@laurakmorton

The Solon Beef Days Parade in Solon, Iowa in July 2021. I was driving across the country by myself on an aggressive four-day schedule and I’d driven from DC to Iowa City on the first day on the road. When I learned a nearby town was having their annual “Beef Days” celebration, I couldn’t resist delaying my start the next morning to check it out. According to event organizers, the annual festivities began in 1971 after several civic groups got together and decided to plan an “old time celebration” for the town. ⁠ ⁠ 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.⁠ ⁠ #Americashomecoming #Beefdays #Iowa #SolonIowa ⁠