Homecomers Opening Night 2019

Tyler Graef

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Hundreds filled uptown Jackson to celebrate Homecomers, Jackson's annual festival, Tuesday, July 23, 2019. Vietnam veterans were honored during a special ceremony since, as veteran and Jackson Alderman Dave Hitt told the crowd, many veterans felt unwelcome upon their return from Vietnam to a populace whose attitude toward the war had largely soured.

Dawson Jackson,15, center, backflips over his friend, Matthew Sturm, 16, as another friend, Christopher Mellon, 13, waches on the courthouse lawn during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. The boys said they taught themselves how to do backflips, back handsprings and other acrobatics in their backyards over the past 5 years as a hobby. "It just looked cool," Jackson said. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Army veteran Bill Snell, who served in the 4th Infantry attached to the 173rd Airborne Division during the Vietnam War in 1968 and '69 is recognized for his service during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. Snell said the olive drab jacket he wore was the one he wore home when he returned from the war. In addition to medals he earned in the service, Snell said he also wore dogtags worn by his father, George Snell, and a medal earned by his grandfather, Charlie Snell, in the infantry in World War I. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Actors from left, Kaitlyn Mulcahy, Molly Jacobs, Makenna Wessel, Carlie Jacobs and Eva Kilburn get tangled up while practicing dance moves before a USO-themed performance put on by Between the Scenes studio during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Reyt Middleton, 17, dressed as Bob Hope, plucks a ukelele as Aubrey Baker, right, looks on before a USO-themed performance put on by Between the Scenes studio during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Vietnam War veteran Bill Snell points to a medal earned by his grandfather, Charlie Snell, during the first World War during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. Snell, along with other veterans, was honored for his service during a ceremony at the festival. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Tom Sperling's hat, celebrating the centennial of the American Legion, catches a beam of afternoon light as Sperling sells raffle tickets during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Molly Jacobs, right, pretends to cry in protest as Makenna Wessel adjusts her bow before their performance during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. The girls were part of a USO-themed skit to pay tribute to the Vietnam veterans in the crowd. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Vietnam War veterans Bill Snell and Richard G. Steele pose for a photo during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Adele Essleman, right, rides a carnival ride with her father, Charles Bohnert, of Altenburg during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. Bohnert joked that he was attending the Jackson festival to "warm up" for the Altenburg fair, which is held later in the summer and which Bohnert implied was superior. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Grayson Gantz, 4, center, throws a ball toward a table of goldfish bowls, eventually winning two fish, as his aunt, Mariah Lane, left, and his grandpa Todd Mallard, right, look on during Homecomers Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in Uptown Jackson. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)