100 Years Ago: 1918

At 1:30 p.m. the thermometer at the Gate House, which is official, registered 82. Others, not official, went higher. Of course, this wasn’t so very much, although it was probably the highest of the summer. But there was something about the dead humidity — the way in which the heat waves shimmered upon the pavements and seemed to be absorbed into the very heart of the two cities — that sapped the vitality right out of those who had to work. And there wasn’t air enough to ripple the sea of flags hung in limp folds. At this writing, the sky is copper-colored, with only a few patches of fleecy clouds, and it seems an ideal night for Lake Grove and auto tours to the country, but we aren’t making any rash predictions. By the time this is read, we may be having a first-class thunderstorm.

50 Years Ago: 1968

The Maine Milk Commission has scheduled a new hearing for Sept. 19 that will reopen the entire subject of milk pricing. After a commission meeting Thursday, Agriculture Commissioner Maynard C. Dolloff, the acting chairman, announced the date. The current price schedule, which took effect July 1 and was based on hearings held from January to March, has been termed discriminatory by some supermarket chains because it sets separate listings for “vertically integrated” operations. Only one firm — Cumberland Farms Northern, Inc., of Canton, Mass.— presently falls into this special category, applying to dealers which sell milk in their own retail outlets. They may sell milk at slightly lower prices than regular retailers. This provision has led to the calling of new hearings. But the commission decided it must consider the entire pricing structure, not just the one topic chiefly in dispute, Dolloff said.

25 Years Ago: 1993

(Photo caption) These new hairstylists will soon be graduating from Mr. Bernard’s School of Hair Fashion in Lewiston. They are Pam Pulkkinen, Lewiston; Michelle Kimball, Gardiner; Melanie Bryant, Mechanic Falls; Erin Menter, Brunswick; Penny Bolduc, Lewiston; Hollie Thomas, Gardiner; Lisa Freeman, Winthrop; Stacy Davis, Poland; Tina Olson, Lewiston; Cindylu Labonte, Bethel; Connie Harmon, Gray; Jane Cyr, Hanover; Alison Plante, Berlin; and Debbie Kelley, Lewiston. The students are trained in skin care, perm waving, hair cutting and styling, nails and hair color.

The material used in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be corrected.