101 Years Ago – April 7, 1918
Insurance reports — According to the State Insurance Department report, there were 2,554 fires in Maine in 1917, with a total damage of $3,565,386. Presque Isle had 32 fires, with a total damage to buildings of $28,592. Insurance paid $12,721. The damage on contents was $52,469 with payments of $37,322.
75 Years Ago – April 20, 1944
County attorney — George V. Blanchard, Presque Isle attorney, announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for county attorney in the June primaries. Whereas the current County attorney, James Archibald, announced that he expected to be inducted in the Armed Forces, it had been reported that Blanchard may be called on to complete the term of Archibald, if inducted.
50 Years Ago – April 16, 1969
New store — The new First National store, located at the huge shopping complex at Main and North streets, officially opened Tuesday morning with traditional ribbon-cutting ceremonies attended by company and city dignitaries. The supermarket was the first firm to locate at the shopping plaza and it employed 42 full-time and additional part-time men and women from the community. The 14,500-square-foot store had a shopping area of approximately 10,000 square feet. Regarded as one of the most modern stores in the area, it carried between eight and 9,000 different items, including a full line of grocery, meat, frozen foods and fresh produce merchandise.
City makes guidebook — Presque Isle won recognition in the newest edition of the country’s best selling national tourist guidebook, the 1969 Mobil Travel Guide. Out of all the cities and towns in the U.S., only 4,208 were considered to have enough tourist appeal for inclusion in the guides, and Presque Isle was one of them.
25 Years Ago – April 20, 1994
Promoted — Gerald Sytsema, general manager of Maine Potato Growers Inc., announced the promotion of Richard (Rick) Shepherd to manager of MPG information systems. Shepherd had been with the cooperative since December 1983. As manager, Shepherd was responsible for all automated data processing and development of programs, equipment and systems.
Project awarded — The Expanded Food and Nutrition Program in northern and central Aroostook County received an America the Beautiful Award for its Youth Garden Project, involving 138 children throughout the area. Among the nutrition aides working on the project were Anna Anderson of Woodland; Charlene Roy of Frenchville; Carla Thibodeau of St. Francis; Chris Finemore of Bridgewater; Charlotte Wilson of Crouseville; and Cecilla Stadig of Soldier Pond.
Basketball battle — Trooper Ralph Graves of the Maine State Police and Ted St. Pierre, deputy sheriff for the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, were members of their department’s basketball teams in the Battle of the Badges benefit game held at Caribou High School. Proceeds from the event went toward child abuse prevention in the area.
