LULA - When October rolls around, the calendar fills up with fall festivals, and some of those events in our region celebrate the history of north Georgia.<br />
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Saturday, October 4, for example, is Folk Pottery Day in Georgia.<br />
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One north Georgia potter who will be commemorating the day with a milestone celebration of his own is Michael Crocker of Lula. Crocker will hold his 30th kiln opening at his studio on W. County Line Road in Lula. <i>(See link below).</i><br />
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He said fall is a traditional time of year for kiln openings.<br />
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"In the fall of the year is when all the potteries used to have all their wares for the hardware stores and mercantile stores to come and stock up for the fall harvest coming in from all the farmers," said Crocker. <br />
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Of course, he points out that the craft of pottery has transitioned over the years from functional to decorative.<br />
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"Really, in the 1920s when Prohibition came around, most pottery shops used to be called jug shops because they made so many moonshine jugs," laughed Crocker. "Of course, they [also] made the stone churns for storing 'kraut, beans, churning milk."<br />
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Once modern conveniences like refrigerators were invented, people didn't buy pottery for food storage, so old-time potters had to reinvent their wares.<br />
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"The transition came because the pottery shops were going out of business because of these modern conveniences," said Crocker. "What has brought it [pottery] into what it is today - a decorative, collectible market - were the ones who were innovative and began to decorate their wares. They would create new forms and vases and...face jugs and things like that to continue sales."<br />
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Crocker said he remembers learning the craft at an early age, apprenticing at Wilson Pottery in Lula. <br />
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"A lot of the old-time potters worked there - the Wilsons and some of the Hewells and Jay-Man Brown. Itinerant potters would come through working, and as a child, I helped them with the clay and loading the kilns and working in the shop," said Crocker.<br />
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He eventually opened his own place, using the skills he gained under the guidance of those old-time potters. Three decades later, he is celebrating a profession and a passion.<br />
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Crocker, who was was one of the founders of the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia in White County, is also curator of that facility. Plus, pieces of his work have homes in national and international museums. <br />
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Crocker said he'll have more than 200 pieces of pottery to sell during his 30th Annual Kiln Opening. The event is for two hours only from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 4. <br />
