Scarecrow Festival allows people to channel creativity, even humor – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News



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The Budge family of Medford work stuffing and building a scarecrow on Saturday at the historic Hanley Farm. Andy Atkinson / Courrier Tribune

Families work stuffing and scarecrow construction at Hanley Farm on Saturday. Andy Atkinson / Courrier Tribune

The event at Hanley Farm continues today

There was no crow in sight on Saturday at Hanley Farm in Central Point, but maybe it was because of a small army of handcrafted scarecrows sentry around and on the historic Rogue Valley property. .

The Southern Oregon Historical Society continues to hold its 10th annual Scarecrow Festival at Historic Hanley Farm, 1053 Hanley Road, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. You’ll find straw-filled scarecrow kits for $ 15 and “hanging scarecrow” kits for $ 10.

Some of the homemade scarecrows were lovely and warm like a cup of hot apple cider. Others looked frightening and quite capable of protecting the farm.

Many just seemed to be the end result of a craft session: fun and unique creations by individuals and families. The members of the society disposed of the clothes donated by the shop of the hospice of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul for the scarecrows.

A family surrounding one of the many crafting tables were creating a pirate scarecrow with a scarlet scarf that Jack Sparrow himself could have worn. His smile made it look like the pirate had only drunk a bottle or two of rum.

After deciding how to tie the scarf in a way that most resembled a pirate, they moved on to placing pants on the scarecrow. He was already wearing a fancy ruffle shirt and another red scarf around his neck. White jeans under purple sweatpants looked like striped pirate bottoms.

George Nicholas, 9, from Ashland, asked for the scarecrow to be dressed as a pirate.

His parents, Jihan and Dan Nicholas, put a lot of effort and imagination into their scarecrow.

Work on the scarecrow, said George, “was going well.”

After that project was completed, the plan was to visit a family friend in Ashland who made apple cider, Dan said.

“I’m doing this for my sister,” said Carol Cranan, of Medford, as she put clothes on the wooden frame that holds the head and the clothes used to make a scarecrow look like a human.

This scarecrow’s face looked like a cheerful Raggedy Andy doll but lacked the iconic red hair. He was wearing a gray hoodie and khaki pants, which made him a little harsh. Or just cold.

They usually do such craft projects together, but Cranan was working solo on Saturday because his sister was attending a school reunion. “Jacksonville” was printed on the hoodie she had chosen, although it referred to the place in Florida, not the elementary school where her sister and other classmates had marked 50 years since their childhood.

Another family decided to mold their scarecrow to look like a Californian surfer with a red and black Baja hoodie and a face with bloodshot eyes from perhaps a day’s surf in the salt water of the sea. ‘ocean.

“This is our first time here,” said Jolie Dionisio, who was with Justin, her husband and their daughters Annie, 10, and Avi, 15, who had pulled out her smartphone, ready to snap some photos.

The family recently moved to Jacksonville from Long Beach, Calif., And all have very clear eyes.

“We really like it here,” Jolie said as she and Justin added length and more straw to their scarecrow’s legs. Eventually, they managed to pull the hood off the scarecrow’s head. It looked a little scary, but only like he had spent the whole night partying with the pirate scarecrow.

Alice Mullaly, co-director of the festival, said scarecrows have been used for centuries as a way for farmers to protect their crops from hungry birds.

And the company’s event is focused on fall, so “we don’t do a lot of scary things,” she said.

Last year, the company only sold scarecrow kits that allowed people to make these human replacements at home due to the pandemic.

This year marked the return of tables around the farm so people can create their scarecrows there – as long as they wear face masks to protect against the spread of COVID-19. There were games and activities for kids and families to enjoy for free.

Scarecrows not brought home could be entered in a public choice contest, the results of which will be announced Sunday afternoon. Competition winners will be featured on SOHS’s website and social media pages.

Visit sohs.org, email [email protected] or call 541-773-6536 for details.



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