For the year we left on Saturday night, here are some last shout-outs, recognizing just some of those whose choices or efforts set good examples of plowing ahead, and in some cases hopefully inspired us to start our own good efforts or join theirs.

Favorite event of 2016: Nightmare on Federal Street, an expansion on Wiscasset's longtime, super-popular Halloween parade. This event held Halloween night hit all the right notes, from a deejay and bubble machine that entertained some of the youngest attendees, to a new costume contest and trick or treating. The joint effort of the town and the Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce was good to see; so were all the families smiling and mingling. And thankfully, the weather cooperated — a wonderful premiere for a big new event we hope becomes tradition. We hope the same for the chamber’s new scarecrow contest that was timed with the town’s annual scarecrow festival.

Least litigious moment: Lincoln County Chief Deputy Ken Mason could have pursued a court decision following state politicians' clash over his appointment to Kennebec County Sheriff by Gov. Paul LePage. Instead, Mason withdrew his name from consideration and in November won the sheriff's job at the polls.

Teamwork: Some of the busiest people in Lincoln County put something else on their plates in 2016, the new Lincoln County Recovery Collaborative. The group started training “angels” to help people seek help with their addictions. The opioid epidemic demands a public response; the effort law enforcement, health care agencies, the YMCA and then-State Sen. Chris Johnson launched is part of the answer.

Persistence: St. Philip's Church in Wiscasset has been fund-raising since 2013 to complete the restoration of its steeple. Over the summer, the church announced it had won a $14,000 grant. Way to keep the faith.

Supporting the land and environment: Shout-outs to Westport Island voters for their June decision to pitch in $50,000 toward Kennebec Estuary Land Trust’s drive to buy 144 acres along Squam Creek; Wiscasset selectmen for taking Maine Coast Heritage Trust up on its offer for the town to take over White’s Island with the stipulation it remain in its natural state and be re-opened to the public; and Dresden officials who cleaned up an illegal dump site off Gilmore Brook Road with help from the Dresden Sno-Valley Riders, the state and a Livermore Falls man who had been summonsed for allegedly contributing to the dumping.

We like any opportunity to report good news and will keep looking for it in 2017, with help, as always, from you. To suggest a story, reach me at 844-4633 or susanjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com or our editor Kevin Burnham at 633-4620, ext. 112, or kevinburnham@boothbayregister.com.