100 Years Ago: 1918

Charles W. Marshall of West Auburn accepted a position of principal at Wilton Academy and will move there soon to begin his duties the second Tuesday of September. Mr. Marshall has had many experiences in Amherst and other Massachusetts towns.

50 Years Ago: 1968

Auburn Police Sgt. Rene Plourde and Officer Richard Keene, the APD’s maintenance men, went to Lake Auburn this morning on a report that there was a boat adrift on the lake. The officers spotted the boat and then returned to Keene’s home to pick up a boat, which they launched near the former ice house site. Taking the aluminum boat in tow, they headed along the shoreline hoping to find out who was missing the craft. Near the pumping station of the Auburn Water District, the officers noticed two men standing near the water. “Know whose boat this is?” they inquired. From one of the men came back the reply, “Yeah. It’s ours.” The officers learned that the boat, owned by the Auburn Water District, was launched by the two men who were going after a water sample, but the rope tied to the bow came loose.

25 Years Ago: 1993

Mobile food and merchandise vendors will face higher fees to peddle Auburn’s streets as well as an insurance requirement if councilors pass a new ordinance they discussed at a Monday night workshop. The ordinance applies to any mobile or itinerant vendor, selling food, drink or merchandise on city property, which includes vehicles, push-carts and temporary stands. The city currently charges such vendors $50 for a license to operate, but if the ordinance passes as discussed Monday, fees will increase depending on how many months the vendor will be operating. The fee will remain at $50 for vendors seeking a permit for 90 days or less but will cost $75 for up to six months and $100 for up to a year. The same scale will be used for fees for the use of city property, which vendors pay to operate in parking lots or any other public area. In addition, the ordinance will require applicants, wishing to use city property, to present proof of insurance to the city.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors may be corrected.