New Children’s Home opened in town

Workers at the Digby County Power Board were on strike after a breakdown in negotiations over wages and job classifications.

Radio personality John Waterman was named as the new head of the Annapolis Basin Festival planned for July, 1974. There was also interest in Digby being host for the next Apple Blossom Festival.

Adverse summer weather was faulted for the drop in the number of fruit and vegetable entries at the Digby County Exhibition in Bear River.

The Courier, which entered its 100th year just a week before, was making a major printing change. Gone was the hot lead letterpress and in its place was the ‘cold’ offset printing, with papers printed on presses of Mailman Publishing in Bridgetown.

In church news, New Tusket United Baptist celebrated its 130th anniversary, and in Digby the Wesleyan church had a new pastor, Rev. Douglas Hapeman.

At the O.M. Andrews store on the Digby Neck Highway, fresh ground hamburg was selling for 89 cents a pound.

‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ was playing at the Littler Cinema and stars included Martin Balsam and Joseph Cotton.

50 years ago

Aug. 21, 1958 – Weather observations provided by deck officers of the Bay of Fundy ferry ‘Princess Helene’ were among essential data for the Aug. 9 flight across the Bay from Fredericton to Yarmouth by Princess Margaret, according to the federal government. The Helene was part of the Canadian Weather Observing Fleet, and its accuracy was well above average, noted the report.

A review of Princess Margaret’s royal visit of Digby found that the anticipated tremendous turnout of spectators didn’t materialize. Organizers had expected thousands and had been requesting town residents with extra rooms to put up visitors for the night. It turned out that the crowds had largely gone to Halifax where the royal visit coincided with Natal Day activities.

Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn were starring in ‘Love in the Afternoon’, playing at the Capitol Theatre.

60 years ago

Aug. 19, 1948 – Digby council decided to call a ratepayers’ meeting to consider sale of the town’s south parkland. An automotive concern had expressed interest in purchasing a portion as an alternative to building a gas station on the waterfront side of the main street.

Taxi driver Alex Wentzell had just delivered a passenger and was returning to his stand when his car got stuck on the rails of the DAR crossing at the extreme south end of Montague Row. Hearing a train approaching, he tried to flag it down, but it struck his car before being able to stop.

The province’s mobile x-ray unit was expected in Digby for three days, part of a campaign to x-ray every adult in Nova Scotia for evidence of tuberculosis.

Camby Ltd. of New Glasgow was awarded a $46,000 contract to build a 12-inch water main from Lily Lake to the town. Tenders for the contract were opened in public, a first in Nova Scotia where such papers were usually opened in private.

The town’s medical officer issued a boil order for drinking water.

Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney were the stars of ‘The Iron Curtain’, playing at the Capitol.