Waterfowl decoys, wildlife artwork and waterfowl calling contests are part of this weekend’s East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival and North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships. They are extremely visible and, especially in the case of the calling contests, audible. Simply put, they are much noticed.

Not so much, if at all, with the organizers of the events. Other than a handful of people, most folks who attend the three-day festival do not know who’s responsible for bringing the carvers, artists, callers, educators, exhibitors and vendors to Washington for the festival. The Washington Tourism Development Authority, East Carolina Wildfowl Guild, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, International Wildfowl Carvers Association, Arts on the Pamlico and others work with one another to coordinate all the festival’s events at various venues. Lynn Wingate, the city’s tourism-development director, will be the first to acknowledge the festival is the result of hard work by several organizations and people. Many of those people rarely, if ever, benefit from public recognition. Their reward in working on the festival: knowing they are having a positive influence on the city and its economy.

There’s no doubt the festival brings money to the city and its merchants. In 2006, a study estimated expenditures at the 2006 festival by visitors, competitors, exhibitors and the public at $163,000. With the festival growing since 2006, those expenditures have grown with the festival, with some tourism officials indicating that impact is now around the $300,000 range, if not higher.

Earlier this week, a downtown restaurant owner, asked if he is ready for the festival, gave the thumbs-up gesture.

The organizers of the festival, one of Washington’s signature events, deserve a collective thumbs-up gesture from the community — and pats on their backs for a well-done job.