Yesterday was the gala day of the Auburn Friday Club, the time of their annual banquet. This year the program was somewhat different from usual, but the whole affair which was arranged by Mrs. R. A. Parker and Mrs I. N. Packard was a great success.

The club met in the afternoon, as usual, with Mrs. V. H. Bacheller of Court Street. In response to the roll call all responded with nuts to crack. A guessing contest followed involving appropriate names of wives of men both great and small.

The ladies then boarded the car for the Lake Grove House, where the banquet was served at six o’clock.

50 years ago, 1959

Regular bus fares in the Lewiston-Auburn area will jump a nickel to 20 cents on Monday as the Hudson Bus Lines of Medford, Mass., begins transit service where the Lewiston-Auburn Transit Co. will leave off.

Hudson was officially awarded the operating franchise yesterday by the Maine Public Utilities Commission and the company immediately posted a basic 20-cent fare.

Commissioner Richard McMahon of the PUC said it would allow the rate schedule to become effective Monday without the customary suspension pending a public hearing. L-A Transit Co. had a similar rate schedule before the commission when it decided late last year to go out of business.

25 years ago, 1984

A fallen wire caused a blackout of street lights in a section of Lewiston Sunday night.

Lewiston police received a number of calls reporting that the street lights were out along sections of Bates, College, Oak and Pine streets after a wire fell shortly before 6 p.m. at the corner of Hammond and Lowell streets.

A spokesman for the Lewiston Public Works Department’s pumping and electric plant said a street light crew was dispatched when the complaints came in and had the lights on again by 7:10 p.m.