April 8 through the years
100 Years ago – 1926
Sandwich recipes by Nellie Maxwell: Puree of sardine (drain oil from a can of sardines, remove the skin and bones and pound the fish to a paste; run that paste through a puree strainer; add ¼ cup creamed butter, 2 finely chopped hard eggs and season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce; spread on thinly sliced bread with an equal amount of mayonnaise); melba (chop 3 dozen large queen olives, add 1 cup of finely chopped pecans and moisten with mayonnaise; spread on thin slices of graham bread. Spread other thin slices of graham bread with green pepper butter. Trim off the crusts, cut into triangles and serve with salad or oyster cocktails); halibut (finely chop 1 lb. of cold cooked halibut; add a few drops of onion juice, ½ tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. salt and a few grains of cayenne; fold in ¼ cup of heavy cream that has been beaten until stuff; add the whites of three eggs beaten stiff. Turn the mixture into a small buttered, brick-shaped mold and cook in water in a moderate oven. Chill, remove from the mold and cut into slices. Spread thinly sliced buttered bread with mayonnaise, add a slice of the filling and put it together with another slice of bread prepared the same way).
75 years ago – 1951
The local Red Cross committee launched a campaign to register 5,000 blood donors. Lester Carper was the committee chair. On its fundraising campaign, the MHC Red Cross had raised $8,339, 85% of its goal; Robert C. Martin was the campaign treasurer. The Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department announced that it would hold a Fireman’s Bazaar April 20-28 at the Liberty Heights show grounds (now the site of Kroger, Marshalls, etc.).
The first Science Fair in Martinsville was staged by the Martinsville High School Science Department. The fair showcased 143 scientific projects. The students from the elementary schools also had projects on display. Felix Sanders was head of the MHS Science Department.
50 years ago – 1976
Winners in the Sportlanes Billard League were Betty Putman, first place; Jane Middleton, first place; Alta Kitson, second place and Most Improved Player; Linda Perry, second place; Alma Doolin, Dollie Horn and Nan Leavel, all third place; and Dollie Horn also won High Average Player.
25 years ago - 2001
It was the first Martinsville race weekend after Dale Earnhardt had died. Several souvenir trailers were selling Earnhardt merchandise at and around the Martinsville Speedway, and each one was completely covered in messages the Winston Cup driver’s fans wrote about him since his death on Feb. 18 in the last lap crash at the Daytona 500.
The Ridgeview Apartments (off Church Street, across from Salmon Street) were being built. Regency Development Group was the developer of the apartment complex, which featured two- and three-bedroom dwellings.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.