Yesterday …

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(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Oct. 31, 1992

BANGOR – Democratic vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. Al Gore came to Bangor Friday hoping to stem the momentum of independent Ross Perot, who recent polls suggest could capture Maine’s four electoral votes.

The rally with Gore had ended and Jensen Bissell of Milo was standing, his 9-year-old son, Peter, by his side, watching the crowd disperse Friday afternoon.

Bissell was trying to find his wife among the people streaming from the sun-dappled Pickering Square. He had his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Yes, I pulled Peter out of school for the day,” he said. “I want him to see how important a thing voting is.”

Peter was not the only youngster at the early afternoon rally at Pickering Square in downtown Bangor. The crowd of 3,000 people was filled with youngsters from more than half a dozen schools in Greater Bangor.

The small sea of children in bright coats rippled as Pat McGowan waded through shaking hands and introducing himself and saying he was running for Congress.

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BANGOR – Garth Brooks showed why he’s one of the hottest performers not just in country music, but in popular music in general, with a sizzling performance Friday night at the Bangor Auditorium.

Some have wondered how a husky man with a receding hairline has become a sex symbol with more than 20 million albums sold in five years.

But there’s more to the performer than just the package. There’s his energy, unprecedented in country music. More than anything else, Brooks is a showman, right up through swinging on a rope ladder after the encore of “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.”

The air of excitement was palpable inside the auditorium, as Brooks ranks as one of the biggest acts to play at the old facility. Brooks also worked the crowd, bounding from one side of the stage to the other in seemingly every direction.

25 years ago – Oct. 31, 1977

ORONO – Members of the University of Maine at Orono President’s Club toured the Orono campus Friday and among the demonstrations they viewed was that of the new stress-testing machine located in the Cutler Health Center. The machine computes a level of fitness for any individual tested from which recommendations may be made for a program to meet the individual’s fitness needs. UMO authorities hope to provide such service for community groups with critical performance duties such as firemen, policemen and safety officials. Joseph Pechinski, UM associate professor of education, detailed for members the machine’s operation while research associate Kenneth Remsen demonstrated the procedure.

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ORONO – The project began with an eye toward discovering what most tantalized the appetite of the lobster and has now expanded to include the possibility of a new industry.

Sponsored by Sea Grant and UMO funds, the project is called “Dietary Intake and Nutritional Parameters in the Lobster,” a study in its third year and directed by co-principal investigators research assistant professor Margie Lee Gallagher and Dr. Robert Bayer, associate professor of animal and veterinary sciences at UM.

Dr. Fred Hutchinson, vice president for research and public service at UM, has allocated funds for a mill to produce tons of the synthetic lobster bait. “We are expecting the mill to arrive this fall,” he said, “and, should the patent search be successful, we expect the lobster bait production will a commercially feasible operation.”

“The lobster project began in 1975 when graduate student Dale Leavitt was trying to find out what lobsters eat in hopes of finding the basis for a nutritional and appealing feed for lobsters kept in pounds,” Bayer said.

“We were able to field test 24 varieties of manufactured bait, and we distributed record sheets to the lobstermen to keep a running account of which kinds of feed attracted the lobsters most,” according to Bayer. “A number of the feed varieties worked,” he added.

50 years ago – Oct. 31, 1952

BANGOR – Tonight’s the night the goblins and witches prowl. It’s Allhallows Eve and every able-bodied spook will be out after dark, tying to scare the daylights out of some unsuspecting victim. Young or old, it makes no difference to the goblins. Everybody’s fair prey on Halloween.

Tonight also will climax a long period of planning by the Bangor Recreation Department and local merchants who are sponsoring the annual Halloween parade and contests for children in the city. Hundreds of prizes have been collected and final arrangements have been completed for the daylong program. The feature attraction of the day, the annual Halloween parade, will begin shortly after 6 p.m. All parade units will begin forming at 6 p.m. on Broadway, between State Street and John Bapst High School.

Several parties and dances for the city’s younger set are scheduled for 8 p.m., with prizes awarded for the best costumes. A high school dance and party is scheduled for students of Bangor, John Bapst and Brewer high schools at the Bangor YMCA.

A party is scheduled at the Columbia Street Community Center for members and Dow Air Force Base personnel, in addition to numerous other celebrations being planned by private organizations and groups throughout the city.

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ORONO – A crowd that may exceed 10,000 will be in the stands Saturday when the University of Maine meets Colby in its State Series Homecoming tussle. Ted Curtis, faculty manager of athletics, said today that seats on the Colby side were still available, but that all seats on the Maine side had been sold. End zone seats also are available.

“With fair weather we will have the biggest crowd for a Maine-Colby game in our history,” said Curtis.

Meanwhile the Bears finished up their preparations for Colby with a long review of defensive and offensive patterns, along with a long passing drill featuring Steve Novick and Ken Parady. The squad will stress kicking in Friday’s brief limbering up drill.

100 years ago – Oct. 31, 1902

BANGOR – The officers of the Maine Woman Suffrage Association are sending a circular letter to every tax-paying woman in the state asking their cooperation in securing the ballot for all of that class as far as municipal suffrages goes. The replies have been almost without exception favorable to the movement. Following is a portion of the letter:

Maine Woman Suffrage Association, Portland, 1902.

The Maine Woman Suffrage Association at its annual convention in 1901 voted to ask for municipal suffrage for the tax- paying women of Maine, from the Legislature of 1903, inasmuch as it lies in the power of the Maine Legislature to grant municipal suffrage to any and all women desiring it.

It is a principle of our American government that “taxation without representation is tyranny,” and since women are now legally unable to represent themselves, we deem it our right to ask, that we may – as contributors to the general good – have a voice in municipal affairs.

Enclosed are a few questions bearing on the subject. Will you kindly answer them, sign your name and return to us at once in the enclosed addressed envelope? We simply wish to inform you of our proposed measure – which is intended to benefit you – and to secure your approval of it.

Sincerely yours,

Lucy Hobart Day, Chairman

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BANGOR – Barring unexpected delays, the work of the Public Works Co. at laying tracks across Kenduskeag bridge will be finished Friday night and 20-minute service on the lines of the company in Bangor will be commenced Saturday morning.

Highland cars run through to State; Hampden cars to Center. In a few weeks the new system will go into effect, but not until all the work contemplated by the company has been completed.

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The Garalde, Condit and Mack Stock Company will play an engagement at the Opera House of four nights commencing Monday, with daily matinees. The repertoire includes “Forgiven,” “Man of Mystery,” “The Two Orphans,” “The Banker,” “Jesse James,” “Between Two Fires” and “A Southern Romance.”

The opening play will be the comedy drama, “Forgiven.” A number of vaudeville artists will be introduced between each act, among them being Sie Hassen and Ben Ali’s troop of Arabs from the Sahara Desert in their great whirlwind act.

Compiled by Matt Poliquin