Since my essay two weeks ago in this space ­ featuring interesting occurances and oddities of Greater Nashua Christmases past ­ drew such an unexpectedly robust response, I figured what the heck, why not do the same thing this week for Greater Nashua New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day?

Unable to find any good reason why not to do so, I began searching for any evidence that we Nashuans, and occasionally our neighbors, found interesting ways to ring in the new year, or did so under unfortunate circumstances, in past decades.

I figured I’d start with city government happenings in “the olden days,” given that today happens to be the inauguration of the 110th city government. (If you want to come watch, it begins at noon at Nashua High School North, and is followed by the aldermen’s traditional organizational meeting).

For years, Inauguration Day in Nashua has taken place on the first Sunday of January. But that wasn’t always so; for better or worse, Inauguration Day was Jan. 1, no matter what day of the week it happened to be.

Having witnessed more than my share of Inauguration Days in Nashua, I’d say “pretty routine” is a good description of the proceedings, with things like the nominee for Board of Aldermen president and vice president already settled amongst the members.

But things were apparently a tad livelier on at least two Inauguration Days ­ those of 1908 and 1936.

In ’08, the Board of Aldermen refused to confirm Mayor Albert Shedd’s two appointments to the Board of Public Works, the result, apparently, of the mayor’s decision not to reappoint the incumbent state engineer ­ that office must be called something else now.

But that was nothing compared to 1936, when aldermen, at their organizational meeting at the City Auditorium, dealt an almost across-the-board rebuke of incumbent office-holders, including the ouster of City Clerk Arthur Cyr, who, the Telegraph wrote, “has held down that position for more than 30 years.”

Aldermen instead chose, by a 9-6 vote, former county treasurer I. L. Ravenelle for city clerk. The only incumbent aldermen confirmed was city treasurer Samuel Dearborn.

Way back in 1882, the Nashua Daily Telegraph reported “great New Year’s Day excitement” in Brookline … “two of our citizens had hairbreadth escapes from instant death.” Yikes.

Seems that Eli Cleaveland fell from a scaffold in his barn, suffering “severe but not fatal injuries.” Later in the day, Charles Stickney, while digging a well, suddenly found himself buried up to his chin when the sand caved in. Finally, help arrived, from a half-mile away.

In 1914, many Litchfield folks ushered in the new year in fine fashion, enjoying the annual venison supper at the Lund Farm, catered by Eugene Wells. The Litchfield Ragtime Band performed.

Back in Nashua, New Year’s Day 1918 was celebrated at a gala function at O’Donnell Hall, featuring “Hick’s Colored Eccentric Jazz Band and Singing Orchestra,” a name that’s certainly a product of its time. The Telegraph noted the band was known for “the latest and best jazz music afloat.”

Nashuans, on the first day of 1924, wished Fred A. Barker the best as he headed down to Boston for the final round of the New England Checker Championship match.

Also on New Year’s Day 1924, a huge crowd gathered at South Common to watch the Nashua Athletic Association and the Club National hockey teams kick off the season. Such an attraction was the event that “special flood lights” had to be brought in because, the lighting guy told the Telegraph, “it’s difficult to follow the puck with normal lighting.”

A Telegraph editorial on New Year’s Day 1929 ­ before Jan. 1 was treated as a legal holiday ­ waxed optimistic regarding the economic forecast for the coming year. “Nashua’s major industries are going ahead at full swing,” the editor wrote, predicting “good times in the months to come.”

If they only knew what was coming just 10 months down the road.

Nashua firefighters, and probably a bunch more from area towns, “celebrated” New Year’s Eve 1930 and New Year’s Day 1931 hard at work fighting “a spectacular battle (against) flames roaring within the four-story wooden structure at Clinton and Lock streets.”

I’m guessing the building, then named Soucy’s Garage, was where Maffee’s Garage is now, as there was mention in the Telegraph story about firefighters’ efforts to keep the blaze from spreading to The Tavern, which is where Fody’s is now.

The fire broke out around 8 p.m., and “drew thousands” of spectators, the Telegraph reported. Surprisingly, nobody was seriously hurt, despite the fact that the second floor, where several vehicles were parked, caved in at one point.

Local folks looking to celebrate the arrival of 1934 went over to the Colonial Theater to take in “five deluxe big time vodvil acts and a new feature picture.” “Vodvil” must have been an accepcted contraction for “vaudeville.”

Come midnight, guests enjoyed “a gala show (with) funmakers and laughs galore,” and dance to “Lee Stafford and his sophisticated ladies in their exotic revue, ‘Blue Moods.'” Now that’s a New Year’s Eve to remember.

In 1936, not to be outdone, the newly-opened “Howard Johnson’s Daniel Webster Highway Grille on the Parkway at the South End” (try getting all that on the sign) hosted “an elaborate party (with) an excellent full course dinner (and) dancing in the Colonial Room” to the “Jolly Fellows Orchestra” of Boston.

Even way back in those days could football fans enjoy the college bowl games ­ only thing was you had to rely on radio announcers, which was OK because they were generally much better in, say, the late 30s than they are now.

How refreshing to see the Telegraph’s radio listings for, for instance, New Year’s Day 1937: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl were listed as, well, the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl.

In my attempt to “save the best for last,” check out this Telegraph dispatch, headlined “Four New Year’s Drunks in Court,” that ran on New Year’s Day 1910:

“Three men and one woman ‘got theirs’ in police court this morning,” the woman being one Jane Duby, “better known in police circles as Jane Mulqueen, was found with her feet sticking out of a snowbank on Brook Street.

“Jane thought it was a shame that she should not be allowed to celebrate New Year’s in the way she pleased ­ and put up a great kick against going to the station house.”

A (slightly belated) Happy New Year to all.

Dean Shalhoup’s column appears Sundays in The Telegraph. He may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com

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