And the Winners Are...

To all of you who made scarecrows -- businesses, organizations & individuals -- we want to say thank you! Thank you SO MUCH for your amazing, creative and all around delightful scarecrows for our Scarecrow Stroll Contest. Festival-goers had so much fun walking (strolling!) all over Rockport to see your scarecrows. It was tough to choose among the entries, but the votes have been counted and the winning scarecrows are...

15 & Older Category 

1st Place: Toad Hall Bookstore: Living Sunflower

photo from Pam via BearskinNeck.net

2nd Place: The Fish Shack: Full Moon Window Washer

photo courtesy of Angela Cook, Oasis Rockport

Honorable Mention: Kristen Wilson: Mother Nature

photo courtesy of Kristen Wilson

Under 15 Category

1st Place: Sandy Bay Preschool: Cat in the Hat 

photo courtesy of Angela Cook, Oasis Rockport

2nd Place:  Girl Scout Troop 63156:  Girl Scouts Selling Cookies

photo courtesy of Angela Cook, Oasis Rockport

Honorable Mention: Rockport Elementary School Arts: Violinist

photo courtesy of Angela Cook, Oasis Rockport

Have You Signed Up Yet?

HarvestFest scarecrow, dressed for the weather...

You don't have to pre-register, but it's always good to plan ahead if possible. The prizes this year have been provided by Granite Savings Bank, so you have a shot at earning a few bucks. Not to mention bragging rights, as winning the Rockport HarvestFest Scarecrow Stroll is one of life's high points!

The Scarecrow Stroll: Creativity on Display

2010 Wizard of Oz scarecrows at Helmut's Strudel

Unfamiliar with the HarvestFest Scarecrow Stroll? It's a festival tradition, with creative, imaginative scarecrows set up from Bearskin Neck to Harvey Park to Beach Street. Be sure to stop by the Information Booth in Dock Square to pick up your ballot. You can vote for your favorite scarecrow(s) with the winner receiving glory and a smokin' rosette. It's an honor to win the competition for the HarvestFest Scarecrow Stroll as the competition is pretty impressive. A few can't-miss locations:

• Tuscan Designs at 79 Main Street, scarecrow by Jane Beauvais 
• Willougby's at 20 Main Street, scarecrow Meredyth Impey 
• Emerson Inn, scarecrow located at the corner of Pier Ave & Main Street 
• R3 Sons at 6 Dock Square scarecrow by Seania McCarthy 
• Bearskin Neck Leather at 7 Old Harbor Road on Bearskin Neck 
• Rockport New Year's Eve booth at Harvey Park 

2010 Tuscan Designs grape-stomping scarecrows

For more information or to participate in the 2011 Scarecrow Stroll, click HERE.

How to Make a Scarecrow

Want to make a scarecrow for the HarvestFest Scarecrow Stroll but feel as though you lack the technical know-how? If so, you're not alone. Building a scarecrow that stands up against the elements - or even just stands up - is not as easy as it looks. Thankfully, Rockport's resident scarecrow expert, Meredyth Impey, gave Sue Andersen (Rockport PTO board member as well as Rockport Festivals Committee member) a tutorial last year on the art of crafting a basic scarecrow, and now Sue is sharing Meredyth's tips with the rest of us. (Meredyth is the manager of the Rockport clothing store Willoughby's, which just so happens to be the site of some of the best scarecrows ever seen on the on the eastern seaboard).

The following is from Sue Andersen:

Two years ago the Rockport PTO participated in its first Scarecrow Stroll. Suffice to say that it was fortunate that we were placed in an area that didn’t see many visitors. Last year we participate once again but decide to guarantee that our scarecrow was believable by asking several students to play the part of a human scarecrow much like the human statues that can be seen at Faneuil Hall.

After hearing me mention my inability to make a competitive scarecrow, Meredyth Impey, the creator of many People’s Choice Award-winning scarecrows, gave me a lesson. Together we created the scarecrow that greeted visitors on their way into Rockport. The instructions are as follows:

You will need:

1 turtleneck type shirt

1 pair of tights or leggings

2 large shoeboxes

Many safety pins

Many, many plastic grocery bags (or some sort of filler)

1 plastic milk jug or pumpkin

5’ to 6’ stake

Clothing to dress your scarecrow. Don’t forget hat, gloves and shoes or boots.

Stuff the tights and turtleneck with plastic bags. Use one of the shoeboxes vertically to act as the rib cage. The second shoebox should be placed in the top half of the tights horizontally to act as the hips. Pin the bottom of the shirt to the top of the tights. (be liberal with the pins.) Stuff more bags in to fill out the form. Tie the cuffs with twine. Dress the torso and legs with your scarecrow's clothing.

Using your 5’ to 6’ foot stake, feed it through the back of the clothing. The milk jug or pumpkin will be the head. Push the mouth of the milk jug over the stake. Use a piece of burlap or fabric and drape it over the jug and tie at the neck.

Use your imagination to create the face, based on a theme if you'd like. (Meredyth covered her milk jug with shredded money that had been taken out of circulation, decoupaging her scarecrow's head to create a banker scarecrow.) Tie on the gloves, place scarecrow in the shoes or boots and top with a hat. Decorate with straw or silk leaves. Voila! You have a scarecrow worthy of competing!

Scarecrow Stroll Results

Announcing the winners for the 2009 Scarecrow Stroll...

1st Place: Helmut's Strudel

2nd Place: Emerson Inn

3rd & 4th Place: R3 Sons - both locations

Thanks to all who participated (and a special mention goes to Bearskin Neck Leathers whose scarecrow was unintentionally left out of the running - we were so sorry to have missed this entry).

Win it all at the Scarecrow Parade!

Don't miss the Live Scarecrow Parade at the Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 18th at 1 p.m., rain or shine. Gold, Silver & Bronze trophies will be awarded - now is your chance to win big by finding your inner Scarecrow! For inspiration come to the Harvest Festival on Saturday to take our Scarecrow Stroll. See all the scarecrows, get some ideas and join us for the Scarecrow Parade.