LEWISTON, Maine — As the City of Lewiston begins its recovery after Wednesday night's mass shooting, many residents are looking to return to a sense of normalcy.
While postponing or canceling Halloween traditions in the greater area was discussed, ultimately the community came together for some well-overdue trick-or-treating fun Tuesday night.
The same goes for residents Mike Caron and Stacia Turner, who co-created the "Never Rest Graveyard" which has been a staple homemade haunted house in the community for close to 20 years.
"I said you know what, I'll throw out a message on our Facebook community page and see what the community thinks of the whole thing," Caron said, before deciding to commit to this year's haunted house. "It was overwhelmingly positive. Everybody [said] 'Do it, we need this!'"
This time around, however, Caron and Turner both note the main reason why they wanted to continue their tradition was to cheer up surrounding neighbors when they need it most.
"You know you gotta look at some things that are positive," Caron said. "Make positive out of the negative and keep moving on," Turner added.
Other activities across the city included trick-or-treating on the Bates College campus and adjacent streets, and the first of an annual Halloween Walk hosted by Hearth and Key Realty.
One of the most anticipated events in the city is Peter Geiger of Lewiston's Halloween event, which has gotten so big that he had to transfer locations to the Geiger Facility on Mount Hope Avenue.
"I think I have an adequate supply; it's three candy bars if you know the secret password," Geiger said, in reference to the password he gives out each year for his mega-sized candy bars.
This year, Geiger changed his password last minute appropriately to "Lewiston Strong," as a reminder to trick-or-treaters of the resilience of the community.
"You know, the tragedy of last week doesn't diminish the quality of Lewiston and what we're all about," Geiger said.
