LIFESTYLE
My article appearing in Crafts Showcase magazine:
A Scarecrow Festival
By Matt Jones
One hangs like a funny clown. A second dangles as an agile acrobat. A third hovers like an adorable angel. Still others are celebrity look-alikes, cartoon characters, and even dinosaurs. And they’re all scarecrows.
But you won’t find them in a cornfield. They’re displayed around the town green, among the shops, and along the split-rail fences of Peddler’s Village, a fun Bucks County, Pennsylvania attraction that sponsors a unique scarecrow-making festival each fall.
The colonial-style Village was designed and built in 1962 by Earl Jamison, a local farmer who converted 42 rural acres into a crafts paradise of specialty shops, juried galleries, and many family-fun workshops. “We’ve held our scarecrow-making festival each fall for the last 20 years,” says Earl, “and the designs just keep getting better. They’re displayed around the Village for about six weeks, but I think some of them should be permanently showcased in a scarecrow hall of fame.”
Colorful characters
Stroll around the throwback landscape of brick walkways, restored farm buildings, antique vehicles, rustic carts and bins, and gorgeous flower gardens in early September and you’ll see dozens of whimsical scarecrows entered in the Village contest. “Our visitors vote for their favorites and we award several prizes,” says Judy Goldscmidt, the Village public relations manager. “There have been lots of remarkable prizewinning designs over the years. Some scarecrows are so memorable, I know them by name.”
Visitors smile at caricatures of politicians conducting “straw polls.” Kids play with dinosaurs dressed in such garb as a flannel shirt and straw hat. And crowds applaud appearances of Elvis in his many straw-and-sequins outfits.
The scarecrow designers enjoy the competition as much as the spectators. “I’ve entered the contest for only three years,” says Dan Moyer, “but each year I seem to get more inventive. The challenge is fun. And I always get a laugh when visitors ask me to pose for a snapshot with my latest scarecrow character.”
Regular contributors get their design ideas from all kinds of sources. Parents often make versions of their kids’ favorite cartoon characters. A “Whirligig Winne-the Pooh” scarecrow with an actual flying kite was a recent prizewinner. Some designers pay homage to famous historical or literary figures. One contest included the English playwright “William Shakescrow.” Other designers pull ideas from former Olympians. One year skater Nancy Kerrigan inspired the scarecrow “Nancy Crowigan.”
The designers are free to use lots of different materials. Some scarecrows have heads made with baskets, clay pots, or pumpkins; others are accented with special hats, shoes, and gloves. Scarecrows feature dioramas and bases with signboards, picket fences, or even small gardens. But there are certain design criteria. “A scarecrow has to hold up in bad weather,” says Robert Filson, a recent prizewinner, “and it needs to be sturdy. Visitors have to handle a scarecrow to see how it’s made.”
Family fun
Other scarecrow designs are simple “make it and take it” figures created on the spot. Families have fun fashioning figures from scratch and discovering their untapped crafts talents.
On an early-fall Saturday, bands play nostalgic tunes, traditional jugglers and clowns cavort with the crowd, and classic carousel horse rides are in full swing. But it’s the annual scarecrow-making festivity on the Village green that takes center stage. The workshops provide mounds of straw, piles of old shirts and pants, and lots of crafting materials. Parents and kids giggle as they assemble their lumpy-looking scarecrows. Many resemble family members—sort of. “My daughter stuffed a scarecrow to look like me but with Popeye-size arm muscles,” laughs Brian Donnelly, a first-time participant. “Well, at least I can dream.”
The festival helps fulfill lots of dreams. Visitors can enjoy colonial cooking demonstrations, crafts classes, garden shows, art fairs, special events, and holiday displays throughout the year. But it’s the scarecrow-making event that brings people back year after year to see the next scarecrow gold to be magically spun out of straw.
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