10 years ago – Aug. 29, 1992

(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

BANGOR – The return of Jonathan “Gabby” Price as Bangor High School’s head football coach has created an air of excitement and optimism among the Rams’ faithful.

In nine seasons as Bangor’s boss from 1976-84, Price guided the Rams to a 58-27-1 record and two state championships. During his tenure, he helped develop an aura of pride, confidence and superiority around his program.

Having been out of coaching for seven years, the 42-year-old Price may have made some subtle adjustments in his approach. Yet, he hopes to again build Bangor back into a perennial contender.

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HOLDEN – Town Manager Larry Varisco said he expected bid notices on the sand-salt shed would be placed in the papers Monday or Tuesday, and the bid-submission deadline would be Sept. 9.

Selectmen have reviewed the project and the improvements to be made at the municipal building.

“We haven’t set a particular date on the municipal building, but in a week to two weeks we will have bids out on that too,” said Varisco.

Civil Engineering Services of Brewer is handling the specifications on the salt-shed, and WBRC Architects is handling specifications on improvements to the municipal building.

25 years ago – Aug. 29, 1977

BANGOR – Children of pre-school age in Brewer may now benefit from a special program of immunization clinics conducted four times monthly by the Bangor Health Department under a special arrangement between the two cities.

The program has been extended across the Penobscot in an effort, according to Health Director William Shook Jr., to make it as convenient as possible for parents in Brewer as well as Bangor to have their preschool age children protected early in childhood against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles, rubella (German measles), polio, and (through the use of a newly developed vaccine) mumps.

Immunization levels against these diseases in many sections of the country are dipping dangerously low, prompting state, federal, and local health officials to warn against epidemics of these damaging childhood illnesses, Shook said.

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HERMON – The town council will meet Wednesday, Aug. 31, to begin work on the town budget for the next year.

The council will set dates for preliminary budget submittals and will schedule public hearings on the budget. The council will also consider approving a sewer assessment and covenant and approve transfer of the water mains and hydrants to the Bangor Water District.

The council will consider issuing a weapons permit, consider signing the gathering permit for the upcoming Hermon Music Festival as well as consider approving Treadwell Acres Drive as a town road.

50 years ago – Aug 29, 1952

BANGOR – The second straight day of an unprecedented heat wave yesterday produced the hottest Aug. 28th on record at the CAA weather station at Old Town and sent Northern and Eastern Maine residents gasping to the beaches in search of relief. The weatherman, in an uncooperative mood, bade fair to withhold relief until the weekend.

Yesterday’s broiling sun and a virtually cloudless sky sent the mercury soaring to 98 degrees at 2:30 p.m., only a fraction of a degree lower than the summer’s high reading of 98.8 on July 7. It was the hottest day of the month in Bangor and the current heat wave resulted in the hottest two consecutive days of the entire summer.

Unofficial readings yesterday in Bangor ranged as high as 120 degrees in the sun near Dow Air Force Base, with dozens of house thermometers registering above the 100 mark.

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ORONO – Commissioner Henry F. Long, Massachusetts Department of Corporations and Taxation, said today he hoped every state in the union would soon implement a sales tax.

Long made the closing address this afternoon at the last meeting of the fifth annual Maine Assessors’ Appraisal School which opened Monday at the University of Maine.

The commissioner, continuing his discussion of the merits of the sales tax, said, “The sales tax is one of the few methods of dividing the burden of governmental expense equally among citizens.”

100 years ago – Aug. 29, 1902

BANGOR – Good weather and fairly good attendance favored the show at Maplewood on Thursday, the third day. The races were of considerable interest, a balloonist agitated the crowd by a narrow escape from death, and a large number of exhibitors were made happy by the award of premiums. The midway was rather quiet. At night there was another brilliant display of fireworks witnessed by several thousand people.

The track events at Maplewood on Thursday afternoon were good, only being marred by the large amount of scoring, which served to tire the people to a more or less degree.

The midway was very quiet on Thursday as compared with the two preceding days. There were many people strolling along between the rows of tents and booths, but the shows weren’t doing the great business that they did Wednesday and the restaurant and lunch cart keepers took a comparative rest.

One of the most alluring places of the entire fair – to those interested in the tilling of soil and similar peaceful and profitable pursuits – is the agricultural pavilion, where can be seen unmistakable evidences of the great advance which has been made in the methods of scientific farming.

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BANGOR – It is likely that about everybody in Bangor is desirous of seeing and hearing Mrs. Carrie Nation, the well-known temperance advocate, who will appear in City Hall on Friday night, and will relate to the several hundred people expected to gather there all about her interesting experiences at Kansas City. Mrs. Nation is an interesting and magnetic speaker, it is said, and her address should be a decidedly forceful one.

Compiled by Matt Poliquin