SCARECROWS SAY ‘SMILE, YOU’RE IN KEYPORT’

Visitors to this weekend’s 6th Annual Country Jamboree in Keyport will find plenty to smile about, including the friendly scarecrows that will be found all along the festival route and in “Scarecrow Square.”

The Scarecrow Decorating Contest is open to everyone, including families, children, individuals and business owners. Participants are required to fashion a scarecrow of their own design in a theme of their choice. Pre-registration is required, and there is a $5 entry fee. Registration forms are available at Second Hand Prose, 8 Main St., Keyport, or by calling owner Barbara Eckert at (732) 335-9090.

Eckert, who will be managing the Scarecrow Decorating Contest for the Keyport Business Alliance at this year’s event, says all scarecrow entries must be in their assigned places at the festival by 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 12.

Judging will take place on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m., and winners will be posted by 4 p.m. Sunday. Eckert says the scarecrows will be judged on both creativity and presentation.

“We’ve had pirate scarecrows, fishermen scarecrows, chef scarecrows – you name it,” says Eckert. “Some of the themes are really clever. People put a lot of work into them, and kids love getting their pictures taken with the scarecrows,” she says.

There will be a cash prize for the first-place winner of the Scarecrow Decorating Contest, and gift certificates for the second- and third-place winners.