HISTORY OF THE URCHFONT SCARECROW FESTIVAL
In its impressive 25th year, the Urchfont Scarecrow Festival has blossomed from a small village event into the straw-tastic extravaganza that thousands enjoy year after year.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The concept for the festival was conceived when Jean Thomas, a member of the Urchfont Village Hall Management Committee, was informed by a friend about a Scarecrow Festival in North Yorkshire. The inaugural Scarecrow Festival was orchestrated by the Village Hall Committee as a means to generate funds for a new kitchen and replacement windows. The first festival took place during the Bank Holiday weekend of the 3rd, 4th and 5th May in 1997.
The festival was advertised in the local newspaper and on posters throughout the village. Tickets were sold for a Grand Draw at the Barn Dance on the final evening, and arrangements were made for several gardens to be opened (for a small fee) around the village.
A Plant Sale was held in an organiser's garden, and volunteers were enlisted to sell programmes, and serve morning coffee and afternoon teas.
The original scarecrow bodies were constructed in the Village Hall to a recipe that would be followed for several years. The skeleton was made of two long bamboo canes forming the legs and upper body, with a shorter bamboo cane forming the shoulders.
Chicken wire was used to form the upper body shape and the legs constructed from tights stuffed with
scrunched up newspaper.
Heads were made using inflated balloons covered with papier mâché and the final body structure was covered by relevant clothing with additonal padding as
required.
The cane legs were pushed into the ground and each Scarecrow was supported using three string ties from the neck to ground pegs.
The event was advertised around the village via posters, a banner positioned along the main road and adverts placed in local newspapers. The advert placed in the Gazettee & Herald prompted them to send a photographer to the village and an article was published in the newspaper just prior to the event.
Attendees were mostly village residents, visitors from local villages, family, friends and some who had seen the article in the newspaper. Car parking was easily accommodated within the village.
The first Scarecrow Festival had proved to be very successful both financially and as an enjoyable community event. It had been a lot of hard work for the small Fundraising sub-committee, but the question was being asked: 'Would it be repeated?'
From a few scarecrows crafted in the village hall by its committee to the large-scale event that now draws thousands of visitors, the Urchfont Scarecrow Festival has always been organised with passion.
As the festival has evolved, so too has the competition, with meticulously planned themes kept under strict wraps for months in advance.
We have curated gallery pages for numerous years, showcasing the stunning array of scarecrows captured by our camera.
Every year, a new theme is created and is kept top secret by the organisers and scarecrow makers up until the first day of the festival.
Click to view photos from each year.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Visitors to the Festival are invited to vote for the Best Scarecrow on their answer sheet (in the Festival programme). The winner gets to take home the Eric Trophy of Excellence, a bottle of bubbly and the glory.
PREVIOUS ANSWERS
To view the answers to previous Festival trails, please click the links below.
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