Fun-filled weekend for all to enjoy

Dyke Scarecrow Festival kicks off at 7pm tomorrow (Friday) with free entry to the beer tent featuring live music and 10 real ales.

The local village scarecrow competition has morphed into a huge, fun-filled weekend festival with classic cars, a craft fair, inflatables, and demonstrations from dancers and a martial arts group.

Brian Parkinson, a festival organiser and Chair of Dyke Village Hall Management Committee says: “The planning for this event gets more elaborate each year and we have a team of people busy in the background to make sure the weekend is fun and engaging for everyone. We can’t wait to welcome people to the village and we’d love as many people as possible to get involved, as a visitor, or by creating a scarecrow.

“It’s a weekend’s worth of entertainment for all the family that’s easy on the pocket.”

Food vendors are preparing dishes from around the world and visitors will be treated to the Battle of Britain flight, if the weather plays ball.

The play area will spring into life from Saturday morning as bouncy castles are quickly erected and classic cars arrive from nearby counties.

Scarecrows are still the central theme and cheeky creations may be found hanging in trees, peeking around walls and chilling in people’s gardens.

It won’t be the first time that the ‘Queen’ has enjoyed tea in someone’s front garden or a jockey’s been thrown after attempting to jump someone’s front garden wall, but this year there’ll be a scarecrow crèche too!

Dyke villagers are known to be extremely inventive and the scarecrows are more elaborate each year.

You don’t have to be a resident to take part in the creations though, and the villager’s welcome scarecrow guests of all shapes and sizes – just send your details to:contact@ dykevillagehall.org.uk if you’d like to take part, so organisers can allocate your scarecrow a space in the event.

Dyke welcomes visitors so car parking is free.

Entrance to the main area of the festival is only £2 for adults and children under 16 accompanied by an adult are admitted free.

A scarecrow at a recent Dyke Scarecrow Festival