Things I Remember

Growing up in Houlton,I have seen a lot of changes over the years. Perhaps some of my memories will jog your memory too.

There was no shopping center or Wal Mart back in those days. Everything and everyone came to Town. There were parking meters at each place, so one wouldn't linger too long and someone else would clamor for that place when th emeter expired. The sidewalks bustled with activity, like a small city, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. French's Drug Store was on the corner and was always a lively place. You could sit down and enjoy a soda or ice cream at their counter.

In those days there were many places to eat in town. The luncheon counters at Woolworths and J J Newberrys were alway full. I had my first cotten candy at Newberrys. There was a small restaruant in the middle of town called Dana's. It later became Cleales. The B&A Bus made daily stops here The First National Grocery Store was located where Beals Variety now stands. Other stores in "the Square" included Penney's,( where we saw Santa sitting on the platform on your way downstair each year.); the Chain Apparrel, The Rod and Gun Shop- where you could find the best looking new bikes in town and Dad could get a new pole or gun; The Boston Shoe Store, and Osgoods Jewlery, in the alley by Penneys.

As you headed up town, the Western Auto was where Modern Beauty is today. Lads N Lassies, Whites Drug Store, and J R Harveys were on that side of the store. Everyone went to Harveys this time of year to look at the HUGE and Unusal potatoes in their windows that pickers brought in for a prize.

Across the street was Days Jewlery Store, Fishmans, and Dunns Furniture. They had the best Christmas Decorations in Town. They had the first moving models in their windows. Children from all over came and stood in awe at their windows during December. Of Course Newberrys and Woolworths were up there too.

As a youngster, I remember how proud I was when I got my Library Card from Mrs Atkinson. It was a special treat when she allowed us to sometimes go upstair and stand on the glass floor in the Cary Library.

I also remember going to many special events at Ricker College. They used to have Christmas Parties in Putnam Gymasium. The giant , painted, snow sculptures still linger in my memory. One year the had a MIGHTY MOUSE, who was my favorite cartoon character.

When you returned to the Square and ventured down the steps past Pennys, you entered Union Square,also known to many as "Tough End". There was a taxi stand in the basement of the huge green building. Coles Shoe store was still there. There was a big Hotel, ( The Willis?) where the parking lot now stands and then the A and P Food Store.

When you came down the steps there was a traffic Rotary Circle, where the lights are now. How many times did I see poor Mr Spurling and some student driver go around in circles in the Driver Ed car , because they didn't know how to exit.

If you got across the circle, you were now on Bangor Street. Browns Restuarant was near the corner. There was a Pool Hall there also. Skehans Market was there too. It seemed like many of the local Indians frequented the businesses in this area. I remember Belyeas Market and their hilly floors too,where if you knew the owner, he might let you sneak a beer or two out the back door after hours or on a Sunday. He was rumored to be one of Houlton's many "bootleggers". Across the street and up on the second floor , over what is now Steegos, was the bowling alley. Down the hill behind the Houlton Water Company was a wooded area known as "The Jungle". Many beverages were consumed down there, both legal and illigal.

The unique Miss Aroostook Diner sat where State Farm now is. It was unique because at one time it was a railroad car. Eventually it was sold and moved to upper Militay Street, where it became part of The Pub. It actually is still there today, but has been remodeled to look like part of the building.

That's all for today, I'll share more memories later. The View from my Couch Tonight......

Finishing Up

Here is a photo taken last year of one of the local potato farmers. Harvest recess is over and local schools are back in session. With all the rain that fell last week, it will still be a few more days before anyone can attemp to dig thier crops. Mostly russet variety remain, waiting to be harvested. Many of these will be shipped to McCains in Easton for processing into french fries. 

Random Thoughts

Some observations, shared over my morning coffee today, I thought that I would share in no particular order.

Gas prices dropped another nickel this morning. Irving Big Stop was the first to lower their price on North Street. Also noticed that they are installing new gas pumps....Have you tried the new breakfast sandwich at Tim Horton's? Simply put- Excellent !....What is the new gift shoppe by Computer Source in the Square? It looks like a lot of cedar products.....Is there a better store in Town, than Jeans' Serendipity?? There is anything you could ask for, for a gift. A JC Penny catalogue store, a pet store, even an ice cream shoppe in the store. Something for everyone on your shopping list......Also noticed that Beals Variety is on the move again, this time moving two doors towards the middle of the square. This makes, what? Fives locations in the last 6 years. Settle down.......Glad the movie theater is open again- but for how long? It doesn't seem to be getting the support that it used to receive.....How much rain is too much rain? Some farmers still have a lot of potatoes in the ground. Hopefully they can get them before they rot ....Looks like a lot of qualified candidates for Town Council, judging by the signs around Town....Have you noticed all the Canadian Geese that fly over each afternoon? A sure sign Winter is just around the corner..........Speaking of Canadian, have you been to Woodstock recently? It is booming. The new Wal- Mart is going to be much bigger than Houlton's and is sure to hurt, as many shoppers will have no need to cross the border when it opens in a few more months..........Some nicely decorated houses around Town as Halloween approaches. It sure is nice to live in a Town where you really don't have to worry to much about letting your youngsters go trick or treating....I see Boyetts' Flooring is having a moving sale, hopefully they aren't moving out of town, and hopefully their building won't stay vacant too long.....Almost time for the flu shot.....seems like a lot of people are opting to burn wood this winter with the high cost of fuel.......Is there a worse job than removing a dead skunk from the road???.......Soccer season has ended and playoffs are soon. High School basketball is just around the corner. Another sure sign of Winter up here in the County......Wouldn't it be nice to attract a new business to the former Maine Glove on the North Road. That's a big building. At one time more than 100 people were employed there....How many churches are in Houlton?.....Houlton has more law enforcement officers per person, than any other Town in the County, and probably the State. The local police have 6 or 7 units, the State police are headquartered here, The County Sherriff and Jail are here, not to mention the US Border Patrol. Even the Maliseet Indians have a unit and an officer......... All in all, Houlton is a pretty safe place to live and raise a family....Lots of talk over coffee today...That's the view from my couch today.............

Why Are Gas Prices So High in Houlton ?

Around Town this afternoon, I overheard someone say that they were glad to see gas had dropped a nickle today. This make gas in Houlton $2.79.9 a gallon. This is still the HIGHEST price in Aroostook County. In Oakfield , just 20 miles south, gas is $2.59.9 today. It is also cheaper in Monticello, just 13 miles to the North.

Houlton has always been the "leader" in high gas prices in Aroostook County. If you ask the dealers, they will mumble something about trucking costs or rack prices. Well Guess what? Other parts of the State have the same overhead, and they can sell gas cheaper.

Most of out local dealers have their product trucked up from Searsport. Why is it that this same gas can be sold cheaper in Presque Isle and Caribou, both of which are an hour NORTH of Houlton. You would think it would be more expensive up there. Then go to the St John Valley- 2 hours NORTH and find gas cheaper still in Fort Kent and Madawaska. Why is this?

Irving Oil has a refinery in St. John N.B; so their gas comes in through Woodstock, N.B. It is still cheaper in Oakfield, Sherman Medway and even cheaper further South in Maine. Irving is not the market leader. They just follow along with the others.

Some smaller stations have tried to sell gas cheaper in Houlton from time to time- but usually they get a call from one of the local dealers ( I know this for a fact, having witnessed it before ) telling them to keep their prices in line.

In Houlton, it is one station that sets the tone, and one station alone. EXXON. They ALWAYS are the first station to RAISE their prices, sometimes by as much as six or seven hours before the others follow. They are usually the last station to lower prices too. Upper Management of these stations have taken a lot of money out of customers pockets with this practice and in turn, have made their company some decent profits. The most blatent abuse of prices by this station was during the first PHISH concert at Loring a few years ago. They were the only station to raise prices for the weekend. People noticed too. They were castigated on the Phish web site and in the local paper, to a much lesser extent.

The question still remains, "What can be done about high prices in Houlton?" Town Councilor Mike Blanchard brought the item up for discussion at a meeting in the past and Town Council wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. All you can do is voice your opinion and hope someone listens.

It's not right when stations raise prices as quick as they did a few weeks ago. Prices skyrocketed, increasing almost a dollar per gallon in a weeks time. I could understand if the stations had to pay more from their distributors for this gas, but often time the local stations would be raising their prices two or three times during the same shipment already in their tanks. It's not right, plain and simple.

Town Councilors wonder why they have a hard time attracting new businesses to Town. You don't have to pay me the big money they are paying Sylvio Raymond and Brian Hammel to do some economic development research for the Town. Here is a reason and a BIG ONE. The gas companies have been allowed to operate this way for years in the Shiretown.

Outside people notice. It's real easy to go to the Internet and check gas prices thoughout the State. Houlton will always , needlessly, have the highest prices in Aroostook. So while Irving, Shell, Citgo, and especially EXXON, make larger profits in Houlton than at any other place in The County; the small LOCAL guys operate with a narrow profit margine. All this contibutes as Houlton slowly loses population.

It's no coincidence. Here is an example. Today gas is twenty cents a gallon cheaper in Oakfield. Personally , my family burned 30 gallons this week. Now it is just a $6 savings this week. But it is almost always twenty cents cheaper, So carried out over 52 weeks, that is a $312 savings in gas if I don't have to buy it in Houlton.

Now for the" Ordinary Working Joe", $312 is a lot of money. It can be a car payment, a months rent, maybe two weeks worth of groceries, a new set of tires, the Christmas presents they can't afford. I could go on.

Makes you wonder why an outside business would consider coming to Houlton, does't it?

My point is simple. Gas is too damned high in Houlton, and it's a shame no one can do anything about it.

That's the view from my couch .............................

Declining School Population

At last weeks SAD # 29 School Board Meeting, Houlton Superintendent Steven Fitzpatrick made a comment about the projected number of students. He predicted by the year 2017 that Houlton High School would have only 200 students. That's less than half of the students that are presently attending HHS.

Reasons for this:

First and foremost, is the simple fact that Houlton is an aging town.

Second, is that many, many young people leave town to further their education and do not return.

Third, is Greater Houlton Christian Academy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in any way knocking the place - but the simple fact is that school is growing each year. A good portion of their students come from the Houlton and Hodgdon School districts thus, contributing to the decline at both of the aforementioned schools.

Possible Partial Solutions:

First: Increase attendence by offering something other schools do not. Houlton has an outstanding music program. There is a plan in place to expand the Fine Arts Program. Once this becomes a reality, it will draw some students. This is a start

Second: Find a way to keep more students in town after graduation. There has been a start to this with the opening of the Houlton Higher Eduacation Center. UMPI and NMCC both offer some classes here. Too bad Ricker College closed; but I digress. The outreach center is a good start.

Third: Attract new businesses to Town. This needs to be done sooner than later. Unfortunatly, it is much harder to do, than it is to say . People need a place to work, a place where they can make money. Good Money. Perhaps Town Council should visit neighboring Woodstook, New Brunswick for ideas. Their Town has EXPLODED in the past 5-8 years with growth.

Fourth: One suggestted solution has been to combine the Houlton and Hodgdon High Schools. At the State level, they encourage consolidation of schools that are as close as these two are. While that would help keep Houlton's school full; it would totaly destroy the fabric of the Town of Hodgdon if they had to shutter thier school in my opinion.

Times are changing and the schools are changing with them. There are no easy answers to some very hard questions. However, we shouldn't be looking back at "what was", we should be looking ahead at "what can be". The time to start planning for change is now. voice your opinion, Together, we are going to go through this changing time, like it or not.

That's the View from My Couch