11 minute read
Danville
Merchant Chatter
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ChatterForget-Me-Nots
Dad wants a dartboard complete with a barn wood back. Stop by and pick out his.
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Seize the Night Designs
Ladies Night Out is Thursday, June 17th from 5-9 on the square. Seize the Night Designs will be open late and offering sales and specials during event hours!
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Radiant Skin
Summertime is here and it’s a great time to give your skin a little extra TLC. Sun and sweat can cause damage and breakouts, but our Strawberry Lemonade facial will help brighten skin and cleanse pores to prevent breakouts. This June facial of the month is normally $110 but mention “The Republican” when you book and only pay $95! Call today to schedule your appointment! 317-563- 3055
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Speakeasy Books Stop into Speakeasy Books and More for a unique Father’s Day gift. Open Saturday 9 -3. Locataed at 117 S. Washington. No secret password needed!
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Gallery On The Square Did you know we are not just an Art Gallery? We have handcrafted gifts and cards. Shop with us. We are happy to help you.
The She Shed Boutique has added maternity and girls items!! Be sure to stop in and check us out! 115 S WASHINGTON STREET by the Eiffel Tower!
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Town Manager Gets Makeover
Due to a busy schedule and COVID 19, Danville Town Manager Mark Morgan had been sporting a slightly shaggy “home grown” look for quite a while. That all came to an end on Saturday when he attended the ribbon cutting for Home Grown Salon at 52 South Indiana. After the ribbon was snipped, he entered the salon and asked if there was an empty seat for an emergency appointment. Next thing he knew, he was trimmed and styled and wearing a smile as he received a real “Home Grown” haircut.
Destination: Another Success
The hot weather didn’t keep visitors from the 2nd annual Destination Danville Festival on Saturday. The vendors, customers, and local businesses all seemed equally happy. with the turnout.
Rovering Reporter Recovering
Holly, The Great Dane of Danville and The Republican’s Rovering Reporter, will be off her beat for a few days while she’s recovering from routine surgery. She wants readers to know she’ll be back because, as she put it herself, “You can’t keep a good newshound down!”
Get well wishes may be sent to betty@TheRepublican- Newspaper.com and will be forwarded to Holly.
Loan Medical Equipment
Hendricks County Senior Services maintains a limited supply of medical equipment available for loan for residents of Hendricks County as part of the Danville Rotary Club Foundations, Inc’s Durable Medical Equipment Loan program.
Equipment is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is no charge for borrowing the equipment. Donations are graciously accepted to help offset the cost of maintaining the equipment. Call the Senior Center for more information at 317-745-4303.
Danville Local & Social
Rumor has it retired DPW Superintend Ray Whitaker is making good use of his time by hunting, fishing, and camping.
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Don’t forget the first Summer Sounds on the Square concert this Saturday evening, June 19. Cornfield Mafia will kick off the 13th year for the live music series.
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Family and friends enjoyed the graduation party for Oakley Salyers at The Beehive Sunday afternoon. Oakley is a member of the first graduating class from Riverside High School. Miss Oakley will be using her talents working at at The Republican office during the summer.
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The canna bulbs given to The Republican are sprouting up quickly in our outdoor planters. We canna wait to se what color they will be!
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John Ruskin
Birthday Princess Meets Queen
Photo credit: Shannon Shirven
Summer Houser of Danville got a visit from Queen Elsa at her 5th birthday celebration. Elsa sang and danced with the children and crowned Summer her princess with a sparkling tiara. Elsa is with the very talented Happily Ever After Productions in Indianapolis.
“Thru the Years” from Indianapolis to Danville
A plastic statue of President Eisenhower smiling over an issue of The Republican from 1917, while an Elf on the Shelf keeps watch for good behavior. Just one of the groupings that make The Republican’s office a rich source of stories.
[Editor’s Note: Some have good luck, others bad luck. The Republican has a tendency toward serendipity. Throughout its long history, time, place and circumstance have combined to bring interesting stories to this newspaper. The walls of this old building can’t talk but they sometimes inspire people tell s their own stories.
The following story and photographs were submitted by Bruce W. Buchanan, who has added another layer of history to The Republican’s office.]
It was not unlike many messages that I have received over the years. Someone uncovers an old printed piece related to Flanner Buchanan and they reach out to let me know. And sometimes ask me to buy it. Our company is 140 years old (1881), so these messages are not a surprise anymore. But this notice that came through our website felt different.
Let me start by saying that I worked for daily newspapers in Muncie, Indiana; Marietta, Ohio; and New Orleans before I joined the family funeral business 25 years ago, so getting this message from a newspaper owner immediately captured my interest. Next, when my company published “Thru The Years With Indianapolis” in 1940, Danville was really far away; so I had to ask myself how did our booklet get out there? And Jerry Vornholt, the sender, had taken nice pictures of it - and any business that dates back to 1847 captures my interest. That’s got us beat by 34 years! I was hooked for a road trip, anticipating a pleasant visit just to pick up our booklet. But what I was presented turned out to be a mysterious 80-year-old time capsule.
Jerry and I arranged for a time to meet at The Republican’s office. My quick stop turned into a two-hour discussion covering topics such as the changing dynamics of newspapers and printing technology, some history of Danville, and most importantly - community. Though the newspaper business is a far cry from operating funeral homes, one key similarity is the roll that the community plays in both. Community involvement and legacy relationships is a main driver of success for both businesses.
I also had the pleasure of meeting the newspaper staff: Betty Bartley, editor, office manager Beth Polley and ad sales manager Kirsten Simon. From them I learned the formula that makes The Republican a vital concern. I would call it straight-forward well-connected, community journalism; so refreshing in today’s narrative-driven news approach found at most papers.
Even after the advent of the Linotype machine, hand-set fonts were used for larger text and headlines.
Wooden shelves, 12 rows high with 5 dividers on each row keep a year’s worth of back copies of The Republican.
Social media can distort the facts, Simon told me. “We tell people that The Republican will give you the accurate take,” she said. The staff also believes that individuals appreciate the authority that comes from seeing their news on paper.
To start the tour Jerry walked me through the back of the building which has been the newspaper office since 1899. He showed me generations of old printing and typesetting equipment, some that still works. All of it fascinating, but it’s been years since they printed the paper themselves. It is now created on a computer and sent electronically to a printer.
Jerry is also a commercial real estate broker. He chose to put his office at the back of the building, wanting his clients to see the newspaper “museum” as they head back to his desk. It’s all part of the community focus I mentioned earlier.
Then we sat down to look at the “time capsule” I came to see. Not only did he show me our booklet but contents that had been mysteriously added to the envelope. The post mark was gone, but the brochure was mailed from Flanner Buchanan to a Mrs. Henry A. Miller in Indianapolis sometime in the 1940s. That’s all we know for sure.
After a pleasant lunch on the town square I returned home to Indianapolis to scrutinize the contents of the envelope.
Publisher Jerry Vornholt is in the process of cleaning and reorganizing the typesetting cases where where The Republican was “made up” each week for many decades, before the operation became computerized and printed off-site.
I discovered that it had become a place where Mrs. Miller, and possibly others, kept her keepsake printed news items. I found 12 pieces in the envelope besides our company booklet. There were sections of the Indianapolis Star and News from as early as 1890 (featuring stories about major fires), a newspaper story about flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker (1943), even a copy of her son’s draft notice.
I was pleasantly surprised to also find Flanner Buchanan ads in the pages of these old newspapers.
The only connection to Danville in the envelope was the front page of the Hendricks County Republican from March 14, 1889. It featured a long profile of President Benjamin Harrison’s cabinet. This to me was the greatest find. Is this why the envelope ended up in The Republican’s office? Nothing gave me a clue as to how it ended up in Danville.
This brings me back to the subject of community. I can let the mystery of the envelope pass.
Hand-set type for a 1975 golf tournament still sets in the chase (frame) that was used to print it.
Our country was founded on the principle of a free press because without honest news gathering there can be no democracy. The Republican is a past and present-day time capsule of Danville’s activities that helps the reader bring the community into view. These might sound like lofty principles, but they play out in the simple dayto-day activities that we all enjoy – and appreciate reading about in this newspaper.
Thanks Jerry. It’s been great meeting you.
About Bruce W. Buchanan: Buchanan, a community leader and business owner in Indianapolis, is proud to be a sixth-generation Hoosier whose family has served the city since its founding. Buchanan is the Owner & CEO of Buchanan Group, Inc. / Flanner Buchanan Funeral Centers, consisting of Flanner Buchanan with 17 funeral centers located throughout the Indianapolis metropolitan area, and Buchanan Group, a funeral/cemetery management services company with casket distributorship and granite manufacturing divisions that operate internationally. Flanner Buchanan was founded in 1881 and is one of Indiana’s oldest family-owned businesses. His education includes: Ohio University, Athens, OH, Journalism/Visual Communications, M.S.J., 1981; Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, Political Science B.A., 1978; Broad Ripple High School, Indianapolis, IN, 1973. Buchanan is a board member and supporter of numerous organizations including Indiana Landmarks, Martin University, Indianapolis Opera, and The Indiana Entertainment Foundation.
DCHS’s Jake Comer To Continue Football Career at DePauw University
Jake Comer makes a tackle on the field. He’s chosen to continue his sports career as a DePauw University Tiger.
By Cooper Lee
Danville High School’s Jake Comer signed with DePauw University to continue his football and academic career.
Comer knew from the beginning of the recruiting process that he wanted to attend DePauw, stating, “I had a few division three and small division two offers, but I knew DePauw was the school for me.”
This certainty hadn’t followed Comer throughout his football career, unsure of his intentions after high school until this school year. All of that changed when schools became interested in the senior. “Early in my high school career, I was set on going to a big school and parting ways with sports, but when I started to get looked at, I realized I couldn’t give up football so easily.”
The choice to attend DePauw wasn’t one solely based on athletics for Comer. The smaller school size and quality of education assures him that he will have plenty of time to complete his schoolwork while also competing full-time. DePauw offered him what he was looking for, including a great sport medicine and exercise science programs that Comer will look to take advantage of. “I am sort of leaning toward the sport medicine field. Either a physical therapist or an athletic trainer would be fitting for me.”
Comer praises the Danville football program, crediting the team with making him the person he is today. “Without football, I wouldn’t be near the man or athlete that I am today,” said Comer. The relationships made in his time in school and on the field have left a lasting impression on Comer, one that he will not soon forget as he moves on to NCAA competition. The person he attributes most of his personal and overall team success to is Coach Jayme Comer, the head football coach at Danville Community High School.
“Coach Comer was the best coach any high school athlete could hope fore, and he knows excactly how to run a football program. He’s the type of coach that ride with his player through thick and thin, and even off the field he’ll be there for you to make sure that you succeed in whatever it is that you want to do. My teammates and I put in countless hours of hard work, but without Coach Comer leading the way, none of this would have been possible.”
Jake Comer provides an insight from a position many young kids wish to find themselves in one day. He says it’s important for those to follow “not to get discouraged or give up if you aren’t getting attention from coaches that you’re hoping for.”
The number one tip that Comer could give was to control what you can control.
“Get in the weight room and make it your best friend. Getting stronger in the weight room will translate to the field and make you a better player.”
With his Danville High School career behind him, Comer looks to blaze his own trail, a continuation of the journey which began with his experiences in Danville athletics.
