Strawmen must be up by Oct. 1

Can you feel it?

The air is getting cooler. The kids are back in school. The days are getting shorter, while the nights are growing longer. Football fans are busy cheering their teams on to victory.

No doubt about it, autumn is coming.

In downtown Oxford that can only mean one thing – time to put up those scarecrows.

Organized by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the Scarecrow Festival will return on Oct. 12. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include a whole slew of activities, games, contests, food and live music. Most of the action takes place in and around Centennial Park.

“We’re just trying to make a fun Saturday event for folks,” said DDA Executive Director Glenn Pape.

The popular festival never fails to draw a crowd. “On a bad year, we get 500 people downtown. On a good year, we get 1,500 people downtown,” Pape said.

As always, Pape said the Scarecrow Festival remains a “kid-focused and kid-friendly” event with a hay maze, inflatables and games.

Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes and go trick-or-treating at participating downtown businesses from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Downtown restaurants will once again battle it out in a chili cook-off to determine whose savory mix of spices and beans reigns supreme. At stake are two trophies – the people’s choice and the judges’ award.

“There’s a bit of a rivalry there,” Pape said.

Members of the public can sample the chilis and vote for their favorite. Tasting begins at 11:30 a.m.

Creative folks who wish to get into the festival spirit ahead of time are invited to participate in the annual Scarecrow Contest. It’s free to enter and open to both businesses and residents.

“Our goal is to get more participation in the Scarecrow Contest this year,” Pape said. “Last year, I think we had seven businesses in it. We’ve got 150-plus businesses in town, so we’re going to try and get them to participate more.”

Registration forms are available at thevillageofoxford.org and can be submitted to the DDA office at 22 W. Burdick St. or emailed to dda@thevillageofoxford.org.

“Scarecrows need to be up Oct. 1,” Pape said. The DDA is encouraging contest participants to keep their scarecrows on display for “as long as they last,” which Pape said is “hopefully, through the end of October,” depending on the weather.

According to the rules, all scarecrow displays must be self-supporting, no taller than 7 feet once installed, “in good taste” because “this is a family event” and made from scratch, which means no kits are allowed.

Photographs of entries must be submitted to the DDA ahead of time, so they can be judged by the public on the day of the festival. Voting will run from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Entries do not need to be brought to Centennial Park.

Prizes will be awarded for residential and business winners in three categories – funniest, most creative and best use of recycled materials. Winning scarecrows will be announced at 3 p.m. Each category winner will receive a gift card.

There will be costume parades and contests for both pets and kids in the park beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Live music will be provided by the duo Balancing Earth starting at noon in the park.

The DDA has been organizing the Scarecrow Festival since 2003.