@laurakmorton

“Why are you taking our picture? The pretty one is over there!” these gentlemen called out to me after I took their photo as they were waiting to ride their American Legion post’s float in the Solon Beef Days Parade in Solon, Iowa in July 2021. They were curious as to why I’d focus on them when Katie Wadman, Miss Iowa USA 2021, was right behind me. 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