At This Year's Waterfowl Festival, the Old Armory Stops Being an Office
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
The 55th Waterfowl Festival runs November 13 through 15, and it is built around a building most of Easton has walked past for decades without going inside. This summer the former Easton Armory on Harrison Street got a restored roof and reopened a stage that had been walled off for more than forty years. This year it becomes the festival's Sporting and Cultural Heritage Center. Much of what's different about this year's festival follows from that one decision, including the new courtyard across the street, a bus stop at the building's door and one more downtown street closed to traffic.
The Armory was built in 1927. According to the Maryland Historical Trust, it served as an armory and a social space until the Maryland Department of Natural Resources acquired it in 1976. Since 1997 it has mainly been the Waterfowl Festival's administrative headquarters. For most festival visitors that meant a ticket desk and staff offices. The exhibits were elsewhere.
The work to change that has come in stages. In FY2022 the Trust awarded a $90,000 grant to rehabilitate the building's original metal windows. The roof came next. In a March 23, 2026 announcement, the festival named a $100,000 Maryland Historical Trust grant and support from Preston Automotive Group. It also said Economy Roofing and Restoration would begin work in April. The festival announced the roof finished on July 13, and the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon cutting.
The completion announcement credits a long list of local partners for the funding and support:
The festival describes the roof as one of several preservation projects it has planned for the building. Inside, the Star Democrat reported that the building's historic stage, walled off for more than four decades, is open again.
The festival now calls the building the Waterfowl Building, and for festival weekend it is the Sporting and Cultural Heritage Center, presented by Guyette & Deeter. Inside you'll find:
The festival's July 22 venue announcement lists all of this, along with a new VIP lounge upstairs. According to the Star Democrat, the VIP bar and gallery are styled by Urban Country.
Some of these were part of earlier festivals. The difference is that they are now gathered under one restored roof on Harrison Street. A Talbot Spy piece from October 1 describes the building as "the place to slow down and explore the stories behind the Festival's art, sporting and conservation traditions."
With the Armory as an anchor, the festival is building out the blocks around it. The new Canvasback Courtyard sits across the street from Festival Headquarters. It brings back a re-imagined Duck Blind Bar pouring the official Waterfowl Festival beer and other local drinks, along with live music and food and shopping at the Marshland Mercantile.
Farther down Harrison Street, near the Tidewater Inn and the Fine Art Pavilions, is the new Maryland's Best Tasting Pavilion. The Maryland Department of Agriculture presents it and Qlarant sponsors it. It will serve fresh Chesapeake oysters and specialty foods from Maryland farmers, watermen and artisan producers, and you can buy products to take home.
The Tidewater Inn is the other end of this stretch. The Gold Room returns as a juried exhibition space, and the Crystal Room hosts the VIP champagne reception on Premiere Night. The Star Democrat puts Premiere Night on Thursday, November 12, starting at 4 p.m. at the Tidewater Inn. PNC Bank presents the art pavilions, and the festival says it redesigned all three with attendee and artist comfort in mind.
For the 55th year, the festival chose 55 juried artists. It is also honoring three featured artists this year: Ray Brown, a graphite artist from California; Randy Conner, a carver from New York; and Paul Rhymer, a sculptor from Maryland.
The newest venue is a building most Easton residents already know for evening shows. Voices of the Chesapeake is a new series of demonstrations, talks and live presentations at the Avalon Theatre. It includes goose and duck calling, raptor presentations with hawks, owls and falcons, and talks on hunting traditions, decoy carving, habitat conservation and Eastern Shore history.
The Talbot Spy piece lists the lineup:
For the noisier part of the weekend, DockDogs competes outside the Sportsman's Pavilion at Ducks Unlimited Landing on Dutchman's Lane. The Star Democrat reports that the children's Quackin' Trail is also expanding this year.
The changes downtown show up in the transportation plan. In its report on the 2026 transportation plan, the Star Democrat says the festival's public assembly permit, approved by the Town Council, plans for about 20,000 attendees. Buses will run continuously on two routes all weekend, with five buses on Friday, 11 on Saturday and six on Sunday.
| Route | Stops |
|---|---|
| Blue Route | Talbot County Historical Society, Waterfowl Building, Easton Middle School, Elks Lodge, Easton High School |
| Orange Route | Easton Elementary School, Bay Street Ponds, Molly's Place, Easton Farmers Market, The Country School bus stop |
Most parking will be at Easton High School, Easton Middle School and Easton Elementary School, with more at the Easton VFW, the Elks Lodge and Kohl's. Because the Waterfowl Building is a Blue Route stop, you can park at the high school or middle school and ride straight to the Armory.
The biggest change for anyone who drives downtown is Goldsborough Street, which will be closed between Washington and Harrison Streets. The Star Democrat attributes the closure to "concerns with public safety stemming from last year's crowds." The paper also quotes executive director Deena Kilmon's letter to the Town Council: "We are investing in more comfort stations and requesting additional street closures based on our feedback from attendees, merchants, police, and town officials."
The festival's digital map shows parking, shuttle stops and accessible parking. Daily hours for each venue are posted on waterfowlfestival.org.
The festival's July announcement lists the weekend pass at $25, covering all sporting, art, music and cultural attractions. The Talbot Spy notice lists a discounted three-day ticket at $20 through October 31. After October 31, the posted weekend price is $25.
The festival's 2026 announcement says children 15 and under get in free with a paid adult. Some older ticket listings still show a lower age cutoff, so check at purchase if you're bringing a teenager. Young people 16 and older can earn free admission by volunteering as Ducksitters during the weekend or during the year, which also makes them eligible to apply for the festival's William A. Perry Scholarship.
In its July 13 completion announcement, the festival said the restoration opens up "new opportunities for year-round educational programming, cultural events, and community engagement." The Star Democrat reported plans to use the building for future exhibitions, educational programs, community events and arts programming. The festival's March announcement said dozens of nonprofits already use the building for events during the year. With the stage open again, the Armory is set up to keep hosting events on Harrison Street after the festival ends.
If you have friends or family coming for the festival and they'd like to see more of Talbot County while they're here, I'm glad to share the routes and spots I'd recommend. If you're curious how a year-round venue on Harrison Street fits into what's happening downtown, Eddie Matthews is happy to talk it through over coffee. Let's connect.
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