Firefighter Tim Iman of the Butler Bureau of Fire catches his breath in the backyard of the house fire on 3rd Street on Dec. 20. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

Butler County came together in 2022.

During the past year, most community events that had stopped amid the COVID-19 pandemic returned. COVID-19, though periodically rearing its ugly head, has largely faded into the background due to the vaccine and treatment options.

Festivals and fun resumed. The Saxonburg Mingle on Main was held on a monthly schedule. And Friday night football games were as crowded and rowdy as ever before.

And when adversity came along, the community still came together.

As war broke out between Russia and Ukraine overseas, people right here in Butler County came to Ukraine’s aid. Benefits and fundraisers sprung up across the county to support Ukrainians. Two families even fled their country to come to Butler County.

And when a fire destroyed Thompson’s Country Market on Christmas morning, the community was quick to come to the aid of the store owners and tenants who lost everything in the blaze.