Hundreds of scarecrows invaded Meaford during the first week of September. Their delightfully whimsical faces have transformed the downtown area, the entrances to town, and Station Hill into the finest display of Canadian pride as Scarecrows Proudly Celebrate Canada’s 150th.
With the the scarecrows come thousands of visitors who love to mingle among them, snap photos, and line the streets for the annual scarecrow parade. But don’t ever forget, the Municipality of Meaford owns the scarecrow invasion. The invasion is a grassroots effort on the part of hundreds of volunteers. Two generations of Meaford children have grown up anticipating the arrival each fall of another batch of comical scarecrows.
We have turned our love of scarecrows into an award-winning event. It’s ours to enjoy, to share, and to boast about.
Here’s a list of ten ways Meaford residents can get the most out of the scarecrow experience:
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Wear a scarecrow hat: Find yourself a straw hat and go wild with decorations – flowers, autumn leaves, a blackbird or crow, a Canadian flag. Stitch, pin, or better still use a glue gun. Take a tour through the www.scarecrowinvasion.ca photo gallery for hundreds of examples of scarecrow hats.
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Find a baggy shirt and tattered jeans, add a few patches, and wear your scarecrow outfit with pride.
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Create your own scarecrow for your front lawn. There are several how-to links on the scarecrowinvasion.ca website.
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Business owners: Declare one day of your work week Scarecrow Day and invite your employees to wear their scarecrow outfits to work.
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And, invite your employees to create a scarecrow display and enter the business competition. Details on scarecrow displays are posted on the www.scarecrowinvasion.ca website.
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Join the parade: Sign up and enter you, your pet, a float, a vintage car – anything goes. Entry forms, guidelines, and waivers are available online at www.scarecrowinvasion.ca.
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Test your baking skills by baking an apple pie and entering it in the apple pie competition. Use a tried-and-true recipe and the secret ingredient – fresh local apples. The word among experienced apple pie bakers is: Cortlands make the best baking apples. You could win prizes.
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Stroll among the scarecrows, snap a few photos, and enter them in the scarecrow category of the Views of Meaford photo competition. You will find competition details at www.meaford.ca and at the Meaford Public Library.
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Get the whole family lined up with the scarecrows and take a family photo for this year’s Christmas cards.
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Or, take a photo with the scarecrows and send it to friends as a personal invitation to join you for the parade and family festival on September 29.
Photo: The staff of Dr. Bruce Dempster Dentist Office has declared Wednesdays in September as Scarecrow Day and challenge other businesses to dress in scarecrow finery one day a week. L-R, back row: Marilyn Ormsby, Kim Thompson, Lisa Mead, Dr. Bruce Dempster, and Janine Nixon. Seated: Gulliver and Lani Green.
