Birthdays are always special when they land on a holiday, and a New Year’s Day baby is one of those particularly memorable events.

Several decades ago, the whole Lewiston-Auburn community recognized the birth of the year’s first child in the Twin Cities. It called for a front-page picture in the Lewiston Evening Journal and a pile of pretty significant gifts from L-A merchants.

My family enjoyed celebrating such an occasion when my cousin became Auburn’s New Year’s baby in January 1939. William John Banks Jr. gained that distinction at Central Maine General Hospital (now Central Maine Medical Center) when the year was just 18 minutes old.

Young Bill Banks shared his new celebrity with Marie Joline Ouellette, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Ouellette, who was Lewiston’s first 1939 baby. She was born at their home at 4 a.m.

Several businesses in the Twin Cities donated prizes to the babies and their parents. Advertisements filled half a page in the Jan. 1 newspaper with descriptions of the gifts.

Most of the prizes went to the earliest arrival, but some were shared by both, like a $2 savings account given by Lewiston Trust Co.

The Banks family got a quarter of a ton of soft coal from United Fuel, a $3 grocery order from Caron and Langelier on Ash Street in Lewiston, dry cleaning of a man’s suit and a lady’s dress at Watkins Cleaners, a baby bassinet from Bradford, Conant and Co. on Lisbon Street, a dozen photos from Dora Clark Tash Studio, a “Baby Pepperell” blanket from the S.S. Kresge store, a permanent for the mother from Sally’s Beauty Studio and 12 cans of Heinz baby food from Boston Tea Store.

Day’s Jewelers and Opticians gave a baby locket and chain; R. Hamel jewelry gave a baby silver cup; Trober’s Furs gave a ladies hat; and the Stork Shop on Middle Street in Lewiston presented the family with a “Log of Life” memories book.

As I grew up, I was never aware of any competitiveness between my mother and her sister, who was Bill’s mother. Nevertheless, the next December it was my turn to appear in a newspaper photo on the day after my birth. This time, it was not New Year’s Day. I was the Twin Cities’ Christmas baby of 1939.

The tradition of community celebration of the New Year’s baby flourished for several years.

The honor went to Mary Cecile Gauthier in 1940. In addition to many of the same stores presenting gifts, there was $25 cash from Roy Bros. Transportation Co., baby scales from Lewiston Rubber Co. and a permanent from Pelletier’s Beauty Shop.

Wartime belt-tightening seems to be the reason that merchants stopped awarding New Year’s baby prizes after that.

In 1942, the babies and mothers recognized in the newspaper were Mrs. Ludger Gilbert Croteau of Walnut Street, Lewiston, whose daughter was born at St. Mary’s Hospital, and Mrs. Joseph Schatz, the former Beatrice Baker, of Newbury Street, Auburn, who gave birth to a daughter at CMG Hospital. No names were given for the infants, but they were the firstborn for both mothers.

The year 1944 brought particular notice because of the name given to the first baby. The end of World War II was in sight, and Norman Victor Henry Dulac won the title of “Victory Baby.” He was born at home, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Dulac Jr., Lewiston.

The tradition of publishing the New Year’s baby picture in the local newspaper continued for several more years, but the merchants’ page of ads disappeared. In 1951, the short news item about that year’s baby stated that L-A merchants would “flood the baby with gifts.”

Whether there may be prizes and newspaper photos of this year’s New Year’s babies of 2011, they are every bit as special as those of past years, and we wish them the very best.

Dave Sargent is a freelance writer and a native of Auburn. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].