Visitors fall in love with annual St. Charles Scarecrow Fest

Coming from tiny Sherman in downstate Illinois, you might think Scott Siders had his fill of pumpkins, cornstalks and hay.

But as he hammed it up for a photo Saturday, posing by the creepy "Revenge of the Great Pumpkin" sculpture at St. Charles' Scarecrow Fest, Siders explained "you can never get enough of pumpkins in the fall."

He wasn't alone as crowds packed the annual event that continues Sunday.

A connoisseur of fall fests, Siders comes every year to see his son in St. Charles and ranks Scarecrow Fest among the top ones. "It's homey," he explained. "The community's involved."

While Siders enjoyed the exhibits at the Scarecrow Contest, including some elaborate "Wizard of Oz" and talking "Peter Pan" installations, the Holz family of Bartlett stuffed two DIY scarecrows to the delight of Elizabeth, 5, and Nathan, 3. The fun was part of a make-it-yourself scarecrow activity organized by Boy Scout Troop 60 from St. Charles.

Elizabeth carried "Emily," a female scarecrow decked out in a brown onesie decorated with pink pigs. "She's sleeping," Elizabeth said of her new friend who eats "fruit and vegetables." Nathan's scarecrow, less showy in jeans and a gray shirt, was named "Gabriel."

"I had heard about (Scarecrow Fest) but I didn't expect it to be so huge," mom Tiana Holz said. "This is wonderful and the weather is beautiful."

Along with checking out more than 150 scarecrows, visitors listened to live music, had a thrill with carnival rides, strolled around a craft fair, and toured the Mobile Coca-Cola Museum along with sampling specialty soda pop.

But it was Indian Ridge Farm's petting zoo that grabbed the attention of many young festivalgoers.

"Trucker," a massive sulcata tortoise, was just fast enough to keep up with the toddlers and preschoolers who beamed as they petted his burnished shell, including Tess Malone of Geneva.

Despite Trucker's charms and getting a kick out of a curious llama, Tess picked a sheep as her favorite - "he's so fluffy."

The Scarecrow Festival, sponsored by the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau, runs 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Sunday in downtown St. Charles, along Main Street between Fifth and Second streets. Parking is tight but a free shuttle service is available. For information, go to www.scarecrowfest.com or call (800) 777-4373.