay $20,530 annually for the package over the next five years for a total of $102,650. The middle school currently uses computers older than the school itself, said Pearce Layfield. The computers are about 12 to 14 years old.