In Lewiston, Kids Return to School, Trick-or-Treat

Children returned to schools and went trick-or-treating on Tuesday as the community of Lewiston tried to return to normal after sheltering indoors for days while authorities hunted for the man responsible for the deadliest mass shooting in Maine's history. Hundreds of students were back in class at Lewiston High School, petting therapy dogs and signing a large banner that read "Lewiston Strong"—the community's new motto. Days earlier, the campus had been transformed into a law enforcement command post with three helicopters utilizing the athletic fields and 300 vehicles filling the parking lot, the AP reports.

"Today's going to be hard," said Superintendent Jake Langlais. "But I think there's strength in gathering, in unity, in getting back together." Jayden Sands, a 15-year-old sophomore, said one of his football coaches lost four friends, one of his best friends lost a friend, and his mom's friend was shot four times but survived. He's glad to be back at school but also worried about safety. He said everyone at school will "try to act like everything is fine, but it's not." "A lot of people are shocked and scared," he said. "I'm just happy to be here. You know, another day to live. Hopefully it gets better."

Carli Ayres was trick-or-treating—cautiously—with her daughter Sage, age 6, and 1-month-old Braelyn in the neighboring community of Auburn. "It's still a little scary. Everyone is still on edge," she said Tuesday afternoon. "Everyone is definitely keeping two eyes on all their kids tonight, not letting anyone out of their sight." Peter Geiger, whose Lewiston-based business publishes the Farmers' Almanac, continued his unique Halloween tradition: Each year, hundreds of kids pay a visit to get king-sized candy bars, as long as they know the "secret" password, which this year was "Lewiston Strong."

story continues below

"I hurt as much as anyone else. For all of us there's a loss," Geiger said. "But I'm not going to let somebody undo a fun night for kids and families." Heather Hunter, a city administrator in Lewiston, said it was heartening to see steps toward normalcy but she acknowledged the community has a long way to go. "It's similar to COVID. We're adjusting to a new normal," she said. "There's no playbook for this."

(More Maine mass shooting stories.)