(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Dec. 6, 1997

PENOBSCOT – She was born when Benjamin Harrison was president. She remembers the sinking of the Titanic and driving a Model T Ford. She cleaned clothes on a washboard, taught in a one-room schoolhouse and gave birth at home long before it became a New Age trend.

Surrounded by a dozen well-wishers leaning on walkers and sitting in wheelchairs at the Northern Bay Residence Living Center, Frona Thompson celebrated her 108th birthday – to the surprise of even herself.

Thornton was born in Springfield to farmers Rose and Edward Moore. Her earliest memories are of running around with the families cows, horses and chickens.

She married Ernest Thompson, who had been a schoolmate since grade school. She raised a son, David, and became an avid knitter, reader and dancer. She also loved to clean her house, sew her own clothes and walk in the wilderness.

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BANGOR – The open house at Wellspring Inc. was billed as a celebration of the holiday season.

The substance abuse agency opened the doors of its Cumberland Street men’s halfway house and the State Street women’s house to welcome past and present board members, staffers and clients, as well as friends and neighbors who support the agency’s programs or want to learn more about them.

But the holiday theme was just a handy ruse. Wellspring staff and board members figured it was the only way to get newly retired board member Hilda Sewall to show up at the men’s house for a surprise party in appreciation of her nearly quarter-century of service. Sewall served as board secretary from 1973 through last year. It was the Orono native’s first experience as a volunteer.

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BANGOR – Let’s take a trip back in time – say, a dozen years or so. Pretend we’re listening to the Bangor Symphony Orchestra perform.

Maestro Werner Torkanowsky flails his arms and bounces on his feet and there we all are caught up in the moment, the music, the magic. Now come back to the present, but keep this question in mind: “If Werner is here, then who is conducting his orchestra back at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he is a part-time faculty member? It’s his esteemed graduate student, Keith Lockhart.

These days, however, Lockhart is the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

25 years ago – Dec. 6, 1982

BANGOR – The temperature at Bangor International Airport soared to 65 degrees this weekend as all of New England enjoyed unseasonably warm weather.

While National Weather Service records for Bangor temperatures go back only to 1953, those concerned with gathering weather data think 65 degrees is an all-time record high.

Christmas decorations hanging off lamp posts in downtown Bangor and a large crowd of shoppers filling the streets were proof that the holiday season is approaching.

However, short-sleeve shirts, motorcycles and store doors flung wide open made the weekend feel like a late Indian summer or an early spring.

50 years ago – Dec. 6, 1957

BANGOR – The northern New England regional office of Army Engineers said Maine sites for missile installations will be cleared this winter.

A spokesman said construction will be begin in the spring at the $10.5 million Bomarc long-range missile facility proposed for Dow Air Force Base, Bangor. The completion date is 1960.

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BANGOR – The annual Methodist Church fair proved beyond a doubt that today’s woman has not lost touch with the arts of yesteryear.

The beautiful handmade articles for sale, including dolls and children’s dresses, mittens, pillowcases, Christmas stockings so attractively arrayed were evidence of the many hours spent in preparing for the sale and of the many and varied talents of the members of the church groups.

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BANGOR – Distributors of gasoline and fuel oil in the Bangor area said that prices generally have not risen here in the wake of reports from southern New England of higher prices there.

The average pump price in the Bangor-Brewer area for regular gasoline was quoted at 31.5 and 31.9 cents a gallon. A few service stations are selling the regular grade at 29.9 cents.

100 years ago – Dec. 6, 1907

BREWER – The Junior Epworth League of the Methodist Episcopal church wishes to send a Christmas box to one of the Home schools for Negro children in the South. The price of admission to the league’s social evening will be one or more of the following items for the box: spool of thread, paper of pins, card of buttons, roll of tape, handkerchief, pencil, block of paper, game or toy, any garment that is clean and whole, or anything that a child could use and enjoy.

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CASTINE – It has been announced that after a long course of deliberation and study of the matter that Castine will have a canning factory, and stock company organized by W.A. Ricker and Horatio Crie for the purpose of preparing and packing sardines and clams. The company has been organized with $50,000 capital stock, issued in the shape of 7 percent bonds of denomination of $50 and upwards, many of which have already been subscribed for.

The wharf property at the foot of Green Street, owned by W.H. Hooper, has been secured and work will begin at once toward fitting it up and establishing the plant which will be put into running order as soon as possible. This will give Castine a much-needed stimulus and will furnish employment.

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BRADFORD CENTER – The light fall of snow recently has been of great service to the hunters in this vicinity and among those who have brought in game are the three Brooks brothers, Len, Fred and Harold, who each have secured a deer.

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CARMEL – Mrs. Mary French had the misfortune to lose a valuable Jersey cow.

A mixed carload of beef cattle and milch cows were shipped from the station by a Mr. Brown of Palmyra.

Five carloads of Christmas trees are on the siding and more are to be loaded when the whole will be sent to Philadelphia.

After drilling in the solid ledge 55 feet, Charlie Day and son have found an abundance of water. Graves Brothers of Etna did the drilling and furnished the pump and fixtures.

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NORTH PENOBSCOT – Reuben E. Grindle, who has lost several of his sheep, presumably by dogs, had the good fortune to entrap their slayer, which proved to be a large bobcat, and not a dog.

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PENOBSCOT – Miss Grayce Wardwell has gone to Castine to work for Mrs. Horatio Crie.

Ulysses S. Varnum and Fred Wight are engaged in putting dormer windows on Archie Perry’s house at Gay hill.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin