Babe Sordi and Madera’s Bucket of Blood

For The Madera Tribune

Abramo Sordi is seen here in 1913 on a motorcycle he raced. Abramo and his brother Domenic built what became known as Madera’s “Bucket of Blood.”

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Dominic Sordi Jr. was a gentleman; I was always impressed by his quiet demeanor. Of course, I didn’t know him in the old days when he was a star at the “Bucket of Blood” near the southwest corner of Avenue 13 1/2 and Road 23 1/2.

The “Bucket of Blood” is now a house, but it was once a dance hall and moonshine distillery. Its history is as captivating as that of any structure in Madera.

It was built by the Sordi brothers, Dominic and Abramo, as a place for folks to have a little fun during prohibition. The Sordi brothers had immigrated to Madera from Italy at the turn of the 20th century and began building houses in Southeast Madera. Sometime during Prohibition, they were hit with the brainstorm of building a dance hall with a moonshine still on Avenue 13 1/2.