A Look Back, May 3

 50 Years Ago

■An enthusiastic crowd of 75 to 100 people took part in a ballroom dancing revival at the Hotel Northampton Sunday night. Edward Brandt of 28 Columbus Ave., who with his wife Caroline instructed the group, said Monday that those attending represented all walks of life and all ages.

■Two more downtown city stores have announced they are going out of business. Fenton Cleaners, 25 King St., here for 40 years, and Del Padre Audio Center, 141 Main St., here for 15, are closing. Both shops cite a poor economy, but in particular a slow-down of business downtown as reason for their closings.

25 Years Ago

■A suspicious package in a downtown trash bin prompted police to close Main Street for about two hours Sunday morning and call in the state police bomb squad. The package, as it turned out, was nothing more than a stack of pornographic magazines.

■The Northampton Music Festival closed early this morning with music brimming over into a sixth day, amid praise the event more than delivered what organizers promised. The festival drew kudos from many quarters. Organizers say they hope it will bring new national attention to Northampton’s music scene.

10 Years Ago

■Northampton is on the cusp of adding another 50 acres to the Saw Mill Hills Conservation Area in the western part of the city. At its meeting Thursday, the City Council will be asked to approve a request from the Conservation Commission to buy the property off Sylvester Road from Donald and Mary Reutener for $264,200.

■While the City Council likes the idea of a car-sharing service such as Zipcar operating downtown, a few councilors voiced concern Thursday about giving the company subsidized parking to draw them here. Zipcar wants to add two vehicles downtown to its existing six-car fleet now available on the Smith College campus.