100 Years Ago: 1921
The L.A. Ladies Hebrew Association will hold a picnic at Frost park June 19. There will be a variety of interesting events, including races, ball games, dancing and so on.
50 Years Ago: 1971
A New Auburn man has been attempting the last few days to get a raccoon to leave the attic of his home. Roger Belisle tried again Thursday night, according to Auburn police, only to discover that the raccoon had given birth to several little ones. A neighbor reported to Auburn Police Thursday night for Belisle, who resides at 2 Newbury St. Auburn police suggested that Belisle contact either Game Warden Robert J. Tribou or Louis Pinette, the dog officer.
25 Years Ago: 1996
If a tree fell on Orchard Street and somebody wrote to complain, would City Hall hear? The family of John and Cindy Goodwin found out the answer when a young sugar maple was planted to replace the tree that the city cut down last year. The tree was cut down because it was splitting and likely would have become a safety problem. But that was little solace for Seth Goodwin, 13, and his brother, Jesse, 15, who had grown up with the tree shading their front yard. “Cutting down the tree opened up the front yard,” Seth said. “It was a really nice tree to have.” The tree was there when the family moved there about 12 years ago and for many years was a particular favorite of Seth’s who considers landscaping a hobby. Not content to just mourn the loss of the tree, Seth and Jesse decided to write a letter to the city of Auburn to tell them that the tree was missed and asked the city to replace it. As a parent, I was really pleased they took the initiative, said Cindy, “They showed me the letter and I said, ‘It doesn’t hurt to try.’ Every day, (Seth) would ask if we got a reply in the mail. I thought that they might come down and plant one, but I thought it would take longer than this,” said Seth, a seventh grader of St. Joseph’s School. It was appropriate timing, however, because this is Arbor week in Maine, which is also the perfect time for the city to kick off its tree program. The city received a grant of $5,000 under the 1995 Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program designed to encourage citizen involvement in urban and community forestry. The city hired Johnson’s Arboriculture, Camden consultants specializing in tree care and community, to take an inventory of the city’s trees and create a tree planting program when new and replacement trees should be planted.
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