It takes a village, some might say, to transform a single idea into a community-wide project. If you’ve driven down Main Street in Buchanan this autumn, you’ve noticed the mob of scarecrows that line the roadway, offering smiles and silliness to passers-by. From Labor Day to Halloween, these fiber-filled figures stand tall on sidewalks, gazebos, light posts, and business entrances, making this hometown tradition a beacon of happiness and charity in the City of Buchanan.
“Every Fall since 2007, a group of women has decorated the downtown business area of Buchanan with hand-made, life-size scarecrows. The town lovingly nicknamed these volunteers The Scarecrow Ladies,” says Jean Rose, former President of the Buchanan Scarecrow Charities. “Initially, these lady volunteers were all members of the Buchanan Art Center (now Roti Roti Art Center) and these scarecrows acted as a fundraiser for them.” That first year, forty scarecrows sat proudly on display, but in the past fifteen years, the number of straw statues, and community volunteers, has grown exponentially.
After the initial fundraiser, founders of the Buchanan Scarecrow Charities (which this group would come to be called), Mary Fisher and Carole Hedstrom, set up a few larger scarecrows downtown, and they quickly caught the eye of local businesses. “Merchants asked how they could sponsor a scarecrow, and as more people joined our group, we became aware of other needs in our community,” says Jean. In 2012, this group officially became a non-profit organization, and delighted in the thought that they could provide funds for the enhancement of the Art Center and their programs, while also broadening their ability to help with other charitable needs of the community.
The Buchanan Scarecrow Charities now has forty-two active volunteers, and a building for their scarecrow factory. Mary Fisher and her son Brian, of the Fisher-Rahiser Group, donated the building in 2021, and they share the space with the MegaHurtz Robotics team of Buchanan High School.
The creation of the scarecrows is a year-long affair. “Volunteers and community members gather gently used clothing and accessories at garage sales and second hand shops to use in making our scarecrows,” Jean says. “We also rely heavily on the community for donations of clothing, old jewelry, ribbon, artificial flowers, wigs, yarn, and children’s toys. All of these items are sorted and stored for easy access as we build.”
Once complete, the scarecrows participate in a fancy photo shoot, in order to catalog each design so that local businesses may choose which figure they’d like to sponsor. Through this sponsorship and donations, the Buchanan Scarecrow Charities has given thousands of dollars back to the community. In 2021, BSC gave $13,000 to different groups and organizations in Buchanan, and this year, they are on track to increase donations by $3,000.
There are 225 perfectly embellished scarecrows that dress up the downtown area in 2022, and the community is abuzz with excitement! “We have some wonderful and much appreciated help for some gentlemen in the community during scarecrow installation time,” Jean says. “The assigned spots are planned weeks prior to the install, and the four to five day installation is a ‘race to the finish’. After Halloween, we reverse the process — we take the scarecrows down, remove the straw stuffing and heads, wash the clothing that is still usable, and put everything back in the factory. We have been very fortunate to have groups of young people from Buchanan High School volunteer to help us with the recycling process each year.”
During the month of October alone, the BSC presented a check to the Roti Roti Art Center to help with their Sidewalk Project, donated $500 to the Bucky Fund (to help pay for school lunches for students), and provided $500 worth of candy for the Friends of McCoy’s Creek Trails Trek or Treat event that will take place on Saturday, October 29th of this year.
There are many, many people that benefit from the generosity of the yearly scarecrow invasion, and you can learn more about their impact in the community by visiting the Buchanan Scarecrow Charities Facebook page.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
