LISBON FALLS — A program on the 25th anniversary of the burning of the Worumbo Mill in Lisbon Falls will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 11, at the Lisbon Historical Society, MTM Center, 18 School St. For more information call Faye at 353-5771 or Al at 402-9138.

The Lisbon Historical Society will host “Remembering Worumbo,” a commemorative program marking the 25th anniversary of the blazing destruction of the world-renown textile mill. The fire was one of the largest in Maine’s history. The loss of the brick edifice, the background of the Lisbon Falls Main Street, was a shattering blow to the spirit of the community.

Guest speakers for the program will be Faye Brown, a lifelong Lisbon Falls resident with close ties to the history of the Worumbo Mill, Lisbon firefighter Michael Robitaille who was on the first truck at the scene, Lt. Dan Michel, Lisbon Police officer at the scene and Scott Benson, current economic director for the town of Lisbon.

The film “Remembering Worumbo” was made from a rare film treasure of the 1954 visit to the Worumbo Mill by the crew of the old TV show “Truth or Consequences.” Shortly after the Worumbo fire, the then ‘new’ librarian, Diane Nadeau, made the serendipitous discovery of the film which was tucked away in an old closet.

Brown, president of the board of trustees for the Lisbon Falls Library, arranged for the 35mm film to be shown to the board members at The Eveningstar Cinema in Brunswick. Negotiations with Ralph Edwards Productions in Hollywood resulted in returning the ‘lost’ film to their studios. In thanks, the studio released rights to the footage and sent back videos, negatives and photos from the film and the entire script of the “Truth of Consequences” episode. The film shows the entire working process of the shorn wool from sheep to suit.

In 2010, Maine Fiber Arts converted the outdated videos to DVD format and added on-site footage of the fire taken by the last firefighter, Jim Fournier, and additional footage of the old Worumbo advertisements and current manufacturing and products sold at Maine Woolens in Brunswick.

Audience participation is invited and guests will be encouraged to peruse the many Worumbo artifacts curated by Dorothy and Alfred Smith, longtime volunteers and directors of the Lisbon Historical Society. Refreshments will be served.

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