Karen Lynch of St. Charles loves a fall tradition in the city where she lives that she regards “as a gala event.”
“I just love all the things they do for the kids – the face painting, the decorations – the things they have for the kids to do,” Lynch said as she walked toward Riverside Avenue Saturday morning to enjoy Scarecrow Weekend activities in St. Charles. “It’s an institution in St. Charles. It’s wonderful how this brings people together and they get to know each other.”
Scarecrow Weekend began Friday and will conclude at 5 p.m. Sunday in downtown St. Charles. Organizers in a press release said those attending the fest can enjoy live entertainment, family-friendly activities, food, fall attractions and more.
Begun in 1985, the first festival offered just 39 scarecrows and drew around 10,000 people. This year, more than 80,000 people are expected to come to the 40th Scarecrow Weekend during its three-day run.
Jenna Sawicki, director of the St. Charles Business Alliance, which again organized the event, said scarecrows remain one of its key attractions “with more than 120 scarecrows this year,” and that the scarecrow contest is one of the biggest draws every time.
“Last year, we had 115 scarecrows, and I think at last count we have 122,” she said before the event. “I think the number keeps growing because of community participation. For the most part, we have people here like Girl Scout troops, community and school groups that are really coming out to show their creativity and get their message out.
“There are also businesses that do it, and it’s a great way to advertise,” Sawicki said. “I think our businesses are always surprised just how much talent people on their staff might have to make something creative and fun.”
The fest again offers many of the usual regular features and attractions as well, Sawicki said.
“We’ve got food vendors and live music and magicians … and this should be a really fun event for the family,” she said. “New this year is a photo opportunity where people can take photos with family as well as pre-order T-shirts that say ‘the 40th.’ We’ve got live music at Lincoln Park and also First Street, and I think our community has just become known for live music with talented local artists and some bigger artists that come together.”
Families packed the area along Riverside Avenue Saturday morning at the fest where scores of scarecrows were set up and a magician was scheduled to perform on stage.
Brittany Wienkes of St. Charles brought her son Ben, 3, and said this was the first time visiting the fest as she and her family recently moved here from Wisconsin.
“Now the kids are old enough to enjoy the activities, we wanted to come here. We plan to take in all the different activities as there are so many free things to enjoy,” she said. “We were here (Friday) as well. This is day two. Ben loves to see all the scarecrows and get all the candy.”
Lucy Rivera of Batavia said she has come to the festival before and that she noticed an uptick in the number of scarecrows on display Saturday.
“We plan to walk around, see the scarecrows and go to some of the kids’ events,” she said. “This is a good thing and a way to bring the Tri-City individuals together and be part of one big community.”
Brendan Connolly of St. Charles came with his children and some friends to the festival on Saturday and called the annual event “a rite of passage of sorts.”
“This is fun to come downtown. They’ve got everything blocked off and there’s a lot of activities for kids as well as adults, so it’s just a good time,” Connolly said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
