The old style of Ocracoke decoys will be featured at the Core Sound Decoy Festival & Waterfowl Weekend at Harkers Island Friday, Dec. 1, to Sunday, Dec. 3.
The festival, which celebrates the history, craftsmanship and cultural importance of vintage decoys from prominent collections locally and region wide, will be held in two places. The marketplace of vendors will be in the Harkers Island Elementary School and displays by members of the Carolina Decoy Collectors Association will be held in the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center, 1785 Island Road, Harkers Island.
Shuttles will run Saturday and Sunday from the elementary school to the Core Sound museum.
Jesse Sorrell, of Carolina Decoy Collectors, explained that said the club focuses on antique decoys. They tell members what the featured carver or style will be and ask members to bring samples that fit that style. This year, Ocracoke decoys and shorebirds are the feature.
The focus is on Ocracoke working decoys made in the late 1800s early 1900s used in hunting clubs during the heyday of duck hunting of duck hunting, Sorrell said.
“Decoys out of Ocracoke had a similar style and characteristic to them,” he said. “Decoys out of Ocracoke are totally different from those out of the Core Sound and are different from those from lower Virginia and Chesapeake.”
Decoy historians will be present throughout the weekend to help collectors learn more about their own collections.
The 9th annual Vintage Decoy Competition by the Carolina Decoy Collectors will center on the authenticity, historic and the cultural values of the old decoys and will be held Saturday, Dec. 2.
Collectors are invited to bring their own Ocracoke decoys for evaluation and identification as part of this tribute to Ocracoke’s water-fowling heritage.
Entries in the contest will be accepted at the museum at the CDCA Exhibit until noon, with judging to begin at 1 p.m.
Categories include the following:
Core Sound Diver Decoys
Knotts Island Decoy
Ocracoke Duck Decoy
Joe Hayman Decoy
NC Beach Robin Decoy
NC Canvas Decoy
NC Ruddy Duck Decoy
Visitors to the CDCA’s display will be allowed one vote for the Peoples’ Choice Vintage Decoy which will be announced late Saturday afternoon.
Anyone is eligible to enter and there are no entry fees. For details on the competition rules, please contact Jesse Sorrell at 919-427 8918 or jesse@rhynemanagement.com.
All winners will be featured in Decoy Magazine in the first edition of 2024.
For more information, visit www.CoreSound.com.
