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Scarecrows delight families in St. Charles

What better way to spend your third birthday than checking out all kinds of creative and intricately built scarecrows?

That’s probably what twins Brynn and Grady would have said, had they not been too busy staring — mouths agape — at moving scarecrow cheerleaders on Saturday at Scarecrow Fest in downtown St. Charles.

“We had a big party for them last weekend and we’re here to have a nice birthday morning,” said Mary Ann Carlson of St. Charles, the twins’ grandmother. “It was really crowded last year. We got here early this year so we could see everything.”

Thousands of people milled about downtown St. Charles for the festival, as well as the Fox Art and Craft Show, which featured about 170 booths on the other side of the Fox River.

Dozens of scarecrows were entered into a contest divided into in six categories: mechanical, traditional, whimsical, business, family, and children’s clubs and organizations.

Some of the mechanical scarecrows were outstanding, said Joy-Ann Leonard, who came to the festival with her son, Ron, and his wife, Jennifer, of Schaumburg, plus their aunt.

“The animatronics in “The Munsters” are really good,” she said about the creepy scene depicting Herman on a dentist’s chair about to fall prey to Grandpa Munster.

She also really liked a “Wizard of Oz” scarecrow on a bike, she said. “The eyes move, which is amazing.”

Nine-year-old Samantha Glowacki of Chicago was happy to make her first scarecrow with an old pair of her jeans and a shirt she got on the spot. Samantha came with her mother, Nicole Glowacki, and her grandmother Susan Torguson, who recently moved from Texas and is considering settling in St. Charles.

“We’re going to put it in our front yard. I’m going to draw a face on it, put brown string for hair, and put a headband on it,” Samantha said.

Samantha said she also liked the carnival and the petting zoo — especially the rabbit — while her mother said she enjoyed the craft show.

Scarecrow Fest continues from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. For more, visit scarecrowfest.com. The arts and craft show runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. For details, visit artoftheheartlandinc.com.

  The scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz” moves its eyes back and forth in a mechanical entry by Bridges Montessori Academy at the St. Charles Scarecrow Fest on Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  A crow lifts weights in the “The Crow Olympics” at the St. Charles Scarecrow Fest on Saturday. The entry in the family category and created by the Kramer family and Elizabeth Greiter. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  The scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz” rides a bike in the mechanical category at the St. Charles Scarecrow Fest on Saturday. The entry was created by Bridges Montessori Academy. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  Visitors check out the mechanical scarecrow “Herman Munster Has a Toothache” by Ted Eynik of St. Charles at the St. Charles Scarecrow Fest on Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  Maren Wallace, 6, of St. Charles, left, joins friends Madison Kunzer, 8, and her sister, Emily, 6, of Elburn to watch the movements of “Herman Munster Has a Toothache,” an entry in the mechanical category, at the St. Charles Scarecrow Fest on Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
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