75 years ago

The Intercalss One-act Play Contest of Rangeley High School will be held Friday evening, May 3, at the High School gym. The Senior Class will present Dead Men Can’t Hurt you, with the cast of characters as follows: Nan Hilder, Marilyn Herrick; Oscar Hilder, Maurice MacIver; Bertha Hilder, Florence Grant; Emil Maver, James Moulton; Williams, Calvin Fox; coach, Mr. Lamb.

Visitors’ Day was observed by the Ladies’ Aid of Strong at the Parish House on Wednesday afternoon. There were 35 present. The meeting was called to order by the President, Zena Kingsley, and was opened by repeating the Lord’s Prayer. The President then extended a cordial welcome to all. An invitation was extended the Aid to meet with Mrs. P.W. Mason in two weeks.

After 28 years in the employ of the Franklin Journal and Farmington Chronicle as pressman during which he has printed 2796 issues of the paper, Frank W. Lawry retired on Saturday. Last July 5th, this veteran printer served his 59th anniversary in the trade. Starting in 1880 as a “devil” in the office of the Farmington Herald, “Bid” as he is better known, worked on the Phillips Phonograph, the Maine Wood, the Lowell, Mass. Morning Mail, the Lowell, Mass. Times, the Farmington Chronicle, and in the job office of The Knowlton & McLeary Company.

State and County police were on the lookout Monday for a red, 1933 Chevrolet sport roadster, bearing dealer plates 317, which was stolen on Sunday night from Orris Vose, Phillips car salesman. According to State Officer Kenneth Twitchell, a young man who was unknown to Vose asked him to try the auto. Vose permitted him to do so and the young man and the car failed to return.

The Norton Flat Farm Bureau met with Mrs. Minnie Linscott on Wednesday with 20 members present. In the forenoon, Miss Charlotte Cleaves, State Clothing Specialist, gave instruction in clothes buying, showing samples used in dresses of various types and also samples of suiting. At noon a Square Meal for Health was served formal style, prepared by Edith Wheeler, Ruby Wright and Josephine Norton.

50 years ago

David W. Ames of New Sharon was guest speaker, Thursday evening, at a meeting of the Farmington Rotary Club held in the vestry of the North Church. Ames spoke concerning highway survey work and illustrated his talk with large drawings depicting projected highways.

It was announced last Tuesday by the store manager, Richard Marquis, that the Wilfred McLeary Company of Farmington will discontinue the retail hardware business but will continue with the L.P. gas business. The liquidation sale started Friday and will continue until all merchandise is sold out.

The names of the three Commencement speakers at Wilton Academy have been announced by Principal Morton Hamlin. Listed alphabetically, they are: Sanford Merritt Emerson, James W. Searles, and Nancy Aileen Welch.

The Board of Directors of School Administrative District #9 have voted to transport all Industry pupils to schools in Farmington effective September. This change is being initiated after a thorough review of the transportation problems involved, and in noting that Industry has had a gradual decline in its elementary enrollments during the past few years. A public meeting had been held in Industry in which the pros and cons of transferring approximately 17 students from Junior Primary to grade three were discussed before the Board of Directors took official action. Mrs. Ruby Kyes, presently teaching in the Industry Elementary School, will be assigned to teach a second grade in the Mallett School beginning September.

Bob Downes F.H.S. track boys hosted Gould Academy of Bethel and Livermore Falls teams in a triangular meet in Farmington Friday at Hippach Field. Gould was first with 106 1/2 points; Farmington second with 35 1/2 points and Livermore Falls trailed with 15 points. Gould won 12 of the 14 events. One event was credited to F.H.S. and L.F.

25 years ago

According to Traffice Engineer Bruce Ibarguen, the Department of Transportation will be putting signs up overhead on span wire at Mt. Blue Shopping Center. “The signs will identify what you are supposed to do in each of the five lanes,” he says. At the signal at the Hospital, he said they are going to modify that so there won’t be “the ominous three green balls as you come in from Wilton.” The signals will be the same as those seen when heading out of Farmington and turning onto Route 133, an “all arrow signal head,” he said.

With the deadline for budget decisions coming up on Tuesday, the SAD #9 School Board met to consider a new budget item. Superintendent Lawson Rutherford explained that the Mallett School Library has always been served by the Ingalls Library.

But, when the Ingalls School is closed and the student body is moved to the new school being built near Mt. Blue Junior High on Middle Street, the library will go, too.

“The issue is,” he said, “shall a library be created in the Mallett School?”

The cost of a new library for Mallett would be $32,500 without staff. That figure includes $12,000 for books and periodicals, $2,000 for audio-visual equipment and $10,000 which would include furniture.

Although not able to be present at the opening meeting of Mystic Valley Grange, Friday night, Lillian Look was presented the community service award for the year, with her niece, Louise Gerrish, accepting it for her. Mrs. Look was also presented a paperweight from the Grange and a basket of flowers from Gwen and Clyde Harvell and Mabel Flagg. Proprietor for 28 years of Look’s Variety Store in East Dixfield, Mrs. Look was praised as “being very accommodating” to neighbors and townspeople.

Randy Hastings of Chesterville and Beth Hanish of Augusta, took top honors in the men’s and women’s divisions, respectively, in Saturday’s “Celebrating A Healthy UMF Environment” 5K Road Race and One Mile Walk. Hastings topped all runners with a course time of 16 minutes and 38 seconds, while Hanish cruised the circuit in 21:10.

Compiled by Barry Matulaitis