100 years ago, 1916
Sounds reminiscent of the Thanksgiving dinner disturbed the solitude of the lower floor of the Lewiston city building last night. They emanated from the boiler room, which was turned into a coop for fourteen hens, stolen from a Bowdoin Center farmer, and later recovered by the police. Three boys were arrested. The boys told the police they had hired a team after supper, Friday evening, drove to Bowdoinham, and there committed the theft.

50 years ago, 1966
Former Lewiston Corporation Counsel William Rocheleau Jr. swept nearly every precinct Monday in Lewiston’s annual non-partisan election, piled up a 295-vote majority to win the Mayor’s seat and scuttle the need for a run-off election in two weeks. Rocheleau topped the four-man field with a vote of 6,318 on a gray, damp day that saw 12,024 voters turn out, about 57.9% of those registered. Unofficial returns gave the other candidates these votes: State Rep. Albert E. Cote 4,419, former Mayor Ernest Malenfant 990, and Eugene J. Caron 190.

25 years ago, 1991
On the first “official” day of the Christmas shopping season, Santa didn’t deliver a large batch of Christmas shoppers to local merchants. In fact, if the Big Man were asked to describe the start of the shopping season, he might call it “Ho, ho, hum.” There were plenty of cars in the parking lot of the Auburn Mall by noontime Friday, as many shoppers took advantage of the mild weather and day off from work to hit the mall. But, the large number of cars didn’t necessarily translate into a large number of dollars for merchants. Inside the mall, people with large packages were a rare sight. Browsing was the sport of the day.

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