Washington scouts help wildlife festival run smoothly  

Where can I purchase a ticket? Can you direct me to the restrooms? What time does the duck calling competition begin?

These questions — and others — were among those fielded by local Boy Scouts during the 12th annual East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival & The North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships held over the weekend in Washington.

The scouts and their leaders, from Troop 99, were on hand to assist visitors and to help the event run smoothly, according to Scoutmaster Dal Newbold.

“I’ve been with the troop for four years and we’ve done this every year,” Newbold said Saturday morning as he looked over the day’s schedule. “We’re the meeters and greeters, we make sure everyone has their ticket and we direct them where they need to go.”

The project calls for all hands on deck, he said.

“We have at least four adults and six boys here at all times,” Newbold said. “This has pretty much taken all of our resources as a troop to cover both days.