

Connecticut Army National Guard Specialist Chris Murphy embraces his wife, Jadin, while members of the guard's 192nd Military Police Battalion say goodbye to their families Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, as they depart from the guard's Army Aviation Support Facility at Bradley Field in Windsor Locks. The Niantic-based unit will spent several weeks training at a mobilization site at an active-duty Army post in Texas before heading overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Joint Task Force Guantanamo. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Norwich Free Academy's Theran Vanase leaps in celebration of his 100th career win Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, after pinning Montville's Ioana Cobena at 170 pounds in ECC wrestling action in Montville. NFA won the meet, 46-24. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

The Most Reverend Michael Cote, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Norwich, sprinkles holy water to purify the walls Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, during the Mass of dedication for St. Michael church in Stonington. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Norwich Fire Department personnel slide Kristi Daden down an icy hill Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, after she crashed her minivan over a cliff at the end of Cedar Street and tumbled 40 feet down onto Court Street. Willy Andujar, who was out on School Street at the intersection with Cedar Street, dealing with his own minor accident, witnessed the Ford Windstar skid in the snow and go over, landing on its roof. The driver was conscious and alert after the accident while firefighters and American Ambulance staff extricated her from the vehicle. Daden suffered five broken ribs. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

A common loon emerges from the water with a black-fingered mud crab in its beak Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, while searching for food in the waters of Stonington Harbor. Connecticut falls within the migratory area for the bird, which lives and breeds in Canada and the far northern U.S. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

A crew from Boxart Inc., a Brooklyn, N.Y., company that specializes in fine art services, moves 'The Dying Gaul,' one of the plaster cast replica sculptures in the collection at the Slater Museum in Norwich, from its pedestal Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, to a shipping pallet. Three of the Slater's casts, 'The Dying Gaul,' 'Boxer at Rest' and 'Discobolus,' were being loaned to the Tang Museum at Skidmore College for a spring exhibit. The Slater's collection contains 150 sculptures replicated from original Egyptian, Roman and Italian Renaissance works. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

William Petit III, 4, of Guilford plays with toys Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, during a break of the state House of Representatives, where his father, William Petit, represents the 22nd District, on opening day of the Connecticut General Assembly's 2020 session at the State Capitol in Hartford. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Norwich Free Academy players race onto the court Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, to celebrate their win over Bacon Academy in the ECC Div. I girls' basketball tournament championship game at Mohegan Sun Arena. The top-seeded Wildcats rolled to the 58-30 win over the third-seeded Bobcats. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Old Lyme's Ray Doll (25) and Frank Sablone (34) collide with Morgan's Connor Duffy (41) as they go after a rebound during a boys basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, at the school in Clinton. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Ellie Davis races into the arms of her boyfriend, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class James Powers, as the Navy Virginia-class attack submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) returns to its homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, from its inaugural deployment. According to the Navy, the Colorado sailed approximately 39,000 nautical miles supporting national security interests and maritime security operations. The sub was commissioned March 17, 2018, and is the third U.S. warship named after the state. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

University of Connecticut's Crystal Dangerfield, right, hits teammate Christyn Williams with confetti Monday, March 9, 2020, following their win over Cincinnati in the women's basketball ACC championship game at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Jennifer Goodine, left, and her husband, Ryan, second from right, with their children Sophia, 14, second from left, and Liam, 11, right, friends of the Todt family, attend the vigil for Megan Todt and her children, Alek, 13, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 on the Colchester town green. Anthony Todt has been charged with killing his family in Florida. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

The U.S. Coast Guard barque Eagle, training tall ship for the Coast Guard, navigates choppy waters Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, as it passes Ledge Light at the mouth of New London Harbor. The University of Connecticut weather station at Ledge Light reported wind speeds in excess of 40 mph with gusts over 50 mph at the time. Eagle had been undergoing routine maintenance at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Md., for the prior month. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Firefighters battle a fire Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, at 19 Lorenzo St. in Norwich. City fire department Battalion Chief Scott Merchant said the house was well involved when the first responding units arrived. 'It got a good head start on us,' he said. He added that one resident, a woman, was home when the fire started and escaped. The city called units from all five volunteer departments to assist. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Taylor Palmer touches up her makeup Friday, April 10, 2020, while she and Tom Ortolani get ready at their home in Waterford to go to their wedding ceremony. They had to cancel their wedding due to the coronavirus pandemic and were having a private ceremony at Langley's Country Club. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Elizabeth 'Tiger' Maynard-White and her therapy dog Duke, a 3-year-old English mastiff, visit with a resident through the windows Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at Harbor Village Rehabilitation and Nursing in New London. Maynard-White has been taking Duke to the home since he was a puppy and transitioned to doing window visits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Shirley Ready of Pawcatuck shows her hand as her dog Simba looks out the window while she and her daughter Janet play a card game Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Stonington Point. The two have gotten together to play the game, which they call Fitch, a few times while sitting in separate cars and wearing masks. 'This is one of our favorite things to do,' Shirley Ready said. 'It looks a little different now but it doesn't have to stop. And I'm going to win.' (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Lou Guske Jr. of North Stonington runs with a kite Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, as he practices paragliding at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford. He said conditions were perfect for what he calls 'kiting,' where you practice for takeoff in ideal conditions so you are prepared in the field. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Teles Campos of First National Floor Service of Nashua, New Hampshire, sprays disinfectant on the floors of a guest room Friday, May 15, 2020, in preparation for steam cleaning at the Mystic Hilton. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Thomas O'Brien, right, helps his son James, 17, with his tassel as members of Saint Bernard School's Class of 2020 don caps and gowns to record their portion of virtual commencement exercises Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Norwich. The members of the class arrived in groups of 10 to take turns being recorded individually walking down the cathedral aisle to receive their diploma. The video was presented in its entirety on May 22. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Lawrence + Memorial Hospital staff members stand behind shoes representing co-workers out sick as they participate in a 'Solemn Stand in Solidarity' on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, along Montauk Avenue in New London. The rally, organized by health care workers unions, called to support all COVID-19 patients and colleagues overwhelmed and lacking personal protective equipment, or PPE. Debbie Wyzacecki, one of the presidents of L+M's union representing registered professional nurses, AFT Local 5049, said the event was to support anyone sick with the coronavirus but especially her peers. 'We just want to ask for adequate PPE so we don't all end up out sick, or worse,' she said. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Band members Rob Briggs, left, and Dan Barnes check the audio equipment Sunday, May 13, 2020, as the group Nick Bosse and the Northern Roots gets ready to play on a flatbed trailer driving through North Stonington. 'People can't go out and see live shows now, so we thought maybe it'd be a cool thing to bring the live show to them,' Bosse said. The group spent a few hours driving through various neighborhoods, stopping where there were people outside, and singing and playing Southern rock and country music. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Julia Compagna of Plainfield chants with the hundreds of fellow protesters Tuesday, June 2, 2020, during a rally and march for Black lives in Norwich. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

A car full of supporters cheer on the hundreds of Black Lives Matter demonstrators filling Liberty Pole Square on Friday, June 5, 2020, in Mystic. It was one of several rallies organized by RiseUp Mystic in protest of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and systemic racism. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

People tape names of Black people who died at the hands of law enforcement onto a hearse Saturday, June 6, 2020, at Parade Plaza during the 'We're Fed Up! Black Lives Matter Protest' in New London. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

People tape names of Black people who died at the hands of law enforcement onto a hearse Saturday, June 6, 2020, at Parade Plaza during the 'We're Fed Up! Black Lives Matter Protest' in New London. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Graduate Derek Shaw holds his hand over his heart for the national anthem Thursday, June 11, 2020, during a drive-in graduation ceremony for Norwich Free Academy at Dodd Stadium. After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled original graduation plans, the school screened the prerecorded ceremony for graduates, who were invited to participate in a car parade. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Sequoiah Burrello and her brother Ridge, of the Narragansett Indian Tribal Nation, participate in a traditional dance Wednesday, June 17, 2020, during a rally to recognize the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue at Columbus Square in New London. During the event, members of local Indigenous tribes performed traditional dances and held a drum circle before speakers and a moment of silence for George Floyd, a Black man killed in May by police in Minneapolis. 'We're standing on beautiful soil and beautiful land,' organizer and City Councilor Curtis Goodwin said. 'And this, today, is called history.' The City Council had voted to remove the statue from display in any public property in the city and the New London Police Department announced it would not be pursuing charges in the 'incidents of criminal mischief' during demonstrations on June 6, when the statue, a police substation and a cruiser were spray-painted. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

From left, Dejohn Griffin, Cassondra Duzduner and Bonni Ojeda, family members of graduate Antonio Hellmers, cheer as his name is called Friday, June 19, 2020, during Ledyard High School's drive-in graduation ceremony. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Taylor Wininger-Sieve of Waterford screams, 'I can't breathe,' on Sunday, June 14, 2020, during a Walk for Justice in Waterford. Several hundred people participated in the march and rally that went from Clark Lane Middle School to the Town Hall and police station before returning. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Friends Teresa Sharma, left, and LaDonna Wade, both of Waterford, hold each other as they listen to a speaker Sunday, June 14, 2020, during a Walk for Justice in Waterford. Several hundred people participated in the march and rally that went from Clark Lane Middle School to Town Hall and police station before returning to the school. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Graduates Audrey Booth, Anna Schleck and Anna Hunter stake out their spot on the lawn Thursday, June 18, 2020, as the approximately 211 members of Waterford High School's Class of 2020 graduate in a drive-in ceremony at Waterford Town Beach. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

People cheer as they watch fellow protesters spray-paint the Columbus statue at the corner of Bank and Blinman streets Saturday, June 6, 2020, while participating in the 'We're Fed Up! Black Lives Matter Protest' in New London. The demonstrators stopped at the statue while marching around the city. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

People gather on Hobbs Island, with a few of them taking turns jumping into the Thames River, on Wednesday, June 25, 2020, off shore from Groton. The city of New London is in the background. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Flinn Paradiso, left, and Mason Payne, center, both 6 years old, go after a ground ball Wednesday, July 15, 2020, as a baserunner heads to second base during a game at Batter Up Baseball Camp at Samuel M. Peretz Park at Bridebrook in East Lyme. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

The Mayflower II sails through the waters of Fishers Island Sound off Groton, Conn., on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, on the seventh day of two weeks of sea trials. The vessel, a replica of the original Mayflower that carried the Pilgrims to America in 1620, left Mystic Seaport Museum after a three-year, $11.2 million restoration by the workers at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. The 400th anniversary festivities scheduled for Boston and Cape Cod this spring and summer were all postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Owen Green, 10, sits on father Lavon's shoulders as mom Wanda, right, all of Groton, looks on Sunday, June 7, 2020, as they participate in a Black Lives Matter march in Groton. A crowd of about a thousand people marched from Poquonnock Plains Park to the Groton Municipal Building and back during the youth-organized protest in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other acts of racism against people of color. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

The comet NEOWISE, for Near Earth Object Wide-field Survey Explorer, appears in the sky Monday, July 20, 2020, over Beach Pond on the Connecticut-Rhode Island border. The comet was discovered in March 2020 and is calculated to make its next appearance in 6,800 years. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Taylor Donovan, 17, of Stonington and her fellow level 6-8 students practice a dance they learned from a professional Broadway dancer earlier in the week while participating in a class Friday, July 24, 2020, in the parking lot of Eastern Connecticut Ballet in East Lyme. The students were training at home five to six days a week through online classes with professional dancers from Broadway, NYC Ballet, Limo modern dance company and others. This was the first time they all came together for a class while social distancing. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Dawson Satterfield, 12, of Florida is comforted by her father, Tariko Satterfield Sr. of Norwich, as she begins to cry while talking about her experiences with racist comments, during the Black Lives Matter protest Saturday, July 25,2020, at Preston Community Park. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Sisters Julia, left, and Claire Taylor of Middletown take photos among the sunflowers Friday, July 24, 2020, at Buttonwood Farm in Griswold. This summer the farm held its 17th annual Sunflowers For Wishes fundraiser, brainchild of Buttonwood Farm owners Kim and Duane Button, to benefit The Make-A-Wish Foundation. Over $1.2 million has been raised since the Buttons began the fundraiser. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Farmer Jimmy Moran fills pint containers with sungold cherry tomatoes Wednesday, July 29, 2020, at Wehpittituck Farm in Stonington. He has leased the land from David Miner, whose family has owned it since Colonial times, for eight years. He grows vegetables and flowers and raises laying chickens on about 7 acres of the property. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

The Mayflower II sails Thursday, July 30, 2020, with the Coast Guard barque Eagle in Block Island Sound. At the suggestion of Coast Guard public affairs staff, Capt. Michael Turdo of the Eagle invited Mayflower II to sail together during Mayflower II's sea trials. The waters of Fishers Island Sound, where Mayflower II had been training, are too tight and shallow for Eagle to navigate under sail, so Mayflower II was towed out to deeper, more open waters several miles south of the Rhode Island shore for the joint operation. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Norwich firefighters David Rose, left, and James Justice feel the effects of the heat Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, after taking a shift on the tower ladder battling a blaze at 57 Prospect St. in the Greeneville section of Norwich. Four firefighters were treated for minor injuries in the wake of the two-alarm fire that destroyed the multifamily dwelling. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

From left, deckhand Eric Garcia watches fellow deckhands Jose Lopez and Marto Montio cut worn-out pieces of metal from the sweep of the fishing dredge, used for catching scallops, aboard the F/V Regulus on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, while in port at Stonington Town Dock. The metal parts of the sweep and rock chains of the fishing dredge, which scrape the bottom of the ocean, wear out and after returning from every 10-day fishing trip, the deckhands work to replace the worn-out sections. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Swab Annabelle Figueroa, left, encourages Golf Company classmate Andrew Schifflin as they near the end of the log carry Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, during Sea Trials for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Class of 2024 in New London. The series of physical, team-building challenges marked the end of their 7-week Swab Summer indoctrination. The swabs received their shoulder boards Friday, Aug. 14, officially joining the Corps of Cadets. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Thomas 'Chef Tomm' Johnson, left, hands A'Layah, 3, a piece of candy Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, while he visits the Dennis family after he and volunteer Robert Tedford, not shown, delivered a Christmas tree, gifts and candy at the Red Roof Inn in New London, where the family lives. The Dennis family was one of Johnson's Miracle Families. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Model Alyssa Babon reacts Wednesday, July 29, 2020, to the reactions of people visiting Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford as she, with the help of bridal shop consultant Tanya Fowler of Lastrina Girls Bridal Salon of Middletown, walks from the West Garden to the staging area of a wedding-style photo shoot to change dresses. The photo shoot was for Sebastian Photography of Middletown, hairstylist Ilona Bartnicki of West Hartford, Lastrina Girls Bridal Salon, and Revive Skin Care Spa of Unionville to use in marketing for their businesses. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Anglin Aircraft Recovery Services crew members look through debris Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, at the scene where a plane crashed into the home at 243 Ring Drive in Groton two days prior. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Michael Graveline, left, is consoled Saturday, May 30, 2020, while he listens to his daughter, Felicia, talk about her mother, Elva, during a rally. Elva Graveline was a Lawrence + Memorial Hospital nurse's aide that died of COVID-19. The rally was held on the lawn of the Harbor School in New London to raise concern over the lack of protective equipment, employee safety and also to honor Elva Graveline. It was organized by the AFT union health care workers employed by Yale-New Haven Health. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

The nearly full 'Corn' moon appears over low clouds on the horizon Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, beyond Fishers Island as it rises over Ledge Light at the mouth of New London Harbor. The final full moon of summer is also sometimes known as the Barley Moon, or Fruit Moon. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Volunteer Jessica Hill, with North East Medical Group in New London, carries a box of fruit and produce Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, to place in the trunk of a vehicle during the Connecticut Food Bank mobile food distribution, in partnership with Mayor Michael Passero, in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood of New London. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

KC Cloud of Groton holds a sign Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, while attending a vigil for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in front of the New London Superior Court in downtown New London. The Rev. Carolyn Patierno of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation in New London said she saw a post on the Women's March Connecticut site regarding the nationwide initiative encouraging people to go their local courthouse and hold a vigil for Ginsburg. Patierno decided since there's a courthouse in town, she would get the word out for people to join her there. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Families gather Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, for their weekly trivia night on the lawn at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford. They started the weekly gatherings on Zoom at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic but then migrated to the park as restrictions were lifted. The winning family each week takes the homemade trophy, crafted of thematic elements, and brings it back the following week further enhanced. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Maureen Lawton, center, of Naragansett holds up a Donald Trump doll as she cheers Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, during the Trump Boat Flotilla on the Mystic River. More than 800 vessels, flying pro-Trump flags and carrying cheering supporters of the president, paraded up the river. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Stonington junior Sam Montalto, center, celebrates his second goal in the game with teammates Drew Johnson, left, and Billy deCastro against Ledyard in ECC boys high school soccer action Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, at Bill Mignault Field. The defending Class-M champion Bears rolled to a 4-0 win in the season opener for both teams. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Retired U.S. Navy Quartermaster 2nd Class Forbes M. Meston thanks quilter Jean Hunter as he is wrapped in a handmade quilt Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, during a Patriots Quilt ceremony at StoneRidge Senior Living in Mystic. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Gloria Creamer works on painting the windows of The Chocolate Shell in Old Lyme on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, for Thanksgiving. Creamer, who also paints the windows of a few other stores on Lyme Street, said she works with owner Barbara Crowley to repaint the windows for every holiday. 'It's beautiful, I have free rein to do whatever I want on these windows,' she said. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

McKenzie Corley, 5, runs to her father, Petty Officer 2nd Class Hassan Corley, after he and his fellow crew members of the USS Indiana (SSN 789) returned Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, to the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton. Lesean Corley, mother and wife, captures the moment with her smartphone in the background with a sign. The homecoming was held drive-in movie style, with crew members walking to the parking spaces where their loved ones were waiting to welcome them home. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Rene Colon, 9, of East Lyme practices his clarinet Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, while sitting on the top of the playground at McCook Park in Niantic. His mother, Amelia, said the fourth grader decided to bring the instrument along during a trip to the playground with her, his younger brother and their dog. Rene, who previously played the flute, said he started playing the clarinet that week with help from YouTube videos, his father and his band teacher. 'I saw them play the clarinet on 'SpongeBob' and I decided to switch,' he said of learning the new instrument. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)

Luca, 8, and Cole, 4, Orsini, pose for a photo with Kevin 'Saxophone Santa' McMahon in the back of their grandfather Tony Orsini's convertible Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020, before McMahon departed to play for the neighbors in the Black Point neighborhood of East Lyme. McMahon has been jazzing up holiday gatherings in his velvet suit and beard for 36 years. He played Christmas classics from the back as Tony Orsini and his wife, Janice, up front, drove around with their kids and grandkids following in another car. Neighbors listened from their lawns or front porches as the small caravan wove through the narrow streets of the neighborhood. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)

Willie and Liz Quinones of New London give a server their order Wednesday, May 20, 2020, after reading the menu, center, at the new outdoor seating area in the parking lot of Filomena's in Waterford. The menu is on wheels so it can be moved easily among the tables and is double-sided, so customers on both sides can read it at the same time. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Graduate Elyce Nadeau walks toward the stage to receive her diploma Friday, June 12, 2020, with her family cheering from the pickup truck in the background, during the Marine Science Magnet High School drive-in graduation ceremony in Groton. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Cathy Lupien spends time cross-country skiing Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford. Glenn Colby, who was skiing with Lupien, said they came to the park because they hadn't seen snow like that around here in awhile. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

New London Councilor Curtis K. Goodwin crosses the street Sunday Aug. 30, 2020, after the dedication ceremony for the newly painted intersection at Eugene O´Neill Drive and Golden Street in New London. The Rainbow Flag crosswalk, with the inclusion of brown and black stripes, was painted by the city to honor the LBGTQ+ community. 'For someone who has never been to New London, that this is the first thing they see, this sign of inclusion and diversity, how cool is that?' City Councilor Alma Nartatez said in her remarks. (Sarah Gordon/The Day)
Published December 29. 2020 5:33PM | Updated December 30. 2020 9:43PM
By Dana Jensen and Sarah Gordon and Sean D. Elliot Day staff photographers
A collection of the best photos of 2020 from The Day's staff.
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