Businesses and organizations throughout Solvang are invited to participate in the 11th annual Scarecrow Fest and Contest, which is scheduled to begin Thursday, Oct. 1, and run through Saturday, Oct. 31. Businesses can participate in the event by creating their own unique scarecrow to display in front of their location, while maintaining COVID-19 protocols, according to a press release. Entry forms to join the contest are due by Thursday, Sept. 17 (entry fee is $25).
In lieu of in-person voting during the contest, the public will be able to vote for their favorite scarecrows online at syvscarecrows.com. Winners will be awarded in six different categories: Best Scarecrow Photo Op; Best Use of Recycled Materials; Best Use of Business Theme; Most Danish; Spookiest; and Most Humorous. Viewers of the website will be able to access a map that specifies the location of each participating business.
A Best of Solvang Scarecrow will also be chosen, which will be entered into a Santa Ynez Valley-wide contest and compete against scarecrow winners chosen from Buellton and Los Olivos to determine the Valley’s Best Scarecrow. Last year, the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott received the grand prize.
“This is the eighth year that the contest is going valley-wide and other Santa Ynez Valley towns have definitely embraced the ‘Fest,’” Tracy Beard, executive director of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce, said in a press release. “The more that each town gets into this, the better the experience for both our locals and visitors—whose community involvement and visits, respectfully, benefit the local economy of the entire valley.”
This article appears in Sep 10-17, 2020.
