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On Location: Teaming Up in Canton, Texas
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A photographer describes how he partnered with a writer to cover the world’s biggest flea market
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WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY JODY HORTON
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| Writer Stirling Kelso holds a coneful of Blue Bell ice cream; almost-euphoric shoppers at Henry’s Antiques. |
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Though travel articles and the photos that illustrate them are combined seamlessly in a magazine layout, the writers and photographers rarely work together. Usually the writer goes first and the photographer follows, benefiting from the writer’s on-the-ground knowledge (and increasing the odds for a successful shoot). But this time, the two, both based in Austin, did the story together.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Working as a team can be a lot of fun, and that was certainly the case on this assignment. Writer Stirling Kelso and I covered Canton’s monthly Trade Days market together, enjoying the sights and the many characters over three days. And Stirling even ended up in some of the photos I shot.
We met in the afternoon to rendezvous with Trade Days director Linda Hatfield, who had offered to give us an orientation of the expansive grounds. As the three of us set off in a golf cart, heads turned and people waved at Linda, along with the tall blonde wearing a pink shirt and Ray-Ban aviators (Stirling) and the bearded guy with a big camera (me). Riding on a parade float must feel like this.
SHOPPING FRENZY
Around noon on Day 2, Stirling and I parted ways for a while so we could each fade into the background. Hoping to get some candid shots, I wandered along one of the main boulevards and into Henry’s Antiques—a large tent filled with colorful wooden containers and row upon row of bins containing decorative metal hardware.
As I moved toward the register, a group of four women was also advancing, their arms filled with merchandise. “I can’t believe these prices!” one shouted. “So perfect!” another said. They then burst into simultaneous laughter, overtaken by some kind of shopping euphoria. Suddenly more and more shoppers began entering the tent, and in a few minutes the line at the register was a dozen or more deep. Perhaps that group of women was sending out some vibration or pheromone?
LAST STOP
It wasn’t until the morning of Day 3 that I made it to Dairy Palace, a few miles from the fairgrounds near Hwy. 20 (2301 N. Trade Days Blvd., Canton; 903-567-6551). I’d been told that the restaurant is known for its hamburgers and hand-dipped Blue Bell ice cream—32 flavors, to be exact. Built in 1984, it’s still family owned and operated. Signs out front proclaim Dairy Palace to be “World Famous,” and if that’s not true, maybe it should be.
From the outside, Dairy Palace looks like any fast food place. But inside there are some colorful exceptions, like the wooden signs hanging from the ceiling, with messages that read “A New Broom Sweeps Clean,” “Hang in There” and, my favorite, “Love Your Enemy but Keep Your Gun Oiled.” And the entire menu is available 24 hours a day. Items range from country breakfasts to several types of burgers (including salmon and grass-fed bison), Mexican dishes and Southern-style dinners including chicken-fried steak. I had some “Freedom Toast” for breakfast that wasn’t half bad. Next time I’m within 20 miles, I’ll definitely stop in again.
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
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Published: April 5, 2011
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