Best of May photo gallery: A month of contrasts

May is a month of life, when Maine throws off winter’s gray and emerges into a golden, green spring. Yet it always ends with Memorial Day, when we honor those who died fighting for our country. This year, May will be remembered for the murder of 21 people, including 19 children, in Uvalde, Texas, as well as 10 people killed at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Here are some of the Press Herald’s best photos of May, many of them suffused with hope.

In photos: Muslims around Maine come together to celebrate Eid al-Fitr

There was laughter, dancing and smiles as hundreds gathered to pray and celebrate the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.

In photos: The Great Bridge Switcheroo

As the sun set Friday, construction workers began an engineering feat designed to demolish a four-lane highway bridge and replace it over a weekend. Pittsfield-based Cianbro hopes to have the I-295 bridge demolished by Saturday afternoon so it can start moving the replacement spans into place.

‘Like giant Legos going together’: Watch a time lapse of the I-295 bridge replacement

Watch the first 400-ton bridge section being rolled into place Saturday afternoon. Drone footage by staff photographer Gregory Rec.

In photos: Slowly, slowly, signs of spring

Officially, the first day of spring in 2022 was March 20. In Maine, March and April bring snow, frost, rain, mud and summer-like warmth within the space of a few days. Our signs of spring, like opening day at Red’s Dairy Freeze or the first Sea Dogs game, are celebrated whatever the weather. And nothing is as sweet as hearing the birds sing and seeing the first daffodils bloom halfway through April.

In photos: The best of March photography

March is the month when winter officially ends, spring takes hold, and daylight savings time, well, saves us. This year, it also brought us the start of spring high school sports outdoors, our first ice cream at Red’s Dairy Freeze, and, the heartbreaking news from the war in Ukraine. Here are some of the best photos of the month by Press Herald photographers.

In photos: Sweet spring sugaring, a celebration of Maine Maple Weekend

Maine Maple Sunday is always the fourth Sunday of March, and this is the 39th year of the annual event, which features open sugarhouses throughout the state, farm tours, pancake breakfasts and sales of all kinds of maple products. This year was fully open, after a canceled year in 2020 because of the pandemic, and a modified event in 2021. Maine Maple Sunday is more than just a sales event, though. It’s a harbinger of sweet, sweet spring, after a long, cold winter.

St. Patrick’s Day in photos: With pandemic restrictions lifted, Mainers say ‘sláinte!’

In photos: A memorable February

It snowed, and thawed, and sleeted and thawed, and snowed some more. On the 23rd, we claimed spring for a day, breaking records when the temperature soared to the mid-60s. It was a month of bad ice, high energy costs, good skiing and great high school sports. Here are some of the best photos from the month by Press Herald photographers.

Photos: Thursday’s Maine high school basketball tournament games

High school basketball players made the shots and our photographers caught the action. Here are some of our favorite photos from Maine’s high school basketball tournament, February 24, 2022.