Skip to content

Despite some inclement weather, organizers pleased with lake fest

Despite some inclement weather, organizers pleased with lake fest
Despite some inclement weather, organizers pleased with lake fest | Despite some inclement weather, organizers pleased with lake fest
By KEVIN BOWDEN
Staff Reporter
By all accounts, this past weekend’s Reelfoot Lake Waterfowl Festival was a big hit Saturday, while inclement weather put a damper on things Sunday.
“We had a really nice turnout Saturday,” Samburg city recorder Mary Swain told The Mesenger today. She and Sharon Cunningham worked the city’s tourism booth during the day and met with many of the exhibitors. “The turnout was actually more than I expected.”
This past weekend’s 23rd Annual Reelfoot Lake Waterfowl Festival in Samburg celebrated all things related to duck hunting.
Duck call makers from around the area and from across the region had booths set up in downtown Samburg hawking everything from duck calls to lanyards to a variety of duck hunting accessories. The festival was as much an open market for duck hunters as it was an opportunity for them to get together and talk about the upcoming waterfowl hunting season.
The statewide duck hunting season opens Nov. 24, while the season opens at Reelfoot Lake in less than a month, on Nov. 10.
Samburg’s two-day festival is sponsored annually by the Reelfoot Lake Callmakers and Collectors Association.
Among those set up at the festival was John C. Cochran, who demonstrated how his family makes its famous duck calls.
Cochran is in his first year of making duck calls and is the fourth generation of the Cochran family in the duck call making business. He was busy throughout the day Saturday as he used a lathe to transform small blocks of wood into signature Cochran duck calls. Cochran’s work attracted a steady flow of visitors who marveled at the youngster’s skillful work making duck calls.
In addition to all the duck hunting booths, there were plenty of refreshments available in the form of barbecue and soft drinks.
Kevin Bowden may be contacted at kmbowden@ ucmessenger.com. Published in The Messenger 10.15.12