I love Halloween. It’s definitely one of my top three holidays, right there with Christmas and Labor Day (sorry the Fall is such a magical time of year).
Each year, I wait excitedly for the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School to begin placing their Halloween scarecrows. It has become a Fall family tradition. I like to take my kiddos to the three big Island towns to check out all the different scarecrows, families from the Charter School have made. Sometimes we make it a whole Island adventure.
Since the scarecrows are based on literary characters (the book range is wide), it’s really fun to find your favorite. Some are scary, some funny, and some just downright amazing. This is something Charly and Anderson have really come to enjoy.
However, this year bad weather and traveling for my best friend’s birthday left us with limited time for our scarecrow adventure. We were only able to visit Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs.
Though I was sad to miss Edgartown, which always is full of fun ones, I was happy to continue our tradition.
Vineyard Haven Scarecrows
As we went from scarecrow to scarecrow, we were all impressed with this year’s efforts. From scary to sweet, from common to odd, from cartoons to classics, this town had something for everyone.
My daughter’s favorite was Fancy Nancy. There were two in town. One at CB Stark and one at Waterside Market. The one at Waterside Market won her heart. Now that she is able to read, Fancy Nancy books are some of her favorite.
This one was made by the Bowen family, who happen to be the owners of Waterside Market.
For my son, he loved, loved loved Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, which we found at Educomp. I have to admit that Toothless was really cute. The attention to detail was amazing.
Toothless was created by Karin’s Advisory Committee, which I am guessing is part of the Charter School.
I think my favorite was Miss Gulch, which was in front of Bryn Walker. Don’t remember her? She is neighbor of Auntie Em in Wizard of Oz. The creepy, mean one on the bicycle. As a child who loved the Wizard of Oz, I really enjoyed seeing a less popular character showcased. Miss Gulch was made by Sonny, Mattie and Mary Wolverton.
There were so many good ones. I have to mention a couple more, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by the Teles family, found in front of Brickyard.
Captain America was pretty cool, and made Anderson smile. He was found near Shirt Tales, but I can’t remember who made this awesome dude.
The list could go on and on….the Grinch, Mary Poppins, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Frida Kahlo, the families at the Charter School really brought it this year.
Another great thing about the scarecrows, is that it is usually when we have our first hot chocolate of the season. Mocha Motts makes really good hot chocolate for kids, and they will even make it not as hot. Topped with whipped cream, this is an added bonus.
Oak Bluffs Scarecrows
Though not as numerous, Oak Bluffs has some great scarecrows. Here too, I was brought back a bit to my childhood. In front of Linda Jean’s there was Jughead. Who didn’t love Archie comics back in the day. I always wanted to be Veronica. This guy was made by Madis, Nalla and Shannon Rynd-Ray.
A spooky one that we all really liked was the Old Man and the Sea, by Carolyn Warren, found at Offshore Ale Company. I don’t know where she found his mask, but it’s a little haunting.
I should also mention Dorthy with Toto, and Haru the cat, though I do not know this literary character, I just thought it was cute.
I have seen pictures on Facebook of Edgartown scarecrows, and there are some amazing ones. Of courses I have to mention the great pair in front of Point B Realty. We have Dr. Seuss’ Hoober Bloobs, made by the Duncheva-Thulin family.
Each scarecrow is handmade by parents and teachers, helping raise money for a great school. If you ever wondered how the homes for the scarecrows are selected, they tend to be put close to their makers. That way if anything happens to them, they’re easy to access. I know I myself always wondered.
Tarra Corcoran, from the Charter School, organized this year’s event. There were over 100 scarecrows sponsored by Island businesses, which school families worked hard to create. The scarecrows have become such a part of Halloween on the Island and the tradition continues to grow! All the money raised is going to playground improvements – a great cause to contribute to.
I have to give a shout out to one of Tarra and her daughter’s scarecrow’s, Mama Bear, from the beloved Berenstain Bears.
If you want to go out on your own scarecrow adventure, don’t worry because there is still time. The Charter School will keep the scarecrows up for a while. Most of them will make their way to the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven on Wednesday for a big group display! On Sunday there will be drawing for prizes, like a pool party and an iPad. Also, did you know that ANYONE can make a scarecrow, not just people with ties to the Charter School? How fun! Start planning your idea now!
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