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Innisfail residents, businesses, organizations get creative for scarecrow festival

While adding the scent of a skunk to a scarecrow was creative, it also made for an unpleasant odour for those walking along scarecrow row in Innisfail last year.
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A Snow White and the Seven Dwarves themed entrant from the 2016 Innisfail Scarecrow Festival. This year’s festival runs from Friday to Sunday. (Contributed photo)

While adding the scent of a skunk to a scarecrow was creative, it also made for an unpleasant odour for those walking along scarecrow row in Innisfail last year.

From Friday evening to Monday morning, a five-block stretch of Innisfail’s 50th Street will be lined with scarecrows as part of the 2017 Scarecrow Festival. Individuals, businesses and organizations will put their creations up on posts and compete against each other.

Deb Stoski, who has organized the event for the last four years, said contestants get creative and have fun.

“These aren’t just your regular stuffed straw scarecrows,” said Stoski. “The creativity would blow you away. Over the years we’ve had a welded dragon, upside-down jesters to Snow White in a coffin. It gets crazy.

“It’s just a hoot.”

Though she didn’t know how many scarecrows to expect, she said they have had 60 to 200 entrants in the past. Last year the numbers were down largely due to a snowfall around the time the scarecrows went up.

Entrants are divided into several categories including individual children, individual adult, business, group or association adult, group or association children and people’s choice.

Posts have already been placed along the roadway and people or groups can put up their scarecrow on Friday evening or Saturday morning. They just have to register their scarecrow between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. at a tent set up at the event. This way the judges know who set up what scarecrow.

First place winners get a plaque and other finalists get ribbons.

The event will also feature a free horse and wagon ride for anyone to ride along scarecrow row and look at the entries.



mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com

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