100 Years Ago: 1922

The North and West Auburn Ladies Farm Bureau met Monday at the North Auburn Grange Hall for its first meeting with ten members and two guests being present. It was millinery day and four new hats were made and four remodeled at an estimated savings of $23.66. Jennie Boothby was the project leader.

50 Years Ago: 1972

At Calvary United Methodist Church in Lewiston on Sunday evening a family night supper and program will be held at 6 o’clock. Each member will take a box lunch. Rev Paul Marshall, minister of the Minot Corner and Mechanic Falls United Methodist Churches will present a program on Micronesia.

25 Years Ago: 1997

“The wonderful but nearly forgotten art of making May baskets came to life on a recent Monday evening when 18 members of the Heywood Club in Norway, under the direction of Doris Millett crafted their own intricate old-fashioned May baskets. Millett, now 89, has made more May baskets than she could possibly count. She remembered that her mother made them when she was a youngster and that she and two of siblings would hang them around the neighborhood in northwest Norway. Millett later made May baskets for her five children to continue the tradition, which she is hoping to keep alive by demonstrating her art to younger generations. According to Marguerite Ickis’ “The Book of Festival Days,” the baskets are reminiscent of a custom of fastening a bit of green to the porch or doorway to bring a blessing to the house. In more recent times, it meant a tribute of love and friendliness, and an announcement of spring and good cheer. The May basket was often woven strips of colored paper or a cardboard carton, decorated in great detail with colored tissues or crepe paper, lace doilies, ribbons and tiny artificial flowers. The traditional filler was a piece of candy, a verse, and a handful of spring flowers, topped with the name of the person receiving it. Friends, family and neighbors gathered together to share in the making and filling of the basket, then tip-toed in the dusk to hang the basket on a friend’s door, knocked, cried “May Basket!” and then scurried away to hide. The recipient searched for the hangers, who, when found, joined in the search until all in the party was found.

The material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.