“Out with the old and in with the new” has been an optimistic New Year’s slogan for many generations. A look back at New Year’s Eve celebrations in Lewiston-Auburn show many moods as world events and weather extremes played central roles at different periods of his tory. Here’s what was going on in this area […]
River Views
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Maine-isms still part of dialect
There’s a general misunderstanding that Mainers are tight-lipped and taciturn. If you are “from away,” it’s more than likely that attempts at conversation with the longtime locals won’t produce much beyond a few “ayuhs” and “nopes.” After all, natives of New England are all too familiar with clumsy efforts by writers and moviemakers to capture […]
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A sweet tale of homemade syrup from a homemade sugarhouse
Maple sap is running. Not just in the trees — it’s in the veins of many Mainers, young and old, who have maple syrup fever at this time of year. My memories of “boiling down” syrup go back to the kitchen of the family farmhouse, where a cloud of steam rose above three or four […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Winters of old featured huge Linn plows, scary snow-removal stunts
“If you think this winter has been rough, you should have seen the ones we used to get!” You probably hear that a lot these days. My early memories of the biggest winter storms are measured by the appearance of the “big Linn” plow on the drift-filled North River Road in Auburn. When a farmhouse […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
River views: Grandness of the Strand awed audiences
“A bit of Broadway dropped onto Main Street, Lewiston,” said a lady as she stepped from a taxi at the entrance of the New Lewiston Theatre, Thursday night. That’s how hundreds of L-A residents celebrated New Year’s Eve a century ago. It was opening night at an opulent addition to the abundant entertainment venues of […]
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River views: Summer colonies cropped up after Civil War
September is a time of change in Maine. For decades, summer tourists have returned home as autumn neared. In the early 1900s, families from Lewiston and Auburn wrapped up their two or three months as summer residents on Squirrel Island and at Harpswell. The establishment of summer colonies for well-to-do families was a post-Civil War […]
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Bates College inspired by seminary fire
One week ago, nearly 500 members of Bates College’s Class of 2018 gathered for a convocation ceremony, and there were unmistakable echoes of the institution’s founding principles from 1855. In those early years, enrolling both men and women in higher education was extremely radical, yet it was this new college in the small community of […]
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River Views: Remembering the balloon flight of 1870
All eyes will be on the skies over L-A in a few days when the Great Falls Balloon Festival marks its 22nd year. Thousands of people, young and old, delight in the spectacle of balloon ascensions here, and no doubt the thrills are every bit as spine-tingling in recent years as they were for Maine […]
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Turner singing master entertained many
“Horace True was cocked and primed for a story last night at Auburn Hall, but he didn’t get a chance. He was far too busy. “’How many singing schools did you ever teach?’ he was asked. “’I don’t know, maybe 30,’ he said. “True, decked out in a white top hat, waved his baton to […]
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Travelers’ Aid workers had drama, humor
“The story of the Travelers’ Aid work in Lewiston and Auburn is filled with as much romance, adventure and pathos as any collection of ‘best sellers’ for the year.” That’s the way a writer in 1926 saw the organization’s achievements, and some of the tales could be the basis for exciting screenplays or a new […]