Scarecrow festival will return to Cambria amid COVID-19. Here’s what it will look like
Remote schooling. Teledoc medical appointments. Zoom meetings.
Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, it seems that most of life is online these days.
That’s not the case for the 2020 Cambria Scarecrow Festival.
No, festival organizers won’t spread hand-crafted scarecrow sculptures all over the business districts of Cambria and San Simeon in October. But there will be selected sites where people can enjoy the festival all month long, albeit a bit differently.
As festival committee president Paula Ufferheide wrote on the group’s website, “We believe we have come up with a plan that will be fun for visitors and Cambrians alike while still adhering to COVID-19 protocols.”
The sculptures, Ufferheide wrote, “will be positioned and spaced in specific, well-defined areas to make them easily viewed by parking and walking.
“The Scarecrow Walk is unique in that it is outdoors, and in this configuration, we believe the displays can be easily enjoyed while still supporting the wearing of masks and social distancing,” she wrote. “We are following the California Department of Public Health guidelines for outdoor museums and galleries.”
There will be four display areas in Cambria and one in San Simeon that will be set up with one-way walkways for viewing the scarecrows. Displays will be concentrated in the following areas:
East Village: In the parking lot of the old Brambles building on Burton, the display will represent some Cambria businesses and various activities held in normal years, such as the Art and Wine Festival, Pinedorado, Harvest Festival, Christmas Market and Film Festival.
Mid Village: In front of the Santa Rosa Catholic Church on Main Street there will be a display about the ocean featuring fishermen, mermaids, and other whimsical sea creatures.
Pinedorado Grounds: This display will be about fantasy and include some truly zany creations.
West Village: The lot next to the Shell Station will display a colorful Day of the Dead fiesta.
San Simeon: This year, the zombies will be electing a mayor of Zombieville, so voting will be the theme — zombie style.
Uffherheide encouraged everybody to create and/or display their own scarecrows. There will be no judging, but the 2020 scarecrows should be registered at www.cambriascarecrows.com, even if those sculptures have been displayed before.
She emphasized that donations keep the festival going. To donate or learn more about the group’s plans for “an extraordinary festival in 2021,” go to www.cambriascarecrows.com.
