Like most small, country towns, Milton (which is up the road a bit from me here on the NSW South Coast) has a wacky annual festival: The Scarecrow Festival. I don’t know its origins, but as we’re new around town we thought we’d mosey along on Saturday and check it out. It seems there’s a theme every year, and this year was Scary Scarecrows. A touch of Halloween in June, using scarecrows on the street? Strange, but strange is what we like best! And it worked!
locals getting their scarecrow on
On a sunny winter’s day seemingly the entire town had flocked to the main streets for markets, buskers, dancing, rock wall climbing, and betting on where Maisie Moo the cow would, well, poo. Young children dressed as scary scarecrows for the fancy dress competition. A couple of enterprising young girls with pumpkin faces had even decided to busk by singing ‘I’m a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow’. Over. And. Over.
Mr Raw paying the buskers’ salary
(yes, that is a water bottle in his pocket and yes, he was happy to see me!)
The highlight of the festival is the scarecrows (which is probably a good thing for a Scarecrow Festival). Local businesses and residents get into the spirit by putting their own themed scarecrow on display. They start appearing at around the start of May, and gradually fill Milton and the surrounding towns with scarecrow goodness. A winner was announced, but sadly we missed the judging. But here’s a few we snapped:
that leotard definitely scared me
this was a big, round pumpkin when they first put it out. But you know what they say… never work with children or vegetables!
we artists are scary folk
Drunken Darth?
another scarecrow looking a little drunk, although the smile on this one makes me think he’s been hitting the harder stuff
quirky considering the business who made it wasn’t even an optometrist, just someone with a good sense of humour
definitely scary! I think this guy tried to pick me up once
I loved this cute ET!
I thought this guy was beautiful
even the church got in on the fun, but I’m not sure scary Jesus is really the look they should be going for
I want my mummy!
burning Pinocchio at the stake… I know I’ve thought about it!
scariest of them all?? Good effort from an accountant’s firm
This is probably the kind of thing I would’ve mocked (but secretly loved) when I was much younger. Now I can proudly state that I really did love it. It was fun, and quaint, entertaining, and hilarious. It brought much-needed visitors to a town that relies on the cash flow of tourists, who tend to visit less often during winter. And it was a demonstration of one of the main reasons we chose to move to a small rural area. Community. The whole community came together to put on a festival, promote it, and enjoy it. Everyone got involved in one way or another. People shouted hello to each other with big smiles on their faces (painted or plain). People celebrated the pure joy that comes from getting together with the whole town to celebrate bundles of straw in costume. We laughed, we watched, we ate, we enjoyed, and we felt like we had found somewhere we belonged.
Oh yes! Any town with this on the main street is a town where we belong!
Does your town have any strange rituals? Festivals? Crazy things on the main street?
