Josh Smith participates in a game of Sharks and Minnows on Fun Day Friday on Jan. 14, with the Mt Blue ski team at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Donna Landis rescues one of her chickens that wandered Feb. 9 from her farm, Tilly’s Paradise in Norway. Landis said it was the first day in a while that the chickens had been outside and this bird had gotten stuck on the wrong side of a snowbank. “All of our chickens look alike, so we’ve named them all Evelyn,” Landis said. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The new Mike McGraw Park on Bartlett Street was packed with community members sledding Feb.12 in Lewiston. The property abuts the 110-acre Franklin Pasture complex just up the hill, where a path connects it to the fields at Lewiston High School and Connors Elementary School. Coach Mike McGraw and Mayor Carl Sheline were on hand for remarks and a ribbon-cutting. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Emma Charles of Mt. Blue High School lays in the snow to cool off Feb. 23 after winning the Class A race during the Nordic state championship classical ski meet at Black Mountain in Rumford.

Muslims pray May 2 during Eid at The Colisee parking lot in Lewiston. Muslims gathered at The Colisee and across the street, at Gov. James B. Longley Elementary School, during the religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Sheikh Saleh of the Lewiston & Auburn Islamic Center led prayer at The Colisee, and Abdikadir Abayle of the Masjidu Salaam mosque led prayer at the school. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Lewiston firefighter William Soucy carries a cat away from a two-alarm fire April 8 in Auburn. The fire gutted the interior of the multiunit apartment building at 405 Center St. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Edward Little students participate in a 10-minute organized walkout at noon May 5 to protest the potential overturn of the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. Principal Scott Annear released a statement saying in part, “The student leader of the group collaborated with school administration to make a safe situation for all that participated. There were approximately 80-100 that participated. . . Students were respectful . . . and school business functioned in a typical fashion.” Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

A Saint Dominic Academy student looks out the window of a school bus June 9 after it was involved in crash on East Avenue at the corner of Greene Street in Lewiston. It was the last day of classes for the students. No injuries were reported. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Ali Abdullahi looks out the Lewiston High School window June 10 prior to the start of the graduation ceremony. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

A skateboarder does a kickflip June 10 while riding across the newly painted crosswalk on Oxford Street that leads to Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Roger Gauthier hays a field June 20 across from his house on Penley Corner Road in Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Tim Hutchinsen gives driver Nathan Isley, 8, a rookie orientation July 9 before the West Paris Downhill Derby. It was Isley’s first time competing in the derby. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

People enjoy the pool in Kennedy Park in Lewiston on June 29. The had been closed for the past two years because of COVID. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Balloons launching Aug. 19 are reflected in the sunglasses of Nancy Shea of Lewiston as she and her son, Teddy, watch during his first time attending the Great Falls Balloon Festival in Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Ashley Doughty holds an umbrella for her new neighbors Aug. 31 while they wait for the bus on the first day of school in Lewiston. Doughty’s 6-year-old son, Kayden, not pictured, was waiting in the rain when Doughty shared her umbrella with the family she met minutes before the downpour. Emmanuel Kashama, 6, Chancelvie Kashama, 8, and Divine Kashama, 10, are students at Connors Elementary School. The boy at lower right is an unidentified sibling of the Kashama family. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Junior class President Payson Goyette, top center, is among those declaring Abdishakur Nur, center, the winner of the musical chairs competition Sept. 23 during the Lewiston High School homecoming pep rally at the school. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors held events throughout the week, which culminated with the Friday evening football game against Scarborough High School. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Shane Haskell works on his BMX bike Sept. 8 in Lewiston. “I have ridden bikes all my life,” he said. “I never got in trouble if I was on my bike. The second I was not on my bike, I got in trouble, so I went back to riding bikes.” Haskell said he collects a lot of bicycles from the trash and uses the parts to fix neighborhood kids’ bikes. “I’m just passing time till my nephew gets home from school so we can go ride bikes,” Haskell said. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Dick Stukas moves a crate of Honeycrisp apples Sept. 26 at Stukas Farm on Ferry Road in Lewiston. He said he is pleased with the crop. “I hear that the crop is off this year, but I don’t see it. We have a real heavy crop, and we are supplying three other orchards. That’s part of the industry. When someone needs help, you try to help them.” Stukas is the third generation of his family to grow apples on the farm since 1933. His children Thomas and Heather are the fourth. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Randy Springer fishes for northern pike Oct. 15 on the Androscoggin River in Turner from his pedal/paddle kayak, surrounded by peaking foliage. “There is a kinda cult-like culture with people who fish from kayaks these days. It’s a bit weird and I’m a little weird so that’s probably why I’m fishing for pike. That and they put up a really good fight,” he said as he shoved off from the Turner Boat Launch. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Mohamed Adow of Edward Little High School celebrates with his teammates Oct. 18 after putting the Red Eddies on the scoreboard first during the season finale against Lewiston High School. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Lewiston’s Abduljabaar Abdi, right, consoles rival Edward Little player Abdihakim Daud after a soccer game Oct. 29 at Central Maine Community College in Lewiston where Lewiston defeated Edward Little, 1-0, to advance in the playoffs. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Soccer fans at the Moon Light Store on Lisbon Street in Lewiston watch the final moments of the televised World Cup match Nov. 29 between the United States and Iran in Qatar. Moustapha Houssein says the back room of the store has seen a lot of action since the FIFA World Cup began Nov. 20, but the match Nov. 29 was special because the winner advanced to the next round of 16 teams. Houssein left work early to watch the game. “The money means nothing,” he said. “You have to support your team. Go, USA!” The United States won 1-0, but then lost 3-1 on Dec. 3 to the Netherlands. From left are Rachid Farah, Suleiman Yussuf, Aden Assowe, Bachir Ali, Jamal Mohamed, Houssein, Yarow Awil, Adam Ali and Mohamed Bareh. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal