Photos: October 2020 Gazette Visuals Favorite News Photos of the Month

Marti Payseur and Ash Bruxvoort and their dog, Thistle, are photographed at their home and B'n'B, 'Thistle's Summit' in Mount Vernon on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The couple last weekend offered free elopments to members of the LGBTQ+ community and had visitors take part from as far away as Chicago. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Mauwa Elobi, 3, picks up a bag of oranges while helping her mother, Masoka Msangwa, collect groceries during a donation drive organized by United We March Forward in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

While spending a couple of weeks in home quarantine, birdwatching at our backyard feeders because a regular source of entertainment. A new squirrel to the yard quickly succeeded where the others had failed, and managed to scale the pole for a treat from the bird feeder. A larger squirrel had a brief skirmish before falling to the ground and settling for seed dropped by birds. Photographed in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Yamah Howard (left), a kindergartener in Candice Bolin's class, along with her classmates push dirt into a hole as they help plant an apple tree during tree planting at Cedar River Academy at Taylor Elementary School in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Kindergarteners from the magnet school helped with planting six apple trees in the orchard at Reed Park. Students each put handfuls of dirt then wood chips as they helped plant the trees. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Brandon Jackson of Cedar Rapids carries his 4-year-old son, Bra'Len, while passing a police car escorting the Black Men's March in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

From left: John Shaffer and his two children Anna, 12, and Luke, 16, as well as John's sister Stephanie Martinez make the I love you sign to John's and Stephanie's father and Anna's and Luke's grandfather Terry Shaffer as they leave their visit at the St. Luke's Transitional Care Center, 8405 Council Street NE, in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Terry Shaffer, 78, of Hiawatha, is convalescing at the care center after being checked into St. Luke's Hospital after injuring his leg earlier this month. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

A medical worker waves from the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital after the first quarter of the Iowa game against Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Myrtle Ross of Cedar Rapids is wheeled out of Mercy Medical Center as she's released and sees her family all together for the first time in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. Ross spent 66 days in the hospital as she was treated for COVID-19. While Ross was in the hospital the Aug. 10 derecho rendered her and her husband's home uninhabitable. The two will be staying in a hotel for the foreseeable future. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Myrtle Ross of Cedar Rapids reacts as her husband, William, brings Buddy, one of her two dogs, to her for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.

Bahati Winifoida of Cedar Rapids takes her 2-year-old daughter Sally's juice cup to refill for her at their hotel room in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds goes for a high-five, which turned into a fist bump of Ashley Hinson's eldest son Max during an On Duty for Joni event at the Cedar Rapids GOP Victory Office in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Voters mark their ballots separated by makeshift barriers at the early voting area in the Lindale Mall food court in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Rita Hart and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the two nominees for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, participate in a debate moderated by The Gazette's James Q. Lynch and KCRG's Chris Earl at KCRG studios in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. The winner of the race will fill the seat left vacant by Rep. Dave Loebsack. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand speaks to why he is voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President during a 'Why We Vote' press conference at Noelridge Park in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Chawn Yilmaz of Cedar Rapids shows her I.D. before casting her ballot at an early voting center at 823 Third Street Southwest in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. Yilmaz became elegible to vote this year in Iowa after Gov. Kim Reynolds restored the voting rights of roughly 35,000 felons in Iowa who had completed their sentences. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Audience members listen as Donald Trump, Jr., speaks in support of his father, President Donald Trump, during a campaign stop at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Dancers perform among a light display indoors during Hancher Illuminated at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. Having been closed public performance, Hancher Auditorium held a light and performing art show where guests were able to walk around the auditorium in socially distanced groups to enjoy the show. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Kelsey Ottley, a performer with Quixotic, dances with a light display mimicking a peacock's feathers during the Hancher Illuminated display at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

A maple tree shows its fall colors at Pinicon Ridge Park in Central City on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. The park offers trails, camping and outdoor activities along the Wapsipinicon River. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Lily Adams (left) takes treat bags from Raymond Siddell with the Iowa Derecho Storm Resource Center as a line of people in vehicles check-in during the A Haunting on Hawkeye Downs event at Hawkeye Downs in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. The drive-in double feature included showings of 'Hocus Pocus' at 7 p.m. and 'Van Helsing' at 9 p.m. Admission was free, but donations were welcome for the Derecho Relief Fund. The first 500 children entering the Downs will receive ghouly bags filled with sparkly doodads. The event also included costumes contests. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids NAACP president Dedric Doolan leads the beginning of the Black Men's March beginning from Redmond Park in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.

Kevin BF Burt rehearses during sound check for a virtual performance at CSPS in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. Akwi Nji of The Hook and other Eastern Iowa artists have put together an hourlong presentation debuting Monday as part of Arts Across America, an online programming partnership between Facebook and the Kennedy Center. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Jesup High School freshman Klair (cq) Kite carries tree debris to a burn pile as she and other members of the school's Future Farmers of America chapter continue the cleanup at the home of Helen Kozlik in rural Van Horne, Iowa, on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. The FFA chapter helped Fellowship of Christian Farmers cleanup at Kozlik's property. Kozlik lost about 20 trees in the Aug. 10 derecho storm. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Laura Weber associate director and retreats coordinator at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center talks about a cross that a volunteer carved in a stump of a tree at the center in Hiawatha, Iowa, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. The center is having a Treasuring Our Trees: Cedar Rapids & Surrounding Areas Following the Derecho program Oct. 25 from noon - 1pm via Zoom. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Ramona (left) leads Winston during the monthly gathering of the Corridor Corgis Facebook group at Hunters Run Park, 924 Duck Creek Dr., in Iowa City Iowa, on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Amy Bennett is photographed at her home with her dog, Fergus, in Manchester on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. Bennett worked for the Census Bureau for five months before resigning from her position because of what she called a disorganized operation. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Rebecca Sanabria of Iowa City assembles her backdrop stand in the garage of a client in Coralville on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Sanabria has been making portraits of families on their front porches during the pandemic, in addition to her photography business. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Band members play a pregame show at a Washington High School football game with Cedar Falls at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

First grade teacher Stacy Yanda at Madison Elementary School in northwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Ann Heubner holds up three fingers as she gets a gauge of how her students are feeling on a one to five scale as she teaches her first graders from her home office in Robins, Iowa, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. Heubner has 38 students that she is teaching online. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Pilot John Bode (left) talks about the history of the B-17 Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast to Mildred Pickle (second from left) Marcia Emmons (second from right) and Tim O'Conner all of Iowa City, Iowa, at The Eastern Iowa Airport in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Pickle, 94, was a cryptographic machine repair technician in there Air Force post World War II. The World War II era aircraft is one of less than 15 examples that are still airworthy today. The aircraft was donated to the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1983. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Onion pakora are served with mint chutney at Persis Biryani Indian Grill in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. Pakora are deep fried vegetables served as an appetizer. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Oreo chocolate rolled ice cream is served with a cookie and marshmallows at Hi Tea in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The shop offers creative milk, fruit and brewed bubble tea and coffee drinks, as well as rolled ice cream. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A mural dominates the view in a parking lot between Dash Coffee Roaters and Fix Salon (right) in Kingston Village in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. The area has become a hip spot in town as businesses large and small have moved there since the 2008 flood. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Jamey Buckallew (left) with Menefee Drywall Co. Inc. and Seattle artist John Fleming are reflected in acrylic strips as installation continues of the Portraits of Iowa permanent art exhibit at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cedar Rapids Convention Complex in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. The hanging sculpture created by Seattle artist John Fleming consists of 340 photographs of the city and surrounding area that were printed on acrylic and suspended along with prisms to catch the light from several programmable color-changing light. The installation will be visible to those walking outside the building. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Framed through part of a sculpture Sheri Albrecht of Walford, Iowa, looks at the League of Women Voters of Linn County statue 'Forge-Stands-Rises,' celebrating the national organization's centennial in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. The sculpture was created by Dale Merrill of Liberty Ironworks in Mount Vernon. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

People pass the empty patio at Popoli in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Workers help to hang a giant chandelier made of elk antlers at Kacena Farm in Vinton on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. The farm started as a Christmas tree farm and has expanded to include pumpkins, goats, an outdoor canteen, and now an event center. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Tom Garwood, one of the carptenters on the barn project, assesses the location of the giant elk antler chandelier they have just hung at Kacena Farm in Vinton on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. The farm started as a Christmas tree farm and has expanded to include pumpkins, goats, an outdoor canteen, and now an event center. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Workers with Peterson Contractors Inc., of Reinbeck, Iowa, use breakers to separate concrete from rebar as demolition continues on supports of a former railroad bridge over Marion Boulevard in Marion, Iowa, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. A pedestrian bridge will be built in its place. The work is part of the CeMar Trail which links the Cedar Lake and Cedar River Trail systems in downtown Cedar Rapids to the Uptown Marion commercial district. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Two women walk out onto the dam separating Lake MacBride and Coralville Lake (on the right) in Solon on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Since the coronavirus first began spreading in the state I've taken just about any excuse I could find to head to Lake MacBride and the surrounding area. I was in Des Moines covering state basketball when the virus began to spread in the state and went for a hike in the park as soon as I came home. I've spent countless hours kayaking on Lake MacBride and I've put in a few miles cycling in the area. On this particular Friday I headed to the lake before a football game to photograph my most recent shutter in place … and was so impressed by the fall color I returned just three days later (note the date of the second photo) with my partner to have another look. I've always found it to be a pleasant place regardless of the time of year but it has taken up an important role in my life since March and I'm certainly grateful for that. It's probably time I start heading elsewhere for photo features, but you can be certain I'll still be stopping by my new favorite place in the corridor. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Halloween decorations are covered with snow at a home in Wellington Heights in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Much of Iowa saw thick snowfall during the morning and early afternoon. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

From left: Hannah Craig, 12, Lillee (cq) Young, 11, and Natalie Kelly, 11, watch 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' during the A Haunting on Hawkeye Downs event at Hawkeye Downs in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. The drive-in double feature included showings of 'Hocus Pocus' at 7 p.m. and 'Van Helsing' at 9 p.m. Admission was free, but donations were welcome for the Derecho Relief Fund. The first 500 children entering the Downs will receive ghouly bags filled with sparkly doodads. The event also included costumes contests. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Rainnon the Witch, aka Virginia Rice of Living Characters cackles at young attendees during the A Haunting on Hawkeye Downs event at Hawkeye Downs in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. The drive-in double feature included showings of 'Hocus Pocus' at 7 p.m. and 'Van Helsing' at 9 p.m. Admission was free, but donations were welcome for the Derecho Relief Fund. The first 500 children entering the Downs will receive ghouly bags filled with sparkly doodads. The event also included costumes contests. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

I was making my way home after a disappointing search for fall color photos in northeast Iowa. I rounded a slight curve and looked to my right and saw the setting sun. I literally (safely) came to a screeching halt. The sun sets so fast that I was scrambling to switch lenses. I put on my 600mmm to compress the farmland and forest in the valley below. I'm still kicking myself for not leaving just a few minutes early or taking that wrong turn down a gravel room. Otherwise, I would have gotten the golden, round orb. The sun sets over the northeast Iowa countryside along Highway 13 near Farmersburg, Iowa, on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)