Wednesday, November 19

Waterfowl Festival 2014



Bronze Statue Detail at Armory in Easton, MD


  The crisp Fall weather seems to arrive when the Waterfowl Festival is in Easton. Last Friday and Saturday were cool with abundant sunshine and the clouds rolled in on Sunday. The weather did not
dampen the spirit of the festival and town and the event locations were packed with locals and visitors.


Looking down Harrison Street toward the Tidewater Inn


  In the historic district, the armory was brimming with those admiring oil and watercolors, while the
Art Academy housed hyper realistic carved wildfowl. Incorporation of a “crab and a lab” in one frame generates added interest as it shows off those quintessential Eastern Shore icons. Add a goose or goose blind and you have the trifecta!


In watercolor, this would be a Show Stopper: Old Bay, Shells, Lure, Rod and Remington!

  Nearby at Easton High School, the air was filled with goose calls, as contestants vied for champion caller bragging rights (and a new Benelli). In the adjoining hall, there were historic displays of punt guns and sinkbox blinds. A buy/sell/trade swap area allowed for great buys for vintage decoys


Local Favorites



  An recent event addition is the Dock Dogs competition, where dogs simulate a duck retrieve, as they run and jump into a large pool. This is a crowd favorite and the kids love it, as they see dogs jump in excess of twenty feet into the cool water.


A Happy Lab!


A Focused Chesapeake Bay Lab


  This festival brings in much needed revenue into a rural area that has a high poverty rate. Staffed mainly by volunteers, the Waterfowl Festival showcases a true Eastern Shore maxim: celebrate the outdoors, while ensuring, that through conservation, it is available to future generations.

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