100 years ago, 1917
Sunday afternoon and evening, hundreds of people with skates slung over their shoulders were seen going to and from the river. The rain of Friday, followed by the cold snap, made some excellent skating and the surface of the Androscoggin, near the ice houses, looks like a large mirror. Ice enthusiasts weren’t slow in taking advantage of conditions, for it is common talk that good skating conditions are a rarity, especially on the Androscoggin. Swarms or people, both young and old, glided over the smooth surface. If you wanted to find a friend, chances were ten to one that he was up on the river. Those who didn’t have any skates, borrowed them against the time when the stores would open Monday morning. Skates of all kinds were in evidence.

50 years ago, 1967
Satisfaction with the progress being made by the girls at the Job Corps Center at Poland Spring, was expressed by the center’s community relations director. Edward J. Torrey, as he addressed Lewiston-Auburn Social Service Association at a luncheon meeting at the Steckino Restaurant Tuesday afternoon. After outlining the Job Corps’ different colonies of learning, vocational, academic and specialization, he referred to the “turnover” at the school, which, he explained, develops after an orientation program of four weeks which includes testing and classification and which sometimes reveals that the candidates are not altogether qualified.

25 years ago, 1992
The wrecking ball began to swing at the Clark Shoe complex in Auburn Tuesday, as part of a demolition process expected to continue for five months. Workers have spent the past month clearing asbestos from the site. The buildings, located along the Union Street Bypass, will be taken down floor by floor. A demolition permit was granted by the city Monday. The job, including the asbestos removal, is expected to cost more than $150,000, part of which was financed by the city.

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