120 Years Ago – Aug. 11, 1904
Good turn out for opening day — Scores people visited the new dry goods store of A. V. Goud & Co., on Sweden Street Saturday on their opening day. The decorations of sweet peas and pinks were beautiful. This company has a nice line of dry and fancy goods new and fresh and are enjoying a good trade.
A postcard of a different kind — A curious souvenir of the World’s Fair reached this office today in the shape of a postal card made of wood from ‘ye editor,’ with the following advice printed: ‘All a-board for the World’s Fair. Arrived safe. Exposition is more than oak-a, it is ashtonishing; you cedar sights of your life. The Pike is fir-straight, more than a pear of peaches and the spielers don’t bark like a tree. Board and (s)lumber at poplar prices, no need to pine for what you plankdown. Birch-ance the last great show for many years. More fun than the beech. I wood spruce up and come. You walnut regret it. Butternut delay.’ Hickory Hemlock.
115 Years Ago – Aug. 12, 1909
Another new store being built — L. W. Stevens & Son have commenced the erection of another store between the building recently moved on to Sweden street and the Soloman & Hackett new store.
Would you believe the size of that potato — Dr. Sawyer last week brought a new potato weighing 11 ounces, in from his farm. The seed had been planted just 76 days before the potato was dug. Can anyone beat this?.
New steps — New steps have been built on Sweden Street in front of the Combination Clothing Company’s store and H. D. Collins’ store.
100 Years Ago – Aug. 7, 1924
Vacation time — Miss Alice Billington, operator in the office of the Western Union Telegraph Co., is enjoying a month’s vacation which she intends to spend at Belfast. Mr. Charles Whiteneck is working in the office during Miss Billington’s absence.
Road work being done — Road Commissioner Gray has a crew of men at work on the lower end of Limestone street, repairing and graveling the road between the railroad crossing and the fish hatchery. This road has been very rough for some time and the excellent job being done by Mr. Gray will be much appreciated by those who travel over that road.
75 Years Ago – Aug. 11, 1949
Local horsewoman wins several prizes at horse show events — Mrs. Maynard Lombard, of Van Buren rd., State inspector of Palomino horses, recently competed in two separate horse shows, at Dover and Sydney, Me., and at both places won events which totaled a first, two seconds, and a fourth prize. Riding Blazes Sunny Boy, a stallion, Mrs. Lombard took part in the Penquist Riding Club show and received second prize in the parade class and then took fourth prize honors in the Western horsemanship competition. The following day at Sydney, riding the same stallion, she won first prize in the bridle path class and also received a 2nd prize ribbon in the western horsemanship contest.
In the running for the Maine Potato Blossom Queen — One of the following young ladies will be crowned ‘Maine Potato Blossom Queen’ by Governor Frederick G. Payne in a colorful coronation ceremony at the famed Maine Potato Blossom Festival at Fort Fairfield on August 15. In the running are: Geraldine Cogswell, Houlton; Phyllis McBride, Littleton; Kathryn Morris, Limestone; Winnifred Brayson, Mars Hill; Jacquelyn Hunt, Fort Fairfield; Marion Brown, Presque Isle; Madeline Glidden, Patten; Florence Castonguay, Van Buren; Rella Caron, Madawaska; Mae Michaud, Eagle Lake; Sonya Barker, Bridgewater; Caroline Fuller, Easton; Juanitta Crandall, Oakfield Mickey Connett, Caribou; Mona Jalbert, Fort Kent; Lorretta Thompson, Washburn.
25 Years Ago – Aug. 11 1999
Driver awarded for safety — For the second year in a row, a Caribou school bus driver won first place at a state school bus safety conference last month. Gordon Thibodeau has been driving a school bus for the Caribou School Department for the past 29 years. He and three other drivers from the city went to the three-day conference at the end of July in Sugarloaf. Sponsored by the Maine Association for Pupil Transportation, the competition was one part of the school bus safety conference that offered drivers from all over the state the opportunity to attend seminars and workshops.Thibodeau said the driving competition was held on July 29 and included a pre-trip inspection and an obstacle course. He was one of three finalists nominated for ‘School bus driver of the year.’
Parade attracts 1,000 — After the health and safety fair, parade goers began to line Bennett Drive. By late afternoon the route was filled. The parade began at the Skyway Plaza, traveled up Bennett Drive, took a right onto High Street and continued downtown before stopping at Sweden Street. A review stand was set up on Bennett Drive, next to Houlton Farms Dairy, where three judges evaluated the entries as they passed by. Kathryn Olmstead, Caribou resident and editor of Echoes magazine, was one of the judges on appearance, originality and theme. The Storybook Theme prize was won by the Caribou Lioness Club whose float had a ‘Wizard of Oz’ theme. The Caribou Public Library’s salute to the ‘Reading is Out of This World’ program took the best prize for a Non-Business. P.L. Willey’s float won in the Best Business category and the Crown of Maine Twirlers took home top honors in the marching category. Police chief Art Gorney estimated parade attendance at about 1,000.
