City fathers tout Eldon as "The Best of Both Worlds," pointing to a small town "with strong family values, great community spirit and an award winning school district." Located 30 miles south of Missouri's state capital, Jefferson City, it's just a 15-minute drive from the Lake of the Ozarks. Founded in 1882 by George Weeks, local lore has it that Weeks originally wanted to name the town after his wife Almira. That name was already taken so he decided on Eldon, after Lord Eldon, an English Earl. Today its population is around 4,800.

That population felt a bump in late September when the Missouri Photo Workshop arrived in Eldon, bringing 39 photographers, an incredilby talented faculty, and a crew of nearly 20 students from the Missouri School of Journalism to town. The city of Eldon literally opened their doors to participants, hosting 16 of them in their homes for the week. But even more graciously, they opened their hearts and lives to the workshop.

The stories these photographers discovered were insightful and intimate: like that of an 85-year-old Korean War vet whose boundless energy keeps him in near constant motion; or the story of a 14-year-old Eldon High School freshman who lives with celiac disease and Down Syndrome; or that of a couple who turned a passion into a family taxidermy business; or that of the postman who delivered his last letter after 31 years of walking the streets of Eldon.

Our thanks go to the people of Eldon for the trust they put in these photographers. What a privilege it was to tell their stories.