The Festival in the News

Current Headlines

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Key Messages


▪ The 42nd annual Waterfowl Festival takes place in the colonial town of Easton, Maryland. The historic buildings of Easton serve as venues for galleries and exhibits, while events and demonstrations are held at the surrounding ponds and scenic areas.

▪ The Waterfowl Festival is America’s premiere wildlife art exposition featuring art work from more than 300 artists recognized world-wide. Hundreds of paintings, sculpture, carvings, photos, and fine crafts reflect the beauty of the natural world.

▪ Nation-wide dealers offering antique and contemporary decoys.

▪ The Festival offers fly fishing and retriever dog demonstrations – sure to entertain the experienced outdoor enthusiast, children and everyone in between, as well as DockDogs, an entertaining competition between dogs to see who can make the longest jump into a pool.

▪ There are numerous hands-on activities for the entire family, especially for the little ones, such as nature arts and crafts activities and up close wildlife education.

▪ Four world-class calling contests take place at the Festival attracting top callers from across the country and Canada. Contests: World Championship Goose Calling Contest® with $10,000 first prize, Mason-Dixon Regional Duck Calling Contest, World Champion Live Duck Calling Contest® and World Champion Live Goose Calling Contest™ – all with cash and gear prizes.

▪ Attendees can checkout the latest gear, accessories and gadgets for hunting, fishing and marine sports at the Sportsman’s Pavilion.

▪ Great Eastern shore food and music add to the festivities.

▪ The Waterfowl Festival is produced annually by Waterfowl Festival Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to wildlife conservation, the promotion of wildlife art and the celebration of life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

▪ In its 42 years, the Festival has become a leader in the conservation of waterfowl and wildlife habitat. More than $5 million has been donated to projects throughout the Atlantic Flyway and in particular the Chesapeake Bay.

▪ The Waterfowl Festival takes place November 9-11 in downtown Easton, Maryland, off Route 50. Festival hours are: Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

▪ Admission is $10 for all three days - children under 12 free.

▪ For additional information or tickets online, visit www.waterfowlfestival.org or call 410/822-4567.

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Waterfowl Festival - A Wildlife Art and Sportsman's Expo, A Small Town Celebration, A Commitment to Conservation

HIGHLIGHTS

42nd Annual Waterfowl Festival - 42 years of excellence

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, November 9-11, 2012

Easton - a charming historic town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

A wildlife art and sportsman’s expo

More than 300 of the country’s finest artists, craftsmen, collectors and dealers

Wildlife paintings, sculpture, carvings, and photography galleries

Thousands of antique and contemporary decoys

Folk art and crafts

Sportsman’s Pavilion - one stop gear and trip shopping for the outdoor enthusiast

Retriever, fly fishing and DockDog demos and competitions

World Championship Goose and Duck Calling Contests

Visit 12 exhibit locations scattered throughout historic town

Live animal and nature displays and lots of fun for kids

Great Eastern Shore seafood - crabs, oysters and clams

A wonderful family day - kids from 1 to 100 will enjoy

Christmas shopping better than the mall


More than $5 million donated to waterfowl and wildlife conservation projects

Admission is $10 FOR ALL THREE DAYS - children under 12 free

For more information and tickets online, visit www.waterfowlfestival.org or call 410-822-4567

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The Board of Directors of the Waterfowl Festival announced the launch of Waterfowl Chesapeake Inc, a non-profit corporation focused exclusively on conservation, yesterday evening at the Bay Street Ponds. Ronald Flohr, Waterfowl Festival Board President, made the announcement at a reception celebrating the recent completion of its Ponds Restoration Project in historic Easton, MD. More than 100 guests were in attendance representing a variety of stakeholders from the conservation, art and Waterfowl Festival communities.

This new umbrella organization will take on and expand the waterfowl conservation work previously supported by the Festival, thereby allowing the Festival organization to concentrate its efforts on maintaining a successful event. For 40 years the Waterfowl Festival has contributed more than $5 million for wildlife habitat conservation, education and research.

“Waterfowl Chesapeake will engage in year-round efforts to raise awareness and support for conserving habitat on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and nearby coastal bays,” Flohr said. “We look forward to seeking continued support of our mission from our friends and partners.”

Flohr also introduced new board members of Waterfowl Chesapeake: David O’Neill of Easton, Director of the Eastern Partnership Office of the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and former Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust; Jennifer Stanley of Oxford, a long-time environmental advocate and President of the Town Creek Foundation; and Peter Stifel of Easton, Professor Emeritus of Geology with the University of Maryland College Park and past board member of several local non-profit organizations dedicated to cultural and environmental preservation; C. Albert Pritchett of Easton, and current Waterfowl Festival Vice-President; and Tracie Thomas of Easton, current Waterfowl Festival Treasurer.

“The timing is ripe for Waterfowl Chesapeake,” commented Board Member, David O’Neill. “There is clearly a need for an organization to be a spokesperson for waterfowl and its threatened habitat in the Chesapeake. Waterfowl Chesapeake can fill that important niche by advocating for and investing in the restoration of waterfowl and other bird species that live in or migrate through the Chesapeake Bay region.”

Ms. Stanley remarked, “I can’t imagine a future on the Bay without the sight and sounds of geese flying overhead. It’s part of our regional heritage.”

The Waterfowl Festival will be a primary partner of Waterfowl Chesapeake and will continue to be the signature event dedicated to wildlife conservation, the promotion of wildlife art, and the celebration of life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Flohr stated, “The Festival is excited by this new partnership with Waterfowl Chesapeake. We hope it will re-energize the conservation mission of the Festival, and remind visitors of what the event is all about. The traditional elements of the Festival will remain, and there will be some new additions this fall that will highlight the conservation mission of both organizations.”

The mission of Waterfowl Chesapeake is to create, restore and conserve waterfowl habitat throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and nearby coastal bays by engaging in collaborative, strategic initiatives with organizations, governments, corporations, foundations and individuals. Through these efforts, present and future generations will cherish the beauty of abundant waterfowl thriving in their habitat throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. For more information, please call the Waterfowl Chesapeake Headquarters at 410-822-4567.