Dighton, KS is truly out in the middle of nowhere. It's way out there and it's incredibly beautiful country. The drive from Great Bend to Dighton is one of the more remote stretches of road I've been on and I thought it was fantastic. It's just so wide open out there.
I arrived in Dighton before all of the festivities began, so I had some time to explore the town(pop. 1,010). The first thing you notice in town is the huge grain elevator. I got out on the train tracks and made an image of it set against the blue sky and perfect white clouds. Looking back at that image, I remember how quiet it was and how the clouds seemed to just be hanging in the sky. Another thing I remember about making that image.. as I was fiddling with my tripod and camera, I startled a giant jackrabbit that was hiding in the tall grass right next to me. Scared the bejeezus out of me.
The Lane Co. Fair kicks off with a parade. It's a small parade, but it covers all of the requirements of a small town parade. It had antique cars, Shriners, horses, candy throwing, and a marching band.
After the parade, I made my way out to the fairgrounds. One thing I'm always struck by at the fairs out in western Kansas is that the carnival rides are usually just out in a field. There aren't many trees in that part of the country and I think it's a little surreal to see a carnival sitting out in a field, flat land as far as you can see to the horizon.
I stayed and photographed until the color left the sky. I think I managed to make some nice images from this fair.
You do an incredible job capturing small town America. Through your images, I can see the excitement and joy that the parade and fair bring to Dighton. Awesome.
ReplyDeletethanks L.A.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE MY SMALL TOWN LIFE and your photographs truly do it justice! and make me smile!! Beautiful photos, Brian, they made me smile. Thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures and I know alot of the people in these shots. We are very proud of our small town fair!
ReplyDeleteI miss the Lane County fair every year as I live far away. Thanks for beautiful photos that remind me of the peace and happiness in those people and that place.
ReplyDeleteGreat memories...From far away
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brian. This is the town where I was raised, so it brought back great memories for me. We're visiting again this summer...can't wait to be "home"! You should check out the Facebook site called "Where on Earth is Kansas?". It was created by a teacher and students in Council Grove. They have amazing pictures posted there, too.
ReplyDeleteWow. Not sure how, but my blog has really exploded today! Thank you all for the friendly comments about my photography. Really appreciate it. If you'd like to see some of these images in person, they are currently on display at the Strecker-Nelson Art Gallery in Manhattan, KS until mid July.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures. It's been a lifetime since I went to the fair. Brings back a lot of memories! Thank you.
DeleteIs there ways to get a copy of a certain photo? You took a picture of my boys holding hands at the carnaval.
DeleteGreat pictures! My husband and I served two churches in Dighton and Utica several years ago. Dighton is a wonderful community, and the people are truly the salt of the earth.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love these photos of the Lane County Fair. I grew up in Shields Kansas 9 miles north of Dighton and my very first kiss was on the tilt-a-whirl at the Lane County Fair. As a 4-Her I showed cattle, sheep, sewing and cooking in the fair and our 4-H group always had a float in the parade. I haven't been able to go for many years and miss it. You have captured the essence of the event. BTW, someone from Dighton shared on Facebook which is why I think you have so many comments today. It's a small community with many of us who were raised there but no longer live there looking for things like your photos to share with our friends in our new worlds... ways to show them how special a small town in western Kansas can be.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos! Makes me miss those days of showing cattle there….
ReplyDeleteHOME!! Thanks for the memories. My kids call Dighton home also and they have never lived there! Great place.
ReplyDeleteThe photos of the light spilling out of the barns at night is just how I remember it looking when going to check feed and water one last time before going home for the night, totally exhausted and itchy from sweat and dust. I moved away nearly 20 years ago, yet I STILL have dreams that locate themselves in the sheep and poultry barn. The photo of the side door of that barn--the saturated color and the palpable warmth in the air--it's like you snatched that moment from my dream.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful pictures!! You captured the small town fair perfect! Home!
ReplyDeleteYeah, this kicks ass. I was also raised in Dighton. Now I'm a creative director in KC. So I have a very special appreciation for the work on all kinds of levels. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brian. You have brought our little town to light and yes, Facebook is being inundated with it! There may only be 1000 people left in Dighton, but many of us who have moved on are proud to show our friends where we grew up and what made us who we are now.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures. And a great place to grow up. Great memories.
ReplyDeleteBe it ever so humble, there's no place like Home. Your photographs not only capture what home owned carnivals and county fairs look like, but the pure joy everyone has experiencing them! Thanks so much! I'm so glad I moved back to my Home town!!
ReplyDeleteI too grew up in Dighton. It was an idyllic childhood. Thanks for pulling up some emotion and great memories of a time long, long ago it seems!
ReplyDeleteMy family lived in and around Dighton for centuries.....great memories of that area. I grew up on a farm near Amy, love the feel of the small town atmosphere and the warmth and sincerity of the population there. I love the quiet, but hubby prefers the 'noise' of big city. Remember 4-H and all great activities involved with Lane Co. Fair for years. Thank you for warm and fuzzy memories, Brian.
ReplyDeleteSOOOOO proud of my hometown...
ReplyDeleteThese pictures make me homesick!
ReplyDeleteReally fine quality photos of my home town! Born & raised, and still living right here in Dighton, America. I've been 'taking pictures' for a long, long time, and really appreciate the skill that it takes to compose & shoot photos of this quality - come back & see us anytime!
ReplyDeleteWow! I just relived an awesome part of my childhood. Your photos brought back great memories. The Lane County Fair was the highlight of summer growing up -- my dad Dwight (Porky) Stanley was the auctioneer for the cookie jars, 4-H animals, etc. Thank you for capturing these photos!
ReplyDeleteYour photographs of Dighton, and the Lane County Fair, are absolutely stunning! I lived there decades ago when carnival troupes arrived from who knows where? The smell of cotton candy, the musical sound of the merry-go round, the centrifugal force of the Tilt-A-Whirl, and the feeling of the wooden Ferris Wheel handle that kept us from falling out....all come pouring into my memory! Thank you so much for capturing the essence of it all!
ReplyDeleteI grew up there. The fair was the most important thing in my life as a kid. Thank you for this beautiful, honest, sincere portrait of my home. No matter where I go or what I do. Dighton is home.
ReplyDeleteI grew up there. The fair was the most important thing in my life as a kid. Thank you for this beautiful, honest, sincere portrait of my home. No matter where I go or what I do. Dighton is home.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words Curtis.
DeleteThese are wonderful photos of my home and 4-H was a large part of my childhood. I now reside in Lawrence too, but my kids LOVE the Lane County fair and are sad we have to miss this year. Thank you for sharing these moments with the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteHi Audrey, thanks for stopping by. Glad that you enjoyed my images from the Lane Co. fair.
DeleteThank you for posting! I have been away over 50 years. Dighton was home for my parents. Growing up & after my family moved from Dighton only 48 miles away we visited weekly as I was related to half the town back then. Brings back loads of old precious memories. And portrays "small town America"...
ReplyDeleteThe clouds no one understands like people of the plains of Western KS!
mesmerizing ❣❣❣