(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Sept. 21, 1996

BANGOR – Ross Perot once again tapped Bangor lawyer Sam Lanham to fight his battles against the establishment.

This time, however, Lanham is fighting on the national scene. On behalf of Perot and his Reform Party, Lanham will file suit in U.S. District Court in Washington asking that Perot and his vice presidential candidate, Pat Choate, be allowed to participate in all debates.

Lanham first gained prominence in the Perot camp when he successfully forced the Maine Legislature to pass a bill allowing the Reform Party to be on the ballot Nov. 5.

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BANGOR – The city’s Code Enforcement Office will continue efforts to remove blighted properties from Bangor neighborhoods when the City Council holds public hearings on three structures.

Proposed for condemnation are a vacant house on Curve Street, a vacant house on Parker Street and a vacant four-unit apartment building on Highland Avenue.

25 years ago – Sept. 21, 1981

BANGOR – The smell of freshly cut wood was whipped around a sunny Bass Park by a brisk September wind that provided a welcome relief after Saturday’s rain for spectators at the third annual Paul Bunyan Logging Days.

Two winners emerged during the day’s competition. Richard Geer, 25, of Connecticut topped the field of 31 entrants for the overall title in the seven-event competition. Napoleon Mercier of Quebec won the modified chain saw event.

An estimated 1,000 people looked on as Geer, son of last year’s winner, Dave Geer, totaled 41 points to comfortably outdistance the 31 points accumulated by second-place Giles Levesque.

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BREWER – The Brewer side of the Bangor Dam has become in recent months a popular place – not just for those interested in fishing.

The concrete portion of the old dam, incorporating the former fishway and extending to the breach at midriver, has attracted more than fish and flotsam.

According to Brewer City Chairman Michael Maybury, the area has become a playground of sorts for young people, some of whose idea of fun is potentially hazardous.

“I have reports of kids swimming in the area,” Maybury said, “which can be dangerous – especially if the tide is going out.”

50 years ago – Sept. 21, 1956

BANGOR – Bangor’s smallest, but fully accredited, school has 10 students and five grades.

The Seventh Day Adventist Parochial School in the basement of the church on Court Street is now in its second year. The subjects taught are the same as in the public schools, except that a course of study of the Bible has been added.

Elder Roger Clausen, pastor of the church, said Mrs. Beulah Ellis of Bucksport is the chairwoman of the school board of trustees, and the other members of the board are Maynard Henderson of Hermon, Mrs. Percy Sawyer of Brewer and Robert Timon of Hampden.

One teacher handles all of the grades taught. She is Mrs. Elizabeth Henderson of 44 Wing St. Mrs. Henderson is a graduate of Farmington State Normal School and has had several years of experience in teaching, all within the Seventh Day Adventist parochial system.

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BANGOR – Excellent ratings throughout four days of competition against other New England teams has won for Maine’s 4-H dairy delegation first place in herdsmanship at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Mass.

David Kelley of Bangor received the Frank Atwood Trophy award for an animal bred by an exhibitor. He placed eighth with a Guernsey senior calf in the 4-H club show. Kelley won possession for one year of the perpetuating trophy and took a smaller trophy to keep permanently.

100 years ago – Sept. 21, 1906

BANGOR – A.B. Purington, the proprietor of the Exchange Street automobile garage, will start on an interesting automobile tour on Saturday morning. For the past few weeks a 40-horsepower Mercedes machine, the property of Mrs. Henry R. Campbell of New York, has been in Mr. Purington’s garage, in charge of her chauffeur, Mr. Wyman. Mr. Purington, acting as pilot, will leave with Mr. Wyman for Greenville, where Mrs. Campbell will join them with her daughter-in-law.

The party will leave Greenville as soon as the baggage is packed, arriving in Dover in time for dinner. The next morning, the party will leave Dover, go to Skowhegan and take dinner in Augusta, and arrive in Biddeford in time for supper. The party will then go on to Nashua, N.H., and Worcester, Mass. On Monday morning they will make the run to Hartford, Conn., and from there to Long Island, N.Y. Mr. Purington will leave the party at Hartford and arrive in Bangor Tuesday morning.

The machine is one of the finest ever seen in Bangor and cost $10,000 in France, the $3,000 duty making the total cost $13,000.

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BANGOR – Dwelley & Co. have opened its new sewing machine rooms at No. 90 Main St., one flight up. A full line of new sewing machines are on hand, priced from $17 up. Machines are sold, rented and repaired. Needles, oil and parts for most machines are available.

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BREWER – Considerable excitement and a great deal of unwonted activity was caused late Thursday afternoon by the antics of a handsome green and gold parrot which, disdaining the gilded cage of captivity, preferred to roam afar.

Coaxing, cajoling, offers of crackers and all blandishments were bestowed without avail. The parrot proceeded to thread the mystic maze of the French horse chestnut trees and swing in the tall elms in the vicinity of the Burr block.

Four schoolteachers, the usual small boy contingent and several prominent residents seconded the efforts of the parrot’s owner. But the bird remained in an adamantine state despite all overtures and it remained for a prominent undertaker – who undertook the Herculean task – to coax the errant Pretty Poll to descend from its aerie in the top of a tree and triumphantly restore the bird to its owner.

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BUCKSPORT – L.S. Wasson is receiving many compliments on the fine display he made of farm products at the Orland fair. Mr. Wasson was awarded the first premium on his 23-month-old Jersey heifer that was giving milk the past five months. He also received premiums on his Hubbard squash and Irish Cobbler and Burpee’s Early potatoes. Mr. Wasson milked his cows at the fair, separated the cream and gave it away to persons on the grounds. He used one of the up-to-date Cleveland Separators, for which he has the agency in this part of the country.

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CASTINE – Mr. Robert Domansky has beaten his own record in walking around the 10-mile square in one hour and 57 minutes, thus clipping off three minutes.

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ORONO – The University of Maine opened the season of 1906-1907 with one of the largest registrations in the history of the college. Nearly all the upperclassmen have returned and there were nearly 30 students entered into advance standing.

The freshmen class is a record-breaker. It is estimated that 130 new men had registered and there were still more to come. The greatest gain was in the agricultural and liberal arts departments.

The question now arises as to what is to become of all these new men in the way of boarding places. Oak Hall is full to overflowing, the men being packed – in many instances – three to a room. The rest of the men are being housed in the fraternity houses and in Orono.

For the last few years the boarding places have been growing scarcer and now it hardly seems there will be room to house all the new men. Some are temporarily quartered in the gymnasium, where cots have been set up.

“Oh, for a new dormitory,” is the cry. The dormitory question has got to such a pitch it is no longer a want but a necessity.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin