QUILCENE — Preparations are underway for the Quilcene Historical Museum’s fourth annual Scarecrow Contest, a free public event in Worthington Park next month.
Since space is limited and setup times are spread out, scarecrow creators are encouraged to sign up at WorthingtonPark Quilcene.org, organizer Helen Wilson said in her invitation.
There’s no charge to enter a scarecrow to be displayed in the park out in front of the Worthington Mansion, 151 W. Columbia St., from Nov. 11-28.
The public will vote for their favorites on the Worthington Park website, and the winners will receive gift baskets stuffed with goods donated by local businesses.
“The contest has grown in number of entries every year, and last year it was hugely popular,” said Brian Cullin, Worthington Park’s communications director.
“We structured it to maximize safe participation during COVID,” he said, adding voters are encouraged to come by the park as well as see the scarecrows on the website.
This time around, the contest will have two categories: general and “expert.”
Scarecrow makers pick the category they believe will be appropriate based on their levels of artistry and technical prowess.
“We saw some amazing pieces last year that we thought should have competed in a category of their own,” organizer Talia Munn said, adding the contest reached a high of 20 entries in 2020.
The Worthington Park crew provides the straw stuffing and support posts to those who sign up; the deadline to do that is Nov. 11.
That’s also the first day of the three-day setup period.
Online voting will be open Nov. 14-20, and winners will be announced Nov. 21.
The scarecrows will stay on display for an additional week.
Last year, the entries not only scared crows; they stopped traffic, Wilson said.
This year, “the wackier the better,” she said.
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com
