NOSTALGIA: Blizzard leaves snow in the attics in 1979 and millennium party plans in 1999

The fiery world of dragons was brought to life by youngsters at Bickers Early Years Preparatory School 20 years ago as part of activities designed to coincide with Chinese New Year. They were helped by Blackfriars outreach worker Tracy Simpson.

* The Standard reported on the ‘worst winter weather since 1947’.

Arctic conditions caused large-scale disruption in Boston. Among the hardest-hit areas were Tattershall Road and Jubilee Avenue, where council house tenants found snow in their attics.

Demolition of the old Odeon cinema in 1999.

George Woodhall, of Tattershall Road, said he got the shock of his life when he raised the hatch to his loft and saw the sky through the roof.

He would go on to spend six hours cleaning the snow out of his home.

Elsewhere there were school closures, shop closures, and even a postponed wedding after the bride and groom were unable to get to the town from Peterborough.

The Standard also had to rely on British Rail putting on a special train to get its Boston editions from the printing works in Lincoln to the town

How the area near the old Odeon cinema (later the Haven cinema) looked in 1999.

* Boston United reached an important milestone in its ground improvement scheme, when the first stage for the steel erection on the new terracing at the Shodfriars Lane end was completed.

Work would next start on building the concrete steps within the steel framework, before the steel erectors returned to complete the roofing.

This week in 1999 ...

* The future of the old Odeon Cinema site, where the 61-year-old picturehouse was being reduced to rubble by demolition workers, was in doubt again.

There had been plans to re-locate the Boston sorting office to the South Square site, but the speculation that week was that Royal Mail had changed its mind.

The Standard understood that Royal Mail, which had to move from its then home of Main Ride West to make way for the Pescod Square Shopping Centre, had found a better site – a former wood yard near Boston Grammar School.

* Plans were coming together for how Boston would celebrate the start of a new millennium.

New Year’s Eve would feature an aerial fireworks display for the town centre, together with video projections and animations featuring designs created by local youngsters.

There were also plans for a two-week Summer Millennium Festival, featuring: street entertainment, archive film showings at Blackfriars, a flower festival, an exhibition at the Guildhall depicting Boston’s history over the last 2,000 years, an outdoor concert in Central Park and an outdoor church service.