By By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
Although the 15th-annual East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival and North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships will feature some new events this year, many of the festival’s traditional events and activities will return.
The festival is scheduled for Feb. 5-7 in Washington. Admission to the festival is $10 per person for a three-day pass.
Although the festival’s core is at the Washington Civic Center, many events and activities take place in areas such as Stewart Parkway along the Pamlico River. The carving competitions will take place at the Red Men’s Lodge on East Third Street. The DockDogs competition, in its first year at the festival, will be conducted at Kugler Field at the corner of East Fourth and Hudnell streets. The Wildlife Art and Decoy Auction will be held Feb. 7 at the Washington Yacht &Country Club, 7155 River Road.
The silent auction begins at 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Washington Yacht &Country Club, followed by a dinner — featuring a seafood buffet and cash bar — at 6 p.m. and a live auction beginning at 7:30 p.m. More than 100 pieces of wildlife art and decoys will be up for bids at the auction, which includes a seafood buffet. Dinner reservations and prepayment are required. Reservations may be made by calling (252) 946-9326 or 946-2897.
Shuttle buses will run between the Civic Center, Red Men’s Lodge and Kugler Field on Feb. 6-7.
The festival’s main exhibits, its vendors and The East Carolina Bank Sportsmen Center are located at the Civic Center
The festival begins Feb. 5 with a preview reception, with the East Carolina Wildfowl Guild and The East Carolina Bank serving as co-hosts. The reception is for festival sponsors and invited guests. The festival opens to the public at 9 a.m. Feb. 6, closing at 5 p.m. The festival opens at 9 a.m. Feb. 7, concluding at 4 p.m. Shuttle buses will run until 4:30 p.m. Feb. 7.
As in previous years, Washington Pediatrics is sponsoring the Kids’ Zone at this year’s festival. Kids’ Zone, which will be located by the Washington Civic Center, will feature children’s activities that include live shows and games.
Concessions will be provided throughout the weekend by the Christian Men’s Fellowship from First Christian Church in Washington. The men will provide a variety of foods, including their signature clam chowder, fresh-cut fries and cheeseburgers.
For additional information about the festival, including schedules of major events, see future editions of the Washington Daily News.