Ron Curran adds Sept. 23 to a row of hay bales at his family farm in Sabattus. He says the hay season has been “very good” this year at the Curran Farm. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Dalton Pratt points Sept. 22 to his favorite photograph of him and his mother during the 8th Annual Western Maine Recovery Rally in South Paris. The boy made the poster with his grandparents, who are also attending the rally to support those recovering from addiction or substance use disorder. Dalton’s mother died in 2022 as a result of drug addiction. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Coaches Chris Whitney, center left, and Ben Boonsena are surrounded Sept 24 by members of the Saint Dominic Academy golf team at the Fox Ridge Golf Club in Auburn. The school has an unusually large golf team, with nearly a quarter of the student body participating. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Don Robitaille of Lewiston, foreground, reacts Sept. 21 after being recognized by Lewiston-native Patrick Dempsey, left, prior to the start of the 25-mile ride at the Dempsey Challenge in Lewiston. Behind Robitaille is Mark Consuelos of the “LIVE with Kelly and Mark” show on CBS. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Wine pairing dinners are a popular draw at The Sedgley Place at 54 Sedgley Road in Greene. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Halloween decorations on display Sept. 24 on Sabattus Street in Lewiston. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Molly Bell, center, and Pat Bell pick butternut squash Sept. 24 at Bell Farms Inc. in Lewiston. “This has been the best year that I can remember for squash and pumpkins” because it seemed to rain about once a week, Molly Bell says. “We also had a lot of bees around this summer.” Adds Pat Bell: “We had bees everywhere. Bees were definitely a helper this year.” Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Tyler Credit harvests lemon verbena herbs Sept. 25 at Shaker Village in New Gloucester. The head gardener for the only active Shaker community in the world says community volunteers will help process the herbs, which will be dried and ground up before being sold at the Shaker store. Credit says lemon verbena was once used in cleaning products, but the herb is used now mostly to make cold tea during the summer months. “It’s a fan favorite around here,” he says. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Steve Gagne of Lewiston uses a pink marker Sept. 21 to draw Muppets figures on a traffic control box on a traffic island at the corner of Russell Street and East Avenue in Lewiston. “Art is super important, and I love that they have allowed each artist to express their own ideas. It just makes the whole city better.” he says. Gagne is one of 19 artists throughout the city who are taking part in the event. Other control boxes were previously painted during a similar event in the spring, organized by Melanie Therrien of Wicked Illustrations in Lewiston. Therrien says the project began in 2022 when she asked if she could paint over graffiti on one of the control boxes on Canal Street. The Public Art Committee later commissioned her to find artists to paint other control boxes. In addition to the control boxes, Therrien and her band of local artists have painted fire hydrants and crosswalks. They also have other projects in the works. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal