100 YEARS AGO — 1919

Mayor W.O. McIntyre, who took charge of Hotel Gilcher last Friday, is having the building repainted and papered throughout. The present owner proposes to give the traveling public accommodation second to none in central Kentucky.

G.H. Jarvis, the well known farmer on Lexington Pike, has a number of very old and rare coins. One of them was made in 1777, being 142 years old; a half dime made in 1842; one-cent piece from 1857; and a three-cent piece made in 1852. Among the coins were from Mexico, China and the United States.

Flies get  into  the house because of the slop barrel, the pig pen and the chick house attract them. Many of these flies can be caught before they enter the house windows when the screens are open, by the use of several big barrel traps. These simple fly traps can be made of whiskey or vinegar barrels and will last indefinitely. The bottom and top are knocked out of the barrel. In the bottom a cone of wire screening is fastened with a small hole in its top through which the flies may enter the trap. The top of the barrel is covered with wire screening held in place by the top hoop of the barrel. The enormous trap is fastened to three wooden stakes securely driven in the ground. The space between the bottom of the barrel and the ground should be about an inch. Sugar or molasses can be placed under the barrel so that the flies will crawl under the bottom edge. As soon as they have eaten their fill of the sweets, they will naturally fly upwards in the barrel toward the light. A barrel trap like this will hold countless thousands of flies and cost practically nothing to build. One near the kitchen door, another close to the chicken house and a third by the pig pen will make the porch and the shady places under the trees much more comfortable.

The Perryville Fair will take place in August. In addition to the floral hall and livestock competitions, there will be a contest for the prettiest woman for females over the age of 18. The prettiest lady in the grandstands will be selected by three judges who are residents of another county, and will be unknown to anyone. They will pass among the crowd unknown and make their selections. Come looking pleasant and sweet and you may be the lucky one to wear the honor and receive a 26-piece silver set, that can be handed down as long as time may last.

75 YEARS AGO — 1944

Members of the Rotary Club, who will hold the regular weekly luncheon at the Danville Country Club, are requested to meet at the Gilcher Hotel to arrange for transportation immediately before the luncheon. President J.D. Erskine will preside at the session. Arch Lane will serve the meal at the club house.

Mr. J.B. Caldwell, while riding a mule at his home on Lebanon Road, fell in the woods and the mule fell on him. He received a cut on his head and injured his back.

One answer to the problem of shipping cheese to protein-starved Europe after the war is a dry cheese mixture, which can be stored safely for 12 months without refrigeration. A mixture of dehydrated cheddar cheese, dried skim milk, wheat and soy flour and salt, it is easily reconstituted with cold water and is prepared either as a soup, spread or sauce, depending on the amount of water added. Because it’s intended for use in many different countries, the dry cheese doesn’t contain any spices or flavorings and is quite bland. This makes it more adaptable to local tastes. Directions on how to prepare the cheese are found on the wrapper in 16 different languages.

Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, radio and screen favorites of millions of Americans, arrived in Danville yesterday during a tour of military hospitals of the United States. Accompanying a U.S.O. camp show troupe, Mr. Bergen and Frances Westerman, film actress entertained soldiers at Darnall hospital. More programs will be given today. Mr. Bergen and Miss Westerman accepted invitations to the Danville Kiwanis luncheon and their presence provided a pleasant surprise for the club members. Since Mr. McCarthy was not at the luncheon, Mr. Bergen presented an entertaining conversation with “Ophelia”, a mildly attractive old maid whose face was drawn on the back of the actor’s hand with crayon. She was an animated and spirited talker, and of course, kept the Kiwanians in an uproar of laughter.

50 YEARS AGO — 1969

Residents of Mitchellsburg are literally up in arms about minor incidents of lawlessness and disorder, which they say occur nearly every week night and without fail on all weekend nights. Residents say the trouble is because of “total disrespect for the law and its enforcement in Boyle County.” A member of the Mitchellsburg Lions Club said, “We may be only a few miles from an All-American city, but we live by the old code of the west. The sheriff seldom shows up in Mitchellsburg, but when he does, the news travels ahead of him and everything is quiet when he arrives.” The trouble usually started after the beer places in nearby Marion County close for the night and often, a few people from Casey, Marion, Mercer and Washington counties go to Mitchellsburg to join in the “fun.” A resident said, “It’s a crying shame that we have to put up with this situation. We can’t sleep on weekend nights and may be disturbed any night. A fourth of the people in town are on nerve medicine or sleeping pills.”

Charles A. Thomas, Advocate-Messenger photographer, was ready with the fastest camera in Boyle County Sunday night when the word of the first man to step on the moon was flashed on television screens around the world. Thomas merely aimed at the TV screen and snapped. He also took other pictures of the world-shattering moon landing event, live on TV from the moon about 250,000 miles away in space. His photos appear in today’s newspaper.

Pam Goer, a Boyle County 4-H member, has advanced to the finals of the Blue Grass Fair’s 4-H Talent Showcase. Miss Gover, performing a dance routine, was one of a contingent of Boyle County 4-H members who competed in the semi-finals of the Youth Talent Showcase held last week.

25 YEARS AGO — 1994

The Floral Hall exhibitions are bursting at the seams at the Boyle County Fair. This year, 136 adults and youth entered at least one category. “We’re growing out of space,” said Donna Glore, extension agent for home economics. The fair is also setting records in attendance. On Tuesday night, an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 people were at the fair. Cars were lined up from the fairgrounds entrance to Perryville Road for more than two hours. Also, 70 cars were entered in the demolition derby. And, Adam Stephens of Danville set a new record in the pizza-eating contest. He devoured a Little Caesar’s pizza in four minutes and 14 seconds.

Thelma Lake remembered crossing the English Channel July 29, 1944, as an Army nurse in the third wave of personnel to land on Utah Beach as part of the Normandy invasion of World War II. The nurses and doctors travelled on a flat boat, and Lake worried someone would fall off. They made the trip on her 35th birthday. When she was discharged, Lake worked as a nurse several places before returning to Harrodsburg, where she worked at the James B. Haggin Memorial Hospital. Lake was living at the Friendship House nursing home in Danville at the time of the interview.