The second weekend of August is when hobos from across the nation come to Britt, Iowa, to celebrate their adventuresome way of life. Visitors and friends alike join in the fun each year.
Ask a veteran hobo at a convention jungle what a hobo is and you’ll receive a definite answer. The hobo is a migratory worker, some with a special skill or trade, others ready to work at any task, but always willing to work to make his way.
The tramp, they’ll tell you, is a traveling non-worker, moving from town to town, but never willing to work for the handouts that he begs for. A bum is the lowest class, too lazy to roam around and never works.
Misunderstood and mistreated, the wandering hobos have come to find understanding and friendship in the city of Britt.
In the summer of 2018, Jeff MacGregor, a writer for Smithsonian Magazine, and Alyssa Shukar, a photojournalist, visited the city of Britt to chronicle what it means to live the life of a hobo. Our city’s significant role in preserving that distinct and disappearing lifestyle is captured in this article featured in one of America’s prominent magazines – “The Last Of The Great American Hobos”
Be sure to “like” Hobo Days on Facebook and visit back here as summer draws near for a full schedule of events: https://www.facebook.com/britthobodays/