SCARECROW FESTIVAL brings fall spirit
Event takes place next Saturday at the Preston Congregational Church
Preston — Michael Jackson in a dance pose, a soldier in a desert combat uniform, a farm girl and a Harley-Davidson biker dude all could be making their way to the Preston Congregational Church for the 13th annual Scarecrow Festival.
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at the church, which is at the corner of routes 164 and 165. It will feature family activities, a bake sale with a new “Apple Town” for apples and apple treats, children’s games, scarecrow contests and 70 craft vendors. An accompanying chicken barbecue runs from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the church. In the church hall, a silent auction with 80 to 90 items will take place.
Scarecrow contest categories include “Main Street” for local businesses, individuals, families and crafters and vendors. Admission and parking are free, and there is no charge to enter the scarecrow contest.
The Scarecrow Festival has become a mainstay fall event for Preston, but festival organizers sought to boost both awareness and participation this year by sponsoring two scarecrow-building workshops earlier this month.
“Our goals are to get the community to come together for a fun event and support our local businesses.” JOY CHALIFOUX, FESTIVAL COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRMAN
Several enthusiastic scarecrow builders arrived at the Preston Ridge Vineyard on Sept. 5, a sunny pre-fall evening, to give it a try. Festival committee members hit yard sales, Goodwill stores and circulated fliers asking for overalls, shirts and straw hats, committee member Nancy Musa said.
Fleming’s Feed & Hardware donated straw, and Norwich Lumber wooden cross frames, for the workshops. At the festival, volunteers from groups throughout Preston assist with parking, trash and activities.
“Our goals are to get the community to come together for a fun event and support our local businesses,” festival committee co-chairman Joy Chalifoux said.
While Chalifoux was busy coaxing workshop participants to enter the contest, other co-chairman Bob Vescovi provided encouragement, wearing the church’s scarecrow costume.
“One of our friends at church made this,” he said. “It comes out every once in a while.”
Groton residents Barbara Warner and Phyllis Malone described themselves as “enthusiastic amateurs” in the scarecrow field. When they arrived at the Sept. 5 workshop, they had no intention of entering the contest. But nearly an hour later, they were working out logistics of how to preserve their creation and get it to the Preston church on time for the contest.
It took Amber Parent, 11, and her sister Mia, 6, a few minutes to figure out how to get the Army uniform shirt of their dad, Dennis, onto their wooden frame. They then stood up the frame and announced success.
“That’s it!” Dennis Parent declared. “We’re done!” Onlookers cheered what was really just the first step in creating a scarecrow soldier using his old Rhode Island Army National Guard camouflage combat uniform. As the children and mom, Stacy, fumbled to attach the pants, dad had another idea.
“The immediate plan is to go get some wine,” he said. Preston Ridge sold glasses of wine to adults at the workshop, and Jimmie’s Ice Cream Shoppe cooked burgers and hot dogs and sold soda and snacks for participants.
Danielle Wilcox and her son, Jaxon, 6, of Preston had no trouble fitting her T-shirt from the Sturgis 2010 Black Hills, S.D., Harley-Davidson rally onto the scarecrow frame. “We’re making a biker dude,” Danielle Wilcox said, and planned to enter him into the contest.
Jill Keith of Preston wasn’t making a scarecrow but instead was carefully painting a cardboard rectangle to accompany scarecrow “Jeweler Joe” in the Main Street contest. The Scarecrow Festival will come at the perfect time to advertise the opening of her son Joe Keith Jr.’s new store, Enchanted Jewelry, which will open Sept. 24 in Plainfield.
“I’m making the sign tonight, and the scarecrow at the next workshop,” Jill Keith said.