Polk County
Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 20, 2017 7A
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
Amber Katausky and Willow Stewart, 8, work on stuffing a head for their scarecrow-witch on Monday.
To build a scarecrow
Independence library’s annual workshop filled with family fun
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE —
Families gathered in the In-
dependence Public Library
Monday night, bringing to
life a scarecrow from a T-
frame, newspaper and mis-
cellaneous items.
Children’s librarian Jo
Hall calls them “the happy-
go-lucky protectors of the
garden.”
“I have a lifelong love af-
fair of scarecrows,” she said.
“I started a scarecrow com-
petition, because I like them
and I think it’s a fun family
thing to do.”
One of the things Hall
likes about building scare-
crows is they can be made
out of anything.
As she handed the frames
out to families, she cau-
tioned, “They’re a little
splintery.”
To ensure no one got a
splinter in their fingers, she
suggested starting by wrap-
ping the wooden frame in
newspaper and masking tape.
Amber Katausky and Wil-
low Stewart, 8, got busy
right away.
The mother and daughter
had seen the scarecrow-
building workshop on the li-
brary calendar last week-
end, and Katausky prom-
ised Willow they would
come.
“And I’m a big fan of fall,”
Katausky added.
“I love arts and crafts
things,” Willow said. “I want
to submit it into the compe-
tition to see if we can win.”
“I didn’t know there was a
competition,” Katausky
said.
Hall gave directions to
people as they arrived,
“When you get the clothing
on, you can stuff the cloth-
ing.”
Three generations worked
two T-frames to create two
different scarecrows.
Patricia Lara and her
mother, Donna Carlton,
helped Jazmynne Lara, 5,
create a pumpkin-headed,
pompom-handed creation,
while Patricia’s sister
Stephanie Carlton helped
Izaiah Hayward, 11, and
Jesse Lara, 8, make their
own unique scarecrow.
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
Join in the fun
Jazmynne Lara, 5, holds her undressed scarecrow tightly
as her aunt, Stephanie Carlton, fits a hat on its head.
The scarecrow competition, in its 11th year, will continue
despite the cancellation of the Hop & Heritage Festival.
Bring entries to the Independence Public Library at 6 p.m.
on Friday. If the weather is good, scarecrows will be dis-
played outside in the hopyard, Hall said. If inclement, they
will be displayed inside throughout the library.
Judging will be Friday evening. Entries will be on display
throughout the day Saturday.
All entries must be picked up at the end of the day on
Saturday.
Categories: Best Dressed, Most Traditional, Largest Scare-
crow, Smallest Scarecrow, Best Use of Recycled Material,
Most Unusual, Best Family Entry, Best Business Entry, Best In-
dividual Entry, Best Literary Character.
“We raced down here,”
Patricia said. “My kids want-
ed to do it.”
Patricia and Stephanie
keep an eye on the library
calendar, particularly during
the school year, so they can
take the family to events.
“It’s a super cute idea,”
Patricia said.
The scarecrow Jazmynne,
her mother and grand-
mother were working on
had no clothes — the table
that had been filled with
various items to create a
scarecrow masterpiece
when the workshop started
was nearly empty by the
time they were ready for
that step.
“What are we going to do
with this?” Hall asked
Jazmynne about her news-
paper-wrapped wooden
frame.
“I was going to take it
home and get some clothes
for it,” Jazmynne replied.
“You know, we can make
a skirt out of newspaper,”
Hall suggested.
Donna Carlton began
using burlap and creating a
dress while Jazmynne
grabbed the scissors.
EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
Izaiah Hayward, 11, takes a photo of Jesse Lara, 8, mod-
eling potential scarecrow accessories.
View this year’s Polk County Fair Results
found at www.polkio.com
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