EASTON, Md. – One of Talbot County's biggest events on the Eastern Shore is back in Easton. The 55th Waterfowl Festival celebrates the wildlife and sporting heritage of the Chesapeake while raising money for conservation.
The festival runs through Sunday.
A tradition rooted in preservation
The festival began in 1971, when local residents wanted to preserve their way of life after the Bay Bridge brought newcomers to the Eastern Shore, said Deena Kilmon, the festival’s executive director. Kilmon, who started in the role in March 2024, said the region had been isolated until the bridge opened it up.
“It's an explosion of Chesapeake community and heritage and all the traditions we hold dear,” Kilmon said. “...You know, when you come in for Christmas or you come here for your holidays, that you celebrate and you cherish that with your family. This is our family time for our community.”
Decoy carver Mark McNair and his wife, Martha, have attended since they married about 49 years ago.
“I can’t imagine missing it. I never have,” Mark McNair said.
Martha called it “the highlight of the year” for decoy carvers, with great food and friendships.
Kilmon said schools in Easton close on Thursday and Friday of the festival, as they have for 55 years. The buildings are used for satellite parking and exhibits, and she said the festival’s youth involvement starts there. About 300 youth volunteers help each year, she said.
Economic and conservation impact
The festival has an estimated $6 million impact on Easton over three days and a $9 million impact statewide, Kilmon said. She said visitors come from across the U.S. and abroad, along with local residents and national collectors.
Organizers expect more than 30,000 people this year. Kilmon said VIP attendance at Thursday night’s opening event was about 25% higher than last year.
The festival has donated more than $6 million to conservation since its start in 1971, Kilmon said. Early gifts helped launch some of the environmental groups that exist today. Recent giving has gone to projects open to the public, including Ducks Unlimited and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County.
What’s new this year
Maryland’s Best Tasting Pavilion: Funded by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, it features foods from the state’s farms and waters, including oysters.
Voices of the Chesapeake: The Avalon Theatre has been restyled with hourly programs, including talks on Chesapeake wildlife, goose-calling lessons and the history of “outlaw gunners,” the early hunters of the Eastern Shore.
Sporting Heritage Pavilion: The Armory now shows decoys dating to the 18th century, work by current carvers and antique firearms.
Youth shooting exhibition: Teams from St. Michaels and Easton, which now have rifle teams, are giving a demonstration.
Expanded kids’ activities: The Quacking Trail for children has been expanded. Children get in free with a parent or guardian.
Duck Passport trail: Decorated ducks are displayed in stores across downtown and other parts of the county to bring business beyond the festival grounds. Exhibits were added in St. Michaels and Dorchester County.
Classic events
Dock dog competitions remain a crowd favorite. Kilmon said any dog that likes to jump can take part, including pit bulls and poodles as well as hunting breeds. Sporting retriever demonstrations take place at the Bay Street ponds, and both events run several times a day Friday through Sunday.
Dog docking trainer Graysen Ratner said the dock dog events give hunters a way to involve their dogs in water sports.
“I know we're a big hunting state,” Ratner said. “I know people like hunting. And this is definitely one where you see a lot of the hunting breeds, a lot of herding dogs, a lot of Labradors. And it really gives like, I think a crossover path for people who do hunting but also want to get their dogs involved in water sports.”
A Chesapeake Bay retriever named Dakota Dakota off the dock during a dock dog competition at the 55th Waterfowl Festival in Easton on Friday. (WBOC)
Bobby Abner entered his Chesapeake Bay retriever, Dakota, in the competition so he could explore the festival.
“I love the whole Maryland thing,” Abner said. “I love waterfowl hunting and the heritage of it and the traditions of it. And, excited to see what they have going on.”
Fran Shirey said she’s been coming to the festival since she’s been in Graysonville for about 30 years. She said she enjoys seeing the art displayed into the sportsman’s heritage experience.
“It's just amazing, Shirey said. “The things that you see and you learn here, and I just enjoy the art and the animals and it's just I feel at home when I'm here. I just love it."
Kilmon said the festival has 20 venues and that a ticket is good for all three days.
“It’s impossible to see in one day,” she said.
Organizers are also planning a new winter event, “Winter Fowl,” in February.
