The last of the 250 scarecrows that will adorn the light standards, bridges, and various other nooks and crannies throughout Meaford were being built by volunteers on Friday, as organizers of the annual Scarecrow Invasion and Family Festival head into the final stretch in preparation for the October 1st event.
This was the fourth and final of what Head Scarecrow Marilyn Morris calls “body-building sessions”. More than 35 volunteers turned out to the Rotary Harbour Pavilion to stuff, dress, and decorate scarecrows of every size and description.
The pool of volunteers spanned all age ranges, and there were even some building scarecrows who were visiting Meaford on their vacation.
Leanne Ament of Caledon was camping with her family at Memorial Park and decided to head to the harbour with her 11 year old son Luka and her 10 year old nephew Phillip to help out.
“This actually our first year volunteering. We are visiting (camping), I grew up here so coming home is nice. We always come for the Apple Harvest and Scarecrow Weekend. We happened to be coming up this week and they were looking for volunteers!” Ament told The Independent as she and her two helpers decorated a recently stuffed scarecrow.
That kind of enthusiasm and participation is exactly the sort of result Head Scarecrow Marilyn Morris likes to see come from the annual event.
“It is becoming increasingly obvious that it [the Scarecrow Festival] fosters friendships. New people to the community notice. Either they have a neighbour coming to help out, or they see it in the paper, and they come down to see if they can help. Today we have five people who have never been here before that are brand new to Meaford,” said Morris.
Morris says that a total of 180 people volunteer for the festival throughout the year in varying capacities. And she says that the volunteer base has been growing steadily each year.
The event draws a big crowd. OPP estimates from the 2008 Scarecrow Parade pegged attendance at more than 3,000 spectators. Morris is hoping that attendance at the parade and festival will also continue to grow.
With the return of the popular OPP Golden Helmets for the parade this year, Morris is anticipating as many as 4,000 people will take in the parade and the festival that follows down at the harbour.
The scarecrows which have become an attraction for tourists and residents alike will soon be on display throughout the town, and the parade and family festival will take place on Friday October 1.
