100 Years Ago: 1922

Lewiston street lights went bluey shortly after the last picture show last night, and the clouds gathered shutting out the moon light. The city was in gloomy darkness until the sun came up this morning. It was discovered that the Municipal Lighting Plant was slipping a cog now and then. Not because of too much lubricant or anchor ice or eels in the gears, but because the cogs had been overworked and broken down, so that she slipped something terrible.

Early in the evening, the sky looked like a perfect lay-out for natural illumination when the moon got right, because the clouds gathered in large numbers and monopolized the sky. Therefore, the moon shall be held blameless for its failure to do vacation duty for the city lighting plant.

At any rate the moon or no moon, someone held the lantern and passed the new cog to the Cogman, “who cogged the wheel as it had not been done in years.” It is expected that lights will be on tonight as usual.

50 Years Ago: 1972

While the city slept early this morning, a caravan of 15 trucks converged on Lewiston Fairgrounds, and shortly after a strange, but fascinating cargo poured forth. It was the Clyde Beatty Cole Bros. Circus, the “Largest Circus in the World,” in town for a one-day stand for the first time in seven years. Very early area youngsters began gathering at the fairgrounds to view the activity and to offer their services to the already large circus crews. “Need any help?” many of the youngsters were heard to ask. Andrea Millett and Kelley Case, both 10, told this reporter they brought water and rags to the workers and were rewarded with a free pass to these afternoons’ performance for their generosity.

Boys of all ages helped set up the seats under the 300 by 150-foot main tent, their efforts witnessed by an ever-increasing audience of residents of the area. Two year old James Childs, there with his grandfather, John W. Childs Sr. They are also  fairgrounds residents. “I had all I could do to keep little Jimmy restrained as he turned his attention to the lions and tigers in nearby cages. He just seemed to fall in love with all of the animals,” Childs continued. He, too, was looking forward to seeing the show, which was brought to the city by the Lewiston-Auburn Jaycees. The three ring Beatty-Cole Circus is considered the largest under canvas in the world.

A lion tamer, 12 elephants, several animal acts, high wire acts, aerial acts and the ever popular clowns make up a portion of the large contingency of circus. Jimmy Jones is one of 30 clowns who works with the show. “I play a happy clown and wear white makeup,” as he explained a little about clowns makeup and their acts. “Actually, there are three types of clowns,” he added. “The white happy-faced clowns are traditionally American, but there are also the character clowns and the tramp clowns,” he said.

25 Years Ago: 1997

A videotape of “Musicale!,” a tribute to lighthouse keepers, will be shown at 7 p.m. Monday at the Packard Activity Center, United Church of Monmouth. Donations will benefit the Cochrane Archives and Art Gallery of the Monmouth Museum. Strawberry shortcake will be served. An exhibit of Lighthouse memorabilia will also be available for public viewing.

The material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.