71 years ago, 1947

The soda bar in Coleman’s Pharmacy in Milford was renovated and redecorated, enlarging the counter and increasing the number of booths from three to 11.

The Milford Congregational Church parish house was to host the Cheyenne Indian tenor Chief Ho-To-Pi in concert. He was known as the Indian Caruso and his repertoire featured more than 700 songs in seven languages from 18 operas.

The Tremont Theatre in Nashua was showing “The Corpse Came C.O.D” with George Brent and Joan Blondell.

The Mont Vernon Village School opened in its new quarters — the former McCollom Institute. Margaret O’Neil of Milford was in charge of higher grades.

30 years ago, 1988

Milford selectmen asked town department heads to limit increases in line items, and in their salary accounts. They also asked the school board to attempt to control its budget.

The Milford Police Department completed its move into a new home in a former motel on Elm Street, near the Route 101 bypass.

A letter from 16 merchants on the Milford Oval told the town’s selectmen that revitalization of the area was needed “in the immediate future or the downtown section as we know it will decline and become empty.”

The Amherst School Board asked middle school social studies teacher Porter Dodge to prepare a report on how ethics was approached in the curriculum. There was no formal ethics curriculum, but parts of the social studies and science curricula did concern ethics.

20 years ago, 1998

Peterborough attorney Mark Fernald defeated Milford’s Ruth Heden for the Democratic nomination for state Senate in District 11 and was to face Sen. David Wheeler of Milford in November.

A scholarship was named in honor of Tony Perfito, a Wilton resident who owned Merrimack Pharmacy for 15 years. Perfito died of a heart attack while attending a convention in Florida. The scholarship was called the Anthony J. Perfito Memorial Pharmacy Scholarship.

Herb Stevens of Rhode Island was proposing a family sports center at Route 101A near Caldwell Road. It would include two air-supported domes sheltering Astroturf surfaces to be used for basketball, laser tag, soccer, baseball, football, lacross or a driving range, a climbing wall and two miniature golf courses.

Cheryl Burns was named athletic director at Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative High School.

15 years ago, 2003

The installation of new lights at the Milford Community Athletic Association fields on North River Road was delayed as neighbors and MCAA officials tried to work out a compromise over what some abutters called light pollution.

Democratic Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and his wife, Elizabeth, wrote a letter to The Cabinet thanking “the people of Milford for the warm welcome they extended to us on our recent bus trip to the area.”

The Milford Knights of Columbus was to host an Andy’s Summer Playhouse Mystery Dinner Theater.

Tracie Ibarra was the new coach of the Milford High School field hockey team. Brian Conti, in his first start at quarterback for Souhegan High School, led the Sabers to a 60-12 win over Goffstown.