If you've lived in Maine most of your life, you know a lot of things have come and gone. If you long for those days of Maine's past, this list of 10 things you might remember from the '80s will bring you back for a while.

 

1. LaVerdiere's Drug Store

Before drug stores were the super-mega chains they are today, it seemed every small town had a LaVerdiere's in the 80's. The best ones even had video arcades. I remember when South Paris added their arcade with The Empire Strikes Back wallpaper surrounding classic games like Pac-Man, Dig-Dug, Pole Position and Gauntlet.

The above commercial was a classic that aired every Halloween.

 

2. So You Think You Know Maine

It's the classic Maine Public Broadcasting game show that focused entirely on Maine. What's the county seat of York County? Who is the president of Bates College? What town is the home of Gould Academy? If you can answer those questions, you would have done well on "So You Think You Know Maine?"

 

3. Shop 'N Save

Bud's Shop 'n Save
Bud's Shop 'n Save
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Back in the '80s, Hannaford was called Shop 'n Save. In the early 90's Shop 'n Save changed to Hannaford Supermarkets, but some long time Mainer's still call it Shop 'n Save.

The Shop 'n Save brand still exists though on a much smaller scale. In some smaller towns in Maine where Hannaford doesn't need a full size store, local owners have Shop 'n Save's that are supplied by Hannaford, like Bud's Shop 'n Save.

 

4. The Great TV Auction

 

memoriesinc via YouTube
memoriesinc via YouTube
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Maine Public Broadcasting had a yearly fundraiser that would take over the air in the '70s, '80s and a good part of the '90s called The Great TV Auction. Local businesses and residents would donate goods and services to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Each item would be displayed on a board showing the current bid, and the camera would pan around to each board to show off what was for sale in between local hosts showing off the items in greater detail. It was a big fundraiser for the network until the internet changed everything.

 

5. The Deering Oaks Festival

Google Street View
Google Street View
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Rides, food, games and fun. The Deering Oaks Festival was a big event every summer in the '80s. It ended in the 90's when it was found that the crowds of people were damaging the trees, grass and landscape in the park. The next year it was moved to the Maine Mall parking lot, swapping the grass and trees for asphalt at street lights. That was the end of the era.

 

6. Kim Block

Kim Block is still going strong anchoring the news on CBS 13, but do you remember what she looked like in the '80s? It's a good that some things remain the same after all these years. (Except for Kim's glasses)

 

7.  Aladdin's Castle (Lewiston) and Dream Machine (Portland and Bangor)

dijasha via Ebay
dijasha via Ebay
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LaVerdiere's had a great arcade, but the big guys were Aladdin's Castle and Dream Machine. Aladdin's Castle was in the Lewiston Mall and there was a Dream Machine in both the Maine Mall and Bangor Malls.

 

8. The Movie Theater Behind the Promenade Mall in Lewiston

Promendade Theater
Steve Grimmel
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In the '80s, there were two places in the Lewiston/Auburn Area to see a movie, and each only had two theaters. The Auburn Mall had twin theaters where the restrooms are located today before they moved them up the street to a bigger location, and The Promenade Mall had two theaters not upfront where the current Flagship theaters are, but around the back of the mall. In fact, the old marquee is still there, but it's seen much better days.

 

9. Bob Elliot

Bob Elliot was a feature reporter for WCSH and WMTW in the 80's and 90s as one of the funniest local guys on TV. He died too young from a heart attack in 1997. He was only 47, but he left an impression on Mainer's that lasts to this day.

One of his best bits is when he went around Maine in April to take down all the Christmas decorations that were still up. We could use you today Bob. My neighbor has had his plastic Santa on his roof for the whole year.

 

10. Ames Department Stores

Maine Memes
Maine Memes
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Ames was THE department store in Maine until they got shut down from the invasion of Walmart. At Halloween, they'd have boxes stacked high with Halloween costumes. You remember the kind that were just a plastic bib and mask with an elastic? Classic.

Anything we missed on this list? Let us know what you remember from the '80s in Maine in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

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