By Brenda Maguire
CORRESPONDENT
BERLIN — If the town ever had a crow problem, it’ll be fixed this Saturday during the seventh annual Scarecrow and Fall Foliage Festival.
Starting Saturday, Main Street and Farmington Avenue will be decorated with about 15 scarecrows from local businesses, organizations, individuals and families for the scarecrow contest. They will stay in town until Oct. 31.
The Berlin Parks and Recreation Department asked for participants to create traditional, humorous/whimsical or celebrity scarecrows to be judged by four local officials.
“I just can’t wait sometimes to see what they’re going to come up with for a scarecrow,” said Terri Noyes, who is on the event staff for Parks and Recreation.
The opening ceremony is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Volunteer Park on the corner of Farmington Avenue and Porters Pass. Following the ceremony, Fall Foliage Festival activities will be available for children until 1 p.m. Activities include arts and crafts, face-painting and balloon animals.
The winners of the scarecrow contest will be announced Oct. 31. Winners have the option to donate their prize money or to keep it in the form of a gift certificate. Officials on Thursday were not yet clear on just how much will be provided in prize money.
Past scarecrows include the Wicked Witch of the West, characters from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Albert Einstein and the tooth fairy.
“It’s a nice town event,” Noyes said. “It brings people together and it’s good for the local businesses.”
For more information call Parks and Recreation at (860) 828-7009.
Brenda Pantano 