Comet NEOWISE reflects in Bog Stream at the northwest part of North Pond as the sun sets in Smithfield on July 17. The celestial visitor is visible after sunset in the northwest night sky just below the Big Dipper or Ursa Major. The comet provided a break from the daily stress associated with the pandemic. The opportunity to drive around all night and immerse myself in the wilderness while getting lost in the midnight sky was a great way to decompress and relax. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Michele Sweet turns on the venerable ghost light on stage for the public March 18 at the Waterville Opera House, letting people know they’ll be here when this pandemic is over. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Madeline Arsenault takes her seat Aug. 8 for the play at Lakewood Theater in Madison. The empty theater is hosting its first show of the summer. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Carol Bessey cuts a berry pie as she prepares baked bean supper plates Sept. 12 for pick-up at Benton Congregational Church. The benefit dinner is to fund the full restoration of the 100-year-old steeple. The picture illustrates how the coronavirus has upended even the most rural communities. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Waterville Senior High School graduate Trafton Gilbert stands through the roof of the family car as his dog, Taco, shows his face from the backseat during commencement ceremonies June 11 in the parking lot of Central Maine Motors in Waterville. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Friends gather at a safe distance in a circle by their vehicles at Colby College in Waterville on May 14. The six friends have been gathering for the past 30 years and have traded in happy hour and the cafe for the parking lot and sunshine. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Dave Cross measures the chairs to a safe social distance Oct. 27 in preparation for a campaign stop by Jill Biden at the Thomas Hill Standpipe in Bangor. The pandemic and the timing of the presidential election made for challenging times to reach voters. The tape measure and mask tell people everything they need to know about the campaign event. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

A family says goodbye to a loved one in Waterville on May 13. The pandemic has put everything on hold. In some cases people were unable to say goodbye. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

The Rev. James Doran offers communion Dec. 20 to a parishioner of St. Joseph Maronite Catholic Church during Mass. Doran has offered a safe place to worship while maintaining a sense of normalcy for his flock. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Marie Fefa Deeb, 94, reads along with the Rev. James Doran during morning Mass at St. Joseph’s Maronite Catholic Church on April 16 in Waterville. Deeb was the only parishioner in attendance, but the Mass would be held if the church was empty, according to Doran. Deeb, however, predates the church itself, worshipping in this very spot when the church was in the basement of a house. She grew up in the church, attending every morning before work her entire career as an accountant. At the age of 96, she refuses to miss Mass because of a pandemic. And Doran will keep serving. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Damian Brockway, paramedic, checks the breathing of a patient with the help of partner Nathaniel Lombardi, advanced EMT, in the South End of Waterville on May 3. Treating patients in the field is a hands-on affair. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Nathaniel Lombardi adjusts the mask on a patient May 21 while en route to Augusta Center for Health. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Dr. Laurel Parker holds her daughter Calla, 3, as her son Logan, 6, works on his school assignments at home in Manchester on April 13. Since the beginning of the pandemic one month earlier, family time is a careful endeavor. As the director of the emergency department at MaineGeneral hospitals at both the Augusta campus as well as the Thayer Campus in Waterville, she is careful not to bring the virus home to her children and husband. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

First responders from Delta Ambulance and Waterville police and fire remove a man from his home April 17 while they wear full PPE in Waterville. Any cardiac event triggers a full PPE response by all responders. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Janet Weeks reaches out March 20 to touch the glass of the door separating her from her mother, Jeanne Jacques, with her granddaughter Mikaela Pollard, 4, on Jacques’ 90th birthday at Northern Light Continuing Care Lakewood on Kennedy Memorial Drive in Waterville. Visitor hours were suspended to protect the vulnerable population from the pandemic. “It’s the first time in 62 years I haven’t been able to embrace my mother on her birthday.” Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Walkers and bicyclists cross the Two Cent bridge over the Kennebec River in Waterville on Oct. 18. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

President Donald Trump greets supporters Oct. 25 at the Treworgy Family Farm and Orchard in Levant. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

Water sprinkles overhead as Sofia Hamblet, 9, and brother Dominic, 4, lather up while showering Sept. 28 at their Benton home. The kids’ mother, Tia, who helps her children with showering, said the kids wear bathing suits for privacy during their shared showers. The family of five have an hour each night to use pressurized water for bathing, washing dishes and filling toilet tanks. During that time Pratt’s three children are bathed. The family and others at Averill’s Mobile Home Park have had limited water usage over the past two weeks due to well problems at the park. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

Graduates listen to speakers June 10 during the drive-in graduation ceremony for 110 seniors at Winslow High School. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

Nancy and Bill York celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary June 14 in the yard outside their Skowhegan home. About 60 guests drove up outside the home to help the couple celebrate according to the Yorks’ daughter, Betty Giguere. Nancy’s wedding dress is displayed at the left. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

A hay baler follows curved rows of hay Aug. 9 while working in Fairfield. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

Phil Bofia, former Waterville city council member and current charter commission member, center, stands between a counter protester, right, who chanted “all lives matter,” and a march participant, at left, who chanted “Black lives matter,” during a June 7 rally at Head of Falls. The rally followed a George Floyd remembrance march through downtown Waterville. Waterville Chief of Police Joseph Massey, right, escorted the unidentified man away from the rally. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

Peter Reny replaces a starter July 20 while working beneath a 1927 Ford Model T Ford at his garage in Vassalboro. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

A car passes at the right July 20 as Comet NEOWISE, zipping through the inner solar system, can be seen above a barn in Pittsfield. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

A deer dashes across a road Sept. 30 in Mercer. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

Joseph Legendre V, 5, reacts May 17 after catching a white perch while fishing with his dad, Joseph Legendre IV, at China Lake in China. The pair are from Waterville. The boy’s brother Jace, 2, sister Jacklynn, 8, and mother Samantha all fished. The kids each caught their first fish during the adventure, according to their father. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo

Colby College’s Alex Dorion (2) leads teammates in a huddle Jan. 5 before the start of the game with Bowdoin in Waterville. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel Buy this Photo