BERNARDSTON — Crows beware in Bernardston this weekend.
Food, music, hayrides, craft vendors, children’s activities and, of course, scarecrows, will be back in Cushman Park this weekend for the annual Scarecrow in the Park festival that raises money for scholarships provided by the Bernardston Kiwanis Club.
The event starts on Friday, Oct. 16, with a kick-off concert from 6 to 9 p.m., and continues on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 18, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Basically, we have the same [things] as what we’ve had for the past 20-some-odd years,” said Brandon Grover, a member of the Bernardston Kiwanis Club and a longtime organizer of Scarecrow in the Park. “We’ve got the tractor parade on Saturday. We usually have about 20 to 30 tractors typically in the parade.”
Even with the abundance of events around Cushman Park, the scarecrows are the main draw. Thirty-nine scarecrows entered the competition last year, with a panel of judges declaring winners in a series of categories. The category winners receive a $100 prize.
There is also a category specifically for schools, with local elementary school students creating scarecrows to match the theme, which is reading this year. The winning classroom receives a $100 prize and a pizza party.
Returning for the second year is the category for businesses, with entry for each business costing $5. The winner receives a prize and a trophy that remains at the business for a full calendar year before the next Scarecrow in the Park. Last year’s winner of the inaugural category was “Blowouts Happen” by Pioneer Valley Tire.
“That was a pretty big hit,” Grover said of having the business category. “This year it seems like it might be a bigger hit, which is a great way for advertising, if you’re a business and you want to put up a banner and a scarecrow with what your business is about.”
Something new this year is the United Church of Bernardston’s inaugural Heavenly Harvest Chili Cook-Off. Event organizer and church member Justin Lawrence said this idea stemmed from “a conversation between friends after church one day,” with the group deciding that a chili cook-off would be a good way to get more of the community involved.
The chili cook-off features four different categories. These include the Good Shepherd (traditional beef), the Burning Bush (hot chili), Garden of Eden (vegetarian or vegan chili) and the Congregation’s Choice (a creative or specialty chili).
“We love wordplay, and the more puns started to come up in the conversation, the more fun we had,” Lawrence said about the category names.
Registration for the chili cook-off is $15 for individuals and $25 for businesses. The registration form can be found at unitedchurchofbernardston.org/chilicookoff, with the church asking that all payments be brought to the United Church of Bernardston’s food booth between 10:30 and 11 a.m. on Sunday. According to Lawrence, winners of each category will get a certificate and ribbon, along with bragging rights.
Kicking off Scarecrow in the Park on Friday is music by Chick ‘n’ Wire, hosted by the Bernardston Fire Department. Food, wine and beer will be available to patrons underneath the tent. Tickets for the Friday night kick-off event are $25, and it runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
“For the last two years we’ve been having a band and a beer-tasting event,” Fire Chief Peter Shedd said. “We serve beer, food and wine, and try to make everybody feel good.”
This particular portion of Scarecrow in the Park benefits the Fire Department, and Shedd said that in its first two years, the kick-off event has been incredibly popular.
“The weather has always been good to us, so far,” Shedd said. “It’s under a tent, so whether it’s raining, cool or dry, it doesn’t make much difference.”
Aside from the Friday night kick-off concert, however, Shedd’s favorite part of the weekend is the tractor parade, which takes place at noon on Saturday. For Grover, his favorite part of the event is exactly what gives Scarecrow in the Park its name.
“I used to make [scarecrows] with the kids when we were younger, when we first started the program,” Grover said. “I really enjoy the scarecrows — there’s so much talent involved with them. It brings the family together because they all make them together. We had a few families … three years in a row, they kept winning the same category, which was kind of cool. … That’s my favorite part.”
Grover shared that when the event started in 2004, it was entirely focused on scarecrows. Now, 22 years later, it has shifted from a one-day scarecrow contest to a weekend where more than 50 vendors will populate Cushman Park and where 10 different musicians and bands will serenade the attendees under the music tent.
Across the street from the park at the Bernardston Senior Center, more than 100 prizes are available in a raffle. Attendees can buy 25 tickets for $5, with the building open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday.
Proceeds from another raffle, spearheaded by the Greenfield Tae Kwon Do Center, benefit the Warm the Children charity that provides warm winter clothing and footwear to local children in need. Raffle tickets will be sold for $10 at the business’ booth. The winner of the raffle will receive $500, while the other $500 goes to Warm the Children.
For more information on Scarecrow in the Park, including a full schedule of events, visit bernardstonkiwanis.org/scarecrow.
