Scarecrows make annual appearance in Cambria, San Simeon

Flying pumpkins, giant cornstalk figures, whimsical crows and eerily lifelike figures are appearing all over town. It must be scarecrow time again. Beginning earlier this week, local residents and businesses began installing creations throughout Cambria and San Simeon. They will remain on display throughout October.

According to organizers of the Cambria Scarecrow Festival, there are well over 100 totally new creations this year to add to old favorites that reappear. The best of the new will be honored at an award ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, in the Cambria Veterans Memorial Building. Admission to the awards event is free.

New displays of scarecrows can be found throughout town. One of the most imaginative is at Cambria Drive between Highway 1 and Main Street. It involves marauding cornstalks, flying pumpkins riding an elephant seal, Don Quixote and more in a fanciful battle scene between old and new style scarecrows. Longtime fans of the festival may have fun trying to determine which of the figures appeared in different guises in previous years.

Another interesting display is found along Main Street at the Pinedorado Grounds. At the end of July, students of all ages participated in a workshop to create traditional scarecrows out of things like brooms and pumpkins. More than two dozen of these scarecrows (created by kids in ArtBeat, Cambria Youth Athletic Association and Interact) are displayed together.

There was also a workshop in June for adults to create a scarecrow in a day, and you can find many of these new scarecrows next to Bluebird in the East Village in homage to our pioneer families. Conducting such free workshops is part of the festival’s outreach to involve more people in creating the annual display.

As has happened for the past several years, several businesses have also arranged for high school students to build scarecrows for them. Fees to rent new (as well as old) scarecrows by business all flow back to fund Cambria school art programs.

Finally, there’s an intriguing assortment of scarecrows involving animals grouped around a newly erected barn next to the Shell station near the west end of town. All in all, these many scarecrows provide a lot of choices for the judges to ponder. This year the judges are Scott Daniels , co-anchor of morning news at KSBY-TV; Sarah Linn, entertainment editor at The Tribune; and Jessica Blanchfield, from Archer and Hound Advertising.

For the first time, the judges will award cash prizes in the top categories, which include best scarecrow built by a student, by a resident, by a business, and by a club or organization. There is also a cash prize for the best animation.

The awards ceremony is just one part of an opening day festival event Saturday called “A Toast to the Coast.” Sponsored by the Scarecrow Festival and Cambria Lions Club, this event is free and begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Pinedorado Grounds at 930 Main St. in the West Village of Cambria.

The event features the Harmony Valley Creamery ice cream truck, Boni’s Tacos food truck, The Grilled Cheese Incident food truck, and Diva Dogs food cart. There will be live music and other entertainment throughout the afternoon. To add to the fall spirit, the Nipomo Pumpkin Patch will be on hand to sell pumpkins and fall flowers. The Love Story Project will also be operating a photo booth.

In addition, there will be a local wine and beer tasting featuring the 11 wineries of the Pacific Coast Wine Trail and four local microbreweries, including Cambria’s 927 Brewery. Montello Olive Oil will also offer tastings of its oils and vinegars. An all-access pass to the wine and beer tasting experience costs $25, with tasting booths are open from 12:30 to 3:30.

Other activities

Other activities during this first weekend include a fundraising opening night part at the Cambria Nursery from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. Among the highlights that evening will be a silent auction featuring patio umbrellas painted by local artists. Tickets are $35.

On Friday, Sept. 30, the festival is offering a guided tour of the major scarecrow installations by foot and bus. Participants can meet with some of the scarecrows artists and share a seaside toast of champagne at San Simeon Bar and Grill; it ends with a three-course dinner at Robin’s Restaurant, along with wine provided by Harmony Cellars. Tickets are $90.

“We are so excited by how many residents, young and old, became involved in creating this year’s displays,” said Taylor Hilden, president of the Cambria Scarecrow Festival. “I think it’s the best year yet..”

In addition to staging the festival, money raised by this year’s festival events will help fund annual donations to the arts programs at our local schools, art workshops in the community, and a new student scholarship fund.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 9:24 AM with the headline "Scarecrows make annual appearance in Cambria, San Simeon."