(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Jan. 30, 1993

ORONO – Twenty-two engineering students from the University of Maine competed in the 17th annual Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec Province, Canada.

The UM teams did not capture any winning spots, but they did get nominated for best design – one of 15 categories judged in the competition – for two concrete bobsled-like creations they created during the last few months. The race gives engineering students practical experience in many concepts they study, like design and strength of materials.

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There’s about a 50-50 chance there’ll be another trans-Atlantic balloon race originating from Bangor during 1993. That was the word from Alan Noble, director of the 1992 race, when he addressed the annual dinner meeting of the Greater Bangor Chamber of Commerce Friday night.

Noble said a big American multinational company was talking about sponsoring a 1993 race. The president of the company wants to do it, he said, but the company’s marketing people will make the decision. According to Noble, a decision should be made in a week or 10 days. And, Noble said, Chrysler will probably sponsor the race again in 1994.

The British ballooning expert thanked the Bangor business community for its efforts to support the race last summer.

“Bangor is a can-do place and you certainly did it for us last year,” Noble said.

25 years ago – Jan. 30, 1978

The monthly meeting of the Bangor Historic Preservation Commission will include a discussion of the Charles H. Pond house on State Street, one of Bangor’s oldest structures.

Also on the agenda for the meeting is discussion of the Bangor Water Works project, and consideration of an application for historic designation of the David Fuller-Gordon Stanford double house.

The commission also will talk about the publication of a brochure concerning the city’s historic sites to be available to tourists.

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ORONO – The United Methodist Women of Orono hosted a session for the Methodist Church’s current study titled “Caribbean Crescent.”

President Mrs. Stacy Miller welcomed the group of men and women. The evening’s program included a discussion by the Rev. John W. Neff of the Panama Canal treaty; and a slide program by Dr. Frederick Hutchinson, vice president for research and public services at the University of Maine, on his recent trip to Mexico, Peru and Colombia, where he was involved in a study of foods and economics.

A film presented by Mrs. Donald Weaver, “Who’s Coming for Breakfast,” dealt with the impact of multinational corporations on Latin American countries.

50 years ago – Jan. 30, 1953

BANGOR – Dr. William G. Mather, professor of rural sociology at Pennsylvania State College, gave the fourth in the series of Enoch Pond lectures at the closing of Convocation Week at Bangor Theological Seminary.

Mather spoke in part on “Religion and the Community’s Boundaries:”

“The day is gone when the rural community nestled in the shelter of its hills, eating what it grew from its own soil, wearing what it took from the backs of its own sheep, riding horses reared in its own pastures, warmed by wood from its own forests. We do not live that way in America any more.

“The rural community, even the agricultural rural community, is one with the rest of the world now. It produces a single or a few commodities for sale, and uses the money to buy the things it needs to live on just as city folks do. It has learned that it lives better that way.”

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OLD TOWN – Pupils of the Stillwater School have decided this year to observe a different kind of Valentine’s party. Instead of the usual money each student would spend for valentines for their friends, they will make some kind of contribution for the polio campaign.

Valentine boxes will be on exhibition as in other years and the contributions, instead of the valentines, will be dropped in the boxes.

The collection on Valentine’s Day will be in addition to the Iron Lung collection made in each room of the school during the March of Dimes.

The goal of the Stillwater School is to have every child contribute, though it may be only pennies.

100 years ago – Jan. 30, 1903

OLD TOWN – A thrilling episode, while it lasted, was a bad runaway on Thursday afternoon, fortunately with no serious results.

Mrs. George Mishou, with her two small children, was enjoying a sleigh ride and had called at Allen’s store on Water Street. In attempting to turn in front of the store, the sleigh runner caught in the railroad track and quickly capsized, spilling Mrs. Mishou and her children out in a heap. As luck would have it all found soft and muddy places, and none were hurt in the least – the baby bobbing up all right, still pulling away at the nipple of his nursing bottle, although the bottle was smashed in the wreck.

The horse started in a crazy dash up Water Street. Little Willie Cassidy, 7-year-old son of William Cassidy, was playing in the street near the H.A.P. engine house. He saw the horse coming, but seemed too bewildered to move. It was a hair-raising second or two for the people who saw the horse coming and the little fellow right in the path.

As the horse was almost on him he started to run, but the horror-stricken spectators saw the horse and sleigh strike the boy and throw him some distance. He was picked up and carried into Dr. Landry’s office. An examination showed nothing more serious than a few cuts and bruises. No bones were broken. It seemed a marvelous escape. The horse was stopped near Dickey’s storehouse.

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BANGOR – High school boys were pitted against high school boys for basketball honors in the YMCA gymnasium Thursday night, and the pace set was a breathless one. The regular high school team was to have met the Bangor Theological Seminary team, but the seminary forfeited owing to illness, and a team from Alpha Phi, the new high school fraternity, came forward to meet the regulars. The game was not counted in the city league schedule.

The regular team won by a score of 18-12. The first half ended 9 to 7, in favor of that team, after 15 minutes of the fastest kind of work. In the second half, Alpha Phi showed a lack of training, although the team did splendid work.

It was a rough and tumble contest, partly for the reason that the Alpha Phi team has played so little together as to be awkward on the floor – and partly because there is strong rivalry. In the second half fouling was frequent on the part of the Alpha Phi team, 10 in all being called. This, however, was in no way due to malice.

Dick Matheas, of the Alpha Phi team, in the second half threw the prettiest goal that has been seen in the gymnasium this winter. It was from the field and was thrown sideways from the midst of fierce scrimmage.

Compiled by Matt Poliquin