Sam Lemonick

When the Ku Klux Klan gathered in Harpswell on the Fourth of July in 1925, it wasn't behind closed doors or in the dark of night. Their picnic and parade attracted hundreds of klansmen with their families. A photograph from that day shows Harpswellians in klan regalia, hoods back and faces showing. One wears a scarf reading, "100% American." Women and children pose with them.

Ronnie LeClair, who as a co-founder and leader of Harpswell's first lobster co-op helped shift economic power from buyers to fishermen, died on Nov. 22 at the age of 91.

Vincent "Lucky" Oppedisano Jr., originally of Great Island, died at 56 on Nov. 20. Lucky fished his whole life despite obstacles and detours, and he is remembered for aiding fellow fishermen in ways both big and small.

Chris McIntire was content. He had made goals — to live on Orr's Island, to fish for a living, to raise a family — and by working hard, he had achieved them. Maybe more than anything else, he wanted to make sure his children could also have the life that satisfied him so much, if they wanted it.

Because of changes in global markets, the cost of recycling in Harpswell has more than tripled in the last decade. It is now more expensive by volume to dispose of recyclables than trash — and it isn't clear how much of those recyclables are recycled, or how much ends up in landfills. But town officials intend to stay the course because residents value recycling. And those residents recycle more and with less contamination than national averages.