By Bob Groeneveld
Special to the 91原创 Advance
Dozens of scarecrows will be patrolling for the next several weeks, as the Port Kells gardening centre prepares to launch its annual Scarecrow Festival today (Saturday, Sept. 23).
Right up to Halloween, the public is invited to drop by (at 8940 192nd St.) and participate in a scarecrow scavenger hunt, answer some questions to be eligible for a valuable prize, and perhaps even build a scarecrow of their very own.
It鈥檚 all about families, fun, and charity, explained Art鈥檚 owner and general manager Rebecca van der Zalm.
Everyone, from the staff at Art鈥檚 and the businesses that have sponsored about 60 scarecrows, to the nursery鈥檚 patrons and visitors get into the fun, said van der Zalm, 鈥淎nd so that really creates a nice atmosphere to the nursery.鈥�
Sponsoring businesses can have Art鈥檚 staff build scarecrows to fit their themes, let the staff be creative on their behalf, or get down to work themselves, using the experience as a team-building exercise for their own staffs, van der Zalm said.
鈥淚t challenges our staff artistically to make some unique things,鈥� she added. 鈥淲e have superheroes, the latest movies, the latest characters 鈥� for example we have one, [the sponsor] is an ornamental grass grower and he鈥檚 Scottish, so we鈥檙e making the scarecrow an Outlander.鈥�
鈥淚 think one of the things that really captures people,鈥� van der Zalm said, 鈥渋s that they come thinking that they鈥檙e all going to be your typical scarecrow, and then they see the creativity that the staff has created with a lot of our scarecrows, and they鈥檙e not your average scarecrow.鈥�
There鈥檚 also a Build-A-Crow station for hands-on family involvement, she said.
鈥淵ou can bring your old clothes and make a minimum $12 donation and build your own scarecrow to take home,鈥� she said, noting that all the money goes to the three charities benefiting from the festival this year: the Versatiles entertainment troupe, L鈥橝rche Canada, and the Semiahmoo Animal League.
鈥淭hat was super successful last year,鈥� van der Zalm said.
鈥淔amilies come, schools come. Businesses have come to use it as a team-building event for staff. So we have all sorts of different groups,鈥� she explained. 鈥淏ut A lot of it is just individuals. You know, mom and dad or grandma bringing the grand kids 鈥� they bring the old clothes, and they get the frame and everything and the stuffing and the burlap [at Art鈥檚]. There鈥檚 glue guns here, and burlap sacking.
鈥淭hey can make the mess at our place, and make a really nice scarecrow, take it home with them, and stick it in their garden.鈥�
More than 400 scarecrows were made at the Build-A-Crow station at last year鈥檚 festival.
Another level of family fun is in a scavenger hunt that involves a list of questions about the 60 or so sponsored scarecrows dotted around the garden centre until Halloween.
Scavenger hunters who answer some of the questions, usually by finding the related scarecrows, get entered into a draw for a gardening package after the festival is over.
There will be a hayride, van der Zalm noted, 鈥渟o people will get toured around a lot of the scarecrows.鈥�
But she added mischievously, 鈥淪ome of the scarecrows you can only see on foot.鈥�
The idea for the festival came about when the folks at Art鈥檚 were thinking about something they could do different 鈥� and special 鈥� in the fall.
Van der Zalm said they realized that scarecrow festivals have become 鈥渜uite popular back east, and in Europe there鈥檚 a few, and in Nova Scotia, there鈥檚 a few places in the States.鈥�
Tying in the charity support makes it an especially satisfying community event.
The is founded on two basic principles: 鈥淧eople make the world a better place for animals,鈥� and, 鈥淎nimals make the world a better place for people.鈥�
In L鈥橝rche, people with intellectual disabilities and those who assist share life and daytime activities in family-like settings that are integrated into local neighbourhoods. has nearly 200 homes and workshops or day programs in its 29 鈥渃ommunities.鈥�
The Versatiles perform at seniors units and palliative care facilities.
鈥淲e are trying to kind of make it a feel-good charity event,鈥� van der Zalm explained.
鈥淧eople come in and they鈥檙e happy to support our event, but then they walk out and they鈥檙e like, 鈥極migosh! I can鈥檛 believe you guys made that!鈥� And the little kids are like, 鈥楲ook, Mom! Captain Underpants!鈥� And I don鈥檛 even know some of these superheroes, so it鈥檚 an education thing for everybody,鈥� van der Zalm laughed.
In addition to the staff getting deeply involved, even offering their personal time, 鈥淭he sponsors have been great,鈥� van der Zalm enthused. 鈥淚 would say 90 per cent of the ones we called back this year were, like, 鈥極h, this is a great thing. We love it. We鈥檙e on board.鈥� Some people鈥檚 situations changed, but we鈥檝e got some new people, so it鈥檚 been fun, very supportive all around.鈥�
You can expect to find Batman this year, along with Captain Underpants as well as a Superman created out of the culture of some of the nursery鈥檚 Indian staff members.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not your average scarecrows,鈥� van der Zalm assured. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not your average event. Once people come, they have a lot of fun with it. It makes them smile. There鈥檚 lots of good photo-ops with the kids. It鈥檚 fun!鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a win-win in a lot of different areas,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hich is kind of nice.鈥�
