The prom night excitement couldn’t be dampened by the cold and rainy weather on May 17, when Mt. Blue High School students lined up outside the doors of the Farmington school waiting to be let in. Once the doors opened, 321 students walked down a long hallway into the “Old Hollywood”-themed night. At a time where many schools pay to host their proms at off-site locations, Mt. Blue reversed course and began hosting it at the school again in 2019. The school leaned into the classic prom elements: a gym decorated with balloons, streamers covering the doors and students running down the hallway to the dance floor when they hear a song they love.
Life & Culture
Arts, entertainment, food and books news from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
For these Maine churches, the story of Christmas and immigrants’ reality tell a similar tale
As congregations count down the days of Advent, the story of Christ’s birth and Joseph and Mary’s flight to another country for safety has prompted church leaders to draw some parallels this year.
When it comes to holiday baking, these Mainers are all about tradition
Local bakers say using recipes handed down through generations of their families keeps them connected to loved ones and adds to the magic of the holidays.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve in grand style with a turkey Wellington
Or try a beet, squash or salmon version. This showstopper takes time to make, but you and your guests will be deliciously rewarded.
In one Maine home kitchen, the impact of tariffs is tough to calculate
Even the most local or non-adventurous eaters among us probably eat food from overseas. So how are the Trump administration tariffs affecting our grocery bills?
Pittsfield ballet students perform ‘The Nutcracker’ at Waterville Opera House
Photojournalist Anna Chadwick captures an intimate look at process of staging the Bossov Ballet Theatre’s annual show.
Central Maine 2025 Photos of the Year
Acclaimed documentary photographer Dorothea Lange once said, “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” That speaks to the core of our job as photojournalists: within the blur of the constant motion of life, we search for moments, stopping time for an instant to reveal some character, beauty or deeper meaning. This collection of images are some moments during 2025 that are worth pausing to contemplate. We hope you appreciate viewing them as much as we enjoyed finding them.
Maine Trust for Local News 2025 Photos of the Year
In “On Photography,” a seminal collection of essays by Susan Sontag that examines the impact and meaning of photography, Sontag writes that “to collect photographs is to collect the world.” Gathering this collection of images from all the photographers of the Maine Trust for Local News, our aim is to show you a gallery that reveals glimpses of Maine, our part of the world.
They deliver to your door. Here’s what you can do to make it easier and safer this winter.
Whether you’re expecting a gift from Grandma or a lobster feast from your favorite restaurant, the people making home deliveries could use some consideration during the winter holidays — and always.
Some Mainers are rethinking holiday meals in wake of rising food costs and unsteady economy
Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are featuring fewer guests, smaller portions and more scratch cooking in an effort to cut costs.