OUTDOORS NEWS AND NOTES

Artists and collectors show their wares at weekend event

3/5/2018
BY MATT MARKEY
BLADE OUTDOORS EDITOR
  • CARVERS-1

    Bob Lund, President the Ohio Decoy Collectors and Carvers Association, right, takes a look at a wooden decoy head Karen Higgins, of Wood County, left, has been carving during a meeting of a group of wooden decoy carving enthusiasts.

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    • STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — Whether you are a hunter, fisherman, collector or carver, or just someone interested in a unique art form with a rich history, there is something for everyone at the 41st annual Ohio Decoy Collectors and Carvers Show and Sale.

    The event, which is open to the public, takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Holiday Inn on Royalton Road in this Cleveland suburb. The show and sale run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

    This is a family-friendly event, providing adults and kids the opportunity to watch hands-on carving and painting demonstrations, paint-at-show contests, and the live judging of the carving competitions. The show holds 22 carving and painting competitions for all ages and skill levels, beginners to professionals, and more than $11,000 in prize money will be awarded.

    The show also will feature the work of Ohio artist Christine Clayton, who took third place in the prestigious national Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest with her oil painting of a single blue-winged teal. In 2013 as a 17-year-old high school junior, Clayton won the National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest.

    More than 900 entries of hand-carved and painted duck decoys, fish decoys, shorebirds, owls, hawks, and marsh critters were displayed at last year’s event. Hunting and fishing memorabilia and related antiques and collectibles are on sale, along with displays of wildlife art, a vintage decoy contest, exhibits, and carving and sporting vendors.

    “Our Saturday night auction has become a favorite where fresh-to-market finds can be purchased at affordable prices,” said Bob Lund, ODCCA president.

    Weekend admission is $5, with children under 17 and ODCCA members free. For more information, visit www.odcca.net or email Lund at woodcountydecoy@msn.com.

    BASSMASTER CLASSIC DAY: Netcraft will conduct its sixth annual Bassmaster Classic Day on Saturday at the retail store on Briarfield Boulevard in Maumee. The doors open at 8:30 a.m. and there will be promotional sale prices on bass fishing gear and products and free items to the first 50 customers.

    YOUTH WORKSHOP: Partners for Clean Streams is holding a Youth Patch Day Workshop from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 18 at the University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center, located at 6200 Bayshore Rd. in Oregon. Check-in begins at 1 p.m. for the event, which is designed for students in second to fifth grade. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts can fulfill specific merit and environmental badge requirements at the event, but the workshop is open to all. Six learning stations will feature topics related to local watersheds. Pre-registration with a $5 fee is required. Participants should register by Wednesday at partnersforcleanstreams.org/​pdr or call 419-874-0727.

    VERY SHORT SEASON: The recent 2018 sturgeon season on Michigan’s Black Lake lasted just two-and-a-half hours. Seven fish were harvested, the MDNR reported, after the harvest goal was set at six. There were 426 registered anglers on the ice for the event, a big jump from last year when 332 anglers took part. The MDNR reported the first fish was a 58-inch female that weighed 45 pounds. The largest fish taken was a 72-inch female that weighed 99 pounds. DNR officials and other department personnel are stationed all across the ice in order to quickly report a harvested fish. When the quota is met, signal cannons, mortar rounds, fireworks, and sirens are used to let the anglers know the season has closed. Black Lake is in the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula and is part of the rehabilitation of lake sturgeon program in the Cheboygan River watershed.

    OHIO STATE PARK EVENTS: Maumee Bay State Park will host Nature Night each Saturday in March, starting at 4:30 p.m. The event is at the lodge, and introduces visitors to the animals that roam the wilds of Ohio. For more information, call 419-836-7758. At Hocking Hills State Park on Saturday and Sunday, the Maple Syrup Festival takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the naturalist cabin at Old Man’s Cave. Free tours take place in the afternoons, and the naturalists will demonstrate methods for making maple syrup and candy. For more information, call 740-385-6842.

    CANOE, KAYAK RACE: The 50th annual Keel Haulers Vermilion River Canoe and Kayak Race is set for March 25, with a bad weather date of April 8. Depending on river conditions, the event is scheduled to start at Schoepfle Gardens and finish at Mill Hollow Park 7.8 miles downstream. There are 16 classes for canoes, kayaks, and stand-up boards. Registration opens at 9 a.m. with the first boat going off at 10:30 a.m.. For rules and information, visit keelhauler.org/​khcc/​vermil.htm.

    Contact Blade outdoors editor Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6068.