THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100329
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COROLLA LENGTH: 53 lines
The Whalehead Club once again will be the site for Sunday's Currituck Excursion, which annually offers plenty of fish and fellowship for county residents.
This year, the historic hunt club also will provide the backdrop for the North Carolina Duck and Goose Calling Contest and the National Swan Calling Championship.
``This is going to be the first time it's been held at the Whalehead Club and the first time in North Carolina that a (calling) championship will be held outdoors,'' said Bill Privott, a county magistrate and an organizer of the calling contests.
Excursion festivities begin at noon Sunday with a free fish-fry for all Currituck County residents. The meals last as long as the fish does, or until 5 p.m.
The event, re-created from long-ago countywide excursions to the Outer Banks, is designed to help bridge the gap between beach and mainland residents.
It is sponsored by the Whalehead Preservation Trust and the Wildlife Museum Board of Directors.
The county-owned Whalehead Club eventually will be the site of a wildlife museum.
While people meet and eat, the Currituck County High School Hunter Safety Team will demonstrate the skills and know-how that earned it a national title this summer.
The team will perform before and after the 2:30 p.m. calling contests.
Since 1982, the goose-, duck- and swan-calling contests have been held at Currituck County High School during the Wildlife Festival in September.
But this year the co-chairmen couldn't attend, so the Currituck Wildlife Guild-sponsored contests were postponed until this weekend.
``It's a perfect setting to have one. It's a beautiful place,'' Privott said Wednesday. ``It's just gonna be a little bit more difficult because you don't have as much control as indoors.
``This is kind of a new adventure here.''
Competitions will include junior and senior divisions. Anyone 16 or older will compete as an adult.
Privott said callers from throughout North Carolina, as well as Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, are expected to compete.
The goose-calling is open to anyone but generally draws people familiar with the folk art of waterfowl calling.
The winner of the state duck competition will go on to the World Duck Championships on Nov. 30 in Arkansas.
The best swan caller in the country will be determined during Sunday's National Swan Calling Contest.
Those interested in entering, particularly junior competitors, may call Privott at 232-3498. by CNB