A look Back, Aug. 20

50 Years Ago

■Bicycle thefts, which occur at a rate of about three a day in Hampshire County, are becoming part of a “big business,” local police report. Police records from across the county show that expensive 10-speed bicycles are stolen almost anywhere and at any time, whether or not they are locked up.

■The board of directors of the Hampshire County Regional YMCA has announced the appointment of a new executive director. Frank E. LaLiberte Jr., formerly executive director of the Barrington, R. I., YMCA, will assume duties here Sept. 1.

25 Years Ago

■Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Hampshire County is preparing for its 25th anniversary, which will be in the year 2000. To celebrate, the organization intends to enlarge its scope, thanks in part to a federal grant of $200,000 over three years. According to director Renee Moss, the grant will enable a partnership to be built with the Jackson Street School in Northampton.

■Easthampton has secured funding to complete the downtown portion of the Manhan Rail Trail, from Ferry Street to the Southampton town line, by next year. On Monday, the town was officially awarded $500,000 in federal and state money for the construction of a 10-foot-wide paved bicycle path through the center of town.

10 Years Ago

■What was for many people a nostalgic downtown fixture has closed its doors. The Friendly’s restaurant at 63 King St. closed Monday, according to a statement by the chain’s corporate headquarters in Wilbraham.

■The University of Massachusetts Amherst will continue to ban all marijuana use, medical or otherwise, on university property under the Code of Student Conduct, despite the state’s legalization of the drug for medicinal purposes. Many colleges and universities will continue to ban all uses of marijuana because federal law still classifies it as an illegal drug.