Well, it’s time to gear up for the Scarecrow Festival on October 17 at Bartlett Park!
This event is presented by CLCT, the Chelmsford Land Conservation Trust, which provides the hay, stands, and some of the crew. Participation is free, and so are the hay and stands!
The festival has moved around town over the years but has found a home at Bartlett Park. It’s now part of “Art on the Brook,” a free outdoor craft fair bringing artisans and musicians together. Combining the events brings more people out, and Old Mill House Coffee’s outreach helps spread the word. Getting event information out in Chelmsford has always been a challenge. Facebook doesn’t reach everyone, so we’re working to get beyond that narrow information channel.
So how does it all work?
This Saturday, October 10, we’ll be handing out bags of hay and stands starting around 8 a.m. until we run out of steam, probably somewhere between 10 and 11. We’ll be packing bags and checking stands while we’re there. The bags and stands will stay in the lot throughout the week so you can pick them up when it works for you.
We’ll put hay bales in the park and drill holes for the stands. Build your scarecrow, bring it down, and install it! Email Lowellbrit@comcast.net with your name and email address so we can contact you if you win. We have adult and child categories, with a $50 Amazon gift card for the winner in each.
Friday night, October 16, we’ll bring out our big light until 8 p.m. for “Friday Night with the Scarecrows.” Come finish putting yours up or take a walk through the ones already there.
They’ll start popping up during the week, so look for new ones as you pass the library. You are welcome to park at the library and wander through the display all week.
Saturday, October 17, is the fair, with in-person voting for the best scarecrows. They’ll stay up Sunday so you can enjoy them without the bustle of the fair. That gives you three different ways to experience them: Friday evening, Saturday’s fair, and a quieter Sunday visit. Come for one, two, or all three!
Bartlett Park belongs to the Chelmsford Land Conservation Trust. It’s a private organization that acquires and holds land for conservation, education, and community use. The park and another 16 acres across the street, including a waterfall, give us beautiful protected green space right in the center of town.
There’s history here, too. Decades ago, the town tried to take the park by eminent domain for a new library. That didn’t happen, and the park remains open green space today.
It has also become a gathering place for the fair, Scarecrow Festival, Scout Expo, and egg hunt. The library uses it, too, including for its teddy bear picnic. Having the land trust as an owner gives us some flexibility in bringing these community events together.
That’s how it works, who’s behind it, and why we do it. We need free, family-friendly events. Bartlett Park is welcoming, close to the library, and just plain beautiful. Come build a scarecrow and be part of it.
Please share this so more people can build scarecrows.