100 YEARS AGO — 1918

Remember that the work of the Red Cross goes on until there is no more need for refugee garments and civilian relief among the suffering people of Europe. Your assistance is just as much needed at the workroom as ever before. Please try to give a few hours a week. The sewing room will be open on Wednesday and Friday this week.

The Danville Messenger and several enterprising businessmen of Danville will have an exhibition of farm products on next County Court Day on Dec. 16. Prizes totaling to nearly $50 will be offered for the best tobacco, corn, potatoes, etc, grown in Boyle and adjoining counties. All of the farm products exhibited will be sold at auction and proceeds will be donated to the Woman’s Club of Danville. The object of the farm product display is to find out what has been done along agricultural lines this season. The best five hands of trash, hand lugs, bright leaf and red leaf tobacco will each receive a $3 prize; best half dozen ears of white corn will win a Rival garden plow; best half dozen ears of yellow corn will win $3; best peck of Irish potatoes will win a Daisy churn and best half peck of sweet potatoes will win a “Keen-Kutter” razor; and the largest pumpkin will win a quart bottle of Bourbon Chicken Remedy.

The pupils and teachers of the Maple Avenue School wish to thank Capt. and Mrs. Ben McGraw for the splendid piano which they were kind enough to loan to the school. They were delighted to do so since they are interested in musical education of Danville’s children and realized how handicapped the building was because of the need of a piano.

75 YEARS AGO — 1943

Mrs. Tom M. Edwards of Parksville had something to be thankful for during the current Thanksgiving season when she received from her son, Staff Sergeant John Walls, the first letter reaching her since July 28. Sergeant Walls is presumed to be in North Africa and safe and well. He has been overseas for the past 17 months, the first several of which were spent in Ireland and England. His step-brother, Private Carlos Edwards, U.S. Army, is heard from with continued regularity. He has been stationed in England for the past two months.

Danville and Boyle County will participate in a national drive set for Nov. 22 through Dec. 4 to collect discarded clothing to help provide necessary relief for the people of the conquered and war-torn countries of Europe. Clothing may be sent to any city or county school or taken to a central salvage receiving depot established in the former office of the Danville Realty Company on North Third Street, next door to Back’s Grocery.

A built-in safe belonging to Superior Service Station on the corner of Main and McGrorty Avenue was robbed of $138 Friday night. The thieves gained entrance through the back of the station and dug the concrete top off the safe.

An almost miraculous escape from injury was experienced by two accident victims within a week at a point near Chinn’s stone house on the Brooklyn Bridge Hill in Mercer County. An intelligent shepherd dog has been credited with saving the life of W.F. Keebortz of that area. Leaving Mr. George Chinn’s home, whom he usually visits for a nightly chat, Mr. Keebortz became confused in the darkness, crossed the road, walked across two guard posts and fell over a cliff, landing on a ledge about 20 feet below the road. His shoulder struck a tree which held him in place preventing him from falling into the Kentucky River valley several hundred feet below. Mr. Chinn’s dog heard the man’s cries. The animal scrambled down to the ledge and by barking, guided Mr. Keebortz back along the route in which the dog had gone down. The second victim occurred a few days earlier when a car driven by Mrs. Woodrow Reeves of Florence, plunged over the guard rail and fell 280 feet at almost the same spot. The car was caught in the heavy foliage and she escaped with only bruises and scratches.

50 YEARS AGO — 1968

A total of about 3.4 million pounds of the 1968 burley tobacco crop has been laid down on the floors of the Burley, Farmers and Peoples Tobacco Warehouse Companies in advance of the opening of the 1968-69 selling season.

David Burch was presented with the Silver Beaver Award, scouting’s highest honor. Burch, who is the district commercial supervisor of South Central Bell Telephone Co. lives in Danville with his wife, Leah, and daughter Susan.

The first in a series of wildlife prints, from original sketches done by two local artists, are now on sale at Farmers National Bank in a project to bring about interest in conserving wildlife in accordance with aims of the Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge. All profits derived from the prints will be given to the refuge for continued development of this 500-acre plant and animal sanctuary in Boyle county. The prints include a pen, ink and brush sketch of the Raccoon by Sue Ellen Elliott, a senior at Boyle County High School, and two pen and ink sketches of the Eastern Gray Squirrel and Red Fox by W.C. Alcock.

25 YEARS AGO — 1993

The Danville City Commission plans to start holding “Employer Appreciation Days.” However, no final decision was made because Commissioner Thomas Spragens wanted more information about how the invitations would be issued. While the day was presented as a way to honor all employers, the emphasis on industries concerned Spragens. He also questioned what criteria would be used to see who would be invited to the lunches, whether number of employees or type of business.

James Rutherford’s custom-built truck turns a lot of heads when he’s driving around town. Rutherford, 38, lives on Fisher Ford Road and has spent the last two years working on the unusual vehicle — it’s built out of wood and not metal.

The usual maddening crush of people cramming shops on the traditional kickoff of the Christmas sales season the day after Thanksgiving will have fewer people this year because of catalog shopping. Catalogs have allowed many people to shop in places as far away as Maine, Wisconsin and New York without ever leaving their dens.

An estimated $50,000 in damage was done when vandals knocked over 29 tombstones in Bellevue Cemetery. It looks as if the vandals walked through and pushed tombstones as they went by to see which ones would topple. Several stones were broken, including a lily-encrusted cross that snapped when it hit the ground. The supervisor of Danville cemeteries said some of the stones are so big, lifting equipment will be needed to put them upright. Broken stones will have to be glued back together.