We love an excuse to head north to the town of Easton. With the Waterfowl Festival just around the corner, we plan on joining the thousands of visitors that will flock to Talbot County next weekend. If you didn’t already know, Easton is home to one of the largest festivals this side of the Bay Bridge – the Waterfowl Festival – an annual fall event held each November that focuses on the variety of waterfowl species around the Chesapeake Bay and celebrates our plentiful resources.
Easton’s first Waterfowl Festival was held in 1971, with the simple goal of raising awareness and money to preserve the wildlife and scenery on the Eastern Shore, along with the promotion of wildlife art and the celebration of life here on the shore. The Waterfowl Festival has grown from just three small vendors to hundreds of artists, crafters, exhibitors and other events that happen throughout the Downtown area. Today, the festival has contributed over $5 million to wildlife education with grants to more than 50 organizations!
The Waterfowl Festival will take place Thursday, November 13th to Sunday, November 16th. Art of waterfowl species play a huge role in the festival, with artistic renderings such as paintings, duck stamps, woodcarvings, decoys, photos, crafts and handmade sculptures. In addition to the vendors, there will be demonstrations involving the artists, and classes, workshops and auctions. The exhibitor areas include: Art at the Armory, Art at the Avalon, Artists Gallery and Workshop, Buy Sell and Swap, Chesapeake Carving Gallery, Duck Stamp, Kids Art and Nature Activities, Photo Gallery, Sculptors, Sportman’s Pavilion, Tasting Pavilion, Waterfowl Chesapeake Pavilion, Waterfowl Chesapeake Pavilion, Walsh Waterfowling Artifacts and the Wildlife Marketplace.
If you aren’t interested in the craft side… no worries. The Waterfowl Festival features a little something for everyone. The event features an array of activities for attendees of all ages; one of the more popular pavilions, the Sportman’s Pavilion is filled with vendors filled to the brim with everything outdoor lovers would want. Think outdoor apparel for different activities, fishing and hunting gear, and more. Some of the vendors inside the Sportman’s Pavilion include: Carolina Shuckers, Deep Water Duck, Ducks Unlimited, Grovepoint Outfitters, Maryland Fur Trappers, Silver Dog Outdoors, Virginia Sportsmen and more.
Other attendee’s favorites include collector’s exhibitions and contests available for you to participate in. Contests are held in categories such as goose calling, duck calling, dock dogs, retriever demos, fly-fishing demonstrations and more. There are activities for children to participate in like a fishing derby, animal encounters, puppet shows and decoy painting and sample carving. In addition to all the great activities there will be tons of food vendors serving up all kinds of Eastern Shore favorites and festival food. Think cream of crab soup, BBQ sandwiches, fried oysters, crab cakes, gingerbread goose cookies, soft crab sandwiches, oyster stew, rockfish corn chowder and hot chocolate. #yum #easternshorefood>everything
Wine and beer tastings are available as well, with wineries such as Cainelli, Eastern Shore Brewing, Mill Stream Farm, St. Michaels Winery and Linganore Winecellars.
So spend a day of your weekend in beautiful Easton at the 2014 Waterfowl Festival. Whether you’re an Eastern Shore native or just visiting… you’re sure to fall in love with our laid back culture all over again.
