The Stevensville Scarecrow Festival will take place October 7-15. The event has grown over the past 16 years to be one of Stevensville’s signature festivals which, along with Western Heritage Days in June and the Creamery Picnic in August, bring thousands of visitors to Stevensville to experience its small-town charm.
The Scarecrow Festival was the creation of the Stevensville Art & Sculpture Society (SASS). Gary Knapp, president of SASS in 2012, was interviewed by the Star at that time and he said the event was started back in 2005 as a way to develop an interest in, and appreciation for, sculpture in the community.
Knapp’s personal vision was that the bike path coming into town would be lined with scarecrows welcoming people into the town that he loved. His idea was that scarecrows are not just burlap-filled figures with plaid shirts but could take many different forms. He said participants are free to use their imaginations without bound and the results have been impressive over the years. Knapp said he was impressed by the breadth of the community involvement.
During Knapp’s tenure, the scarecrow festival continued to grow and become known around the state as something worth traveling to Stevensville to see. This year, as of noon on Monday, October 3rd, there were 60 scarecrows registered (the previous record was 54 in 2019), including 35 businesses, 18 individuals or organizations, and 7 kids’ entries.
Knapp passed away unexpectedly at the end of 2012, but the scarecrow festival has carried on. It was taken over by the Stevensville Main Street Association and in 2015 a memorial to Knapp was dedicated at the beginning of that year’s festival. Knapp was passionate about enhancing the arts in Stevensville and was pivotal in shaping the scarecrow festival into the successful event it is today. He also worked with SASS to fund and install the second public art piece in Stevensville, “To Know Joy,” a bronze by Mari Bolen at Lange Park (next to Ahava Coffee). The first public art piece was “Two Left Feet Dancing Free” by Jay Laber, on the corner of Third and Main.
A memorial to Knapp, which was created by local artist Loree West, is installed at the native plant park near the beginning of the Stevensville bike path. The sculpture merges the scarecrow theme with elements of the craftsman-style woodwork that Knapp created.
The festival has continued to grow over the years, adding a carved pumpkin contest, a straw maze and a brewfest. When the Main Street Association dissolved, Knapp’s wife Loey stepped up, along with River’s Mist Gallery owner Gretchen Spiess, to organize the festival and keep it going, along with a group of dedicated volunteers. The non-profit Project 59870 is the fiscal sponsor of this year’s event. Jim Edwards, owner of Burnt Fork Market, continues to run the brewfest and has been using the proceeds of that to build a lighting fund for the Town of Stevensville to eventually add special lighting at either end of the downtown business district.
The Scarecrow Festival kicks off on First Friday, October 7th. Scarecrow entries by families, individuals and organizations will be installed along the bike path along the Cut-off Road and also on Main Street.
Business entries will be displayed on Main Street.
People’s Choice awards in both categories are determined by the number of votes cast by viewers on Friday and Saturday, October 7th and 8th. Winners will receive $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, and $50 for 3rd place. In addition, an Artistic Merit Award (one per category) of $100 will be determined by a panel of judges.
Kids’ scarecrows (ages 17 and under) will be on display at Active Care Wellness Center, 212 Main Street. Winners will receive ribbons and ice cream certificates from Valley Drug.
Other fun activities during First Friday are face painting, the kids carved pumpkin contest, the straw maze, and the food court. Businesses will stay open late and many have their own special activities. Also on Friday evening there will be a non-alcoholic Monster Mash Dance Party for all ages. Saturday’s events include an “extreme” carved pumpkin contest for adults, wagon rides, food court, straw maze and the Scarecrow Brewfest with Mudslide Charley providing the music.
Extra hands are always welcome for setup, handing out tickets, and cleanup, so anyone willing to help can contact either Lorraine Roach or Loey Knapp by email at stevensvillescarecrow@gmail.com.
‘This is a festival that involves everybody, everyone participates,” says Loey Knapp. “It’s a team building event and involves the whole community. It’s incredibly creative. It’s all about fun and family.”
The scarecrows will remain on display through October 15th.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, October 7th
4-9pm Scarecrow viewing and voting – Main Street & Bike Path (along Cut-off Road)
First Friday! Businesses open on Main Street
Food Court, 3rd & Main
Straw Maze, Active Care, 212 Main
Face Painting, near Straw Maze
7pm S’More Firepit 7pm, 3rd and Main
5-8pm Kids’ Carved Pumpkin Contest, 212 Main
6-8:30pm Monster Mash Dance Party – Rocky Mountain Bank parking lot
Saturday, October 8th
9am-3pm Scarecrow viewing and voting – Main Street & Bike Path (along Cut-off Road)
Straw Maze, Active Care, 212 Main
10am-2pm Farmers Market, 3rd & Main
10am-8pm Extreme Carved Pumpkin Contest, Trapper Creek Coffee Courtyard, 308 Main
11am-5pm Wagon Rides, 3rd & Church
2pm Announce Extreme Pumpkin Carving Winners, Trapper Creek Coffee Courtyard
3-8pm Brewfest, Rocky Mountain Bank parking lot
Sunday, October 9th
10am-9pm Scarecrow viewing, Main Street and Bike Path
10am-4pm Straw Maze, Active Care, 212 Main
4pm Scarecrow winners announced, 212 Main