75 Years Ago – July 21, 1949
Gov. Payne Lists Festival As Top Maine Attraction — Five New England Governors and three from outside this area have been extended invitations to the 1949 Potato Blossom Festival in Fort Fairfield August 15, according to an announcement today by Gov. Frederick G. Payne. Personal invitations went to Governor John Pastore of Rhode Island; Paul A. Dever of Massachusetts; Ernest W. Gibson of Vermont; Sherman Adams of New Hampshire; Chester Bowles of Connecticut; Earl K. Long of Louisiana; Alfred E. Driscoll of New Jersey and C. A. Robins of Idaho. Gov. Payne said the governors have been asked to bring their wives, and a week-end fishing trip is being planned, climaxed by the festival. In his letter to neighbor governors, Payne wrote, in part: “One of Maine’s top vacation attractions for summer visitors is the annual Maine Potato Blossom Festival in Aroostook County where we really turn out spuds.”
Expect To Hit Peak Of Pea Harvest This Week — The local Birds Eye-Snider division, General Foods Corporation, recently started harvesting its 1949 pea crop of an estimated 2,250 acres and is expected to reach its peak this week, Estle Gallop, manager, announced today.
50 Years Ago – July 17, 1974
Betty Fowler Elected To Lead Assoc. — Miss Betty Fowler of Houlton was recently installed as president of the Maine Medical Record Association at the 38th Annual Convention of the Maine Hospital Association June 23-25, at the Colony in Kennebunkport. She will serve a two year term as state president and will represent the Maine Medical Record Association at the National Presidents Seminar in December in Chicago. Miss Fowler is employed at the Houlton Regional Hospital as director of the Medical Record Department, also a consultant to the Aroostook Health Center, Mars Hill, Calais Regional Hospital and Eastport Memorial Hospital.
Former Houlton Native Is Among Top Tennis Players — Mary Beatham Smith of Las Cruces, N.M., was on the tennis courts as soon as she could hold a racket, she stated last week as she spoke of her career in amateur tennis in the United States southwestern tennis association district. Mrs. Smith, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Beatham of Houlton, ranks 17 in the field of amateur tennis players in the southern district of the United States Ladies Tennis Association. This year round sports area includes New Mexico, Arizona and Western Texas, an area active in tennis with “stiff” competitive tournaments. An interesting sidelight in Mrs. Smith’s story is revealed as she speaks of not playing tennis during her college years and the first few years of her marriage. After 13 years of inactivity in the sport, she decided to try her hand once again on the courts. She became interested after a few lessons in improving her game and then decided to “find out just how good I am”, she states. Upon entering competition on the amateur basis, she found that in the first few tournaments she was “bombed”, but each series of competition increased her desire to improve and she worked harder for the next round of tournaments. Today, this routine of work includes at least three hours on the courts daily, and running a mile each day for conditioning.
25 Years Ago – July 21, 1999
Jackett heads for All-American Soap Box Derby — With his Soap Box Derby car already shipped to Akron, Ohio, Houlton’s Jeremy Jackett hasn’t really thought too much about the 62nd All-American Derby Race…until now, however it’s been a different story for his parents, Sharon and Blaine Jackett of Houlton. Jeremy was the winner in the Super Stock division of the Northern Maine Soap Box Derby Race held June 26 in Houlton.
Local Music Pupils Honored — Nine local pupils from the class of Mrs. Robert Trickey, Nathaniel Cady, James Bates, Camille Pierce, Leah Bates, Breanne Blanchette, Devin Cady, Sarah Cady, Tyler Rowe and Chelsie Lord, were registered candidates of the National Fraternity of Student Musicians, sponsored by the National Guild of Piano Teachers, Teacher Division of the American College of Musicians. This group played in the national piano playing spring auditions held in Waterville. Each played one or more selections and all received credible ratings to advance to the next level of performance, if they desire to audition next year.
