Thirty years ago — 1991

A huge American flag was flown at the annual World Pumpkin Weighoff held recently in Collins. The Mount Rushmore Flag, as it is called because it has been flown there to commemorate anniversaries associated with presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, reportedly weighs 300 pounds. In Collins, the flag waved gently in the breeze as it hung from a crane boom with the sway controlled by two large ropes attached to either end.

Forty years ago — 1981

Winners of a Fire Prevention Poster Contest at the Gowanda Elementary School were awarded trophies from the Gowanda Volunteer Fire Department. The students from grades 3 through 6 include April Weaver, Michael Geil, Kristopher Kozlowski, Jarrod Hood, Elaine Gonzalez, Hidi Kraegel, Tina Barone and David White.

Fifty years ago — 1971

Roy H. Madden, president of the Dunkirk Savings and Loan Association, and L. Bruce Dent, president of the Niagara Permanent Savings and Loan Association of Niagara Falls, have announced that plans for a merger of the two institutions has been approved by the directors of both associations. The resulting organization would be the largest savings and loan association in Western New York, with assets of nearly $150 million.