Harvest a bounty of fun during Scarecrow Weekend

Autumn is awesome in downtown St. Charles when a weekend of festive family activities is paired with the chance to see one-of-a-kind scarecrows!

The nationally recognized Scarecrow Weekend opened on Friday and the fun continues through Sunday, Oct. 8. It features more than 100 scarecrows throughout the downtown for visitors to view and vote on along with live entertainment, photo ops, hands-on activities and more.

"This is the 38th year of the event, which began as a small Scarecrow Contest and has grown into much anticipated citywide event," said Amy Curione, Events Manager for the St. Charles Business Alliance. "The weekend is a long-standing tradition celebrating the beginning of the Fall season with family fun and a focus on the community."

In addition to the scarecrow contest, activities include a Family Zone in Lincoln Park featuring more than 15 booths, a bubble artist and roaming magician. The Activity Zone on Riverside Avenue includes festive photo ops, Scarecrow-a-Go, a professional pumpkin carver, pumpkin painting and a funhouse maze. Other highlights include sales and specials throughout the downtown as well as ice cream-eating contests and appearances by the Wienermobile and the Windy City Ghostbusters. Attendees can purchase grab-and-go food while enjoying the fest from local vendors and restaurants.

Scarecrow Weekend continues to grow each year, and is made possible by generous supporters, including Gerald Subaru of North Aurora.

"Gerald is a great partner for Scarecrow Weekend," Curione said. "They are the photo op sponsor and have been for five years. People have the opportunity to take cute fall photos in front of a monarch butterfly - made possible by Gerald Auto. This adds to the ambience of the event as well as gives our attendees a fun activity to do with their families."

Gerald Auto Group is looking forward to being part of the festivities at Scarecrow Weekend.

"The photo ops are so fun, and we are delighted to be part of this tradition," said Donna Lawler of the Gerald Auto Group. "Scarecrow Weekend is the perfect event to usher in the autumn season while making great memories with family and friends."

For more information on Scarecrow Weekend, visit www.scarecrowfest.com.

For information on Gerald Subaru of North Aurora, visit www.geraldsubarunorthaurora.com.