Sandy and Skip Wrightson have participated in The Waterfowl Festival almost since its inception. In fact, Skip’s father was a member of the Lion’s Club that had the original idea for an art show in Easton. Sandy and Skip worked in the Gold Room of the Tidewater Inn selling art, wrapping the paintings and handling the day’s sales.
Susie Carpenter had the brilliant idea of creating decorations for all the venues to enhance all the beautiful artwork and she recruited Sandy to help gather truckloads of greens and flowers. Over the years many churches and the firehouse were used to store all the supplies and create the wreaths and arrangements prior to the acquisition of the present Festival building. The basement became a giant workshop smelling of greens and hot glue.
The Decorations Committee under Sandy’s leadership expanded through the years to more than 60 people making over 200 wreaths and arrangements of all sizes. The group included many men who helped to cut, move, carry and hang all the creations in venues all over Easton. Sunday evening of Festival weekend required a clean-up crew who dismantled all those creations, sorted or trashed and stored everything in readiness for next year.
In addition, a fun-filled Volunteer Thank You Party was produced every year after the work of the Festival was complete. Sandy was a Waterfowl Festival Board member for two terms and they both pitched in for whatever activity was important at the time.
With ideas of retiring after many years, Sandy and Skip were requested to organize and chair what is now the Waterfowl Festival Information Guides. Volunteers were recruited to be available on the streets and on the buses during the Festival to help visitors interpret the map and navigate the Festival. Sandy and Skip live outside of Oxford on their own wildlife sanctuary with a three-acre pond and surrounded by woods and fields. Waterfowl Festival and conservation continue to be high priority in their lives.
