1987
May 1987
A photo of daffodils and tulips “enjoying the late spring sunshine” graced the front page of the May 13, 1987 Hollis Times. A photo on page 6 of the same issue, however, showed a very different scene – a magnolia tree in bloom surrounded by 15 inches of snow. The caption under the photo read “It’s not nice to fool, Mother Nature!” This unseasonable snowstorm hit Hollis on April 29.
The weather was much nicer about a week later, however, when, on May 23, a large crew of volunteers gathered at the Hollis Elementary School to build a playground. According to the Hollis Times, construction materials included 400 used, non-steel-belted tires, 30 telephone poles, hundreds of board feet of lumber and hoses, chains, nails, nuts and bolts. The playground project was organized by HEP, the Hollis Elementary People. Ten years later the playground is still in good repair and stands as a monument to the spirit of volunteerism in Hollis.
June 1987
The weather was hot and sunny on Sunday, June 14, 1987 as 106 members of the HAHS Class of 1987 gathered on the lawn of the White Building for their graduation ceremonies. The Valedictorian was Julia Degges and Salutatorian was Linda McGuire.
There was an “added attraction” to the 1987 Hollis Strawberry Festival. According to the June 10, 1987 Hollis Times, “In order to mark the kickoff of the town’s Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, people [were] urged to come in Colonial dress.” A special prize was awarded to those who could recite the Preamble to the Constitution.
An organizational meeting of the Bicentennial Committee on the U.S. Constitution was held on June 11. The purpose of the Committee was “to generate interest, education and enthusiasm for the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution on September 17.” Those of you who attended this celebration 10 years ago may remember how much fun it was and how similar it was to parts of the 250th anniversary celebration held last year. This year’s Old Home Day, scheduled for September 13, will probably feature some of the same events enjoyed in 1987. Even the date is similar – the second weekend after Labor Day!
July 1987
The front page of the July 15, 1987 Hollis Times featured extensive coverage of the June 28 Strawberry Festival. According to a Letter to the Editor, 480 quarts of strawberries and 2500 shortcakes were prepared. (This year Woman’s Club members hulled 440 quarts of berries and baked 1536 shortcakes.) The photos showed the typical crowds. Members of the town’s Bicentennial Committee wore period dress, and helium-filled balloons added to the festive appearance of the 1987 festival. The tradition of the Strawberry Festival does go back at least to the 1880’s. I wonder if period dress might again add to its atmosphere.
August 1987
It was announced that school would open on Tuesday, September 1 for all elementary students and on Wednesday, September 2 for all junior high and high school students.
The Blue Swan Boutique advertised that it would soon open its doors in the Hollis Village Marketplace. The owners of the store promised to offer women's fashions with "a wide selection of elegant classics to contemporary designer styles." Do you remember The Blue Swan? I didn't. The August 26, 1987 Hollis Times carried a large ad inviting Hollis residents to the Grand Opening Festival of the Hollis Village Marketplace. To be held at the Marketplace on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13, the event featured raffles, gift certificates, live entertainment, sidewalk sales and refreshments at all participating stores with a grand prize of a free hot air balloon ride to be raffled off. Businesses advertising in this issue included Hollis Pharmacy, Daveís Dry Cleaning, Hollis Academy for Children, Admiral Woolseys, and Sleek and Sassy Figure Salon. Remember? Do you remember some of the other businesses that have come and gone at the Hollis Village Marketplace? The Blue Swan, Sleek and Sassy, and Admiral Woolseys have all closed their doors. Here are some of the other businesses that have temporarily occupied space in the Marketplace ñ Heart ní Soul Fitness, Hollis Dance Studio, Hollis Star Market, Apple Tree Country, Les Sorelle, the Enchanted Eye Gallery, Mc Duffee Insurance, the Video Library, Floraítiques, Flowers by Marie, and In Bloom. SAU #41 and Dr. Knesevich just moved from their Marketplace locations within the past year. Coiffure of Copenhagen, Hollis Veterinary Clinic, and Dolly's Place have been in business almost as long as the pharmacy, dry cleaner and grocery store (now under a different name and management). A &B Travel, Micro C and the Hollis Chronicle have more recently hung their signs at the Marketplace. And just last month, Global Development Graphics and the Hollis Family Chiropractor opened their doors. Interestingly, the service businesses have outlasted the specialty stores. I wonder who will move into the Marketplace next?
September 1987
The Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution was celebrated in Hollis in September 1887. Special assemblies and activities were held at all three Hollis schools and on September 26 the Fall Freedom Ride (bicycle race and tour) was organized to commemorate this occasion.
The Hollis Village Marketplace held a Grand Opening Festival the weekend of September 12-13 and an aerial photo on the front page of the September 9, 1987 Hollis Times showed this building project to be complete. The photo, taken by Leslie O’ Shaughnessy, is especially interesting today because of what is not in it – the bank building now housing BankBoston, the east end of the main complex currently owned by Micro-C, the new police station and, of course, the elderly housing complex. At its opening the Marketplace was home to Admiral Woolsey’s, the Blue Swan Boutique, Dave’s Quality Dry Cleaning, Dolly’s Place, the Enchanted Eye Gallery, Flora’tiques, Hollis Academy for Children, the Hollis Pharmacy, the Hollis Star Market, the Hollis Veterinary Hospital, Sleek and Sassy Figure Salon, and the Video Library. The festivities included raffles, gift certificates, balloons, sidewalk sales and refreshments.
October 1987
Joan Tinklepaugh began her series "Flashbacks - presented by the Hollis Historical Society," in the October 21, 1987 issues of the Hollis Times. Her first installment was titled "A Day at the Fair- October 23, 1855." Having been fascinated by Hollis history ever since I moved to Hollis almost 17 years ago, I reread Joan's article. In it she quotes part of the speech given to fair-goers by Dr. Ralph Emerson, grandson of the Reverend Daniel Emerson, the first minister of the Hollis Community Church. Listing the advantages of an agricultural life to his audience of farm families, he said, "Agriculture is the surest source for a competent supply of our wants. The estate and the income of a farmer are in a form to yield the highest happiness. Agriculture is the most conducive to health, to mental improvement and common sense, to spiritual improvement (the undevout farmer is mad). Agriculture brings domestic enjoyment, domestic education, morality and piety, personal and national freedom and independence." I wonder if today's Hollis farmers, the few who still actively farm for a living, would agree 142 years later with Dr. Emerson's assessment
The October 1987 issues of the Hollis Times advertised two events no longer held in town - the annual Firemen's' Ball (or Halloween Dance), held at the Alpine Grove on October 31, and the Country Christmas Fair, held at the Congregational Church on November 7. These always-popular events, which benefited the Firemen's Benevolent Association and the Church, respectively, have not been scheduled for several years. Both were traditional autumn celebrations that might have grown out of harvest festivals of the past. Perhaps now, like the Old Home Day celebration, they will be revived.
November 1987
Roads were also a topic of discussion in November of 1987. Specifically, Joan Tinklepaugh wrote about the Road to Improvement in her November 18 "Taken for Granite" column. "The road to improvement is rocky," she began. "It is often hard to decide if the changes that are occurring are delightful or devastating." Joan continued by questioning the true value of the road improvement program, which has turned some "curvy, dusty, dirty, dippy" Hollis roads into "virtual four-lane highways." She cited the Hollis Village Marketplace as another example of "misguided town purpose in the name of 'improvement.'" Calling this area a complex of "behemoth brick and wood structures adrift in a sea of blacktop," she reminded us that "physical ëimprovementí must be considered carefully for it is with us forever, barring flood, fire or earthquake. And once undertaken, these changes should be gentle, unobtrusive and 'make sense' so our eyes and hearts can adjust without rebellion." Joan suggested that more precise zoning regulations are needed "to preserve our 'country' while allowing us to consider neighborhoods with a variety of housing." She concluded her article with a warning that "the Road to Improvement can be expected to have its ups and downs, its twists and turns, but it should lead us where we want to go or it becomes The Road to No Place."
I believe that Joan's comments are still timely ten years later. The town is currently considering a second traffic light, at the corner of Depot Road and Route 111 (again both state roads) and is also in the process of planning a complete reconfiguration of the town center. Historic District boundaries and regulations are being studied. It would be wise to heed Joan's advice and proceed slowly with these "improvements." As she states, "physical improvement . . .is with us forever" and we must be sure that the Road to Improvement is leading us where we truly want to go.
A photo of daffodils and tulips “enjoying the late spring sunshine” graced the front page of the May 13, 1987 Hollis Times. A photo on page 6 of the same issue, however, showed a very different scene – a magnolia tree in bloom surrounded by 15 inches of snow. The caption under the photo read “It’s not nice to fool, Mother Nature!” This unseasonable snowstorm hit Hollis on April 29.
The weather was much nicer about a week later, however, when, on May 23, a large crew of volunteers gathered at the Hollis Elementary School to build a playground. According to the Hollis Times, construction materials included 400 used, non-steel-belted tires, 30 telephone poles, hundreds of board feet of lumber and hoses, chains, nails, nuts and bolts. The playground project was organized by HEP, the Hollis Elementary People. Ten years later the playground is still in good repair and stands as a monument to the spirit of volunteerism in Hollis.
June 1987
The weather was hot and sunny on Sunday, June 14, 1987 as 106 members of the HAHS Class of 1987 gathered on the lawn of the White Building for their graduation ceremonies. The Valedictorian was Julia Degges and Salutatorian was Linda McGuire.
There was an “added attraction” to the 1987 Hollis Strawberry Festival. According to the June 10, 1987 Hollis Times, “In order to mark the kickoff of the town’s Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, people [were] urged to come in Colonial dress.” A special prize was awarded to those who could recite the Preamble to the Constitution.
An organizational meeting of the Bicentennial Committee on the U.S. Constitution was held on June 11. The purpose of the Committee was “to generate interest, education and enthusiasm for the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution on September 17.” Those of you who attended this celebration 10 years ago may remember how much fun it was and how similar it was to parts of the 250th anniversary celebration held last year. This year’s Old Home Day, scheduled for September 13, will probably feature some of the same events enjoyed in 1987. Even the date is similar – the second weekend after Labor Day!
July 1987
The front page of the July 15, 1987 Hollis Times featured extensive coverage of the June 28 Strawberry Festival. According to a Letter to the Editor, 480 quarts of strawberries and 2500 shortcakes were prepared. (This year Woman’s Club members hulled 440 quarts of berries and baked 1536 shortcakes.) The photos showed the typical crowds. Members of the town’s Bicentennial Committee wore period dress, and helium-filled balloons added to the festive appearance of the 1987 festival. The tradition of the Strawberry Festival does go back at least to the 1880’s. I wonder if period dress might again add to its atmosphere.
August 1987
It was announced that school would open on Tuesday, September 1 for all elementary students and on Wednesday, September 2 for all junior high and high school students.
The Blue Swan Boutique advertised that it would soon open its doors in the Hollis Village Marketplace. The owners of the store promised to offer women's fashions with "a wide selection of elegant classics to contemporary designer styles." Do you remember The Blue Swan? I didn't. The August 26, 1987 Hollis Times carried a large ad inviting Hollis residents to the Grand Opening Festival of the Hollis Village Marketplace. To be held at the Marketplace on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13, the event featured raffles, gift certificates, live entertainment, sidewalk sales and refreshments at all participating stores with a grand prize of a free hot air balloon ride to be raffled off. Businesses advertising in this issue included Hollis Pharmacy, Daveís Dry Cleaning, Hollis Academy for Children, Admiral Woolseys, and Sleek and Sassy Figure Salon. Remember? Do you remember some of the other businesses that have come and gone at the Hollis Village Marketplace? The Blue Swan, Sleek and Sassy, and Admiral Woolseys have all closed their doors. Here are some of the other businesses that have temporarily occupied space in the Marketplace ñ Heart ní Soul Fitness, Hollis Dance Studio, Hollis Star Market, Apple Tree Country, Les Sorelle, the Enchanted Eye Gallery, Mc Duffee Insurance, the Video Library, Floraítiques, Flowers by Marie, and In Bloom. SAU #41 and Dr. Knesevich just moved from their Marketplace locations within the past year. Coiffure of Copenhagen, Hollis Veterinary Clinic, and Dolly's Place have been in business almost as long as the pharmacy, dry cleaner and grocery store (now under a different name and management). A &B Travel, Micro C and the Hollis Chronicle have more recently hung their signs at the Marketplace. And just last month, Global Development Graphics and the Hollis Family Chiropractor opened their doors. Interestingly, the service businesses have outlasted the specialty stores. I wonder who will move into the Marketplace next?
September 1987
The Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution was celebrated in Hollis in September 1887. Special assemblies and activities were held at all three Hollis schools and on September 26 the Fall Freedom Ride (bicycle race and tour) was organized to commemorate this occasion.
The Hollis Village Marketplace held a Grand Opening Festival the weekend of September 12-13 and an aerial photo on the front page of the September 9, 1987 Hollis Times showed this building project to be complete. The photo, taken by Leslie O’ Shaughnessy, is especially interesting today because of what is not in it – the bank building now housing BankBoston, the east end of the main complex currently owned by Micro-C, the new police station and, of course, the elderly housing complex. At its opening the Marketplace was home to Admiral Woolsey’s, the Blue Swan Boutique, Dave’s Quality Dry Cleaning, Dolly’s Place, the Enchanted Eye Gallery, Flora’tiques, Hollis Academy for Children, the Hollis Pharmacy, the Hollis Star Market, the Hollis Veterinary Hospital, Sleek and Sassy Figure Salon, and the Video Library. The festivities included raffles, gift certificates, balloons, sidewalk sales and refreshments.
October 1987
Joan Tinklepaugh began her series "Flashbacks - presented by the Hollis Historical Society," in the October 21, 1987 issues of the Hollis Times. Her first installment was titled "A Day at the Fair- October 23, 1855." Having been fascinated by Hollis history ever since I moved to Hollis almost 17 years ago, I reread Joan's article. In it she quotes part of the speech given to fair-goers by Dr. Ralph Emerson, grandson of the Reverend Daniel Emerson, the first minister of the Hollis Community Church. Listing the advantages of an agricultural life to his audience of farm families, he said, "Agriculture is the surest source for a competent supply of our wants. The estate and the income of a farmer are in a form to yield the highest happiness. Agriculture is the most conducive to health, to mental improvement and common sense, to spiritual improvement (the undevout farmer is mad). Agriculture brings domestic enjoyment, domestic education, morality and piety, personal and national freedom and independence." I wonder if today's Hollis farmers, the few who still actively farm for a living, would agree 142 years later with Dr. Emerson's assessment
The October 1987 issues of the Hollis Times advertised two events no longer held in town - the annual Firemen's' Ball (or Halloween Dance), held at the Alpine Grove on October 31, and the Country Christmas Fair, held at the Congregational Church on November 7. These always-popular events, which benefited the Firemen's Benevolent Association and the Church, respectively, have not been scheduled for several years. Both were traditional autumn celebrations that might have grown out of harvest festivals of the past. Perhaps now, like the Old Home Day celebration, they will be revived.
November 1987
Roads were also a topic of discussion in November of 1987. Specifically, Joan Tinklepaugh wrote about the Road to Improvement in her November 18 "Taken for Granite" column. "The road to improvement is rocky," she began. "It is often hard to decide if the changes that are occurring are delightful or devastating." Joan continued by questioning the true value of the road improvement program, which has turned some "curvy, dusty, dirty, dippy" Hollis roads into "virtual four-lane highways." She cited the Hollis Village Marketplace as another example of "misguided town purpose in the name of 'improvement.'" Calling this area a complex of "behemoth brick and wood structures adrift in a sea of blacktop," she reminded us that "physical ëimprovementí must be considered carefully for it is with us forever, barring flood, fire or earthquake. And once undertaken, these changes should be gentle, unobtrusive and 'make sense' so our eyes and hearts can adjust without rebellion." Joan suggested that more precise zoning regulations are needed "to preserve our 'country' while allowing us to consider neighborhoods with a variety of housing." She concluded her article with a warning that "the Road to Improvement can be expected to have its ups and downs, its twists and turns, but it should lead us where we want to go or it becomes The Road to No Place."
I believe that Joan's comments are still timely ten years later. The town is currently considering a second traffic light, at the corner of Depot Road and Route 111 (again both state roads) and is also in the process of planning a complete reconfiguration of the town center. Historic District boundaries and regulations are being studied. It would be wise to heed Joan's advice and proceed slowly with these "improvements." As she states, "physical improvement . . .is with us forever" and we must be sure that the Road to Improvement is leading us where we truly want to go.