18th annual Currituck Wildlife Festival

Start: Saturday, September 7, 2024 9:00AM
End: Sunday, September 8, 2024 4:00PM

“The sky would be so full of ducks it would block the sun out,” recalls Coinjock Ruritan Club president, Chris Hooper when asked about Currituck County’s wildfowl history. “The area has long been known for hunting, fishing, crabbing, and trapping,” he continued. The 37-year-long member knows his history in the region and grew up around the Ruritans. Hooper joined the Coinjock Ruritan Club when he was 17 and has been president nine times since then. During the late 1800s into the early 20th century, the area became a hunting and fishing oasis and employed locals as guides and cooks for the visiting sportsmen. At one time there were more than 100 private hunt clubs of which several remain today such as the Pine Island Club, the Currituck Shooting Club, and the Whalehead Club. Hooper and his fellow Ruritans invite the public to relive the county’s popular and rich history at their 18th annual Wildlife Festival on Saturday, September 7, and Sunday, September 8, 2024. The two-day show features some of the region’s most talented and well-known artists, from up and down the eastern seaboard, in wildlife arts selling new and antique carved decoys, sculptures, original paintings, photographs, taxidermy, and one-of-a kind- gifts associated with wildlife. Admission to the festival is $5 per person. “All proceeds from this festival go back into the community,” said Walton Carter, a founding member of the Coinjock Ruritan Club. Carter, a member for the past 52 years, also served on the National Board of Directors from 1982-84 and met with fellow Ruritans in 32 states during his term. “Our main goal for the Wildlife Festival is to offer the community a fun way to spend the day and to learn about the history of our freshwater estuary, as well as meet the talented artists who focus their art on the natural wildlife in the area,” said Carter. “Last year, with the proceeds from the show, we were able to give close to $11,000 in scholarships to seven local graduates,” he continued. The Currituck Wildlife Festival will be held at the Currituck County High School in Barco, North Carolina from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. This year’s featured artist is William Kight, Jr. who was born in the Berkley area of Norfolk, Virginia in 1897. Kight spent his childhood in Creeds, VA where he worked with his father as a farmer, waterman, and hunting guide. He was later employed as a guide at Corey’s Lodge on the Knotts Island Causeway over the Great Marsh where he had ample exposure to the abundance of waterfowl in the area. His first carved decoys are well known for their distinctive head positions along with a distinguishing back ridge which marks his style. Kight died in 1977 in Moyock, North Carolina. The Currituck Wildlife Festival will have some of his original decoys on display, along with a photographic exhibition. Additional work created by Kight can be seen at the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla, NC. Attendees to the festival can purchase a collectible poster featuring William Kight Jr.’s work, as well as posters from past year’s showcased artists. The event is family-friendly and will have food and other activities including a silent auction and a virtual duck hunt for the kids. For more information on the Currituck Wildlife Festival visit www.coinjockruritanclub.com/events or call 252.312.4433.