Caribou area From our Files – Week of July 1, 2019

Beth Lacombe, Special to The County
5 years ago

115 Years Ago – July 20,  1904

New job Fred D. Gond of Caribou, who has been employed as a bookkeeper for the Van Buren Lumber Company for several years, has been engaged as a cashier for Ft. Kent Trust Co. 

75 Years Ago – July 20, 1944

New Sweden’s 74th anniversary  — The 74th anniversary of the town of New Sweden will be celebrated with a special festival program next Sunday afternoon at 3:30 in the beautiful outdoor amphitheater at Thomas Park. It was exactly to a day 74 years ago that the first Swedish settlers came to what is now New Sweden under the direction and leadership of the late W.W. Thomas. The festival will feature a short band concert proceeding the program.

New patrol wagon — Caribou’s chief of police, Frank R. Hopper, returned from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, this past week, where he purchased a new patrol wagon for the local police department. The new truck, a 1-ton Dodge, is said to be the only remaining new 1942 panel job in New England. Chief Hopper stated the police wagon is expected to be ready for service in approximately two weeks following the installation of  partitions and side seats. The new ‘wagon’ will fill a much needed use for the local police department, as previous accident victims and arrests had to be carried in privately owned autos.

50 Years Ago – July 23, 1969

Postpone school decision — The Limestone School Building Committee announces that the town meeting which had been scheduled for July 14, to vote on a new highschool was postponed, it will be held sometime after the Nov. 5 vote. The Limestone School Building Committee will continue to formulate plans. If voters authorize construction of the new building, preliminary work can be accomplished so that construction will start in the spring of 1970.

Radio Shack opens in Caribou With 450 stores from coast to coast, Radio Shack has opened its fourth Maine outlet in Caribou at the corner of Sweden and Main streets. Heading the local franchise group is Clarence Dow. Radio Shack has other Maine stores in Augusta, Portland and Waterville, and its new store opened in Caribou this week with a complete line of the nationwide dealer’s items. Dow and his associates in the Caribou enterprise are inviting all interested persons to visit their new store as soon as possible to view all their displays and take advantage of  grand opening values.