1st Assignment

The Pumpkin Queen

I sat on the curb, waiting. I knew what the newspaper wanted; a single picture of the newly crowned Pumpkin Festival Queen and her court. But I would have to wait for the conclusion of the talent comparison for my opportunity.

When the performances concluded and the Queen was announced and it was time for pictures. Though I was inexperienced, I knew that you never get between proud parents and their kid when there were pictures to be taken. My life was in the balance. So for my own safety, I volunteered to arrange the Queen and her court with the understanding that the parents could get their pictures first and then it would be my turn. When that time arrived, I took an extra moment to make sure everyone in place. At that moment I caught the eye of the newly crowned queen. Her look was not the giddiness I was expecting. After a long moment I brought my camera to my eye and took the picture.

As I packed up my gear, I kept mulling over what had happened. I recognized the Pumpkin Queen as the town’s raining “most popular girl.” She was the one everyone expected to win any contest she entered. But there was no vanity in her eyes. What I saw in her eyes was acceptance and understanding of a power of small town’s traditions and values. The grace she exhibited in fulfilling her generational role was in stark contrast to my worldly view. Being from the big city (Troy, Ohio) I believed that living in small farming communities was akin to being in a witness protection program. The contrast of the Queen’s acceptance of her role and my cluelessness was disturbing.

On the drive home it hit me. I was an intemperance student photographer who needed small town events like the Pumpkin Festival to further my career. Without them I would be sitting at home watching television. The Queen’s acceptance of her role only spotlighted the lack of understanding of my own. But what bothered me most was how skillfully Pumpkin Queen had turned the tables on me with grace and acceptance. All I could do was laugh all the way home.

From that night forward I let the newspaper know I wanted the rural assignments. As fate would have it, meeting Becher Berry and his wife the following week reinforced what I had learned from the Pumpkin Queen.