Much is said about Easton, Maryland’s Waterfowl Festival held in November, but Virginia’s Northern Neck has its own longtime tradition for celebrating waterfowl culture, and this one comes around just at the start of spring.
The 42nd annual Rappahannock River Waterfowl Show will be held March 18-19 at the White Stone Firehouse.
Waterfowl related paintings, carvings, photography and sculpture will be exhibited by artists from up and down the East Coast, from Maine to Florida.
This year’s Artist of the Year is Jim Wilson of Yorktown. A professional wildlife artist for 46 years, Wilson spends many hours seeking out and researching the subjects for his detailed pen and ink and Prismacolor pencil drawings. Color prints of his new painting of a kingfisher will be given to show visitors all weekend.
Show director Pat Bruce said that the Preview Night Gala will be held March 17. This evening event requires advanced tickets. The Preview Night door prize is an original carving by Gordon Martin of Lenexa. Owner of Lenexa Decoys, Martin has carved decoys for over 50 years.
The weekend door prize is an original carving by Vernon Bryant of Perryville, Md. Bryant has been carving decoys for 40 years, beginning when he was just 10 years old. Bryant is a commercial crabber and a professional decoy maker. His main occupation is carving decoys.
Special features of the show are a raffle with donated items from participating artists and carvers. The White Stone (WSVFD) sells a variety of lunch items.
Show hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 and is good for both days. Children younger than age 12 are admitted free with an adult.
The show is sponsored by the White Stone Volunteer Fire Department and proceeds benefit the operation of the fire department.
-Larry Chowning
