May 29, 1991

A sniff of laughing gas will make pain more bearable for some future riders in Westbrook’s rescue ambulances. The volunteers of the Westbrook Rescue Unit have voted to use up to $3,000 from Rescue Unit donations to buy a Nitronox field unit for inhaling nitrous oxide for each of the two rescue wagons. The City Council gave its permission last week. “When you have to listen to them scream all the way to the hospital, you know how much this is needed,” a Rescue Unit member told the council.

In 1940, when Alton Benson moved from Kennebunkport to Gorham to take over his father-in-law’s farm, there were 54 dairy farms in town. Today, the list ends at eight: Benson and his son Ed, Jack Gordon, Ernie Lowell and grandson Craig Pike, Norm Martine, Bill Rust, Mahlon Straw, Hubbard Wilson and Carroll Young. They all are feeling the squeeze of a tight economy as the price they get paid for their milk falls and their costs continue to mount.

The Westbrook Together Days parade June 8 should have as many floats as possible, the organizers say, and they are encouraging additional entries. The floats will be judged, with cash prizes offered this year – $100 for first place, $50 each for second and third. The theme being promoted for the floats is, “Westbrook Old and New.”

Graduation exercises cannot be held at the Westbrook High School gym because the floor won’t be ready, so they’ll be held instead at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium. The gym is getting a balcony as part of the general rebuilding and expansion of the high school. The ceremony is June 16, and Westbrook will pay Portland $1,000 for the rental.

Employees in Gorham’s Public Works Department will decide this month whether they want to become affiliated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. If the 10 employees do vote to unionize, they would join the police department, dispatchers and all members of the school department except top administrators and central office staff.

Birget Kroschel of West Berlin is living with host parents George and Nancy Pattershall and host sisters Susan and Lynn while she attends Gorham High School this year as an exchange student. School seems to be easier here than in Germany because less study time is required, she said. In Germany, the school week is about 5½ days, and 13 years of schooling are required before college. No students have jobs because school takes so much time. She said she enjoys wind surfing, skiing and running track.

May 30, 2001

The Westbrook Chamber of Commerce will answer your questions at a booth at Westbrook Together Days Friday evening and Saturday, June 1-2, at Riverbank Park. The chamber expects to have a two-person team in the booth and is recruiting volunteers. The booth will serve to direct people around the grounds, hand out brochures listing events and as a lost and found and re-uniter of people separated in the crowd. The Together Days theme is “Remember the 50s.” Among the performers on the entertainment stage are the Tony Boffa Band, Al Hawkes, Don Doane’s Senior Sextet, Phil Rich Big Band, Rick Charette and Zulu Leprechaun.

A gangly young moose was photographed Tuesday afternoon strolling around the yard of the DiRenzo construction business on Rochester Street in Westbrook. A game warden’s tranquilizer dart made possible the moose’s trip in a truck to safer haunts.

After debate about the use of preserved animal specimens in high school biology lab classes, the Westbrook School Committee has adopted a new policy for students who don’t want to take part in such dissection. Those students will be given a packet providing specific activities to be completed and specific resources to be used.

Display shelves have been constructed in Gorham’s Baxter Museum on South Street, creating a mini-shop where a line of products can be on sale, such as post cards and aprons, said Linda Frinsko, president of the trustees of the Baxter Memorial Library and museum. Forest Alden, a Gorham carpenter, installed the new shelves in what had been a parlor closet. The museum is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in July and August. The hostess will be Jane Nelson.

Dan Shaw of Shaw Brothers Construction said yesterday that he hopes to submit an application by the first of the week seeking Department of Environmental Protection approval for its Gambo Road gravel pit expansion and recreation park gift to Gorham. The complex project received Gorham Planning Board approval lat week with an itemized list of 35 conditions: 24 for the gravel pit and eight for the recreational area.

Stephanie Drouin, daughter of David and Lisa Drouin, Gorham, will play in the National Futures field hockey tournament, June 27-July 1, at the University of Maryland. She is one of 14 players picked to represent the Northeast. A senior next year at Gorham High School, she plays for the Seacoast United club team and plays at the Elite Futures site at Berwick Academy.

Westbrook High School honored retired teacher Roberta Wyer Dutton May 10 with its Distinguished Alumni Award. “Her countless hours of service and devotion to her community make her a most worthy recipient,” the citation said.

Paul Laberge, pictured with white shirt and tie and leading the horse, operated this bakery at 845 Main St. The photo is not dated but the patriotic bunting on his building and the one adjacent to it indicate that the year was 1914 and the 100th.anniversary celebration of Westbrook’s Incorporation as a town. Westbrook was incorporated as a city in 1891. The building was demolished after Paul’s Bakery closed and a one-story building was constructed on the site for the Westbrook Gas Co. The site was cleared during urban renewal and a parking lot adjacent Bank of America is now located there. To see more historical photos and artifacts, visit the Westbrook Historical Society at the Fred C. Wescott Building, 426 Bridge St. It is open Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, and the first Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m., September-June. Inquiries can be emailed to westhistorical@myfairpoint.net. The website is www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org. Photo and research courtesy of Mike Sanphy