10 years ago – Aug. 7, 1993

(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

New York Yankees games on the air in Red Sox country? That is just one of the many programming changes in the works for a local radio station.

WZON 620 AM, a Bangor radio station also known as Talk Radio, will begin shifting to more sports-oriented programming with the debut of former WLBZ-TV sportscaster Dale Duff’s live talk show.

Bangor authors Stephen and Tabitha King, Duff and other new members of the WZON staff held a press conference at King’s Bangor office to announce the new changes in the station’s format and personnel.

“I’ve been a sports mom for several years now, and I’ve noticed that there were many moments when radio could have had a real function,” said Tabitha King. “I’m thinking of all the times I went to Bangor-Old Town basketball games where the auditoriums were full and there were people who couldn’t get in. That certainly encouraged me that this was one serious format consideration.”

Duff is the new programming manager and sports director. He joins new station manager Brent Slowikowski and sales director Linda Cummings.

Slowikowski was formerly known as Brent Stevens at Brewer country western station WQCB, where he was promotions and operations director. Cummings was vice president of sales at WWMJ and WDEA in Ellsworth.

.

GLENBURN – The Glenburn Town Council and the Glenburn school committee have given the final nod to start a before- and after-school program that mixes child care and enrichment activities at the Glenburn Elementary School.

The Bangor-Brewer YWCA will run the program, a groundbreaking effort in Penobscot County, said Kathy Perry, director of youth and child care services at the YWCA.

Glenburn has a significant “latchkey kid” problem, according to a group of local parents who fought for the school-based child care program. At one meeting, a Glenburn mother spoke of the worry she experienced knowing her kindergarten-age son went home from school daily to an empty trailer.

25 years ago – Aug. 7, 1973

Downtown Bangor will become one huge art gallery as 161 artists from Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey display their works of art at the Third Annual TV 2 Downtown Sidewalk Art Festival.

The display will consist of two segments – the street display where most paintings will be available for general sale, and the purchase prize awards where artists will compete for $3,625 in prize money.

Festival headquarters will be at 66 Main St., the former New Atlantic Restaurant location.

Judges will be Garry Moore, TV host of “To Tell the Truth;” Carol McKeon, a Bangor commercial artist; and Harris Strong, artist and proprietor of Strong’s Gallery in Trenton.

.

OLD TOWN – The Congregation of the Most Blessed Sacrament will assume the pastoral care of St. Joseph’s Parish, Old Town, effective this week, according to the Most Rev. Peter Gerety, bishop of the Diocese of Portland.

The new pastor will be the Rev. Lionel Vashon, and his associate will be the Rev. Norman Fontaine, Bishop Gerety said in a letter to parishioners. The letter was read at weekend Masses by the Rev. Raymond Picard, who has served as temporary administrator since the death of the former pastor, the Rev. Lionel Thibodeau.

The bishop also announced that Brother Gary LaVerdiere will be assigned to the parish to aid in the religious education programs of the parish. LaVerdiere served in Masaka, Uganda, but in April of this year had to leave Uganda along with many other missionaries because the government would not renew his passport.

50 years ago – Aug. 7, 1953

Plans for a coffee honoring Mrs. Robert Layton, wife of Col. Layton, base commander at Dow Air Force Base, were made at a meeting of the NCO Wives’ club at the NCO club.

Mrs. Charles Holland conducted the business session at which plans were made for a trip to Brewer to visit a bakery. After the trip, members will return to the NCO club for an afternoon of bridge, Canasta and tea.

Capt. Richard Morton spoke to the group on plans for the setting up of a dependency assistance office to help families of personnel overseas. Morton said he hoped the office would be operating in two weeks.

.

Perfect weather prevailed at the Bangor Fair Thursday and fairgoers took advantage of it to make it the biggest day in the 104-year history of the event.

Early morning arrivals gave an indication of the crowd to come, and by afternoon the midway was jammed with adults and kiddies.

Harness race fans, anxious for action after missing a day because of rain, turned out in full force and wagered $37,397 on eight races, $2,879 more than on Thursday of last year.

Judging of the cattle took most of the day in the livestock exhibit, where officials judged the largest number of entries in the history of the fair. Livestock from all sections of the state competed for premiums and ribbons, and with keen competition the judges had their work cut out for them.

Thursday night’s grandstand performance was a complete sellout with standing room only. One of the more popular acts proved to be the Great Galano, an expert who offers an amazing exhibition of one-finger balancing. The Roxyettes dancing line also was popular with fair fans.

100 years ago – Aug. 7, 1903

The much talked of and long-awaited automobiles for the use of the Public Works Co. have arrived in the city. They came in the late train Wednesday night and were unloaded from the cars at the Exchange Street station Thursday afternoon.

The two big machines attracted much attention in the station, and many were the conjectures as to their use by people who did not know of their coming. Some people thought they were new rural delivery wagons, and others thought that they were ambulances.

The automobiles came from Cottage City, Mass., and have been bought by the Public Works Co. to be the connecting link between Bangor and Brewer lines in transferring passengers across the toll bridge. They were used with much success in Cottage City, where the railway people were in much the same predicament as the local company, having a long bridge connecting two places and being unable to get a track on the bridge.

The machines are of the type used by the Armstrong Transfer Co. in Boston. The underbody and wheels are painted red, and the vehicles have a black canvas top with windows in the side, much like the old-style omnibus.

They will seat about 12 people, six on a side. The motive power is electricity, furnished by batteries carried under the vehicle. The batteries will propel the machine for about 14 miles without recharging, and give a speed of 12 miles an hour. It is planned to have the autos make 20 trips to Brewer without recharging the batteries.

For the purpose of recharging the batteries, a plug will be put in at the Bangor end of the toll bridge.

The tires, which cost $80 each, are about 21/2 feet in diameter and have solid rubber tires, three inches thick and four inches wide.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin

The automobiles were taken to the car barn in State Street Thursday afternoon under their own power by electrician Cartwright. They will be fitted up as soon as possible and put into use.

.

A Veazie man was brought to Bangor Thursday morning by Deputy Sheriff Sproul for throwing a brick through a window in a house and hitting the woman who lived there in the cheek. There are pathetic details in connection with Delaney’s outbreak.

It is the old story of unrequited love. He was keeping company with an estimable young lady of the town, but his attentions were discouraged. He became reckless and sought her high and low.

Finally, he thought that he had located her at the woman’s home, and in a moment of playful mischief hove brick through a large window. His lady love wasn’t there, but the owner was, and unfortunately got into the path of the projectile.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin