Last legislative season, the Nebraska Unicameral moved the location of the Nebraska State Fair to Grand Island begining in 2010.  I was sent to get some pictures of the fair as we talked to vendors and visitors to gauge their reaction to the decision.  There was some anger, but most everyone said they’d try it for a year or two to see how it went.  Greg was disappointed on the turnout that day at his booth selling toys.  He travels throughout the summer from fair to fair, and said if he was sent to Grand Island he’d go.

Sometimes what I see through the viewfinder doesn’t agree with the story I’m trying to illustrate.  I was sent to cover a dewatering well being dug, and saw this frame.  I like this image quite a bit, especially in black and white, because of its grittyness.  While it won’t be seen in print, it does get the chance to peer from the shadows here.

Grand Island Public Schools instituted a bus routes for the city schools.  One for the high school, a couple for two of the middle schools, and then one for the elementary schools.  I tagged along for the ride to the high school and saw this of freshman Dylan Wiese along the way.

An outtake from a Friday assignment down at the fair. This was too similar to one of the other photos that we decided to run in the paper, but it sees the light of day here.

One of the perks about being a journalist is that you have access to experiences that most people don’t get to take advantage of.  There are things like photographing fires, being on sidelines at Husker games, photographing important political figures like the president and vice president.  My most recent ah-ha experience had to be flying in the B-17G Sentimental Journey when it stopped in Grand Island over the Fourth of July weekend.

Being something of a history buff, I’ve heard stories and seen movies about the importance the B-17 bombers played in World War II and the destruction of the German industrial complex.  I’ve also seen the movie Memphis Belle which is a gut wrenching depicition of what it was like.  My flight over Grand Island was amazing.  Crawling through a tunnel to get to the bombardier chair, you begin to feel what it must have been like.  There’s no insulation in the plane, no pressurization, and no air conditioning to keep you cool.  Just you vibrating with the drone of the four engines.  Grab one of the guns and your imagination takes off with visions of Messersmits and FolkWulfs diving at you through the sky.

Needless to say, it was a great perk to be able to share.