Mary and Don Ashman opened Maria’s Pizza House at 2947 Shelby St. The Ashmans boasted that everyone would love their Italian-style pizza ($1.10 to $2.35 per pie), hickory-smoked barbecued ribs and chicken ($1.25 to $1.75 and Mexican chili (45 cents).
* * *
Indiana Central Little League, which featured about 20 teams, elected its officers: J. Edward Sargent, president; Bruce Richards, vice president; Mrs. Orville Dorbecker, secretary; John Mullen, treasurer; Ernest Brunoehler, league contact; Robert Gutherie, player agent; and Robert Barnes, assistant player agent.
* * *
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Watson welcomed 55 relatives into their home at 1634 S. State St. for a Christmas dinner over the holidays.
* * *
WFBM-TV became the first station in Indianapolis to broadcast local programs in color.
Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1966
Liberatus Richard Mayer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl X. Mayer was going to be ordained into the priesthood at St. Francis Church in Tuetopolis, Ill. His first Mass would be celebrated at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Indianapolis.
* * *
Center United Methodist Church, 5445 Bluff Road, was holding its 12th night tree burning service.
* * *
Big Ten basketball, TV’s longest-running sports feature, was opening its 12th season on WTTV. Nationally known sportscaster Bill Flemming would provide the play-by-play action for the seventh year.
* * *
Fisher Bros. Home Furnishings, 1315 Shelby St. offered 20 percent off all purchases.
* * *
David’s Ayr-Way South Center, 3664 S. East St., advertised its fur-trimmed coats for $66; the ad stated that they were valued at $66. Dresses, valued at $29.98, were priced at $15.
Forty Years Ago This Week – 1976
Conducted by Carl Dawson, the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra was going to perform a pops concert at Perry Meridian High School.
* * *
Manual Evening School offered a driver’s education class for $75.
* * *
The wedding announcements of Kathryne Irene McLendon and Charles Edward Scheib and Teresa Ann Hefner and Gregory Wayne Meyer were published. They were married Dec. 13 and 20, respectively.
* * *
Baxter YMCA, 7900 Shelby St., was looking for qualified instructors to lead classes in arranging dried flowers, painting, macrame, auto mechanics, guitar, canning and fishing.
* * *
Adrian Orchards, 500 W. Epler Ave., had been blessed with a bountiful crop of apples and was planning to keep its shop open through February. George Adrian said it was the largest crop he’s ever had and that all the fruit was of excellent quality; crisp, sweet and juicy.
* * *
Luke Billman’s Old Dutch Delicatessen, 2949 S. Meridian St., offered catfish specials from 5-8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The diner also served breakfast and T-bone steaks for dinner.
Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1986
Thieves stole a VCR and a small amount of money from Indianapolis Fire Station No. 26, 1080 E. Hanna Ave., while firemen were on a personal injury run.
* * *
A luau to benefit the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra was being planned for Jan. 25 at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Tickets, which included Hawaiian and Polynesian food and live music, cost $22.50.
* * *
Teeters’ Southport Market, owned by Richard and Kathy Teeters, kicked off the new year with a huge sale on steaks. T-bones, porterhouses and New York strips were priced at $2.79, $2.89 and $3.59 a pound, respectively.
* * *
The 1986 Corvette was unveiled as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500.
* * *
Matthew Kauffman, director of music ministries at Mount Auburn United Methodist Church in Greenwood, accepted a similar position at First Baptist Church in Grants Pass, Ore.
* * *
Harold Buck won Best of Show for his oil painting, “Dam on Sugar Creek,” in the Southside Art League’s juried show.
Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1996
Cottage Corner Community Health Center, a new facility at 1434 Shelby St., was serving the medical needs of Fountain Square residents. The 18,000-square-foot center provided numerous services, including internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, adolescent programs and radiology.
* * *
Ray Bros. Cleaners, which had been owned by a Ray brother since 1953, was going out of business as owners Jim and Katy Lamping were retiring. All of their children, Barbara, Diane, Mary Kay, Jim Jr. and the late Peggy, had worked there at some time. They all carried The Spotlight too, earning the princely sum of a penny a paper.
* * *
Tia Jah Wynne was named manager of Fountain Square Library.
* * *
A fire at the home of Daniel and Donna Holland in the 5600 block of South Walcott Street resulted in the death of their three dogs. An estimated $50,000 in damages was incurred.
* * *
The Historic Hannah House, once a stop on the Underground Railroad – a network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves to escape to free states – was heating the cold winter nights by hosting hot blues programs every Wednesday in January.
Ten Years Ago This Week – 2006
The archives from 2006 are missing.