The annual reunion of the Old Grover Band will begin in Auburn with a rehearsal in the old band rooms which are located over Merrill and Webber’s. A large banner, announcing the headquarters, has been made and will be swung to the breezes so no member will have any difficulty in finding the rooms even if his memory has failed. Thursday will be the big day for the band, however. At that time all of the members will go to Lake Grove where the day will be spent. Dinner will be served in the Grange Hall. A public reception will be given to the citizens of Auburn in Auburn Hall and the affair promises to be a most pleasant one. Among those who will be present is Benjamin Ingram of Portland who has not seen many of the members for a long time. He is a clarinet player.

50 Years Ago, 1954

Carried on a cool evening breeze, the lively music of the first band concert of the season in Lewiston city park attracted about 100 people. The Montagnard Band, under the direction of Elphege A. Larrivee, played everything from the all-time hits of Jerome Kern to the free rhythms of a “jam session.” Some enjoyed the music from the benches and parked cars while others strolled around the bandstand. Among the more popular selections were music from Show Boat, “Time Out for a Jam Session,” “Lady of Spain,” and “Changing Partners.”

25 Years ago, 1979

“People want to have fun when they shop,” Boston designer Stephen Carr told Lewiston’s Boards of Mayor and Aldermen and Finance. Carr based his statement on the supposition that the mood of American shoppers is changing. In order to meet the public’s changing tastes and to better compete with the almost completed Auburn Mall, Carr’s design team had proposed construction on Lisbon Street of an activity center or outdoor mall containing a glass building (which could be used as a cafe or greenhouse), and a magnificent water wheel and space for trees with room for a farmer’s market and other entertainments. However, Finance Board members and aldermen said “no” to the mall concept and told the downtown design team representatives to come up with another idea.