100 years ago, 1916
It was hot, with the sidewalks curling, the entire population of the city hunting for a combination of shade, a breeze and ice-water, Lewiston was a fair example of “The Deserted Village” yesterday afternoon. As far as could be seen the only ones in town were the unfortunates who had to be content with a place in the sun and a dilapidated and forgotten horse, that was waiting patiently for its owner in front of a refreshment booth. Auburn police were even driven out, and representatives of the force adjourned to Taylor pond to cool off. The level of the pond rose perceptibly when one of the well-known members of the department entered the water.

50 years ago, 1966
(Photo Caption) Some people paint mustaches on pictured faces, others get their “kicks” in diversified other ways. This sign stood for more than two days in a parking space on Park Street, Lewiston, and consequently, the space remained unoccupied throughout. Several passers-by found good reason to chuckle, for a clever (although mischievous) youngster had done a bit of artwork and changed it from “ No Parking. Sweeping. Police,” to “No Parking, Sleeping Police.” Well — in the midst of a heat wave there really isn’t much else to do.

25 years ago, 1991
The possibility of a performing arts center for the Twin Cities has been kicked about for years. Almost everyone agrees it’s an appealing idea. Almost nobody has had time or energy to do much about it. Now the dream may be a bit closer to reality, thanks to a federal grant to LA Arts. “I think it’s possible that we could have one within three years,” said Katherine Knowles, executive director of the community arts organization. “It’s definitely a need, something a lot of people have been talking about for a long time.” Such a center is a major goal of a $27,000 “advancement grant” awarded to LA Arts by the National Endowment for the Arts, one of 45 such grants awarded among 400 arts organizations nationwide that applied this year.

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