@laurakmorton

Visitors to the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Company Carnival stroll the midway before a thunderstorm rolled through the town of Walkersville, Maryland in July 2021. This photo is from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. At a time of political division and pandemic isolation, I wanted to photograph how Americans were coming together to celebrate community with their neighbors. These events – the county fair, the fireman’s carnival, the annual parade – rarely make the national news, but they are important to the fabric of life in small towns across the country. I began this work using my parent’s home in Gettysburg as a base, photographing around South-Central Pennsylvania and Western Maryland and I’m looking forward to continuing the work this summer.  Walkersville, pictured here, held their first carnival in 1940. It brought the festivities back in 2021 after a pause the year before due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A fireman’s carnival fundraiser is an annual summer tradition in many towns that rely on a volunteer firefighting force. The money raised at these carnivals goes toward purchasing equipment, like fire trucks, for the department.  #Americashomecoming #firemanscarnival #carnival #Maryland #walkersvillemd