A Look Back, Aug. 16

50 Years Ago

■Kitty Dukakis, wife of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Michael Dukakis, will be the guest of honor at a “Wine and Cheese Hour” reception in Northampton this afternoon. The reception will be held at the home of Democratic City Councilwoman Fran McNulty in Florence.

■The Northampton Conservation Commission in a regular meeting here last night voted to seek the City Council’s acceptance of a piece of land between Bliss Street and Maine’s Field as a city gift subject to restriction that would limit its use to include conservation purposes only.

25 Years Ago

■Workers were busy this week putting the finishing touches on a top-to-bottom renovation of Gawith Hall at the Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton. Underway since January, the $3.8 million project has consolidated student residential facilities in the refurbished 127-year-old brick residence hall.

■Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,700 people blew on kazoos Saturday, playing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” three times in a row in an effort to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records. Getting into the record book is an elaborate process, so it is unclear whether the attempt made the grade.

10 Years Ago

■As work continued Friday inside the Conz Street building where a medical marijuana dispensary is planned, the city’s top politicians said they hope controversy surrounding the educational credentials of the company’s executive director is ironed out quickly. Otherwise, patients may have to travel to eastern Massachusetts for medicinal help.

■A half-dozen, well-known Pioneer Valley figures got soaked on the steps of City Hall when they accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for research about ALS. The Ice Bucket Challenge has taken the Internet by storm.