by Bill Conger

Many a middle school student might face some teasing from their peers for playing with dolls, but Jaxson Murphy doesn’t have that problem. The DeKalb County boy’s love for puppets has garnered respect and praise from the ventriloquist community. So much so that this past week, 11-year-old Jaxson won first place in the Junior Open Mic at the 2024 International Ventriloquist Convention. He performed July 18 at the Holiday Inn Cincinnati Airport in Erlanger, KY, located at the Ohio/Kentucky border.

“I liked it, but I was a little nervous [before the performance],” Murphy said. Jaxson, an upcoming sixth grader at DeKalb West School, is the son of Heath and Rachel Murphy and Lindsay and Daniel Greer. He competed against youth up to age 18. Last year, he took home second place in the event.

“We were so tickled for him,” said Jaxson’s grandfather, David Turner [wife Roenia], a well-known local ventriloquist. “It was just a joy to hear the laughter. One of the judges called him the next [professional ventriloquist] Jeff Dunham.”

 “He’s always been my little shadow,” Turner adds. “To see the whole community of ventriloquists that I’ve known for the last 30 years embrace him was just great.”

“I’ve been around it all my life,” Jaxson says of the talent he’s learned. “I saw my grandpa do it, and I wanted to do it.”

Jaxson stood on stage for his performance with two wooden puppets, Egore and Dwayne, that his grandfather made. He practiced the five-minute skit over and over again in front of a mirror prior to the big day.

“Nobody hardly ever does two wooden puppets at the same time,” Turner said in advising his grandson   before the competition. “It would be awesome, and he perfected it. As many times as I’ve performed there, I’ve never enjoyed it more than when he performed.”

A chip-off-the-old-block, Jaxson was enamored with his grandfather’s hobby practically from birth, and his interest never waned.

“I’ve got pictures of him as a little bitty kid holding puppets,” Turner said. “He’s always hung around me, and we videoed him with puppets. I never did think he would do it. You know how kids pick up stuff, and it’s just a phase they go through. So far Jaxson still likes it. I hope he stays with it.”

Turner started ventriloquism in the fifth grade, but by the end of seventh grade he gave it up until after high school. “I quit because kids made fun of me, but I never did know about the convention when I was younger. But he’s got so many friends, kids and adults, that encourage him. I didn’t have that when I was growing up.”

Jaxson is already excited about next year and even had one person hand him a business card to book him for a show in the near future.