At The Legion Hall

In many towns across America events like reunions and wedding receptions are sometimes held at the facilities of the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion, another military veteran's group. There is always a large, open meeting area, a kitchen and a bar. The prices are modest. Sort of an everyman's alternative to a hotel ballroom.

The Marysville High School reunion was held at the American Legion hall. It's convivial and informal. As you can see, the high school mascot is the Bulldog. I thought the bottom picture was better in black and white. Those are the red and white stripes of a big American flag on the wall and they are pretty hard on the eyes in color. These circles with a variety of military activity covered the wall. A bit off from the culture I live in.              

Homecoming Parade

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Small town America: Marysville, Kansas, has a population of about 3,500 and it's doing pretty well. It is the seat of Marshall County and serves as the commercial center for the surrounding hamlets and farms. Friday night was the homecoming parade, town party and high school football game. As a TV commercial once had it, it's as American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.

The best place to shoot a parade is the staging area, when the participants aren't moving and no one walks into your shot. From top to bottom, we have the Marine honor guard, junior football players, cheerleaders, bikers from the local American Legion post, a member of the high school band and one of the ugliest school mascots around, the Marysville Bulldog.

I saw that the bikers were from the American Legion from the back of their vests. Their large hall was the site of the Class of 1962's party on Saturday. Kansas' alcohol laws are a bit regressive but the Legion is a private club and had a bar. I asked the guys if it was well stocked. They told me not to worry, and they were right. A Tanqueray and tonic for $4. Can't beat that.

American Gothic

American Gothic by Grant Wood is an iconic painting that hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. It portrays a man and woman on an Iowa farm around 1930. If you are not familiar with the image, please click the first link. Gordon Parks, one of my favorite photographers, used the same title in 1942 for his famous image of a black cleaning woman in a Washington office building, dignified and worn. The people in the two pictures are very different. The common thread is the seriousness of everyday American working men and women. This is my small contribution to the genre. (Background music for the topic here.)

While I was eating my horrible carnival lunch at the World's Largest Catsup Bottle Festival, I saw this man at the cash box of a beer vending truck nearby. Given my habits, I asked him if I could take his picture. He grunted assent but I couldn't get a flicker of expression. Maybe that was for the best.

WHO I'M HANGING OUT WITH TODAY: ShadowyOne, heir-apparent to the St. Louis Daily Photo fortune

TOMORROW: Gas tank of the damned