St. Charles' Scarecrow Festival is stuffed with fun
Downtown St. Charles hasn't seen a cornfield in quite some time, but that won't stop hundreds of scarecrows from popping up this weekend during the 24th annual Scarecrow Festival.
This year's fest will take St. Charles by land and water with new features like Segway demonstrations courtesy of Fox Valley Segway and canoe and kayak rentals.
The festival opens at 9 a.m. Friday when Mayor Don DeWitte will speak at St. Charles Free Methodist Church and ring the bell to start the festival. Scarecrow Festival will run through Sunday, ending at 6 p.m. with a musical performance by the Chicago band Blooze Brothers.
Classic festival favorites like the "Make Your Own Scarecrow" and homemade scarecrow contest will be returning too.
The whole festival will take over downtown St. Charles, as Main Street is transformed in a sea of straw, plaid shirts and crooked hand-drawn smiles.
The Segway demo rides will be gliding off from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the newly finished First Street Plaza. Organizers hope the demos will provide residents and newcomers alike with a new perspective of downtown St. Charles in the midst of the new First Street development.
"We thought to have the Segways over (on the First Street Plaza) would be good way to have two new things to showcase at one time," St. Charles Visitors' Bureau Executive Director Amy Egolf said.
The Geneva Kayak Center will be on deck, renting out canoes and kayaks for the adventurous festivalgoers from 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Center will be giving free safety demos from noon to 1 p.m. and 45-minute canoe and kayak tours will take off at 1 and 2 p.m. too. To get onboard the tours reservations must be made in advance at the event either Saturday or Sunday.
More than 165 applicants have signed up to display their homemade scarecrows in Lincoln Park for the fest's annual scarecrow contest. Over the weekend visitors can vote for their favorite scarecrow in each of the seven different judging categories that include best traditional and even a mechanical category that will feature scarecrows that can move.
Even though the deadline has passed to enter a scarecrow in the open contest, visitors are welcome to bring old clothes and make their own scarecrows from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for free.
The Scarecrow Festival remains one of St. Charles' most popular attractions, something the Visitors' Bureau attributes to plenty of fun fall activities placed against the backdrop of one of the area's most historic cities.
"The Scarecrow Fest has just a tremendous following. It has always been treated as a family-oriented event," Egolf said. "Not only is it a great time of year but you take a family oriented festival that has had a long traditional appeal to it and you place it in a community that is as charming as St. Charles and it's a perfect fit."
The new First Street parking deck will be open to provide complementary parking and a shuttle will be in service transporting visitors to and from the Valley Shopping Center, at the corner of 15th and Main Streets.
Even if you don't plan on driving, a free trolley service will be running the entire weekend to drop visitors off at different locations on the east and west sides of the Fox River while providing fun festival and historical info along the way.
Typical festival fare will be the order of the weekend and the menu includes things like Italian beef, hot dogs and pizza. As always, St. Charles restaurants will be open the entire weekend.
For a complete schedule of events visit scarecrowfest.com.
<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p> <p class="News"><b>What:</b> The 24th annual St. Charles Scarecrow Fest, featuring canoe and kayak rentals, Segway demos, a scarecrow judging and the opportunity to create a scarecrow of your own</p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 Where: Downtown St. Charles off Main Street between Second Avenue and Fifth Street</p> <p class="News"><b>How much?</b> There is no admission, but some activities require a small fee. </p> <p class="News"><b>Details:</b> <a href="http://scarecrowfest.com" target="new">scarecrowfest.com</a> </p>