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75 YEARS AGO
From the Greensboro Daily News, Dec. 26, 1935-Jan. 1, 1936
After receiving a tip, Sheriff L.M. Sheffield sent six of his officers to a site about four miles from Leaksville, where they found one of the largest stills ever discovered in that part of the county.

They took Peter Mabes into custody on a charge of manufacturing whisky and put him in the county jail under $500 bond. They also seized 21 boxes of beer mash, with each box containing 400 gallons of beer-making material. They also found eight 5-gallon containers of newly distilled whisky.

The still, which appeared to have been just recently set up, was located on the edge of two branches a short distance in the woods from Price Highway.

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Rockingham County has been suffering from extreme cold, with the temperature falling to near zero in the prolonged cold wave.

A man who gave his name as C.W. Clower and his occupation as “walking the highways” was admitted to Reidsville Memorial Hospital with a broken arm and bruises sustained when he fell against the back of a car as it passed him on the Greensboro Road. He was en route to Monticello at the time, he said.

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Roy Edward Chance, 7-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. R.B. (Dock) Chance of Reidsville-Yanceyville Road, was seriously injured when he was knocked down by a car while looking back at fireworks and walked into the path of the automobile.

He was admitted to Memorial Hospital in Reidsville with a brain concussion and fractured right leg.

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The George Reynolds Chapter of the Reidsville DAR held its annual Christmas meeting and voted to give an offering of clothing to the poor.

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Help wanted: Married or single woman, showing new dresses, $15 weekly and dresses free.

50 YEARS AGO
From the Greensboro Daily News, Dec. 26, 1960-Jan. 1, 1961
Mrs. Clyde Price has retired as secretary to the home economic agents of Rockingham County, a position she has held since 1945. Before that, she was secretary to the home demonstration agents and county agricultural agents.

At a dinner celebrating her many years of service, given by the home demonstration women of Rockingham County, she was praised by those who served with her in various capacities. Mrs. L.D. Lester said, “Mrs. Price has meant more to the rural women of Rockingham County than any other woman.”

The daughter of Robert Bailey and Annie Burnett Chance, she graduated from Reidsville High School in 1918 and then enrolled in a business school in Reidsville.

Shortly afterward, she went to work for the farm-home office while Fred Walker was farm agent and Miss Marie Kirkpatrick was home agent.

Since then, she has served under 22 home agents and nine farm agents.

Mrs. Price also has been active in her church, Main Street Methodist, where for 39 years she was superintendent of the junior department of the Sunday school, a Sunday school teacher, a pianist and a choir member. She also was active in the Order of the Eastern Star and a former president of the American Legion Auxiliary.

She married J. Ross Price in 1931.

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Mrs. James S. Roland of the central area of the Tri-Cities will direct the March of Dimes campaign in Rockingham County this year. Her assistant director will be Mayor Harris Nelson Jr. of Spray.

Local community directors will be Joe Chandler of Draper, Mrs. Guy Buckle of Leaksville and Mrs. Anne Joyce of Leaksville.

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Help wanted: 81-year-old firm wants salesman for established accounts, $500 plus commission.

25 YEARS AGO
From the Greensboro News & Record, Dec. 26, 1985-Jan.1, 1986
A tree with lots of green leaves but little fruit — that was the economic news of 1975 for Rockingham County.

But leaders hope the work they did this year will cause the tree to bear more fruit in 1986.

The year began on a dark note, with Owens-Illinois closing its plastic foam plant in Eden and Fieldcrest Mills announcing the impending layoff of about 400 people when it shuts down its bedspread plant in Eden.

During the year, a New Jersey consulting firm gave the county economic development commission a list of possible manufacturers who might be interested in the county, but the commissioners’ proposal for a marketing program fell apart when the municipalities wouldn’t agree to sharing in the funding.

During the year, various contacts were made with business and industry, Reidsville made progress with its downtown revitalization, and the state contributed money to keep Chinqua Penn Plantation open. These are developments to be built upon in the coming year.

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Hubert Safriet was elected president of the Reidsville Chamber of Commerce. Safriet, 74, came to Reidsville in 1961 and retired in 1976 as a senior vice president of Wachovia Bank. He said he would make jobs his priority for the coming year.

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Greg Hall, 23, has been named Fireman of the Year in Mayodan. He is an emergency medical technician and is the department’s only paramedic.

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In holiday basketball action, Morehead advanced to the final of the Domino Pizza Christmas Doubleheader but fell to Laurel Park (Va.) in the final, 65-63.

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Help wanted: Executive secretary, $15,000.

10 YEARS AGO
From the Greensboro News & Record, Dec. 26, 2000-Jan. 1, 2001
The Eden City Council held another closed session to talk about the finalists for the vacant city manager job but could not reach a decision.

The council is torn between Brad Corcoran, a town manager in New Market, Va., and Gary F. Christie, a former city manager and now executive director for a regional planning commission in Culpeper, Va.

This marked the council’s second closed-door session in a week during which it could not reach a decision.

Acting City Manager Jerry Cox, a former manager and now a consultant, urged the council to reach agreement in the coming weeks. The job has been open since last June.

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Phillip Pulliam, 57, is retiring after serving as Madison’s finance director for more than 30 years. Before joining Madison, he was office manager for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Danville, Va.

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Mallorie Price, 13, a seventh-grader at Western Rockingham Middle School, and Kinsley Ruffell, a ninth-grader at McMichael High in Madison, have been picked for the 250-member national honors choir that will perform March 17 in San Antonio, Texas, at the American Choral Directors Association convention.

Both were among nearly 1,500 middle and junior high students to send in tapes s singing “God Bless America” and a solo of their choice.

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Nineteen-year-old John Rash suffered serious burns in an explosion at Frontier Spinning Mills in Mayodan and was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Rash, who worked as a contractor with Adams Electric of Reidsville, was attempting to remove a piece of cotton from a high-voltage outlet when the box arced and exploded.

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Farris Park, in operation for one year under the Madison-Mayodan Recreation Department, has brought in twice as much money as it did the year before.

It generated $31,556, up $13,000 from 1999.

Mayodan Town Manager Debra Cardwell credited the Madison-Mayodan Recreation Department’s handling of the Ayersvillle Road facility for the increase.

“They’re just outstanding at organizing events and keeping things going all the time,” she said.