Compete in the scarecrow contest at 32nd annual Scarecrow Fest
The 32nd annual Scarecrow Fest will be Friday to Sunday, Oct. 6-8, in downtown St. Charles.
All of the signature events that make this fest so memorable will be present, including a full roster of live entertainment and returning popular headliner bands.
New to the fest this year are two groundbreaking attractions. The Greater St. Charles Farm Tour, featuring access to the features and activities of six local working farms: Historic Corron Farm, Garfield Farm Museum, Norton Farm, Primrose Farm, St. Charles Farm and The Royal Lusitano.
Also new, the "All Wheels In" Family Bike Ride Extravaganza, starting at local business Sammy's Bikes, 602 S. First St.
"All Wheels In" features two custom bike ride adventures: The Family Ride, 12-15 miles of scenic trails along the Fox River; and the Farm Ride, a 38-mile cyclist challenge, perusing the city and countryside of the area from St. Charles to Maple Park.
Four Zones of activity will once again frame Fest Activity: The Meijer Zone in Lincoln Park, featuring cars on display from sponsor, Fox Valley Auto Group; the Scarecrow Contest, presented by St. Charles Bank and Trust and featuring 100-plus scarecrows on display.
This year's contest includes six categories: mechanical, mega scarecrows, clubs & nonprofits, family, individuals and the Greater St. Charles Business Category. There is still time to enter. The deadline is Friday, Sept. 29.
The Meijer Zone also is home to the Lincoln Park Entertainment Stage, featuring musical entertainment, including headliner bands Rockstar Rodeo, American English and 7th Heaven.
The Pheasant Run Resort Zone features the Greater St. Charles Business category Scarecrow Contest entrees plus the popular Windy City Amusements Carnival, which runs Oct. 5-8. The $25 wristband specials will be available daily at key times during the fest.
The Gerald Kia of North Aurora Zone features the Fox Valley Ice Arena Challenge and one of two of the beloved Make Your Own Scarecrow stations, a fest family favorite.
And St. Charles' own Baltria Vintage Auto Gallery will again display part of its classic car inventory at the fest. The Baltria Vintage Auto Zone also will feature professionally carved pumpkins, Make Your Own Scarecrow, Glowby the Bubbler, a Petting Zoo, Fest T-shirts on sale by local business Button Man printing; and photo op stations featuring classic cars, and appearances from Miss America and Chicago Steel Hockey Team's mascot "Rusty."
Pottawatomie Park will be the site of the popular Autumn on the Fox Arts & Crafts Show, with handmade arts and crafts from more than 150 exhibitors.
At the conclusion of the fest, a celebratory dinner will take place at 6:45 p.m. at local The Finery and Blacksmith Restaurant, 305 W. Main St. Chefs and owners Juliette and David Reyes will create a custom three-course dinner in "Farm-to-table" style, featuring food from local fields.
Admission and parking are free. Fest guests are encouraged to take advantage of the free shuttles from The Quad, formerly Charlestowne Mall, and School District 303 parking lots. The trolley route will once again extend to Pottawatomie Park.
The Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau gratefully thanks presenting sponsor ComEd and the many additional sponsors who make this year's festival possible. For information about Scarecrow Fest, visit the newly updated www.ScarecrowFest.com.
It is funded by the Illinois Office of Tourism and a portion of the hotel/motel tax collected by the City of St. Charles hotels to promote the Greater St. Charles area as a destination for leisure tourists, conventions, sports events, and meetings. For additional information regarding the bureau's marketing and sales activities, contact the bureau at (630) m377-6161 or www.visitstcharles.com.