EASTON, MARYLAND — Talbot County’s Board of Liquor License Commissioners is telling Waterfowl Festival drink sellers to get on the calendar early.

The Liquor Board’s Waterfowl Festival Weekend Information block says any business, club, or organization seeking a Special Festival Endorsement or a temporary Class H or J special-event license for the festival must appear before the Board. Administrative approvals will not be available for those license types during the festival period. Applications must be submitted no later than 30 days before the festival, or by Oct. 9, 2026, to be considered before the event.

A July 24, 2026, letter to Easton alcoholic-beverage license holders, posted with that notice, says officials observed open containers on public streets during last year’s festival and asks license holders to fence or mark on-premises service areas, station “gatekeepers” at exits, and post signs that open containers may not leave the licensed premises. The letter ties those steps to Chapter 11 of the Talbot County Code and says festival endorsement and temporary H or J applicants must detail how they will control entry, exit, and removal of alcohol.

The Board’s meeting page lists regular sessions on the second and fourth Mondays at 10 a.m. in the Bradley Meeting Room when an agenda is posted. No new hearing date beyond the Oct. 9 application cutoff is named on the Waterfowl information block.