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Scarecrow contest featured in ‘Go Wild in the Park’ program
By LINDA M. LINONIS
salem
A partnership between the Salem Parks and Recreation Department and the Salem Public Library is flourishing with successful “Go Wild in the Park” programs.
The most recent was a scarecrow contest. Scarecrows will be displayed through Saturday at the library, 821 E. State St., and Salem Memorial Building, 785 E. State, where the parks and recreation department is located. The scarecrow contest was part of the Quaker Fest celebration over the weekend in Salem.
Shane Franks, recreation supervisor with Salem Parks and Recreation, said the “Go Wild in the Park” programs began last year and met with good reception.
Teresa Rhodes, marketing and outreach coordinator at the library, said the two organizations thought a partnership was a “good way to build programming.”
“We want to have something that’s fun, educational and creative,” she said.
Among past programs have been tree identification, coyotes, and planting a pizza pot with tomato and pepper plants and herbs.
Franks said the parks and recreation department and library have aimed to offer about two free programs a month. The next one will take place at 1 p.m. Oct. 24 in the library’s Quaker Room on vegetable gardening.
“We have received many favorable comments about the programs,” Franks said.
He added participants in a program on nature photography are submitting photos for a calendar.
“We want them to be educational and draw people to the outdoors in the parks.”
Scarecrow contest participants met Oct. 3 to pick up wooden frames and contest rules at the memorial building. Parks department intern Jeff Hoover, second-year graduate student majoring in parks and recreation management at Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pa., presented a brief talk on the history of scarecrows.
The contest, in its second year, drew 29 entries. Judging took place Oct. 10.
Hoover said scarecrows have existed for some 3,000 years. There are examples from Egypt, Japan and Europe, he said.
“In some cultures, they have a religious connection ... to agricultural gods,” he said.
In some agricultural societies of the past, adults and children spent time in the fields trying to scare away birds and other creatures who ate the crops. They were called bird scarers.
“Eventually, scarecrows were developed to mimic the humans,” Hoover said. A tattered plaid shirt and denim jeans stuffed with straw, then topped by a hat was the look of a typical scarecrow.
“Crows, which are very intelligent, were among those who raided crops,” Hoover said. “Some cultures put rotting meat on scarecrows with the idea it would repel predators. Crows have a poor sense of smell so it didn’t affect them.” He added crows also will eat meat.
Some research indicates that German farmers brought their version of scarecrows to farms in Pennsylvania in colonial times. They constructed human-looking scarecrows called a “bootzamon” or “bogeyman.”
History also notes that Native American tribes who farmed used scarecrows. These included live people and some tribes moved into cornfields to protect their crops in the growing season. Still others used forms covered with cloth or animal skins.
During the Great Depression in the U.S., scarecrows were widespread. The use of scarecrows declined as commercial farms grew in number because they used other methods to protect crops.
In less-developed countries, Hoover said, scarecrows are still used to try and ward off predators.
In America, scarecrows now are more of a seasonal decoration and tribute to the past than a repellent for birds and critters.
For information on “Go Wild in the Park” programs, contact the Salem Parks and Recreation Department at 330-332-5512 and visit www.salemparksandrecreation.com or the Salem library at 330-332-0042 and visit www.salem.lib.oh.us.