Twenty years ago — 1999

A number of businesses on Vineyard Drive near Route 60 have rolled out the welcome mat for the Buffalo Bills while training camp continues at Fredonia State University College. The businesses include Mighty Taco, Cracker Barrel, Applebee’s and Fleet Bank. Many other businesses in the local area are also showing their support for the Bills.

Thirty years ago — 1989

A standing-room-only group of about 25 residents, most of whom were from the University Park area, attended a Fredonia Planning Board meeting, demanding answers to a proposed 136-unit townhouse development off Temple Street. The proposal under fire is a development with a four-lane divided entrance/exit off Temple Street — between Maple Avenue and the entrance to Fredonia State University College — onto a 66-foot wide parcel of land that leads back to a 20-acre area sandwiched between homes on Temple Street and University Park.

Forty years ago — 1979

The Laona United Methodist Church is holding a three-day centennial celebration as the local congregation recognizes 100 years of worship and fellowship in the church building located at the triangle of Old Route 60 and Wilson Road in the heart of the community. It was in April 1879 that the pastor, the Rev. George Ott, decided a church building should be erected. By Aug. 3, 1879, the church edifice was ready for dedication.

Fifty years ago — 1969

Five members of the James H. Lesch family received the biggest thrill of their lives recently when they watched the re-entry of the Apollo 11 capsule while aboard an airliner flying from Brisbane, Australia to Honolulu, Hawaii. The family’s return home from Australia coincided with the splashdown of the U.S. moon visitors in the Pacific Ocean. The flight was delayed two hours so the passengers could see the re-entry.