Published Thursday, October 24, 2002
By Amanda Smith-Teutsch
Herald Staff Writer
Beaming pumpkinheads fill Central Park in downtown Greenville this week, part of the town's celebration of Halloween.
The display of almost 20 scarecrows, many augmented with jack o' lanterns, is staged by the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce, which awards prizes to the best displays.
At the park, scarecrows read books, hold hands, ride exercise bikes, administer shots and fill cavities. A male and female moose, named Liberty and Justice, look out at Main Street, greeting passersby.
Cheryl Crawford of Greenville has been bringing her children Victoria, 10, and Matthew, 4, to see the display for four years now.
"It's very interesting," she said. "They get new ideas every year." Mrs. Crawford's favorite display was the "Scare-amedic," who administers a shot to a pumpkin patient with a diabolical grin.
Victoria said her favorites were Liberty and Justice, and she wants to make a scarecrow of her own someday.
There are two categories for judging the scarecrow entries: family and non-profit organizations; and businesses.
Some organizations started planning weeks ago for their entries.
Nancy Yauger, president of the Friends of the Greenville Area Library, said their entry, "Bookieman," took five minutes to plan and five days to assemble.
"Bookieman" sits, smiling out at Main Street, with books in his lap.
"We (the officers) are all former educators and wanted to support the idea of reading," Mrs. Yauger said.
The scarecrow is made of straw and plywood, and sits with crossed legs and books on his knee.
"We're kind of hoping someone steals the books," Mrs. Yauger said, "because then, at least someone would be reading them."
The books are leftovers from the Friends' library benefit book sale that were going to be thrown out anyway, Mrs. Yauger said.
Richard Brown, a student at the Keystone Adolescent Center, said the students and staff planned their entries for a week.
The center submitted four scarecrows.
"We all wrote ideas down, and then decided which idea we wanted to do," Brown said. "It was a week of planning and took us three days to build."
First, second and third place prizes will be awarded for each category.
This is the sixth year the chamber held the contest. The cost to enter the contest is $10 for families or non-profit organizations or $25 for businesses. The contest is open to anyone who wants to enter.
The scarecrows will be on display until Saturday, when the borough holds its annual Halloween parade at 1:30 p.m.
Winners of the contest will be announced after the parade.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Amanda Smith-Teutsch at ateutsch@sharonherald.com