100 Years Ago – Oct. 18, 1923
A box social at Castle Hill Grange Hall — The pupils of Porter school gave a program and held a box social at Castle Hill Grange Hall Saturday evening. Homemade candy and ice cream was sold and tea and coffee served with the supper. The proceeds of the evening amounted to $46.93 and was used to purchase a Victrola for the school. Much credit was due to the children who worked to make the program and gather success. Many thanks were due to the parents and others who furnished boxes and candy, as well as those who purchased boxes.
75 Years Ago – Oct. 14, 1948
Training future drivers — Clarence Keegan was one of the instructors in the new driver training course at Presque Isle High school. The “training course” for the first lessons was the midway area of the Northern Maine Fairgrounds, where there was ample space for the students to get accustomed to handling a car with little danger of accidents.
The Community Association Program showed rapid growth during the year — A growing list of recreation activities in which an increasing number of Presque Isle children and adults were participating was shown in the progress report submitted by Recreation Director William V. Haskell to the directors of the Presque Isle Community Association, the agency which received the largest share of the Community Chest funds. Haskell’s report showed total participation in activities sponsored by the Community Association during the first nine months of the year was nearly 15,000 greater than for the entire year 1947.
50 Years Ago – Oct. 17, 1973
Efficiency award — The Battery Maintenance section of Battery A of the 152nd Field Artillery in Presque Isle received an award for efficiency. Brigadier General Charles S. Reed, Deputy Adjutant General of Maine presented the award.
Gas station won award — Dan Libby, Exxon service station operator, Presque Isle, was named a winner on October 11, in a statewide service station beautification contest. Beauty at the pump was the theme of the Fourth Annual Awards Banquet sponsored by the Maine Petroleum Association. Petroleum marketing personnel, state legislators and governmental officials attended the banquet to pay tribute to the top 20 stations in Maine.
State workshop — The Presque Isle branch of the American Association of University Women hosted a workshop Oct. 13, at which 14 state AAUW groups were represented. Held at Kelly Commons, the meeting presented a statewide program called the “Yellow Pages of Human Resources.” Yellow Pages is a directory to be compiled by the association listing people, events and places which are available and useful for educational purposes. The Equal Rights Amendment was discussed along with the Association’s four two-year study topics: Dynamic Learning, Woman Searching For Self, Media and Global Interdependence.
25 Years Ago – Oct. 21, 1998
Honored — The Easton School Board honored retiring teacher, Barbara Mahany, at Easton Elementary Library with the presentation of an engraved rocking chair by board chairman Gaylen Flewelling and Superintendent of Schools Richard Durost. Miss Mahany taught elementary students for 43 years, 37 of those years in the Easton school system. She respectfully asked no other celebrations as she had loved every day of her work.
Donation — Neil Michaud, treasurer, and Mary MacBride, president of Probus Club of Central Aroostook, presented Dana Swett, Northern Maine Fair Representative, a pledge for the construction of the Forestry Resource Council building to be constructed on the Northern Maine Fairgrounds. The building includes educational displays on forestry.
National recognition — J. Charles Fox, acting administrator for the EPA’s Office of Water, presented Mars Hill Utility District Superintendent Jeff Saucier with the award for Most Improved Wastewater Treatment Facility in the United States.
