September 1978
An “unexpectedly large” crowd of 135 voters turned out at a special town meeting and approved the purchase of nearly 30 acres of conservation land abutting Ayer Road, Glenview Drive, and the Holy Hill ball field near Ann Lees Road.
Two people were arrested for drunkenness and disorderly conduct at the Harvard Labor Day weekend concert that drew an audience of 2,000 people from as far as 50 miles away.
Due to increasing costs, the price of school lunch at the elementary school was raised to $.45. The price of milk at the school, however, remained unchanged, at $.05.
A sprawling L-shaped Cape on seven acres of land in what was described as “one of Harvard’s finest areas” was on the market with an asking price of $119,000.
Smokey and the Bandit, Grease, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest were playing in local movie theaters.
A team of Army noise experts conducted an “environmental noise survey” to help determine the future use of the Fort Devens demolitions training area south of Route 2.
September 1985
A report submitted to the School Needs Committee by a consultant estimated that school facilities could double in size by the year 2000.
In contemplating newspaper headlines of the day, an editorial writer posited that the headlines don’t usually reflect “what’s really going on,” as that isn’t always understood until after the fact. The writer offered some possible headlines that would reflect the “big trends” of the 1980s that would become clear only in retrospect:
- “Paving of the U.S.A. nearly complete”
- “Age of agriculture ends: experts seek new source for food”
- “Books disappear from stores, homes: prices out of sight; videos take over.”
- “Committee mania at its zenith: reports stacked on Town Hall stairs”
American Ninja, Teen Wolf, and Gremlins were playing in local movie theaters.
The Planning Board voted in favor of making the town’s only industrial district an agricultural-residential district during a hearing held in response to a petition signed by 17 townspeople. The residents’ concern came after the Boston & Maine Railroad announced plans to locate a trucking terminal near the site of the old train station at the end of Depot Road that would have been used for loading cement.
The selectmen voted to authorize the purchase of a computer package that included software developed specifically for municipalities. The $49,170 package would provide programs for general ledger, budget, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and tax billing.
Based on reports in the old Harvard Post.
