25 years ago: George and Cassandrea Gorton of Hodge Podge Lodge offered a hands on presentation about antiques at the Durham Public Library. The cost was $5 and included a verbal appraisal of one item. The duo was a part of the Connecticut Association of Dealers in Antiques.
Proceeds from the event were donated to the Public Association of Library Supporters in Durham.

25 years ago: Students in Chester and Deep River planted trees to celebrate Arbor Day.

25 years ago: A one-hour slide show lecture on the history of Connecticut’s colonial roads and turnpikes was presented by George H. Murray of West Hartford, a professor at the University of Connecticut’s Institute of Public Service.

25 years ago: The Cromwell Board of Education awarded a five-year school bus contract to Dattco, Inc. of New Britain. The firm was recommended by Superintendent Dr. K. Alexander Paddyfote.

25 years ago: Coginchaug Regional High School freshman Anita Manmud won third place at the Connecticut’s Organization of Language Teachers Poetry Contest for her rendition of Pyramus and Thisbe.

25 years ago: Cromwell First Selectwoman Mary Armenta sought community residents to volunteer to chair the town’s cystic fibrosis bike-a-thon.

25 years ago: East Hampton’s Young Skippers Boating course was offered in the St. Patrick Community Center.

25 years ago: Westbrook townspeople had an opportunity to speak out on the proposed $5.6 million budget presented by the Board of Finance.

25 years ago: A personal finance planning seminar was held in the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook. The seminar was offered free of charge.

25 years ago: The Essex Land Conservation Trust presented the film “For the Common Good” in the Essex town hall. The 16-minute film documented the public benefits of conservation easements, primarily through three on-location case studies and interviews.

25 years ago: Larry McHugh, president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce was the featured speaker at the East Haddam Division luncheon meeting at the Gelston House. His talk centered on what the Chamber had to offer.

25 years ago: September Ann Pandolfo of East Haddam was announced as a state finalist in the Miss American Coed Pageant. The winner was to be crowned Miss New England American Coed and was to receive a $500 cash award, crown, banner, trophy and a one-week all expense paid trip to Hawaii.

25 years ago: The United Church of Chester held a county fair and auction on the church grounds. There were 70 spaces available at a fee of $20 each.

25 years ago: The National Forget-Me-Not Association officially presented a POW-MIA flag to the town of East Hampton. The flag was raised in a ceremony at town hall.

25 years ago: Colorful clowns of all shapes and sizes were on display at the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook. The collection was loaned to the library by Joseph P. Trantino, a member of the town’s Board of Education.

25 years ago: Seniors at Vinal Technical School who were interested in pursuing a career in the electronics field took a field trip to the Essex Engineering Co. plant. The trip was part of a project by Thomas Veille, director of the electronic technical education at Vinal, to acquaint students with practical applications of their studies and products at area businesses.

25 years ago: The Deep River Beautification Committee sponsored a spring clean-up weekend. Students from local schools and various youth groups were invited to participate.

25 years ago: East Haddam’s Board of Finance voted to turn the school budget back to the Board of Education for an additional reduction of $40,000 from the $4.05 million budget.

25 years ago: The public was invited to hear Christine Marselli, Middletown Councilwoman and teacher, discuss and show slides of her trip to Nicaragua at the meeting of the Portland St. Mary’s Church Guild.

25 years ago: Students at Haddam-Killingworth Middle School raised $250 for eye research in a “hats and shades” day fundraiser. The funds were donated to the Haddam Lions Club Eye Research Project.

25 years ago: Old Saybrook’s regional police helicopter Operation Sky Night received a free paint job from Stanley Motors on Route 1.

25 years ago: The Clinton Planning and Zoning Commission approved the former Montgomery Ward building at Post Office Square to be the new home of Liberty Bank for Savings.

25 years ago: The Portland Senior Center Council sent out letters to 750 households, representing approximately 1,100 local senior citizens, in its effort to locate and identify townspeople over the age of 60.

25 years ago: The First Baptist Church in Essex, one of only two churches in the nation built in a style known as Egyptian Revival celebrated its 175th anniversary with special services and activities throughout April, May and June.

25 years ago:The Portland Public Library offered a “fine free” week to encourage people to return to return any overdue library materials, no questions asked and no statute of limitations.

25 years ago: The annual lime and garden sale of the Deep River fire department took place at the fire headquarters on Union Street.

25 years ago: An East Haddam group known as the Moodus Mimes, a talented group of 15 students and one faculty member from Hale-Ray High School performed at a state convention in Cromwell.

25 years ago: The Youth Services Bureau in Cromwell invited all sixth through eighth graders in the town to an open house in the temporary quarters of the Youth Center.

25 years ago: It was announced in Old Saybrook that Bruce Springsteen’s former bodygaurd, “Bam Bam” Bigelow, had been signed to appear at the annual wrestling exhibition and fund raiser sponsored by the Old Saybrook Policeman’s Brotherhood Association.

25 years ago: Students at Burr Elementary School in Haddam marked the passing of Halley’s comet by filling a time capsule that was then sealed into the wall of the school until the comet’s return in 2062.

25 years ago: The Portland Historical Society decided to feature the brownstone quarries during April in the museum room at the Portland Library. The display featured Peter McBride, an apprentice stone-cutter born in 1888 and his tools.

25 years ago: A record $61,323 was raised from 2215 local residents during Middlesex Memorial Hospital’s Down-County Phonathon held in Old Saybrook. Funds raised were used to purchase medical equipment and for renovations at the Hospital and Shoreline Clinic at Southwinds in Essex.

25 years ago: Gov. William O’Neil announced the approval of 14 Historic Assests grants, including $50,000 for the planned Fife and Drum Museum in Essex, the first of its kind in the United States.

The Blue Trail Range Junior Rifle Club held its annual Awards Night at Coginchaug High School’s Thayer Auditorium. The club practiced safe gun handling and marksmanship for children ages 9-19.

25 years ago: The Ivorytown Congregational Church in Essex held a Hawaiian Luau night serving traditional Polynesian food and drink.
Old Saybrook Zoning Commission rejected plans from James Cahill and the Solari brothers to change the zoning off Ragged Rock Road for the construction of condominiums.

25 years ago: The Clinton Board of Finance recommended an appropriation of $26,000 for a study of groundwater pollution at the town garage, transfer station and closed landfill.
East Hampton Board of Selectman approved an $80,000 request to remove the old library in the center for offices for the Superintendent of Schools and his staff. The request then moved on to the Finance Board and then to a town meeting.

25 years ago: The Middlefield Board of Finance members put the finishing touches on a $3.9 million proposed budget. The budget reflected a 2.13 mil increase due to the rise in the school budget, with an additional 2.5 mil increase for the general government budget. East Hampton students at Center School participated in a Mystic Seaport Museum presentation of chanteys and other sailor’s songs. Artifacts, hands-on activities and visual aids were also part of the presentation.

Welcome to our new staff blog, Pieces of the Past! Here, the staff at The Middletown Press will post pieces of archived stories from our newspaper. The blog will be spear-headed by copy editor Kelly Ann Gore-Oleksiw. We will focus on archives from 25 years ago, and we will try to update the blog daily. If there is anything specific you would like to see or if you have special memories from the past you would like to contribute, please email these to kgoreoleksiw@middletownpress.com.