100 Years Ago: 1920

Never did City Hall look more attractive than on Saturday, the opening evening of the Knights of Columbus Mardi Gras. Gay with red, white and blue bunting and the banners and flags the K. of C., with booths where games of chance are. Other attractions drew the crowds, and on the stage were most popular feature of all — the Japanese tea garden was a busy scene. Here, behind a bank of palms, chandlers augmented dance orchestra of 12 pieces played thru-out the evening and here beneath colored lights were tables where one might eat gelato and consume ices attended by dear little geisha girls in Japanese costume of blue satin with pale yellow and with yellow flowers in their hair.

50 Years Ago: 1970

Marcos Restaurant has closed its doors. John F. Milo Jr., president-treasurer confirmed the closing on Friday. Actually, he said, the restaurant hasn’t been doing business since last weekend. The restaurant opened about five years ago under a different name. The building is owned by Andros Corporation. Future plans are undecided, it was reported.

25 Years Ago: 1995

Gov. Angus King is cool to the idea of raising Maine’s minimum wage to $5 an hour, but is not shutting the door on the proposal, a spokesman said Tuesday. But the Maine AFL-CIO and advocates for women plan to tell the Labor Committees on Wednesday that the time has come to help those earning the current federally based minimum, $4.25 an hour. “It’s time that those who do the least desirable and least remunerated jobs in this state and society are included in the so-called rising economic tide,” said Edward Gorham of the AFL-CIO. The Labor Committee will hold hearings on a pair of minimum-wage bills: one to index the wage annually to rises in the Consumer Price Index, and the other a straight 75 cent an hour increase.

The material used in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspelling and errors may be corrected.