75 Years Ago – May 12, 1949
175 Houlton Students To Take Part In Music Festival Saturday — This Saturday will mark the exodus of the greatest number of students ever to travel under the banner of the Black and White to an interscholastic activity. The entire personnel of the Music Clubs will journey to Fort Fairfield to participate in the Northern Maine Music Festival on that date. One hundred and seventy-five strong, these students represent 215 different instruments and voices drawn from the entire local six year high school with a few sixth grade instrumentalists as well. This will be the first step made by any of the High School Music Clubs other than the Band and represents a long step forward in a plan to interest as many students as possible in some musical activity. In addition to the band, other units making the trip will be the recently activated Orchestra, the Girls’ Glee Club of 60 voices, and the junior division’s own Glee Club and uniformed band. Each band can now boast of its own corps of Majorettes to set a snappy pace for marching and they too will make the trip.
Business In County Good — New York, May 16 – A comprehensive study of business activity in 1948 shows that Aroostook County maintained a high position among the 3,072 counties of the United States. The findings are contained in Sales Management’s copyrighted survey of buying power, just completed. Aroostook County recorded retail sales of $59,367,000 for the year, a considerable increase over the 56,934,000 done by local stores in 1947.
50 Years Ago – May 8, 1974
House-To-House Drive To Aid Muscular Dystrophy — A house-to-house march to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy program in Maine will be a first for Aroostook County. Contributions have been received in previous years but a house-to-house canvass has not been attempted. The campaign headquarters has released the report that the incidents of this disease are higher in Aroostook County than in any other area of Maine. Monies received will go towards the support of the Muscular Dystrophy Clinic in Maine, contribute towards payment of all medical appliances needed by the 105 patients in the State, and toward research grants at both Bowdoin College in Brunswick and the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor.
25 Years Ago – May 12, 1999
Houlton High Holds Native American Day — On Native American Day, April 29, the Houlton Junior-Senior High eighth grade students were exposed to various cultural activities. This was a cumulative, multi-disciplinary unit and coordinated by grade eight teachers, LaDricka Sewell, Native American teacher; Brian LeBlanc, Amy Frederick, Carolyn Devoe of the Maliseet Band and Bernard Jerome of the Micmac Band. The students listened attentively to Jerome’s explanation of the Abenaki history, opening prayer and explanation of a smudging. The Micmac history and customs were related by Jerome, and students enjoyed the opportunity to play the drum under the direction of the Micmac adult drumming group. The Maliseet youth drumming group, directed by Federick, consisted of students in grades seven, eight and nine, Joshua Toner, Jessi Polchies, Misty Polchies, Angela Polchies, Richard Carmichael, Mark Sabatis, Nichol Kobylarz and Brittany Hanning. The students drummed, sang and combined with the adult drumming group in the final performance.
Local Students Given Principal’s Award — Houlton High School Principal Joseph Feeney announced that Jacob Cowperthwaite, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albro Cowperthwaite, a senior at Houlton High School, has been selected to receive the 1999 Principal’s Award. Hodgdon High School Principal Stephen Fitzpatrick also congratulates Erin Rose Antonition, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Antonition, on being selected as the MPA Principal’s Award recipient for Hodgdon High School. The award, sponsored by the Maine Principals Association, is given in recognition of a high school senior’s academic achievement and citizenship.
