Twenty years ago — 1998

Plans to bring a summer festival back to the waterfront area of the city of Dunkirk are under consideration by city officials. The proposed event is entitled, “It’s Summer by the Bay,” would be held over a four-day period in June and include arts, crafts and rides in the harborfront area. It was suggested that live music be included in the festival. The city has previously sponsored a three-day event in conjunction with the Fourth of July known as Harborfest. However, that event was scaled back the last two years to one day.

Thirty years ago — 1988

Work is progressing on the new $3 million Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. crew facility at 385-401 Water St. in Fredonia. According to LaVerne G. Hall, general contractor, the work is right on schedule. The target date for completion of the crew facility is July 15, 1989. This new facility will replace NiMo’s current crew facility on Norton Place in Fredonia and will serve as operations headquarters for service to approximately 92,000 customers in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany and southern Erie counties.

Forty years ago — 1978

Calling the omission “a slap in the face,” the association of merchants at the D & F Plaza criticized the city of Dunkirk for failing to mention the Plaza in a slide presentation of the city’s highlights. The slide program, called “Dunkirk on the Rise,” was aired recently over the BOCES television network. The slide program was developed by the Dunkirk Citizens Advisory Committee. The D & F Merchants Association, in a sharply worded letter presented at a recent Dunkirk Common Council meeting, reminded city officials that the Plaza is the fourth-largest tax contributor to the city and employs more than 350 people. “To again be ignored is not only a snub, but a slap in the face,” the association said.

Fifty years ago — 1968

The Dunkirk Common Council voted to approve the site on Lamphere Street proposed by the city housing authority for 45 housing units, thus opening the door for urban renewal. The final vote was 4-1, with Councilman Peter Layman dissenting. Preceding the vote, representatives from a number of local service organizations spoke in favor of the site, including the Dunkirk Jaycees, NAACP, Citizens Advisory Council, Dunkirk Chamber of Commerce, Dunkirk Rotary Club and the United Steel Workers union. The housing project is primarily intended to house those families and individuals who will be displaced by urban renewal.