St. Maximilian Kolbe Church was packed Wednesday morning as family and friends said goodbye to John Harmon Sr. of Scarborough, who died Saturday, Aug. 10, at the age of 49. Harmon was described “as a larger than life kind of guy.”

Those present were urged to comfort themselves in their sorrow by sharing their stories and memories of Harmon in the days and weeks to come. Special thoughts and prayers were also given for Harmon’s family – his wife Christine, son John and 12-year-old daughter Nicole.

Harmon not only will be deeply missed by his loving family, but by many in town. Harmon was a true asset to the community, giving of his own time to raise money for many worthy causes, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He owned his own real estate company and was a former fire chief.

An out-of-state investor who just bought Bangor Raceway also has expressed interest in buying Scarborough Downs, according to Downs’ owner Sharon Terry. Terry also has met with Indian tribes interested in building a casino in Maine, but said developing a casino here wasn’t even discussed.

In a conflicting rumor, a source close to the negotiations in Maine said Tom Tureen, the lawyer representing the Indian tribes, was looking for financial backing to build a casino at Scarborough Downs. That rumor could not be confirmed.

Heidi Snow of the Snow’s Clam Chowder and Canning company family was married in her native Scarborough earlier this month, and her nuptials got a big spread in the society pages of the New York Times – complete with a description of the backyard clambake.

Snow is the daughter of Dr. Susan Snow and Cooper Higgins.

Her grandfather Harold Snow put on a traditional clambake for the wedding reception, where some sophisticated New York guests got a taste of Maine cuisine.

Snow married Arthur Cinader Jr., the son of J. Crew clothing company founder, Arthur Cinader Sr., on Aug. 3. The wedding was covered by the New York Times and a story appeared in the Sunday Aug. 11 edition. Times reporter Laura Zigman seemed impressed with the wedding cake covered with Maine blueberries and the bushels of clams lowered into a fire pit and covered with seaweed.

After reviewing the benefits of the Great American Neighborhood, the Town Council appears poised to go ahead with the special zoning it needs to move forward.

“I’m feeling optimistic that what we’re trying to do is beneficial to all parties concerned,” said John Chamberlain, one of the developers, after a Town Council workshop Wednesday night.

Normand Beliveau sat at home Monday night struggling with the unenviable task of writing a eulogy for Tom Shehan, a man with more memories and experiences than could fit into a novel.

“There’s so much you could say about the man,” said Beliveau. “It’s a shame we haven’t been able to take a man’s memories and preserve them.”

Shehan, a Scarborough resident who died Friday at 91 due to complications from a cancer he had for years, was like a walking sports history book. In the great tradition of famed sports writer Grantland Rice, who Shehan had read as a young man, his love of sports came off the page with the help of his graceful prose.

Shehan wrote for newspapers in Boston, New York, Miami and Chicago. He ghostwrote books for golfers Ben Hogan and Sam Snead and a column for Byron Nelson. He traveled the world writing for Yankee magazine during World War II.

The Cape Elizabeth Arts Commission kicked off another month-long show at the Thomas Memorial Library Aug. 1. A reception for the artists featured in this month’s photography exhibit opened the show Thursday evening.

Every month the Arts Commission chooses an artist or group of artists to exhibit their work on the walls of the library’s ground floor. This month the commission chose to honor a group of 11 photographers, selected from almost 500 submitted photos. Those being shown include works by Lisa Petrucelli, Claudia Dricot, Bill Barton, Christine Morgan, Ellen Nadeau, Mary Ann Carey, Elizabeth Peterson, Barbara Walsh, John Fatula, Richard Rothlisberger and Ed Gilander.

The prints on display include black and white, hand colored black and white, Polaroid transfer and color photos.

The commission, headed this year by water color artist, Rose Kennealy, is an appointed board of seven members with the mission of broadening public access to the arts in town.

Editor’s note: Looking Back is a weekly column including news items reported 10 years ago in The Current, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in September 2011.

Talya Day and her aunt Kerriann Day wait in line for the moon bounce at the 2002 edition of Summerfest in Scarborough.