“Richie” Richardson, owner of Tilton’s Dairy on Eastern Avenue in Boothbay Harbor from 1945 to 1965, produced and directed minstrel shows for many years in the 1950s. This included Rotary Club minstrels, the ladies’ Periwinkles minstrel and the Boothbay Harbor High School senior classes. In 1955 Richie directed the last minstrel show with his son Ron’s high school senior class.

On Thursday, Aug. 23 at 4:30 p.m., Richie’s son Ron Richardson will share his memories of those shows in his talk, “1950s Minstrel Shows Rise Once More!” at the Boothbay Region Historical Society museum, 72 Oak Street, Boothbay Harbor. Admission is free.

Ron remembers well many of the highlights of the shows and the people and songs that made them a sellout for every show. Performed at the Boothbay Harbor Opera House, the minstrel shows were a town tradition every spring. If you were in any of the shows please come and share some of your own memories.

Ron Richardson graduated from the University of Maine graduating as an electrical engineer. He joined the U.S. Army and was in Germany when the Berlin Wall went up. His career took him to Turkey, Guam, the U.S., then back to Germany. Ron retired to Florida but has a summer home in West Boothbay Harbor.

The Boothbay Region Historical Society is open to the public throughout the year, from Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information contact the museum at 633-0820, email brhs@gwi.net, or check the website at www.boothbayhistorical.org.