Al Burk, of Sykesville, visited the Waterfowl Festival in Easton about 30 years ago when he decided to try his hand at carving birds out of wood. An insurance man with a knack for drawing, Burk was a quick study. The next year, he was accepted to display and sell his art at the Easton Firehouse during the three-day festival.

Burk, now 73, advanced steadily through the hierarchy of festival exhibit halls until he reached rock star status: a table in the Easton Armory, where the world’s top carvers display wooden mallards, mergansers, Canada geese and other waterfowl priced from $1,000 up to $100,000.