Scarecrow Explained

A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin that is often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.^[1] Scarecrows are used around the world by farmers, and are a notable symbol of farms and the countryside in popular culture.

Design

The common form of a scarecrow is a humanoid figure dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. Machinery such as windmills have been employed as scarecrows, but the effectiveness lessens as animals become familiar with the structures.

Since the invention of the humanoid scarecrow, more effective methods have been developed. On California farmland, highly-reflective aluminized PET film ribbons are tied to the plants to produce shimmers from the sun. Another approach is using automatic noise guns powered by propane gas. One winery in New York has even used inflatable tube men or airdancers to scare away birds.^[2]

Cultural impact

Joe's Scarecrow Village in Cape Breton, Canada, was a roadside attraction displaying dozens of scarecrows.^[3]
The Japanese village of Nagoro, on the island of Shikoku in the Tokushima Prefecture, has 35 inhabitants but more than 350 scarecrows.^[4]
In the United Kingdom, where there are a few different languages and several different dialects,^[5] there are a wide range of alternative names such as:^[6] ^[7]
A supervillain named Scarecrow is part of the Rogues Gallery of the DC hero Batman.

Name	Locale
Hodmedod.^[8]	Berkshire
Murmet.^[9]	Devon
Hay-man.^[10]	England
Gallybagger.^[11]	Isle of Wight
Tattie Bogal.^[12] ^[13] ^[14]	Isle of Skye
Tattie bogle.^[15] >Bodach-rocais (lit. "old man of the rooks").	Scotland
Mommet.	Somerset
Mawkin.	Sussex
Bwbach.^[16]	Wales

Festivals

In England, the Urchfont Scarecrow Festival was established in the 1990s and has become a major local event, attracting up to 10,000 people annually for the May Day Bank Holiday.^[17] Originally based on an idea imported from Derbyshire, or Kettlewell, North Yorkshire,^[18] it was the first Scarecrow Festival to be established in the whole of southern England.^[19]
Belbroughton, north Worcestershire, holds an annual Scarecrow Weekend on the last weekend of each September since 1996, which raises money for local charities.^[20] ^[21] The village of Meerbrook in Staffordshire holds an annual Scarecrow Festival during the month of May. Tetford and Salmonby, Lincolnshire, jointly host one.^[19]
The festival at Wray, Lancashire, was established in the early 1990s and continues to the present day. In the village of Orton, Eden, Cumbria scarecrows are displayed each year, often using topical themes such as a Dalek exterminating a Wind turbine to represent local opposition to a wind farm.^[19]
The village of Blackrod, near Bolton in Greater Manchester, holds a popular annual Scarecrow Festival over a weekend usually in early July.^[19]
Norland, West Yorkshire, has a Scarecrow festival. Kettlewell in North Yorkshire has held an annual festival since 1994.^[22] ^[19] The villages of Cotherstone,^[23] Staindrop,^[24] and Middleton-in-Teesdale in County Durham have annual scarecrow festivals.^[25]
Scotland's first scarecrow festival was held in West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, in 2004, and there is also one held in Montrose. On the Isle of Skye, the Tattie bogal event^[26] is held each year, featuring a scarecrow trail and other events. Tonbridge in Kent also host an annual Scarecrow Trail,^[27] organised by the local Rotary Club to raise money for local charities. Gisburn, Lancashire, held its first Scarecrow Festival in June 2014.^[19]
Mullion, in Cornwall, has an annual scarecrow festival since 2007.^[28]
In the US, St. Charles, Illinois, hosts an annual Scarecrow Festival.^[29] Peddler's Village in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, hosts an annual scarecrow festival and presents a scarecrow display in September–October that draws tens of thousands of visitors.^[30] ^[31]
The "pumpkin people" come in the autumn months in the valley region of Nova Scotia, Canada. They are scarecrows with pumpkin heads applied to them doing various things such as playing the fiddle or riding a wooden horse. Hickling, in the south of Nottinghamshire, is another village that celebrates an annual scarecrow event. It is very popular and has successfully raised a great deal of money for charity.^[32] Meaford, Ontario, has celebrated the Scarecrow Invasion since 1996.^[33] ^[34]
In the Philippines in 2015, the Province of Isabela started a scarecrow festival named after the local language: the Bambanti Festival. The province invites all its cities and towns to participate for the festivities, which last a week; it has drawn tourists from around the island of Luzon.^[35]
The largest gathering of scarecrows in one location is 3,812 and was achieved by National Forest Adventure Farm in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, UK, on 7 August 2014.^[36]

External links

Notes and References

Lesley Brown (ed.). (2007). "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles". 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. .
News: New Scarecrows for Vineyards: Car Dealers' Inflatable 'Dancing' Tube Men. Kamp. Jon. 29 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131129073509/http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304337404579210132891841764. 2013-11-29. Wall Street Journal.
Web site: Joe's Scarecrow Village . atlasobscura.com . Atlas Obscura . 30 November 2023 . 24 August 2010 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070040/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/joe-s-scarecrow-village . live .
News: Levius . Travis . Valley of the dolls: Inside Japan's 'Scarecrow Village' . 30 November 2023 . CNN . 23 July 2019 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070040/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/nagoro-japan-scarecrow-village/index.html . live .
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Web site: Phillips . Nigel . Gatcombe and Chillerton Scarecrow Festival 2024 . gallybagger.org.uk . Gallybagger . 1 December 2023 . 2023 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070042/https://www.gallybagger.org.uk/ . live .
Web site: Tattie Bogal . alzscot.org . Alzheimer Scotland . 1 December 2023 . 2023 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070040/https://www.alzscot.org/news/tattie-bogal . live .
Web site: Hellon . Lesley . Tattie Bogal . spanglefish.com . Spanglefish . 1 December 2023 . 2014 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070040/http://www.spanglefish.com/tattiebogal/ . live .
Web site: Tattie Bogal Festival . skyeguides.co.uk . Skye Guides . 1 December 2023 . 12 July 2011 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070040/https://skyeguides.co.uk/tattie-bogal-festival-2/ . live .
Warrack, Alexander (1982). "Chambers Scots Dictionary". Chambers. .
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Web site: Urchfont Parish Council – Scarecrow Festival. Urchfont Parish. Council. 2013-04-15. 2013-03-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20130330080049/http://www.urchfont-pc.gov.uk/News_and_Events/Scarecrow_Festival.aspx. live.
Web site: Urchfont 25th Scarecrow Festival . urchfontscarecrows.co.uk . Urchfont Scarecrow Festival Charity . 30 November 2023 . 2023 . 24 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524091535/https://www.urchfontscarecrows.co.uk/history . live .
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Jo. Travis. CUTTING-EDGE OF HISTORY; DOWN YOUR WAY Jo Travis reports on a rural idyll that was once a world capital of industry. Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. 2008. 2014-10-02. 2014-10-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006082142/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CUTTING-EDGE+OF+HISTORY%3B+DOWN+YOUR+WAY+Jo+Travis+reports+on+a+rural...-a0176929739. live.
Web site: Scarecrow Committee (a subcommittee of Belbroughton Parochial Church Council) . Belbroughton Scarecrow Festival . 2014-10-02 . 2018-08-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180810091403/http://belbroughtonscarecrow.co.uk/ . live .
Web site: Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival draws in crowds . Bbc.co.uk . 2011-08-14 . 2012-07-12 . 2011-08-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110814171701/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-14521444 . live .
News: Banks . Georgia . County Durham village invaded by scarecrows . 30 November 2023 . The Northern Echo . 23 July 2021 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070041/https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19465587.county-durham-village-invaded-scarecrows/ . live .
Web site: Staindrop: best time to visit . travopo.com . Staindrop . 30 November 2023 . 2023 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126071542/https://travopo.com/travel-guides/england/staindrop/ . live .
News: Carter . Nicky . Characters from kids' books brought to life . 30 November 2023 . Teesdale Mercury . 14 August 2022 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070041/https://www.teesdalemercury.co.uk/news/characters-from-kids-books-brought-to-life . live .
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News: Vance . Stephen . No Scarecrow Invasion For 2023 . 30 November 2023 . Meaford Independent . 30 January 2023 . 29 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231129111329/https://themeafordindependent.ca/no-scarecrow-invasion-for-2023/ . live .
Web site: Schedule of events 2023 . scarecrowinvasion.com . Meaford Scarecrow Invasion . 30 November 2023 . 2023 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126071543/https://scarecrowinvasion.com/schedule-of-events-2023/ . dead .
News: Abad-Bergonia . Virginia . Bambanti Festival 2018 . 30 November 2023 . Manila Times . Province of Isabela . 8 February 2018 . 26 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070041/https://provinceofisabela.ph/index.php/using-joomla/extensions/components/content-component/article-categories/334-reawakening-the-beauty-of-arts-and-culture . live .
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