Here’s some old news from the Andover, East Andover, West Andover, Potter Place, and Cilleyville “gossip” columns of the Franklin Journal Transcript, selected by Heather Makechnie
June 3, 1965
Stock Car Racing at Hurricane Road, Route 3A, West Franklin opening on Thursday, June 3 at 7:30 PM. Class B races every Thursday night. Adults, $1.25; children under 12, 5 cents.
Enjoy gracious dining in the beautiful Candlelight Room at the Andover Meadow Inn. Hotel liquor license.
Cioffi’s Pinehurst Restaurant. Steak & Mushroom Special – Homemade Sausage – Fresh Cut Veal – Homemade Lasagna on Saturday. Route 4, between West Andover and South Danbury. Open every day during the summer.
Congratulations go to Mr and Mrs Eddie Coffin Jr. on the birth of a son at New London Hospital on May 27.
Congratulations go to Mr Arthur and Mrs Beverly LaFrance on the birth of a daughter, Tammy Lynn, weighing four pounds, at Franklin Hospital on May 27.
June 10, 1965
Governor King called a meeting of his special Drought Advisory Committee last week to consider means to combat the mounting shortage of water for crops, wells, and reservoirs throughout the state. That same day, the US Weather Bureau reported that rainfall for May was more than 2.5 inches below normal, making May the 48th month in the last 56 in which there has been a rainfall deficiency.
The governor disclosed that the state officials were considering the allocation of funds to hire W E Howell Associates of Lexington, Massachusetts to conduct another rainmaking experiment. After Howell Associates conducted a two-and-a-half-week cloud seeding effort in New Hampshire last November, spokesmen for the firm said rainfall during the period was 19% above normal.
The fire department was called out to a fire at the home of the Albert Hoyts last week. Much damage was done to the the upstairs rooms. So glad no one was hurt, as one of the children was in bed. With the quick aid of the firemen, the blaze was put out.
Friday, June 11, the fifth and sixth grades will take a school trip to Concord, Massachusetts; Boston Museum of Fine Arts; Durgin Park; USS Constitution; Boston Museum of Natural Science; and other points of interest.
The graduating 8th grade class this year includes Edward Barton, Elwin Barton, Karyn Carpenter, Kathryn Carpenter, Cheryl Downes, Brenda Dukette, Sharon Fair, Paul Hersey, Donna Huntoon, Rebecca Jewett, Ellen Johnson, Ralph Lewis Jr, Gordon Lull Jr, Marie Morrill, Dennis Ordway, Connie Powers, Ann Richards, Bernard O’Reilly, James Shanelaris, and Keith Weed.
June 17, 1965
Forty-two Proctor Academy boys graduated on Saturday, with ceremonies held in front of Cary House. Mr. Lovejoy presented Headmaster Farrell with a gold-colored shovel with which to start construction of a new field house on Silo Hill, which is part of the newly acquired Carr Estate. The Senior Class at Proctor purchased a 1,200-gallon oil truck to be converted for use as a water truck for the Proctor Academy Fire Company Auxiliary.
Garry George, son of Mr and Mrs Howard George, had his tonsils out on Monday at Franklin Hospital. Kim Keyser, daughter of Mr and Mrs Allen Keyser, had her tonsils out at the Concord Hospital last Friday and returned home on Saturday.
Scott Ireland, Garry George, and Tommie Keyser graduated the Kiddie Korner Kindergarten in Salisbury recently.
The Henry Burney family’s cow presented them with twin calves over the weekend.
Be sure to go to the Sky-Hi Drive-in Movie on Route 3 in Boscawen Friday through Tuesday evening because James Bond is back! Sean Connery in Goldfinger in color.
June 24, 1965
Miss Sandra Sirdifield, daughter of Mr and Mrs Horace Sirdifield of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and John Graves, son of Mr and Mrs John Graves of East Andover, were united in marriage at St Paul’s Cathedral in Boston on Saturday, June 12.
Sign up for summer school at Lyndover School for Girls, grades 6 through 11 on Highland Lake, East Andover. All subjects and credit courses taught. Review or make-up. How to Study classes. State certified teachers. Day classes or classes plus activities. Boarding for season or for weekdays only. Call Mrs Peter Shanelaris, 735-xxxx.
Congratulations go to Mr and Mrs William “Sandy” Bardsley on the birth of a daughter born at the New London Hospital on June 13. Baby was named Jenny, after her great-grandmother.
Donna Keyser, daughter of Mr and Mrs Fred Keyser, had the honor of perfect attendance again this year at Andover. This is Donna’s seventh year in a row for perfect attendance! Donna will be working at Ragged Lake Camp for the summer.
Gary Peters, son of Mr and Mrs Robert Peters, had perfect attendance for first grade.
Eric Sevareid writes in his syndicated column, “Viet Nam is a bad dream coming true. We are all like the dreamer, who sees himself being pulled by unseen forces into the depths of a swamp; he cannot help himself and he cannot awaken.
“There can be no more illusions, no more false hopes that somehow the United States could win this war by proxy, remaining essentially as organizers and “advisors.
“We are in a land war on the mainland of Asia, near to a great hostile power, our own supply lines thousands of miles long. The second major war since the end of the Great War is developing, and there is now no way to see how American casualties in the thousands and perhaps tens of thousands could be avoided.”