50 Years Ago — May 8, 1974
$4 million in damages — The worst flood in the history of Fort Kent surged on a Wednesday afternoon in May 1974, after an ice jam let go in the upper St. John River. The water level jumped over six feet, causing extensive flooding to Fort Kent’s Main Street business area and streets along the St. John River. At night, some three feet of water covered Main Street and a number of homes and businesses were flooded. At least 75 families were evacuated from their homes and store owners and operators in the flooded area moved everything that was not tied down. The flood was the fastest and highest ever to hit Fort Kent.
25 Years Ago — May 12, 1999
Pride to perform concert in the park — The Pride of Madawaska performed the first annual Concert in the Park on Sunday, May 23, 1999, at the Bicentennial Park. “We’ve always been known as a marching band, said Director Tom Pennington. “This year, the kids have worked hard all winter and we found ourselves with more music than we could play at our regular sprint concert. We’ve talked about having an outdoor performance for several years now. We want the people of the Valley to come out and enjoy an hour of light selections.”
10 Years Ago — May 7, 2014
Looking back: Dufour Store, 1940s — The Dufour Store was operated in the 1920s as a general store by Wilfred and Albertine Dufour. In 1938, Pierre Paul Dufour began operating the store with his wife, Yvonne, until 1967. The building next to the store was moved to its present location, Babin’s Grocery, in 1945,
