This Friday marks the 30th annual Meaford Scarecrow Invasion.
The popular family friendly event has become a staple in the community, and Christine Pompeo, Chair of the Scarecrow Invasion, says the event has a proud history that got its start from a local business owner in the 90s who saw loads of traffic driving through the town and not stopping, which sparked an idea.
"The event was started back in 1996 by George and Janet Potopnyk, the owners of Stedman’s department store on Main Street in Meaford. They had the idea of getting the businesses together to put out some scarecrows and hopefully get people to stop in Meaford," Pompeo explained.
The event was then taken over after a few years by Marilyn Morris, who introduced the annual parade and family festival. Pompeo says everything is ready for the popular event which is powered by volunteers.
"Right now if you visit Meaford, you'll see well over 200 scarecrows on display throughout the town. A lot of them are made by community members. We hold workshops in June and August and we invite anyone who's interested to come out and make scarecrows. But this whole thing is volunteer driven with support from the businesses," Pompeo noted.
Now 30 years later, the event has become a part of the town's identity, something Pompeo says everyone is very proud of.
"I think it's a real testament to the people and businesses in Meaford because the entire thing is volunteer run. I think for something as big as this to have gone on for 30 years tells you a lot about the special people in Meaford that make it happen every year," she added proudly.
The annual scarecrow parade will be held Friday night at 6, followed by the Family Festival at the Meaford Harbour, which includes the annual apple pie contest. More details can be found at scarecrowinvasion.ca. Pompeo adds that they're always looking for more volunteers and scarecrow makers, and there is a page on the website with details on how to become a volunteer for the event.
Also, the scarecrows will remain on display in Meaford until October 18.
