Arborteum scarecrows stress a natural theme
Don't expect to see too many crows this fall along the Morton Arboretum's Scarecrow Trail.
The birds just may be scared away by the 35 creatively crafted straw men and women fortifying the perimeter of Meadow Lake at the outdoor museum in Lisle.
But human visitors, arboretum officials say, already have been flocking to the art exhibit, which remains on display through the end of October, during the arboretum's Fall Color Festival.
Assembled by community groups, including several local Girl Scout troops, the scarecrows reflect the natural theme embodied by the arboretum.
"We don't want to look like everybody else's scarecrow contest," said Marilyn Baysek, the arboretum's special events manager.
With names like "Mummy Dearest" and "Elvis Parsley," there isn't much chance of that.
The eight eighth-graders in Lori Mandel's Girl Scout Cadet Troop 1862, based at St. Joan of Arc School in Lisle, worked with Brownie Troop 784 to create a rustic scarecrow they named "Phantom of the Arboretum."
"It looks like Phantom of the Opera, except he has a pumpkin for a head," Mandel said.
The phantom's trunk and arms are made of plastic bags stuffed with newspaper and sprayed with waterproofing material.
"We've done one every year since they started doing it," Mandel said. "The girls really like doing it. They're very creative. They come up with some good ideas."
The youngsters in Junior Girl Scout Troop 953, based at Arbor View School in Glen Ellyn, were ambitious.
They made a whole scene featuring scarecrows titled "Fall Ties."
"It is nine different scarecrows that are strung together. They're probably about four feet high, each one of them," troop leader Kristi Slezak said.
These female scarecrows sport skirts made of baskets and heads made of fabric-covered plastic plates.
"It was a lot of fun," Slezak said. "It was a big undertaking."
Baysek said visitors' opinions of the art works will be recorded throughout the festival.
"Everybody loves to vote on their favorites," she said.
The top vote-getters will win an overnight adventure at the arboretum, while the runners-up will get a guided hike through the grounds.
Scarecrow Trail visitors can take in the many other attractions available at the arboretum during the Fall Color Festival, Baysek said.
There are free weekend wine tastings, weekend displays of Japanese flower arranging and African violets, wood- and gourd-carving, weekend theater-hikes featuring presentations of "Dracula," along with a variety of children's activities, including crafts and pumpkin-decorating.
Every weekend through the end of October, the Fall Garden Marketplace offers garden décor, potted plants and fall home accents, Baysek said.
And this Sunday, Oct. 5, some 2,000 adult runners are expected to compete in the Fall Color 5K Run and Walk while about 300 youngsters will run in the Kids Dash.
"This year, we are almost sold out," Baysek said.
If you go
What: Scarecrow Trail at Morton Arboretum's Fall Color Festival
Where: 4100 Route 53, Lisle
When: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through October
Admission: $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for youth ages 3-17
Info: (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org