GLOCESTER – Spread across nearly a mile stretch of roadway starting at Chepachet village center and continuing along Route 44, the entries in the Glocester Scarecrow Festival stand as a greeting to both guests and passersby, adding life, humor and creativity to the already colorful region of northern Rhode Island.
Organizer Mark Rechter said there were more than 100 entries in this year’s festival, with creations ranging from the strange and funny, to the beautiful and scary. The submissions were judged in conjunction with a festive event on Saturday, Oct. 16 that included activities, food and entertainment, and will remain in place through Sunday, Oct. 31.
Rechter announced five categories of winners from this year’s crop of entries, with the Hen House’s gigantic scarecrow hen taking first place in the business category, followed by Johnny’s Victory Diner, and a tie for third between Inland Marine and Romani Orthodontic.
Lake Washington Association was dubbed first place among organizations, with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Department of Forestry and Rhode Island Storm Softball coming in second and third respectively. For most humorous, the winners were Ashlee Rotatori and the Maimoni family, Emma Reed and Warren Cummins.
Most creative went to the Farnum-Ballou family, followed by a tie for second place between Peter Ruggieri and Marybeth Laiho Arsenault, with Dawn Joudrey coming in third.
And for the final category of scariest, it was the Archambault family that took first place, with Al Calderone coming in second; Val Rushton and Mary Lou Corbin at third; and Shannon Salome and Allan Boyle fourth.
Ribbons have been placed on the winning entires and cash prizes given to the victors. The contest, which helps to add foot traffic to area businesses, is sponsored by the Chepachet Grange and Glocester Libraries.
To get a look at the unique displays, just visit the village anytime between now and October 31. Visitors to Trick or Treat Main Street on Saturday, Oct. 23 can see them in the village center from noon to 3 p.m.
Below are just a few of the sights to behold.
