50 Years Ago
- A crowd of 37,504 took advantage of a sunny and mild Labor Day to jam the Three County Fairgrounds on the fourth day of the nine-day Northampton fair. The crowd was larger by more than 3,000 than on last year’s Labor Day, but about 8,000 short of the record set on Labor Day 1954, during the 300th anniversary of the founding of the City of Northampton.
- The heaviest rainfall in nearly half a century fell this summer, according to an Amherst College professor. Philip Ives, a professor of biology who keeps close track of local weather conditions, said the area experienced the heaviest rainfall this summer since 1928.
25 Years Ago
- Construction crews will be finishing work on classrooms and hallways up until the very moments before Northampton High School students return for the new school year, officials told the building committee Thursday. The work will be finished on schedule, despite the loss of three critical days last week due to what turned out to be unfounded asbestos concerns.
- Two national chains are set to open branches in Hadley within the next two weeks. Linens ‘N Things, a purveyor of sheets, towels, and bathroom accessories, plans to open today at the Mountain Farms Mall. Meanwhile, the new Holiday Inn on Route 9 is set to open the weekend of Sept. 10.
10 Years Ago
- Electronics chain Best Buy will close its Hampshire Mall store on Oct. 31. Although a spokesperson for the store did not go into specifics as to why the company is closing its Hadley location, the decision to shut a store’s doors often comes from increasing rent costs, declining sales, or the overall “strength” of the mall.
- After more than a decade of debate about whether commemorative American flags should line the streets of downtown Amherst on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Select Board Monday approved a new policy that will allow these flags to go up annually.