One of Washington’s signature events could be in jeopardy.

“The East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival and North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships will not be held this year. However, several of the popular activities associated with the event will still be held,” wrote Lynn Wingate, the city’s tourism-development director, in an email. “The North Carolina Waterfowl Conservation Stamp Competition will be held on January 24, 2017, at the Washington Civic Center. The children’s decoy painting workshop, that fills up every year, will be presented by the East Carolina Wildfowl Guild at the North Carolina Estuarium on Saturday, February 11^,2017.  Information about both of these events can be found at www.visitwashingtonnc.com.”

The Washington Tourism Development Authority is seeking an entity to assume management of festival. “Records from previous shows are still intact, should another community organization or group of individuals wish to pursue the festival for 2018,” Wingate wrote in the email.

The three-day festival drew several thousand people to Washington each year. Some of those visitors spent money at area restaurants and stayed at area lodging establishments. Many downtown eateries brought in extra workers for the festival weekend.

For 17 years, David and Sandra Gossett, members of the East Carolina Wildfowl Guild, worked with the city to put on the festival. David Gossett served as show chairman, while his wife recruited and booked exhibitors and vendors. The Gossetts stepped down from those duties several years ago. The Washington Tourism Development Authority took over responsibility for organizing and managing the festival, along with the East Carolina Wildfowl Guild, originator of the event.

The East Carolina Wildfowl Guild’s website contains this statement: “PLEASE NOTE: The East Carolina Wildfowl Guild will not host a Carving Competition in 2017. We will send updates and additional information vie email, the website, and social media.”

On Friday, David Gossett said, “I have mixed feelings about it. Sandra and I put 17 years of our lives into it. … Of course, it’s a part of our lives. It’s a shame to see it go.”

Gossett said organizing and managing the festival requires lots of time, finding resources and taking care many details.

Last February, WTDA’s Board of Directors decided to return to its supportive role in regard to the festival instead of managing the festival.

“The board agreed that our leadership for the past three years had run its course for the East Carolina Wildlife Festival, due to time constraints. However, we are fully supportive of the event and are eager to work with the Wildlife Guild or any other group that wishes to continue the show for the future,” Wingate said at that February meeting.

Wingate told the WTDA directors the festival grew into one of the city’s hallmark events over the past two decades, but WTDA does not have the resources, in staff or time, to continue organizing it.

“We were spending about a quarter of our time of the year on one weekend,” Wingate said nearly a year ago. “Our mission is to market and promote Washington 365 days a year.

In looking at our mission, that’s how we determined that perhaps our leadership in the show was not the best use of our time and the best focus of our mission.”

Wingate said WTDA will gladly support another organization, or a community-based group of volunteers, taking up the reins should the East Carolina Wildlife Guild decide not to do so.

News Editor Vail Stewart Rumley contributed to this article.