Flea Market vendors put out a special kind of call

By Courtney Warren 

The Canton Flea Market is always a great way to learn about new crafts and the processes of various artists. 

Two vendors who stood out this year were Doug Morgan with Old Timers Gobbler Club and Penny Jackson with Penny’s Clay Art.

Morgan has been turkey hunting since he was a young boy and attended the flea market to sell hand-crafted turkey calls makes with domestic and exotic hardwoods. 

Morgan’s tent was not hard to find, as patrons of the market could hear the scratching of a striker to a pot call, calling them to his booth as if they were hens themselves. 

“I went on my first turkey hunt when I was around eight years old. I started making calls years ago. If you turkey hunt long enough, you want to make your own call. I like pot calls and wanted to make my own,” said Morgan. 

A turkey pot call is a friction call that uses a “pot” that can have different surfaces - from glass to slate and even metal. A “striker” is used to initiate the call when contacting the surface of the pot.

Morgan’s calls lined the table and ranged in material from walnut, canary wood, zebra wood, to aluminum.

In front of the tourism department, visitors were drawn to what looked like colorful pots decorated in elaborate floral patterns. While these might seem like any other piece of pottery, these pieces are actually hummingbird feeders. 

Focusing on creating something just as beautiful as the birds, Penny Jackson of Penny’s Clay Art displayed painted, clay hummingbird feeders. 

“I make the feeder, clean it, glaze them, fire it in the kiln, paint them, fire it again. It’s a long process. We have a lot of hummingbirds, which made me want to make these,” she said. 

“I like to use the Christmas colors. It’s the most popular one,” said Jackson. 

Whether it’s decorating your home, finding a new tool, or stuffing yourself with Cajun Pistols, the Canton Flea Market will come back again in May and is an event not to be missed.