Photo by Masrat Jen

MPW.76 forecast calls for Fair weather

Kennett prepares for annual Delta Fair

By Olivia Maillet & Olivia Myska

At one end of the South Bypass curve in Kennett, Mo., behind the fire station and next to the airport, sits a plot of open land. The community uses this area to host the Delta Fair near the end of September each year. 

Blanketed in humidity, the fairgrounds were vacant yesterday morning. Fair rides by Goldstar Amusements, an art display warehouse sponsored by the American Legion and booths offering practically every fried food under the sun began to fill the space. Vendor setup will be completed by the end of the day Tuesday.

Large yellow roadblocks serve as a boundary around the track where the “Demolition Derby” and “Tractor and Truck pull” will occur. Close by, an array of blue paint-chipped bleachers line one side of the arena; the ground is uneven, a woven pattern of dirt patches and grass. Come Thursday night, however, Delta Fair Board member Jan McElwrath said the bleachers will be packed with fans awaiting the Demolition Derby. McElwrath anticipated Saturday night having the biggest turnout between the two evenings. 

The Demolition Derby will feature a Little Tykes “Pee Wee Derby” on Tuesday night, where old minivans and minicars will collide into each other until only one is left running. The winner will receive $8,000. Saturday night, there will be a “War on Wheels,” with the same rules and a winner prize of $12,000.

The arena, which McElwrath said will become a “track” for this week, holds a special significance for Kennett residents. McElwrath recalled people using the track to announce the sex of their babies in what she described as  “gender reveal” celebrations. 

And, McElwrath said, it wouldn’t be a derby if there wasn’t at least one story of young love. Several years ago, she said, two people decided to go to the Delta Fair for their first date, fell in love and eventually got married on the track in 2019.

“They had white balloons and set them on the derby track,” McElwrath said. “[His] friend was a minister, and his fiancée didn’t expect anything; he wore a tuxedo T-shirt to the fair. Our announcer played the wedding march, and, when we did that, she realized what was going on. They came down and got married on the track and had their first dance on the track.”

The Delta Fair has seen sentimentality as well as shenanigans during its more than 30-year history. McElwrath told a story of how, using a truck’s muffler and against the board’s rules, a fair-goer spread a loved one’s ashes on the track. 

The long-running fair is a staple for residents, organizations and visitors alike. People travel from the states around the Bootheel, including Arkansas and Tennessee, to be in attendance. Tickets went on sale at 8 a.m. today, but yesterday morning, four fair-goers were already forming a line with lawn chairs outside the Delta Fair Board building, positioning themselves — and ensuring maximum comfort — as they waited to secure their tickets. With derbies, live music and all the food one’s heart can desire, the Delta fair has endless possibilities for fun — and maybe even a MPW.76 feature or two.

Delta Fair Schedule

Tuesday, Sept. 24

• Midway opens at 5 p.m.

• Delta Fair Parade begins at 5:30 p.m. on the west end of St. Francis

• On Stage: Rooster Blue performs at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 25

• Midway opens at 5 p.m.

• Hourly drawings begin at 7 p.m. on the hour until 10 p.m.

• On Stage: Guilty Party performs at 8 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 26

• Midway opens at 5 p.m.

• Pee Wee Derby begins at 6 p.m. at the derby track

• Livestock Show begins at 6:30 p.m., and the Livestock Sale follows the show in the 4-H/FFA Building

• Demolition Derby begins at 7 p.m.

• On Stage: Jonathan Len and the Double Edge Band performs at 8 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 27

• Midway opens at 5 p.m.

• Tractor and Truck pull begins at 7 p.m.

• On Stage: Double Take performs at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28

• SEMO Karaoke contest begins at 1 p.m. on stage

• Midway opens at 5 p.m.

• On Stage: Jaded performs at 8 p.m.

With a population of just more than 10,000 people packed into almost seven square miles of land, the town of Kennett, Mo., is a hidden treasure in the Bootheel.

Yesterday afternoon, this year’s Missouri Photo Workshop photographers arrived, some seeing the Bootheel — or even the state — for the first time in their lives. As they start getting to know the area, along with the MPW crew and faculty, they met up with city officials and community members at Downtown Bistro for a welcome dinner. MPW.76 Director Brian Kratzer said the event was like “asking the town to throw us a party.”

As the evening progressed, community members shared their excitement and insights about MPW.76 with photographers and workshop crew alike. Dr. Dave Jain is both a physician and one of the owners of the Kennett Palace Theater, which is just down the street from Downtown Bistro. At last night’s dinner, he said he currently has to drive 60 miles to get to his practice. Jain shared that the loss of Kennett’s hospital in 2018 has been “a big rag in the community.” He said he hopes the fruits of MPW.76’s labors bring awareness to the dire situation.

“I have been here 33 years,” Jain said. “It’s been hard to get funding for a hospital. I think that it would be good if there is any way to get some kind of funding to get a hospital back into this community. It would be good for health care and improve [it].”

While some residents like Jain, voiced their desires for MPW.76 photographers to be a force for change, others, like Mayor Jake Crafton, emphasized the town’s generosity and openness. He said these ideals make him proud to be a part of this community and serve as mayor. With this, Crafton recalled that when his own daughter needed a liver transplant at just 9 months old, community members were quick to help in any way they could.

“We’re very open,” Crafton said. “ [It is] the small town life of where, if someone needs something, you’ll have 15 people lining up to see what that need is and to help you with that need.”

Crafton assured photographers that they will not have a hard time speaking with residents and said citizens share a willingness to help one another.

“We’re the ‘midsouth,’” Crafton said. “So [we] have a little bit of the midwestern work ethic and have a little of the southern charm all mixed in right here.”

As MPW.76 photographers continue searching for their sources and stories, perhaps honing in on local healthcare or focusing on the town’s agricultural bounties, both Crafton and Jain shared the same confidence in photographers’ abilities to empathetically, honestly and accurately represent this beloved Bootheel town.

A Kennett native returns

Sally Stapleton embraces her roots, takes on new role as MPW.76 faculty member

By Olivia Maillet

Sally Stapleton grew up on South Baker Drive in Kennett, Mo. MPW.76 photographers this week may pass by her childhood home when exploring the town for stories. Stapleton worked for AP Photos starting in 1990 and ended her tenure as the deputy executive photo director in 2004. From 1991-2002, AP Photos received nine Pulitzer Prizes for its photography. 

When she graduated from Kennett High School in 1976, Stapleton knew her calling was journalism — specifically, magazines. Her father was the publisher of the Daily Dunklin Democrat from 1953-1989. During his tenure, the Kennett, Mo., newspaper was published daily. Now, it is called the Delta Dunklin Democrat and publishes three days a week. 

Luckily for Stapleton, the Missouri School of Journalism — the world’s first journalism school — was only four and a half hours north in Columbia, Mo. In 1980 she graduated from MU with a bachelor's degree in magazine journalism.

Fresh out of senior year, Stapleton applied to an internship at McCall’s Magazine. The New York City-based magazine’s editor-in-chief had also lived in Kennett — three doors down from Stapleton’s house. Stapleton’s father, ever her supporter, took his daughter on a trip to New York City. Stapleton said her first time in the Big Apple was heaven; however, she didn’t get the internship.

Undeterred, Stapleton turned to her hometown for another go at magazine journalism. She asked her father if she could create and write a magazine focusing on life in Kennett. She called it the Missouriana. Stapleton chose the wage her father would pay her: $7. She produced most of the writing and photography, although some reporters at the Delta Dunklin Democrat would occasionally contribute. Published stories included a profile on the infamous Kennett taxi driver at the time, Snuffy, and a feature about a Delta Fair fortune-teller. 

Stapleton returned to MU in 1982 to pursue a master’s degree in photojournalism. She was in the last class that Angus McDougall, former head of the Missouri School of Journalism Photojournalism Sequence, taught. During her trips home, the Delta Dunklin Democrat’s photographer showed Stapleton how to develop film in a darkroom, a space she described as a “beaver hut.” 

Stapleton said there are two kinds of journalists in the world: ones who are moved by photography, and ones who favor words. Her father fit into the latter category.

“Dad was not a visual journalist,” Stapleton said. “I would come home when I was in grad school and show him work, and he would be like, ‘That’s nice.’ And I would flip out on him like, ‘What do you mean that’s nice?’”

Who is Ray Wong, and why is he buying me lunch? 

Two-time MPW alumnus reflects on lessons learned, reasons for return

By Bailey Stover

Ray Wong was a University of Missouri graduate student during what some would consider to be a “golden age” of photojournalism education. After completing his undergraduate years at Arizona State University, Wong traveled to Columbia, Mo., to study under Cliff Edom — frequently called the “Father of Photojournalism” — and Angus McDougall, a legendary picture editor and innovative force in photojournalism. 

At McDougall’s urging, Wong attended MPW.24 in Washington, Mo. There, he spent the week photographing a local banker who also happened to be the town’s fire chief. Wong said his subject was “a very stoic person.” And, while Wong secretly wished there would be a fire so he could show the man in action, the best picture he made all week was an environmental portrait of his subject walking out of a bank vault.

Wong primarily photographed with a 200 mm lens before attending MPW.24, but, after the workshop, he began relying on his 28 mm lens, which he said forced him to get closer to sources. 

After graduating from MU, Wong traveled to Canada, working with the Toronto Star as a picture editor for two years. Upon returning to the United States, Wong attended MPW.27 in Nevada, Mo., to polish up his visual storytelling skills. This was the same workshop when then-President Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan, attended as a photographer. 

“The Secret Service was there all the time,” Wong said. “Talk about being disruptive.” 

Wong said he found his MPW.27 story after talking to a real estate agent. It was about a family living in their barn after their house burned down, by talking to the Nevada, Mo., real estate agent. 

After the workshop, Wong relocated to Jackson, Miss., where he helped modernize The Clarion-Ledger as the paper’s director of photography. Wong, along with his “Missouri Mafia” compatriots — other MU graduates employed at the paper — fought to decrease bias and increase diversity in both the newsroom and the publication itself. 

“I have a lot of patience,” Wong said. “I can outwait virtually anyone. You just have to push.”

Following his stint with The Clarion-Ledger, Wong accepted a position as the graphics editor with The Tennessean. There, he helped revamp the publication's approach to visual storytelling. He said one of his goals with The Tennessean was to improve the means through which the paper reproduced photographs in print to improve their viewability. 

“Your job as an editor is to make it so [the photos] communicate,” Wong said. 

After leaving The Tennessean, Wong taught at Middle Tennessee State University until his retirement in 2012. Wong still practices photography, joining a photo club and learning more about making images of non-human subjects. He particularly enjoys photographing dragonflies, which he described as “the most elegant insect out there.”

Wong said he never “chimps,” or looks at the photos he’s making while in the field, instead opting to evaluate his takes only once he is done photographing. Because of this unique approach, Wong now has thousands of images — particularly from his 20-year-long photographic project on greyhound racing — that he has never seen. 

“If I miss the shot, I missed it,” Wong said. “I was going to miss it out there anyway.”

More than 40 years after his first MPW, Wong is still just as enamored with the workshop as he was during college. Wong has traveled to small towns across Missouri with the workshop for the past decade, continuing to intimately photograph the tight-knit communities he visits. 

But, he said, his favorite part of the MPW experience is learning from and speaking with students each year. Wong said MPW attracts photographers from all walks of life, and the interactions that happen between workshop participants and locals is “how you expose the idea of photojournalism to people.” 

Wong is committed to helping emerging photographers experience MPW to its fullest and learn from editors who he considers to be “some of the best in the country.” This year, through a scholarship in partnership with Mardy Fones, Wong has enabled MU senior Kate Cassady to be a workshop photographer. Cara Penquite, another MU senior, is also photographing MPW.76 thanks to the Randy Cox family. 

Three times during the week, Wong will also treat workshop crew, faculty and photographers to meals — two lunches and Friday night’s pizza dinner — as a way to encourage them to learn from one another, ensuring human connection remains at the forefront of this workshop experience. 

“It’s not the place. It’s not the situation,” Wong said. “It’s the people.”