Inaugural Somers Scarecrow Festival a Big Hit [PHOTOS]

SOMERS, CT — The ground may have been wet and a light rain did briefly fall, but nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of visitors and a small core of volunteers who turned a previously canceled event into an expanded festival of family fun.

The first Somers Scarecrow Festival took place Saturday at Pleasant View Golf Center on Route 83. A trio of volunteers quickly organized the event shortly after the planned scarecrow contest was canceled by the Somers Cultural Commission in late September.

Not only did Cynthia Mike, Kara Wolters and Joe Lipton revive the contest, they created an entire fun-filled day of food trucks, craft vendors, games, a pumpkin patch, a children's costume contest and terrific live music from Blood Brothers.

Most of all, their hard work in such a short time enabled families to get out of the house and enjoy themselves, a rare occasion since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic nearly eight months ago.

"Overall I am incredibly happy with how the Scarecrow Festival went," Mike said. "Everyone who attended seemed very happy with what we were able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. Attendance was better than I expected, and I was very happy to see that all of our COVID-19 precautions worked out well with the attendance that we had.

"We didn't have the weather that we had hoped for, but it didn't seem that anybody minded a little rain when they finally had the chance to get out, socialize, eat fair food and have a good time with family and friends."

Nearly 45 scarecrows were displayed in eight categories, and visitors filled out ballots for the best creations. For those who could not attend, judging is still active online at surveymonkey.com.

Mike said the group plans to make the festival an annual event.

"Finally something good has come out of 2020!" she said.

Photos: Tim Jensen/Patch

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