From the pages of the Livermore Falls Advertiser 

75 years ago:  

Citizens of this section of Maine are digging down in old trunks in the hopes of finding a winner for Peck’s annual Old Picture Contest before the July 27 deadline.

Generalissimo Grandfathers and wasp waisted grandmothers who once held sway over this part of the state will once again be in the public eye.

Grand prizes of twelve Peck’s Sepia Portraits of the winners, or any members of their family, will be awarded for the pictures having the most historical interest and for the most charming old picture.

Each contestant may enter up to five pictures. There is no charge as Peck feels the contest does much to stimulate civic pride by showing how rapidly this area has developed.

The New England Furniture Co., of Lewiston, has purchased the C.H. Lufkin block on Main Street. After extensive remodeling and alterations, a new furniture store will open there in early August.

The New England store has operated a branch in Livermore Falls and their increasing volume of business demands larger quarters.

The alterations include the installation of an oil heating system. Also, a basement remodeling for sales room space and future enlargement.

“The U.S. Navy-1940,” the latest issue in the March of Time film series, brings to the screen of Dreamland Theatre Thursday the story of a vitally important part of the nation’s newly inaugurated defense program.

The huge sums now being appropriated by Congress for re-armament are to be spent largely on the Army Air Corps and the Navy. This new issue pictures the Navy as it is today and shows how it will be developed and expanded under the current building program.

Featured in the movie are several scenes of the now historic Washington Naval Conference of 1922, which resulted in the scrapping of more than half a million tons of U.S. warships, including unfinished cruisers and dreadnaughts that had already cost American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

For construction of 130 new ships and maintenance of the General Naval establishment during the past seven years, the people of the U.S. have spent $4.5 billion and will have to spend many more under the new re-armament program.

Many excellent scenes of Naval units in action were filmed for this issue of the March of Time by special camera crews assigned to the U.S.S. California during recent maneuvers in the Pacific.

50 years ago: Notice on Page 2: Livermore Falls Advertiser established 1891. Publication on Thursday of each week, except the first week of July, by the Advertiser Co.  

On Saturday and Sunday, the Androscoggin Valley Gem and Mineral Association of Livermore Falls will hold its 2nd Annual Gem & Mineral Show. The show will be held in Murray Hall again this year.

Locally owned rough stones, minerals and gems as well as finished jewelry, have been on display in the window of Fournier’s Hardware Store for the past few weeks.

World-wide collections will be on display at the show. Jade from Wyoming, tiger eye from Africa, soladite from Ontario, Italian goldstone, rhodacrosite from Argentina, Indian adventurine, Mexican lace agate, petrified wood from Texas, Brazilian amethyst and smoky quartz from New Hampshire are some of the specimens to be seen. Several Maine varieties will also be shown.

In Livermore Falls, Mrs. Lelia Vaillencourt has been named temporary chairman of the newly formed Knights of Columbus Auxiliary until elections are held in the fall. The next meeting will be at the Knights of Columbus home on September 21. Refreshments will be served and it is hoped that all interested will attend.

An attendance of approximately two hundred persons cheered on thirty Cub Scouts of Livermore Pack 502 Saturday evening as they raced down the hill at North Livermore on a conglomerate of twenty-six home made cubmobiles. The boys provided thrills for the crowd with numerous spills but no serious accidents. Tom Richardson made the quickest trip down in a time of 50.9 seconds.

Two den chiefs and thirteen fathers then borrowed cubmobiles and provided a lively race resulting in scraped elbows and knees. Tom Moore made the fastest trip this time in 50.5 seconds.

Just before dark, seven brave mothers donned crash helmets and steered their seven cars across the finish line to the delight of their children and husbands. B. Richardson received the trophy for having the quickest time in this event. Her time was 50.3 seconds.

Fire of unknown origin burned over a large area of grassland on the South Road in Fayette Tuesday afternoon. Many volunteer fire fighters and a wind blowing away saved the house and buildings owned by Carleton Pinkham. The fire was stopped before reaching the nearby woods. The fire was discovered about noon and it was reported under control about 3 o’clock.

25 years ago: 

Congressman Joseph E. Brennan is again running for Governor even though his family, friends, and many of his peers told him not to as he had already successfully been Maine’s governor for two terms. They said he should stay at the national level, where he serves in Congress representing Maine’s 1st District.

The Democratic candidate visited Livermore Falls and Jay this week as part of his campaign efforts. Brennan stopped at Local 14’s Union Hall in Jay. He met with the editor at the Livermore Falls Advertiser office, and visited the Livermore Falls municipal office where he met with residents.

Mr. Brennan said there are a number of important issues which will decide the campaign. “I have a sense that Maine is not moving forward anymore. No one is in charge,” he said. Mr. Brennan cites the current state mental health mess as another issue. He said other major issues include an inconsistent river policy, a lack of strong leadership, and an inability to solve labor disputes. 

Fayette selectmen have made no decision regarding the hiring of a new town manager even though two regular selectmen’s meetings and one special meeting have been held.

The town will operate in the interim under the direction of Cindy Badeau of Jay, the assistant town manager. She served in the capacity of town manager last year under similar circumstances.

Larry Cushing of Readfield took the position last December following the resignation of town manager Mike DeArmott in July. At that time, Cushing told selectmen he would serve until July of this year. His last day was June 30 and he will be leaving for Florida July 20.

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program for Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin Counties has been given a near perfect performance rating by its federal sponsoring agency.

ACTION, the federal domestic violence agency, has given the tri-county RSVP program 5.99 points out of a possible 6 points for its performance in ten evaluation areas.

Two students from Jay were among the more than one hundred Maine 7th graders honored for their outstanding verbal and/or mathematical ability discovered in the 1990 Annual Talent Search conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Center for the Advancement of Academically Talented Youth (CTY) in Baltimore.

Eric Carlstrom was recognized in math and Michelle Probert in verbal.

The two students, who scored well above the mean for high school seniors, received certificates of merit at the state and regional level in an awards ceremony on June 2 at Colby College in Waterville.

Compiled by Pam Harnden.