It felt good to get outside and take some photos of people doing things this week. Besides battling the weather – seems like it has rained every other day this spring – and the slew of cancellations of inside and outside events since mid-March, our staff has had to use a lot of file photos to accompany their stories and/or find some springtime scenics.

Two of the events featured in this issue are the gathering held to thank Hannaford employees May 6 and the Legionnaires and volunteers putting American flags on veterans’ graves in area cemeteries for Memorial Day this past weekend. Both events were very meaningful and we are glad we were able to record them for our pages and for our readers.

With area schools’ spring sporting/classroom events and community events canceled, our upcoming photo-ops will not be like last year – or any other previous years. We are, however, looking forward to covering our schools’ graduation activities, high schools and elementary schools. It will be a challenge but we will do our best. We always look for those graduates embracing each other and the wonderful smiles, but those will have to be either put on hold or be captured by chance. Those masks are sure to hide emotions – we’ll have to zoom in on the eyes!

On another subject, we hope everyone will stay safe as businesses open during the pandemic. We are thankful for Gov. Janet Mills’ decision to allow some businesses to open earlier than originally planned, as the economy has been stagnant since March, but we are hoping that everyone adheres to the safety measures put in place to avoid a spike in the incidences of the coronavirus. Lincoln County has done well to keep the incidences down but with more movement by people, the numbers could climb quickly. Let’s all be diligent – be aware of your health, stay home if you feel sick (and call your doctor if necessary), and if you don’t feel comfortable going out on the town for shopping or being in a restaurant, then continue to eat at home, shop online, or ask for help. Lincoln County has also done a good job of providing help during this time. If you need someone to call, check our COVID-19 resources pages for more information.