Wooden duck decoys have gained popularity in the last 30 years as both home decorations and treasures passed down from father to son or grandfather to grandson. On the North Carolina coast, however, boat and decoy carving has meant more than trinkets. Woodworkers carve decoys for a variety of reasons. Some still use them to hunt prey. Others enjoy recreating a part of nature. And others make a living selling them, replicating not only ducks but birds and other wild fowl. Decoy-making was so popular on Harkers Island that several carvers decided to band together in a guild and denote a day that they could gather and sell their crafts under one roof. Their ideas resulted in the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild and the Core Sound Decoy Festival.

In Folkways Coastal Carvers, some of the most talented carvers on Harkers Island exhibit their wares and explain how they began making decoys and why they continue. James Rose, miniature boat builder, demonstrates his boats and talks about why he built each one and the significance it has to him. Curt Salter, decoy carver and founding member of the Core Sound Guild, explains step by step how he chooses the wood for a decoy and then cuts and carves it until it resembles a duck's body and head. His collection of historic decoys from a time when they brought home dinner is also quite impressive. Wayne Davis and Carl Huff are two other carvers that have designed their own styles of decoys.

Scenes from the annual Core Sound Decoy Festival, held the first weekend in December, prove the popularity of these freely-formed fowl. Lines to the small school that houses the event begin as early at 6 AM and wrap around the property. At a decoy auction, participants pay as much as $7500 for a small wooden replica of a water bird. The Festival, along with the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum, help ensure that this old North Carolina coastal craft will never die away.