Caribou area From our Files (week of March 27, 2019)

5 years ago

115 Years Ago – March 30,  1904

Bell Fay Crockett, mail carrier on route number 5, is using a bell on his pung this week which is over one hundred years old.  The bell belongs to E.E. Reynolds and was originally owned by his grandfather.

Telephone system The grocery store of J. Trusty & Co. was connected with the telephone system this week.

100 Years Ago – April 2, 1919

Rumor There is a rumor to the effect that the Main Street Baptist Church and the High Street Baptist Church will soon unite.

Distance — There is evidence of the fact that a man and his wife and five children walked two miles in the rain Saturday night, got on board the electric cars and came to Caribou to attend Powers Theatre.  After the show, the entire family of seven walked home, a distance of nine miles.

75 Years Ago – March 30, 1944

Price hike — Ralph Roberts, manager of Powers Theatre, and R.A. Flora, manager of the Ruby Theatre, are announcing that admission prices to both theatres will be raised beginning Saturday.  The increased prices were made necessary by the third wartime tax, ranging from 3 to 7 cents, which will affect the malls, furs, cosmetics and other items.

Man of the week — The town office announces that the first payment on 1944 taxes was made by J.F. Davis, York Street, who on March 23, two days following the town meeting paid $500 on his tax, which will be assessed as of April 1.  This is unusual, whereas no discount was vote for early payment. Mr. Davis has always been prompt in paying his taxes and held the record in 1943 for making the first payment.

50 Years Ago – April 2, 1969

Eviction — The managers of the Cary Estate have instructed the city attorney to serve an eviction notice on the Caribou USO, it was learned Tuesday.  The decision to do so was made after a downstairs store proprietor deducted from his monthly rent what he considered an appropriate amount for damages allegedly caused by USO patrons.  The dollar and cents total was not made known, but it had earlier been reporters that clothing in the street floor store had been discarded because of water leakage from a defective plumbing fixture upstairs.  Items such as clocks, had also been jiggled off the walls by people running up and down stairs, it was claimed by Freme’s Jewelers.

Ripe old age He’s 75 and she’s 68, and that’s a ripe good age for snowmobiling these days.  Harry and Leona Dickinson of Perham who, right in keeping with the trend of the day, are the newest and probably the most enthusiastic members of the Sno-Drifters club.  For they are a pair who go scooting over snowy fields and deep into white clad woods every time they get the chance; in fact every day, if they can manage it. And 18 miles one way is nothing.

25 Years Ago – March 30, 1994

Bunnyland Members of Beta Sigma Phi Xi Upsilon Chapter will host its third annual Bunnyland from 1-3 p.m., at the Caribou Recreation Center. Bunnyland is a series of five games for the children to play.  Prizes are given to each child after they complete the game. Examples of a few of the games are pin the tail on the rabbit, bean bag toss and a fishing game.

Chester Fried Chester Fried Chicken celebrated its grand opening in Limestone on March 24 and 25 at its 204 Main Street location with the Maine Street Bakery.  Present for the March 24 ribbon cutting ceremony were Kristin Eisenhower, promotions coordinator and merchandiser; Charlene Gould, Jane Griffeth, both representatives of the Limestone Chamber of Commerce, Roger and Joan Thompson, co-owners, Chester the chicken, Danny Patterson, Limestone Chamber of Commerce; Paula Mulherin, Linda Swan and Rita Bell, all business associates.