The Icon offers viewers a three-part photo series that took three years to complete. We intend to continue this series. Here’s the story about it.

A long time ago in a galaxy far away there was a newspaper editor in a small town called Bluffton, Ohio.

The editor’s name was Charles Hilty. He created a tradition that The Icon has adopted. Every year on or very close to July 4, he’d take a photo of an old farmer, Henry Huber, standing in Henry’s cornfield.

The photo caption was: “Knee high by the Fourth of July.” Of course, every year the height of the corn varied depending upon weather conditions that year.

I don’t know why the editor chose Henry Huber for his annual photo, but it was fitting. It was something lots of people looked forward to seeing.

At that same newspaper, I later picked up the idea during Christmas season. Each year for many years I took a photo of the Steve and Susie Stratton family with poinsettia plants at the Stratton Greenhouse.

The photo series started with Steve and his dad, Jim, and Steve’s grandfather, Raymond. Eventually Steve and Susie and their sons entered the annual scene.  If anyone at all took note, you’d see a progression of the family in a business setting.

For several years I attempted to launch another annual photo series like Henry Huber and the Stratton’s. Each effort failed.

Then, by accident, this year I realized that the project is already underway. For the past three seasons I’ve taken photos of the major shareholders of DRC Holdings Corp., a prominent downtown establishment.

The photo sessions involved the annual June movie poster sale at the Shannon Theatre. Below this story you’ll see photos from 2012, 2013 and this year.

In case you ever wondered how the name DRC Holdings (owners of Shannon Theatre and Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Co.,) was named, read on. It’s named after Jacob Deckland Suter, Elam Riley Suter and Makayla Carmack Suter, children of Pete and Kim Suter, also shareholders.

This is a series I plan to continue so long as the three models involved continue to sign model releases on the project.

Through this photo shoot, I’ve discovered an interesting aside.

Each year I allow the Suter children to select their favorite movie poster for the photo. So, the poster is becoming as important as the changing appearance of the models.

It makes me wonder, for example, when might cartoon movie posters disappear from this annual photo shoot. And, what movie posters will we see in coming years.

I guess we’ll wait and see.

And with the Fourth of July next week, I’m also wondering just how knee-high the corn stands in the former Henry Huber field. (It’s the farm on Bentley Road where Larry and Judy Diller live, just before the bend in the road south of Riley Creek.)