Mary Valley visitors have laughed and gazed in awe at some of the ingenious and humorous creatures that have graced roads and paddocks in the 2022 scarecrow festival.
From a simple black crow in front of the Imbil Post Office to Nelson Corbet’s Stair Crow which towers over the hills on the Imbil-Kandanga Road, there is something for everyone in the annual festival which runs to 3 October.
Organiser Heinke Butt, from Mary Valley Artslink, estimated 80 scarecrows had popped up in the valley in one of the best showings in years.
Overall winners were judged across four categories: Child 5-15 years – Humpty Dumpty Smarty Pants by the Imbil Early Learning Centre; traditional – Emma Moor and Ken Danga, from Rose Berry at Amamoor Homestead on Kandanga Amamoor Rd; artistic – Nitro Nigel from the Fitzgerald family, Yabba Creek Rd near Borumba Dam.
The fourth and newest category, Pro Crow, presented a quandary for the judges, who could not split the vote between Marg, by Agnew Terve on Ray Meyers Rd near Imbil, and the Stair Crow on Imbil- Kandanga Rd.
The category called for a larger-than-life crow made from scrap metal or other recycled materials, oversized and original, and came with prize money of $500.
If you haven’t taken a drive to see them yet, download the Google map from the website at maryvalleyartslink.com.au/mary-valley-scarecrow-festival/ and head to the Mary Valley to go scarecrow spotting!
But be quick, the ‘crows know when they have outstayed their welcome and will head for the hills in October.
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.
Town winners: Kenilworth artistic – Miss Klause by Johanna; Imbil artistic – Nitro Nigel, the Fitzgerald family; Imbil traditional – Dunny Dave, Michael Grainger; Imbil child – Smarty Pants, Imbil Early Learning Centre; Imbil Pro Crow – Marg, Agnes Terve, Stone the Crow, Imbil Post Office, Stair Crow, Coastwide Stairs; Kandanga artistic – Emma Moor and Ken Danga, Rose Berry at Amamoor Homestead; Kandanga traditional – Along came a Spider, Ben and Zac Beddows; Kandanga child – Hip Hip Hooray, Amamoor State School; Kandanga Pro Crow – Vego Head, Kandanga Farm Store.
