Scarecrows Show City's Creative, Scary Side

Fall has arrived and soon the streets of downtown New Baltimore will be lined with handmade scarecrows.

The New Baltimore Downtown Development Authority and nonprofit organization Ride the Wave are holding the fifth annual Downtown New Baltimore Scarecrow Contest in October. Residents, groups and businesses can build their scarecrows with the chance of winning a cash prize.

“It really makes the town look great, and people really do come downtown to check out the crows,” said Sandy McClure, Ride the Wave chairwoman.

For a $10 entry fee, two categories of scarecrows may be entered in the contest. Entrants may submit a traditional or creative scarecrow using materials such as aluminum and steel, or a children’s scarecrow for participants 12 and younger. Entry forms can be found at ridethewavenb.com.

Submitted scarecrows will be displayed on lampposts along Washington and Green streets in the city’s downtown.

“People really look forward to this event,” McClure added. “Those that have entered in the past love it.”

Laura Lynn Szymanski Boyles, a New Baltimore resident who also serves as assistant cheer coach for the Anchor Bay Youth Tars Football League, plans to get the squad together to build a scarecrow this Sunday.

“I felt it would be a great team building exercise for my cheer squad this year,” Boyles said of the contest.

“We value the small community in New Baltimore and I like to see the girls involved in different activities that aren’t just based on their (cheerleading) interests. I like to see them reaching out to other things that they can do and see the end result of and come back later to talk about and build memories.”

Voters will determine the winner by picking their favorite at the following stations around the city:

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Winners will be announced around noon Sunday, Oct. 23, at . The winners will also be posted at the recreation center by Halloween.

For more information on entering the contest, visit ridethewavenb.com or call 586-306-2883.