100 Years Ago: 1922

“Ah hah” said the big black bear, “so you’re the gink who’s been eating my blueberries.” But the gink neither denied or corroborated the accusation. He just started hastily in one direction and the big black Bear followed suit. “No, you don’t,” continued the bear, but W.H. Waterman of Turner  Road, Auburn, did. He ran and Mr. Bear kept immediately in the rear. Mr. W. didn’t shout for help. He couldn’t ! At any rate he reached civilization as promptly as possible safely.

Mr. Waterman was picking blueberries in North Auburn Friday evening when he happened to gaze up and encountered a good sized bear standing on his hind legs interestedly watching him. He didn’t stop to argue, but delivered a silent message to his feet and they answered his plea.

A previous report that a bear had been seen in the neighborhood was thought to be false, but Mr. Waterman doesn’t run for the fun of it.

50 Years Ago: 1972

Workers from Clayton Copp and Sons Building Movers of Cumberland moved the Plummer and Merrill Funeral Home today across Turner Street today across Turner Street to its new location at the beginning of Center Street, Auburn.

Many area residents turned out to reminisce and watch the event which involved the main part of the 101-year-old structure on four diesel trucks attached to the steel girders that support its base.

The garage section will be moved on another day. Today’s activity which got underway around 12:30 pm took much of the afternoon because of the size of the three-story building. The structure is being located to make room for the Union Street Bypass.

25 Years Ago: 1997

Some Lewiston-Auburn residents may have reached the conclusion late last night that either the sky was falling or their eye-checks needed to be renewed.

Actually, it was only the sky that was falling — minute particles of it, that is. And a friend and I were lucky to witness the fabulous meteor shower as a rewarding once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We were on our way back to Lewiston, about 10 p.m. via a remote Sabattus road, when he mentioned to me that the showers were to take place. How convenient — it was 10:50 so we were in time to view the 11 o’clock peak. Lying face up on the hood of the car, we were simply fascinated at the split-second streaks of light that were now occurring at about one per minute. The meteors darted through every corner of the crystal – clear sky. And being far from the “big-city lights” made it possible for practically every star to be seen — It was a real trip. Then came the highlight of the shower — a huge meteor ready, we thought, to strike the earth at any second — and it would have if it hadn’t burned out in one and a half seconds, but it was a beauty starting out white and turning all different colors before it became only a memory.

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

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