YESTERDAY …

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10 years ago – July 6, 1996

(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

ORONO – Boy Scouts of America and their adult leaders from the northern half of the state have a new administrative nerve center. Located on a 35-acre spread near the I-95 interchange on Kelly Road, the Katahdin Area Council’s new regional service center came together quickly. Earthwork began last Veteran’s Day, and work on the building began the first week of December. The council moved into the 4,500-square-foot service building in May.

Not a trace remains of the Scouts’ former headquarters, a red house trimmed in white on North Main Street in Brewer. The property was acquired by abutter Irving Oil. Shortly after the Scouts moved out in May, their former building was razed and the foundation demolished.

The front section of the new headquarters, called the Freedom Center, houses a Scout store, conference room, kitchenette, restrooms and storage area. The back section contains the council’s administrative offices and a workroom.

25 years ago – July 6, 1981

BANGOR – Fourth of July celebrants lined up along the parade route from the Brewer Auditorium to Bass Park to watch the parade, which included bands, floats, horses and ponies, gymnasts, bagpipers, model cars and clowns.

Parade float awards went to the Bangor Kiwanis Club, the Maine-ly Music barbershop singers and the Desert Dancers.

Marchers included the Bangor High School Band, the Bangor Band, and the Anah Temple Shrine Band. Bagpipe music lovers were able to hear the Northern Border New Caledonian Bagpipe Band.

The parade master was Dick Stacey, and Miss Greater Bangor, B.G. Smith, waved to the crowd along the parade route.

The fireworks sponsored by the Fourth of July Corp. proved once again to be the highlight of the weekend. Bangor police, who provided traffic assistance, said more than 32,000 were in attendance.

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BANGOR – She’s been knocking on the door for the past three weeks and on Saturday night, Rebecca Jean, a 3-year-old Mountain Skipper filly, set a new pacing mark for Bass Park of 2:01.3. Starting the 1981 season as an untried 3-year-old, this outstanding young filly now has six wins and three seconds in 10 starts of the 1981 season. The filly was broken by Warren Strout, a Bradford native. Owner Norman Perry said Rebecca Jean is the best he has ever owned.

50 years ago – July 6, 1956

BRADFORD – Beverly Marshall has received honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, after spending the past two years in Germany. He flew from Germany to New York and has arrived home.

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BANGOR – Demolition of 16 dwelling units in the city-owned area off Harlow Street, opposite the high school, has been completed and work will begin immediately on grading and surfacing it for a parking area.

City Manager Joseph R. Coupal Jr. said that the project would probably be completed with a month and will have space for about 400 cars for all-day parking.

It will be an adjunct to the lower level of Abbott Square and is a part of the city’s program to provide more off-street parking.

Meanwhile, plans are going ahead for installation of two-hour shoppers’ meters in the upper level of Abbott Square where there is space for 200 vehicles.

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BANGOR – The Bangor Public Library added a $93 volume to its collection this week, which brings the total number of books owned by the library to 306,874. The theoretical capacity of the library is 237,000 books, according to L. Felix Ranlett, librarian.

The new book, one of hundreds added to the collection this week, is a real estate map book of Bangor and Brewer. It is the type of reference book used by fire insurance companies and city assessors. Every house in the two communities is located and described in code. Not only that, the locations of all fire hydrants, water and sewer mains also are pinpointed. It tells of what material each house is constructed, the number of rooms, fireplaces, windows and types of windows.

The Bangor Public Library is larger than that of Pasadena, Calif., with a population of 104, 000; and San Antonio, Texas, with a population of 408,442. Bangor has a population of 31,500.

The only thing that keeps the mortar between the bricks of Bangor’s library, as it bulges with this huge collection, is the fact that so many books are out on loan and also because the library gives away so many books during the course of a year.

In the first six months of 1956 the library had to get rid of 4,350 books. These were given to institutions, other libraries, and of course, some were destroyed.

100 years ago – July 6, 1906

HAMPDEN – A summer park in a drenching rain isn’t the most cheerful place in the universe, and hence the extreme of flattery cannot be stretched into terming the Fourth of July at Riverside a success. In the afternoon, several hundred people stood around in the grass and had their eardrums split open by every form of noise-making torture which human ingenuity could devise, and tried to reason themselves in the belief that they were having a good time. There were no band concerts because the band didn’t materialize, and there was only half a performance in the rustic theater because it began to rain. The people under the waterproof canvas got soaking wet.

Late in the afternoon the clouds cleared away and the night aspect in the park was very cheerful and vastly different.

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BANGOR – The Fourth of July in Bangor was rainy, uneventful and rather quiet. Owing to the rain, the races at Maplewood and the golf tournament at Meadowbrook links were postponed. And the usual crowd of pleasure seekers were absent from Riverside Park. It cleared off during the afternoon and at night there were displays of fireworks at many private residences. It took an exceedingly brilliant rocket to show up very well against the full moon.

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ORRINGTON – Although the rain interfered with part of the program of Orrington’s Fourth of July celebration, the people down there made the best of it and had a jolly good time. Many from out of town came for the day to see the folks and there were a number of very enjoyable reunions.

The salmon dinner served in the church vestry attracted a large number who knew that they would get the finest salmon served the way salmon should be served, by some of the best cooks in the country. The Church Aid Society netted a snug addition to its funds.

The ball game and races were declared off, but the entertainment in the town hall was attended by a full house. A feature was the drills by 12 young ladies and 12 little misses. This was remarkably well done and very pretty.

In the evening there was fireworks and the day was a success in spite of the weather.

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ORONO – Mrs. Nancy Mercer, one of Orono’s smartest women, on July 4th celebrated her 89th birthday. It is not often one finds such a smart, active woman as Mrs. Mercer at her age. She takes an interest in everything about town, is an active member of the Women’s Relief Corps, The W.C.T.U., the calendar club and the Ladies Aid of the Methodist Church.

She walks to church about half a mile nearly every Sunday.

She is engaged in putting together a very pretty silk quilt, which is her own work.

Mrs. Mercer was born in Montreal, her maiden name, Nancy Fraiser. She came to Orono at the time of her marriage to the late Charles Mercer 66 years ago. She has been the mother of eight children, four of whom are living. Two sons live in Orono and two in Massachusetts. Mrs. Mercer is highly esteemed by Orono people and her many friends wish her many happy returns of the day.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin