by John Dowd
The Stevensville Scarecrow Festival is returning with familiar favorites, new events and an effort to bring more community members into the annual celebration. Annette Wagner and Gretchen Spiess are spearheading this year’s festival. Spiess has been involved since the festival began, and while Wagner has helped organize the event for the past four years, this is Wagner’s first year in a leadership role.
This year, organizers are heavily encouraging more people to participate by entering a scarecrow. Last year’s festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary, drew an all-time high number of participants. However, this year participation has dropped, with only 38 scarecrows registered compared with 75 last year. But, according to Wagner, there is still time to enter. Entry is free for children. Individuals and nonprofits pay $30, while businesses pay $35. Festival sponsors also receive a free scarecrow entry. Registration is available online through the festival website.
One of the festival’s new additions this year is a partnership with Raise Your Voice.ART, an organization that works with local nonprofits to create T-shirts and raise money for their programs. The organization handles the production and other backend work, then gives 50% of the profits to the nonprofit it supports.
The partnership will give the Scarecrow Festival its first official festival T-shirts, something Wagner said community members have been asking about for years. Shirts are available for purchase online at the festival’s website.
Wagner is also looking forward to the return of the Monster Mash dance, which will be held behind First Security Bank. The event is open to both adults and youth. “So, just grab your partner and come out and dance,” Wagner said.
The area behind the bank will also feature more children’s games than in previous years. Organizers will close the alley between Active Care and the bank, allowing children to move safely between the games and other festival activities.
Third Street between Main and Church streets will also be closed from noon Thursday until noon Saturday. Food trucks will line the street, including two new vendors. One will be serving Peruvian food and another serving Polish food. Other returning attractions include the children’s maze and the carved pumpkin contest on Friday night.
The festival will look a little different this year, as organizers will not offer wagon rides to the mission. The Salish Tribe is mourning the death of an elder and will not hold tribal dancing during this year’s festival, Wagner said.
Visitors will again have the opportunity to vote for their favorite scarecrows. Free voting tickets will be available at both ends of town and at the festival center. Each person receives six tickets and can distribute them among the scarecrows however they choose.
Tickets will be collected and counted throughout the festival, with winners in the various categories announced at 4 p.m. Sunday. Winners will be announced in three categories: Business, Individual/Non-profit and kids, with a fourth special category of Artistic Merit.
For Wagner, the appeal of the festival goes beyond the competition. “As an artist, and a designer, I just think it’s incredible because everyone gets to participate,” Wagner said. “It’s art oriented, community oriented, family oriented, it’s everything that gets me excited.”
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