Nearly a dozen Cambria Scarecrow Festival scarecrows were vandalized late Thursday or early Friday, according to festival officials.

The scarecrows trashed, moved or knocked over were all in the square block bounded by Main Street, Burton Drive and Center Street in Cambria’s historic East Village, according to Sue Robinson of the Cambria Historical Society.

“This is a slap in the face to everybody in the community who worked so hard,” she said. “It’s sad that there are people whose main goal in life is to make other people miserable.”

Coast Union High School students made some of the damaged scarecrows.

Making a scarecrow takes thought, skill and lots of time, Robinson said. “Some people take weeks to make theirs. You can’t put a dollar figure on one of these scarecrows.”

The penalty for misdemeanor vandalism (less than $400 in damages) is a fine up to $1,000 and a year in jail. Felony vandalism (damages of $400 or more) is punishable by a year in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. Higher fines are possible for damages of $10,000 and up.

The vandalism was reported to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.