Yesterday …

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(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Aug. 17, 1996

HERMON – The development of Hermon’s industrial park in the Coldbrook-Odlin Road area took another step forward as the town received a $10,000 Community Development Block Grant to study the feasibility of extending water service there. The fund will pay for a consultant to analyze the economic impact of the project and for an engineering firm to assess the environmental issues involved.

The town manager, Kathryn Ruth, said the economic consultant would look into the number of jobs the industrial park could produce, as well as check out financing methods to pay for the water service extension.

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ORONO – He’s a little like Superman – this masked man who switches roles.

When he appears at Mahaney Diamond in Orono to rock, rally, perform and mock, he’s greeted by children of every age with awe and adoration. Adults like him, too.

Maybe the Boston Globe said it best: Babe the Blue Ox should be the Bangor Blue Ox’ Most Valuable Player.

Except the man behind Babe would never accept the award.

The man inside Babe is a recent University of Maine graduate. He likes to keep his identity secret because he thinks that’s best for kids. So, let’s just call him Stan.

25 years ago – Aug. 17, 1981

CASTINE – Donald Pinkham of Orrington celebrated his 74th birthday by sailing the sloop Willowind across the finish line first in the annual Retired Skippers Race. It was the fourth victory in this tradition-bound event for Pinkham, who won amidst some of the worst conditions in the race’s 30-year history.

Fog socked in Castine most of the day, although visibility at the start “wasn’t too bad,” according to Maine Maritime Academy spokesman Bob Giomane. But by the time boats began crossing the finish line it was raining, the wind was dying and visibility had been reduced to less than 300 yards.

The weather apparently did not deter Pinkham as he finished in four hours, one minute and 50 seconds to become the first man to win four Retired Skipper Races. His previous victories came in 1972, 1975 and 1976.

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NEWBURGH – Demonstrating Yankee thrift and ingenuity, the townspeople of this small Penobscot County community are building their own fire station.

Rather than raise taxes to finance the construction, citizens are saving by building the station themselves with volunteer labor and other local resources.

The station is being built with lumber cut from town-owned property. The town raised $11,000 for the building.

Each Saturday morning and Wednesday evening, a small group of men and boys assembles to work in the building under the direction of Jim Leavitt, a local canoe builder.

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BANGOR – The lights went out in a large area of Bangor as a summer storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning, swept through the city.

The storm, moving from the west-southwest and downing power lines in its wake, left large portions of the city without electricity. The power outages came as Bangor sagged under heavy summer rains. The U.S. National Weather Service in Portland reported that Bangor had received 3.26 inches of rain between 8 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday.

Despite heavy rains, police reported no problems with flooded roads in the city.

50 years ago – Aug. 17, 1956

BANGOR – When Bangor Public Schools open Sept. 5, there will be 30 new teachers, according to Laurence Peakes, superintendent. Mr. Peakes said that he had no difficulty in getting teachers for the Bangor schools – something he termed “a unique experience,” as in Rumford he had to work hard to find them.

Mr. Peakes attributed the ease with which teachers were available in Bangor to the fact that wives of Dow Air Force Base officers, wives of faculty members of Bangor Theological Seminary and wives of men studying at the University of Maine were available as teachers. In fact, in Bangor and nearby towns there were four vacancies for home economic teachers and nine girls applied because they wanted to teach in this area and nowhere else.

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BUCKSPORT – A permanent church structure for St. Vincent de Paul parish is being constructed at the corner of Franklin and Center streets.

The Rev. John McVicar, pastor, turned the first shovelful of earth at the site next to the parish rectory.

The new structure will seat 400 persons and have a parish hall underneath.

Although there is some question as to the availability of steel, construction is scheduled to go ahead with next spring as the goal.

The present church, built when Bucksport was considered a mission area, is located six blocks from the site of the new church.

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BANGOR – The new base telephone exchange is now in operation. The move to the new building cost $101,000 in installations and equipment and involved 5,700 man-hours of work by telephone company personnel. The switch from the old facilities to the new was made without a break in service.

The 4060th Air Refueling Wing’s new home at Dow AFB is completed and this headquarters building of brick is another step in the face-lifting program which has been in effect since the installation was made a permanent base in 1954. The building cost more than $150,000.

100 years ago – Aug. 17, 1906

BRADLEY – The Bradley Band has been engaged to furnish music on the steamer Rockland on its Sunday excursion Aug. 19.

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ORRINGTON – Mr. H.E. Comins, our popular station agent, has sold his team, consisting of a bay horse, harness and wagon, to a Mrs. French of Carmel, at a private bargain, getting his price in cash for the whole neat, little rig.

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ORRINGTON – Mr. Kimball A. Kendall, who has faithfully performed his duties as R.F.D. carrier from this office, is enjoying a well-earned vacation of 15 days, joining his wife at Northport campground. With a number of other young people in town, they are occupying Orrington cottage. Edwin M. Crowell, the bonded substitute, is filling in for Mr. Kendall.

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BREWER – The owners of fine orchards about the city are exercising great care over them, particularly nights, as the small boys seem bound to fill their pockets with the half-ripe fruit.

With all this precaution, it is decidedly annoying to see, in one’s orchard in broad day, a gang of help-yourselves neighbors with pails, bags and uplifted skirts, taking off the best without leave or license.

One of the most provoking features of these visitations is that they always select the most desirable tree to despoil, taking literally every apple on the tree, leaving it bare.

Marshall Fickett is keeping an eye open for signs of poaching in the various orchards of the city, of which there are quite a number. Any persons, whatever their age or sex, caught stealing apples in Brewer will wish they never had acquired the fever for fresh fruit – at least on the other man’s trees.

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CASTINE – Mrs. Susie Crockett of New Haven, Conn., came to the home of Ephraim L. Reedman on Penobscot Avenue this week. Mrs. Crockett is the wife of Wilbur Crockett, a member of the construction corps on the coast defense monitor Arkansas.

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ORONO – A very pretty home wedding took place at the home of M.L. Burpee when his son, Merritt, and Miss Pearl Gothrow were united in marriage. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. G.M. Woodwell, former pastor of the Congregational Church in this town.

The house was prettily decorated in evergreens and sweet peas by the friends of the bride and groom. The bride was attired in a pretty gown of white point de esprit lace over white and carried a bridal bouquet. The bride was attended by Miss Cassie Burpee and the groom was accompanied by William Gothrow as best man.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin