100 years ago, 1916
In spite of the snow and wind on Wednesday evening about 15 members of the Abend Club started for a long sleigh ride. The storm was so severe early in the evening that they went only as far as Frost Park where they decided they would spend the remainder of the evening. The evening was spent in playing games, singing, music and at a late hour Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo G. Frost served a delicious oyster stew. Mr. Frost brought the party back about 11 o’clock.

50 years ago, 1966
A larger, more elaborate Ward Bros. Inc. store will have its grand opening on Monday to climax a $400,000 expansion and remodeling program which began late last year. The well-known downtown store, which specializes in fashionable women’s wear, has added a new department, expanded other departments and has installed new flooring, ceiling, lights and fixtures. “We have unlimited faith in the future of the Lisbon Street business district,” said Israel M. Ward and Nathan A. Ward, co-founders of the business. The big expansion program involved the joining of two stores on Lisbon Street, the present Ward Brothers location as 72-76 Lisbon St. and the building formerly occupied by Top Value Enterprises at 70 Lisbon St.

25 years ago, 1991
(Photo Caption) Doug Hovland and daughter Lauren of Brunswick peer into a maple sap evaporator at Jillson’s Farm-Sugarhouse in Sabattus, as Lou Poulin explains the syrup-making process. Jillson’s was one of 28 Maine sugarhouses in 12 counties holding open houses on Maine Maple Sunday, an event organized by the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. Owners of the Sabattus sugarhouse estimated it saw 500 visitors, who enjoyed free maple ice cream topped with maple syrup, and served more than 150 meals Sunday. Syrup producers in the area said attendance was lower than in years past due to the weather.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.