100 Years Ago: 1923

Circus day in Lewiston meant something to the hundreds of boys and girls, to say nothing of several thousand grown-ups who lined the streets, for they saw a real circus parade shortly before noon Friday. Although it was the usual kind, the parade was long and interesting. It was the first Lewiston-Auburn people have seen in some years. There were lions that paced back and forth in their cage, a Bengal tiger with its jaws open and fangs jutting as if it meant to jump and gobble up the nearest boy, leopards with cruel twist of the mouth, camels presented to the Mystic Shrine by the circus, ostriches which the women eyed enviously, kangaroos that brought ecstatic ejaculations from the little ones, brown bears and polar bears, and last – but not least – six elephants.

50 Years Ago: 1973

The Auburn police and fire departments responded to a life saving call around noon today at the East Auburn Municipal Beach. Police said that nine-year-old Albert Holden III, 87 Oak Hill Rd., stumbled over a rock and fell into the water. David Keenan, 10, Oak Hill Road, was able to drag the Holden boy out of the water. A resuscitator was sent to the scene but apparently wasn’t needed. The Holden boy sustained no injuries and was taken home by his mother. Responding were the crews of the Rescue Truck and Engine 5 of the Fire Department and Patrolman Toby Tiner.

25 Years Ago: 1998

Frank Anicetti Jr. has the real scoop on Lisbon Falls’ Moxie Days, the town’s 15th annual celebration that starts Friday. Anicetti’s store, Kennebec Fruit Company, is ready to scoop up to 100 gallons of Moxie ice cream, one of the many products spun off from the unique soft drink. His old-style store on the corner of Main Street and Route 196, known locally as Moxie World Headquarters, is where his late father helped start the party that drew an estimated 25,000 people.

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