100 Years Ago: 1925

Lewiston and Androscoggin county Institutions took Thursday to make known some of their needs to the 82nd legislature.

Senator Lane presented a resolve for $14,000 for the Healy Asylum for maintenance; a resolve for $10,000 for the Girl’s orphanage and $24,000 for the St. Mary’s General hospital all of Lewiston. Representative Holmes of Lewiston introduced a resolve for $30,000 for the Central Maine General hospital in Lewiston.

Representative Holmes also introduced a bill to increase the salary of the clerk of the Lewiston municipal court from $1,800 to $2,100.

50 Years Ago: 1975

Lewiston police reported Tuesday that they have cleared approximately 70 house breaks following a confession from one of two allegedly involved in the breaks.

The pair who police did not identify, one is a juvenile, is presently in jail in connection with other charges. Working on the case are Det. Lt. Normand Poulin, Det. Laurent F. Gilbert and Acting Detective Thomas Carey.

Among the goods stolen in the breaks, which Gilbert noted date back to February, 1974, were cash, coin collections, bank books, savings bonds, television sets, rifles, food and other small and valuable items.

25 Years Ago: 2000

Peter Hardy doesn’t mind much that he’s not making his living as a rock superstar. At least one night a week he can step right up to the microphone and step right into the limelight, often with his 8-year-old daughter, Zoe, beside him.

And the crowd goes wild.

Hardy, a professor of mathematics at the University of Maine at Farmington, is one of a dozen or so local musicians and otherwise wannabe rock ‘n’ rollers who brave the stage in two neighborhood taverns every Tuesday and Wednesday for open microphone nights. “I love to play music, and it’s nice to have an audience,” Hardy says. “It’s a thrill to get up there and have somebody appreciate your music.”

Zoe and Peter perform both cover songs and originals, usually ditties based on family experiences like the Hardy Family Reunion Song and the song about the time they hiked up Titcomb Ski Hill chasing their dog.

In cover tunes they throw in some of their own lyrics just to keep things interesting. Like the tune, “If I had a Million Dollars,” by Barenaked Ladies. Hardy sings: “If I had a million dollars, I’d buy you a tie-dyed dress.” Zoe responds: “But not a real tie-dye dress, that’s cruel.” Both are appropriately wearing colorful tie-dye clothing, Zoe a dress.

Zoe says she likes singing with her dad. Her favorite song: “The Women are Smarter.”

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