Scarecrows still have a place beyond fields

One festival in Illinois draws about 60,000 people to see hand-crafted scarecrows.

McClatchy Newspapers

CHICAGO — It’s an ongoing game of cat and mouse: The farmer tries a new method of frightening away crop-destroying birds.

But even the latest technology, including radio-controlled model airplanes and high-intensity lasers, is no more effective than the time-honored scarecrow, farmers say.

Some Illinois farmers have even tried propane-filled cannons, but to little avail, said Tom Jett, manager of the St. Clair County Farm Bureau.

“It makes a loud boom, and the birds fly up in the air. But then they come back,” he said. “They probably bother the neighbors more than the birds.”

As for the scarecrow — the original field sentinel — many farmers say he’s nowhere to be found.

“‘The Wizard of Oz’ was the last time I saw one,” Jett said.

But although absent as a farm tool, the scarecrow has been transformed in recent years into a cultural icon — from movies to fall decorations to works of art.

The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill., is showcasing a nature-themed scarecrow exhibit this month. And in recent weeks, scarecrow festivals have been held in west suburban St. Charles, in the Illinois towns of Dixon and Galesburg, and Wanatah, Ind.

Across the country, scarecrow celebrations have become so ubiquitous they’ve inspired competition. In August, the 1,700 residents of Hoschton, Ga., rallied to break the Guinness World Record for most scarecrows in one location — 3,311.

The festival in St. Charles, Ill., started 23 years ago, draws about 60,000 people, said Kathy Loubsky of the St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau. More than 100 hand-crafted scarecrows are judged in five categories with more than $2,000 in prize money at stake.

“The whole theme of the festival was taken from the idea that these are garden creatures, and we’re just embellishing on that,” Loubsky said. “Mostly, they’re whimsical and fun.”

The scarecrow has a long, rich history. Some folklorists believe scarecrows go back 3,000 years, with Egyptian farmers using wooden frames with fishing nets and placing them along the Nile River to protect wheat fields from quail.

Japanese farmers also reportedly protected their rice fields by burning old rags, meat and fish bones hung on bamboo poles, creating an odor so putrid that creatures kept their distance.

But as birds got over their fear of the straw-filled effigies, farmers turned to newer technology. Some manipulate their crops, creating corn with fuller and tighter husks that are more difficult for animals to get inside, said Mark Schneidewind, manager at the Will County, Ill., Farm Bureau.

Others play tape-recorded bird distress calls, fly radio-controlled model airplanes or shoot high-intensity lasers, said Andy Clapper, wildlife biologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Then there’s the Scarey Man, a more energized cousin of the scarecrow. The bright orange figure is made of plastic and operated by a fan, rapidly inflating and deflating by a set timer and emitting a shrill wail.

“We try to tell people to use a variety of techniques because there really isn’t a magic bullet out there,” Clapper said.

At Sleepy Creek Vineyards in downstate Fairmount, Ill., Joe Taylor held a scarecrow art exhibit this fall, but the show had a practical purpose.

The scare tactic was necessary because birds can be catastrophic to his industry.

So he doesn’t take any chances. He uses a variety of bird-scaring devices, including a cutout profile of a hawk and big inflatable balls with shiny reflective streamers.