99 Years Ago – December 17, 1925
Potato crop report — According to the Market News Service, the 1925 Canadian potato crop was reported at 74,162,000 bushels, according to the official November estimate. This was an increase over the October estimate of 5,399,000 bushels, but was 21 per cent less than the 1924 crop of 84,413,000 bushels. The 1925 crop was the smallest since 1918. For the previous three years, domestic consumption had averaged about ninety million bushels. Much of the crop was going into storage for expected fancy prices in mid-winter. The crop was light and only slightly exceeded local demands.
50 Years Ago – December 18, 1974
Back from Chicago — Two Presque Isle area youths were among the delegates from Maine who attended the 53rd annual National 4-H Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Lynn L. Nickerson of Mapleton went to the convention by virtue of her being the state winner of the National 4-H Food Nutrition Award. Randy Martin went as the state winner of the Conservation of Natural Resources Award. Martin’s trip was paid by John Deere & Co., while Miss Nickerson was the guest of the General Foods Corp.
Kiwanis Club contributed to the Star City Christmas program — The Twenty-third annual Kiwanis Talent Revue was considered both an artistic and a financial success, according to general co-chairman Gerald Gallagher. Gallagher reported to fellow Kiwanians at their regular noon luncheon meeting held at the Northeastland Hotel that the program comprised a wide variety of good talent. He stated profits from the performance were used to further the Club’s local civic endeavors, including support of the Kiwanis child health and dental clinics. Gallagher expressed his appreciation to all club members for their assistance in helping to make this annual event the success it was.
Assigned locally — Two of the 27 recruits who graduated from the Maine State Police Academy were assigned to duties in the Presque Isle area. Charles E. Downing was sent to the Bridgewater area while David R. Smith was assigned to the Presque Isle area. Downing, 25, a U.S. Army veteran and attended the University of Maine, was from Harrison. Coming from Ogunquit, the 28-year-old Smith was a graduate of Bowdoin College.
25 Years Ago – December 22, 1999
UMPI alumni increased giving — Thanks to a $5,000 gift from alumnus Robert Doughty of Iowa, the University of Maine at Presque Isle Annual Fund had exceeded the previous year’s drive by more than $4,000. Director of Development Jeff Hale announced the gift Friday afternoon. Doughty joined alumnus Richard Tardiff of Alaska as the first two members of the university’s Centennial Patron club, a new level of giving established to recognize alumni who donate $1,000 or more to the annual fund. Several changes were made to the annual fund drive in an effort to raise more money, Hale said, from new donor incentives to how the drive itself was conducted. Alumni donations are used to supplement the unicity’s budget. The money was used to purchase library materials, academic equipment, computers and other technology; to fund arts, cultural and sporting events, and alumni/ae programs.
Donation — Time Warner Cable of Maine donated more than 100 pounds of canned goods and other non-perishable food items to the Presque Isle Kiwanis Club’s Christmas Basket Project. The food items were collected as part of a cable sign-up special. Geoff Dyer and Barry McCrum of Times Warner presented the boxes of food to Kiwanian John Graves.County native joined public television — Carol Gross joined Maine Public Broadcasting Corp. as the new production secretary in the Bangor office. Gross, a native of Presque Isle and a longtime resident of the Bangor/Brewer area, was a former administration staff member for the University of Maine System in Bangor. She was also a member of the Curran Homestead Preservation group and a participant in Civil War reenactments.
