Yeeha! It’s time to get cracking and plan your visit to Mary Valley’s Wild West Scarecrow Festival.
The annual event has a Wild West them – you might see Wild Bill Hickok or Annie Oakley on display – and one supporter is creating Woody the cowboy for a scarecrow hunt competition.
Organisers want you to track down Woody and snap a photo with him. If you share it to their Facebook page using the handle #Woody, you could win $150.
Scarecrows come out of the hills on 11 September and will be on display until 2 October. A Google map will be uploaded to the Mary Valley Artslink website after judging on 13 September, showing locations of all scarecrows so you can take a day trip to go scarecrow spotting in the Mary Valley.
It’s a great way to explore the hills behind the Sunshine Coast, drive down a country lane you haven’t seen before and stop for lunch at a local café or pub.
The festival began in Maleny and has been held during spring almost every year since the late ‘90s. It is one of two festivals – the other is the Mary Valley Art Festival – hosted by the community group Mary Valley Artslink.