An eighteen foot naptha launch which has been purchased by Eugene Fredette has arrived in Lewiston and is now at the repair shop of I. F. Russell on Middle Street, where it is being put into first class order. The boat will be launched at Sabattus Pond as soon as the ice goes out.

William Cloutier will have his steam automobile out within a few days. The machine will be one of the most conspicuous ones on Lewiston and Auburn streets this year as during the winter it was painted a light blue.

50 Years Ago, 1955

Hollywood – Marlon Brando and Grace Kelly were named the top actor and actress of 1954 at the 27th Academy Awards tonight. Brando won for his role as the punchy pug in “On the Waterfront.” Miss Kelly, the Philadelphia heiress, was named for her part in “The Country Girl.”

A House-approved constitutional amendment permitting 18-year-olds to vote in Maine ran into a Senate roadblock today. Sen. Weeks (R-South Portland) lost by a 21-11 vote a bid for acceptance of a minority favorable report from the Judiciary Committee. Weeks pleaded with his colleagues to let the people decide the matter – all constitutional amendments must be ratified in referendum, but the opposition said most of Maine’s 18-year-olds don’t feel they are ready for the ballot.

25 Years Ago, 1980

Tourist spending in Maine hit an all-time high last year despite the gasoline shortage, but many Mainers stayed closer to home than usual last summer, according to a report prepared by the Maine State Office. The first “Tourism Quarterly Review” shows that direct tourist spending on taxable services, such as food and lodging, was $478.6 million in 1979 a 5.3 percent increase over 1978.

The United States Navy Band will present two performances at the Lewiston Memorial Armory on April 22. The Navy Band came into being on March 4, 1925, when President Calvin Coolidge signed a law creating the ensemble as the official musical representative of the Navy.