The ringleader of the circus cart and his monkey, "Maxwell," ride the circus cart before the Squirm Burpee Circus event during Tour de Fat at Diamond View Park in downtown Durham on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Tour de Fat, a bicycle tour sponsored by Fat Tire Ale, kicked off their tour in Durham and will travel to 13 cities ending in Austin, Texas. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Part two of my Herald-Sun series includes some of my favorite shoots from this summer. Tour de Fat, a bike festival with beer sponsored by Fat Tire Ale, kicked off in Durham, N.C. and made for some hilarious shots. In this post, I also got to meet a world traveler who collects chess sets, inventor of the Thundershirt, and a local Meals on Wheels volunteer.

Leopold Simmons, plays with the water pump, while his father, Todd Simmons powers the water pump while asking water conservation trivia questions during Tour de Fat at Diamond View Park in downtown Durham on Saturday, June 25, 2011. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Kristin Saintomas, of Team Brick, a local biking club, takes a spin in a recliner bicycle at Tour de Fat at Diamond View Park in downtown Durham on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Saintomas and her friends said they attended Tour de Fat to have a "clucking fantastic" good time. Attendants are encouraged to dress up during the festival for the bike parade. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Henry Jobe, a retired Merck employee, shows off a chess piece he collected when he traveled the world including India, South America, Turkey and England before settling in Durham, N.C. Wednesday, June 22, 2011.(The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Phil Blizzard is the inventor of the Thundershirt, a compression shirt to help reduce anxiety in dogs. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Don Lebkes, a Meals on Wheels volunteer, takes meals to individuals across Durham on Wednesday, July 6, 2011. As a retired delivery man, Lebkes said Meals on Wheels was a similar job but he gets to help out the community. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Stay posted for part 3!

Timothy Suitt looks in on the crowd before entering his graduation ceremony at New Horizons Academy of Excellence on Tuesday, June 7, 2011. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity of interning at The Herald-Sun, a community paper in Durham, N.C. I was able to shoot a lot of different assignments from heat features to sports to the American Dance Festival (oh, and let's not forget every graduation in Durham, Chapel Hill, and Roxboro). It was definitely rewarding getting to learn about Durham, how a real-life newspaper works, and getting to spend office time with Christine and Bernard, by far the coolest photographers you'll ever meet. The next few blog posts are some of what I consider my best shots of the summer, some which ran and some which didn't, so consider this a special series of unseen footage!

D'Andre Bagley, far right, romps around before walking into the graduation ceremony as his classmate Jerchelle Green, far left looks on at New Horizons Academy of Excellence on Tuesday, June 7, 2011. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Abigail Mangum, a fifth grader, pulls hard during a game of tug of war during field day at Hope Valley Elementary on Wednesday, June 8, 2011. Hope Valley is one of seven Durham schools that will be honored by Former President Bill Clinton for its efforts to combat child obesity by promoting healthy eating, wellness and physical activity. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

From left, fifth graders Zykira Justice, Dahlia Neblett and Emma Carter, get doused with water after the well water relay race during field day at Hope Valley Elementary on Wednesday, June 8, 2011. Hope Valley is one of seven Durham schools that will be honored by Former President Bill Clinton for its efforts to combat child obesity by promoting healthy eating, wellness and physical activity. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Reece Carson celebrates after teeing-off at the seventh hole during the Herald-Sun Golf Classic on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at Hillandale Golf Course. (The Herald-Sun | Lauren A. Vied)

Hope you enjoyed!

Be on the lookout for more blog posts with images I shot this summer!