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.
