Peddler's Village Scarecrow Competition

Man, we saw some really amazing ones.  And it's wonderful to see a Fright Night category now.  Thinking of entering next year.  We'll see.

An English Scarecrow

Got an email from Jamie and Nev, from Shoreham Village, Kent, in the United Kingdom. They were inspired by my site and entered a scarecrow competition - and took first place.

I think I need to move across the pond.




Thanks for the email and the pics!

Honorable Mention No More

I won't be entering that annual scarecrow competition this year. With the recent move, my Swamp Foetus build, and a need to make shop creatures, I'm going to be pressed for time unlike other years.

Now that's not to say that I won't be building a scarecrow to display during October. I just won't be entering one in the contest.

Goodbye, pale blue ribbon.



Image by propane tank.

A Scarecrow's Kryptonite

A friend visited Peddler's Village to check out the scarecrows and sent some great photos of SEEDS. We've had a lot of rain so it was great to see him holding up just fine. I'm always worried about water damage. Now I have something else to worry about.





Apparently, on Friday night, some punks drove through the village of shops and set the scarecrow closest to the road, the one immediately to the right of SEEDS, on fire. I've always wondered about the Security up there. Beings that I've been up there over the course of my life and have never seen security personnel or cameras of any kind. I dunno, maybe they're there. In the site's defense, the location is pretty rural and in a practically crime-free location of farm land and massive estates. And vandalism occurs everywhere.

I'm just hoping SEEDS isn't next.


The remains of the victim.


The victim in happier, gun-toting days.



Thanks, Bob, for the photos and the information.

"Almost TOO Good"

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.
Matthew 20:16

YeeeeeeeHAWWWWWWWW! Suck it!
The Corn Rustler

The results are in and these are the first, second, and third place winners.

1. The Corn Rustler


2. Walk Like An Egyptian


3. DIY Scarecrow



SEEDS got honorable mention.

This proves my rationale and extensive analysis on the probable winners needs some tweaking.

Traditional/Whirligig

So I ran up to see how my scarecrow was holding up, and to see the other entries in my category. Here's how the contest rules describe it:
Traditional/Whirligig - A combination of two old favorites! Pay homage to the scarecrows that have been "scaring crows" from the farmer's fields and gardens for centuries. You may choose to add parts that move or make noise when the wind gusts to make it a true whirligig - either way your scarecrow has it's work cut out for it here in the Village.

Here are the entries:

Family Appeal: Much. Halloween imagery and happy demeanor.
Chances of Winning: Probably in the top three.



Family Appeal: Not much. Kind of scary. Like the coal miner in My Bloody Valentine.
Chances of Winning: Not very likely, due to previously-mentioned murderous miner resemblance.



Family Appeal: Lots. He's cute. Harmless. And a Frankenstein/Clown hybrid.
Chances of Winning: High. Based on experience. I lost to an Egg.



Family Appeal: Not sure. He looks bored and I think that gets projected onto the viewer.
Chances of Winning: Hopefully none. This guy has been entered into the contest every single year for as long as I can remember. He's beaten previous scarecrows of mine.
Recipient of the Pumpkinrot Martha Stewart Halloween magazine award: For regurgitating and repackaging the same product every year.



Family Appeal: Not Much. Ethnic cultural scarecrows are creepy.
Chances of Winning: Low. Ethnic cultural scarecrows are creepy.



Family Appeal: Tons. Audience participation guarantees this guy a top place win. Kids couldn't wait to get behind there and smile through the head hole. And there's a lever on the back so you can make the body dance.
Chances of Winning: Off the charts.



Family Appeal: Moderate. Smiling face (but holding a firearm).
Chances of Winning: Probably low. Guns kill people.



Family Appeal: High. A cowboy Corvus brachyrhynchos riding a hooved mammal.
Chances of Winning: Probably in the top three. Kids love when crows choose to ride horses instead of fly.



Family Appeal: Not much.
Chances of Winning: Low. Overheard two women speaking negatively about him. The exact quote - "You know, it's almost TOO good. You know what I mean?" [said with a contorted face as if demonstrating pain].


And, No, actually. I DON'T know what you mean.

Unnatural Surroundings

A few shots of SEEDS at his current location.







Click here for his photoshoot pics.

Scarecrow 2010

Decided to give them what they want. A traditional scarecrow. Instantly appealing to children and the elderly.

Not really, but I'm currently working on this year's scarecrow for the contest. Extremely traditional and Halloween-ish. Curb appeal, with darker creepy tones as you get closer.

I'm going to call him SEEDS.
And he's going to win first place.

Totally.

The Competition

Found a set of photos on Flickr.com featuring a lot of the other scarecrows at the Competition.
The last three rows of thumbnails are the scarecrows in the Quite the Character category. That's where I entered Tin Man.

Rain

Rusted

Tin Man

Rusted guts
Carries an axe

No heart.

Scarecrow Contest

Started work on the new scarecrow for the 2009 competition.
Here's a VERY small teaser trailer announcement:

Rotten Egg

Found someone's online photos of the 2003 Scarecrow Contest. Neat to see Pumpkinrot through someone else's lens.



And that horrible [blue-ribboned] Egg.

More photos here.

Hollowman

The Hollowman is safely at home. His mache held up perfectly in the rain and he was covered in tiny spider webs.

Another Hollowman Sighting

Forgive my fascination with seeing The Hollowman through someone else's lense.

It's a great shot since it makes him look meaty and rancid.

Image source.

The Winners

We treated ourselves to a nice pottery pumpkin with the winnings.