When the scarecrows begin appearing in the downtown area of this municipality, I know that my favourite time of year is fast approaching.
Autumn has always been my favourite time of year, and after I moved to the Municipality of Meaford nearly 20 years ago, thanks to the Scarecrow Invasion it became an even more special time of year for myself and my then young sons.
The Scarecrow Invasion is not just beloved by us residents of the Municipality of Meaford. Each year folks from across the province plan a weekend drive to Meaford in the autumn in order to take in the scarecrow displays. Many a visitor has snapped a photo of the family beside a clan of scarecrows, and their positive experiences in this municipality, from our friendly business owners to our clean parks and beautiful waterfront, bring those visitors back to Meaford year after year. It is an event that engages and entertains the community while at the same time helps bring tourists to this community to enjoy the displays and spend their dollars at our shops and restaurants.
That the Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival is an event that has been built on the hard work of volunteers, our friends and neighbours, perhaps makes the event particularly special in this community; after all, so many of us have had a hand in it in one way or another over the years. Prior to moving to Meaford 19 years ago I had never heard of the Scarecrow Invasion, but these days I hear from people far and wide, either asking for information about the festival or to share their experiences at the event. And it has certainly become important to the municipality.
The Scarecrow Invasion is an event that is unique to the Municipality of Meaford, and it is an event that has endured the test of time, having brought smiles to many faces each September and October for more than a quarter century.
The event has grown over those more than 25 years into what we know it to be today, and it now includes a parade, a festival at the Harbour Pavilion, along with fun events like a good ole apple pie contest.
The first Meaford Scarecrow Invasion and Family Festival was held in 1996 when a local businessman, George Potopnyk, was looking for ways to boost tourist shopping in the downtown area. The second year of the event featured a parade featuring youngsters dressed as scarecrows. By the third year of the Scarecrow Invasion, once Labour Day arrived, the community was adorned with scarecrows at every turn. All these years later, the Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival has become a highly anticipated event in this community.
It is an event that not only brings the community together, it creates a festive autumn atmosphere in this municipality that draws tourists to this community each year.
When I moved to Meaford 19 years ago, it was September: the scarecrows were hanging from lamp posts, and displays were set up at a few locations in the downtown area. I found the event to be fascinating and fun, and it had a ‘small town feel’ that was certainly a refreshing change from the much larger urban centre from which I came.
I always look forward to the Scarecrow Invasion, which was an event that my city-dweller sons always loved when they were younger, and that love has carried through to their adulthood. In September of each year, as a family we would create a large scarecrow display on our front lawn, featuring a scarecrow for each member of the family. Some years our homemade scarecrows would be riding bicycles, while other years one might be pushing a wheelbarrow with another enjoying a ride inside the wheelbarrow. It was always a fun family event to create our annual scarecrow displays.
Both of my sons have a fondness for the Scarecrow Invasion to this day. Last year, my eldest son (now in his mid-20s) and his girlfriend came to Meaford to visit with dad, and their day included taking a drive around the municipality to see all of the scarecrow displays.
Events like the Scarecrow Invasion don’t happen without a significant number of volunteers, and the Scarecrow Invasion is no exception. In fact the event was honoured with the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Volunteerism in 2011. Hundreds of volunteers pitch in each year, whether to help build the scarecrows themselves, or to create the displays that we find throughout town, or to help with the parade, or the family festival held at the harbour after the much loved Scarecrow parade.
So, it was uplifting to see this year’s scarecrows being hoisted up to the top of lamp posts and other places in the downtown area over the past couple of weeks.
This year’s Invasion will celebrate the former Town of Meaford’s 150th anniversary throughout the month of September, with the big event taking place on October 4.
Welcome back scarecrows, and thank you to the army of volunteers that make this special event happen.
