HOSCHTON - The population of this quaint city in northeast Georgia is growing by the dozen every hour.
Hundreds of straw-stuffed newcomers to Hoschton expecting mothers, school children, scuba divers and race car drivers smile and stare. Even Jesus and Elvis are standing by.
The 1,700 real residents of Hoschton hope to nearly triple their population with the help of these 4,000 scarecrows and break the Guinness World Record for ``Most Scarecrows in One Location.''
Plans for the endeavor were announced in May.
The title belongs to the Cincinnati Horticultural Society's Cincinnati Flower and Farm Fest, which set the record in 2003 when 3,311 scarecrows were gathered.
Hoschton is trying to beat that number by Monday, in time for the annual fall festival appropriately named ``Scarecrow Stampede'' this year.
``It has been a challenge,'' said Mayor Bill Copenhaver, who now acknowledges the goal he set is a bigger task than he imagined.
At least 2,600 scarecrows are already accounted for, said Robbie Bettis, who is in charge of scaring up residents to meet the goal. She said hundreds more are promised from churches, schools, Boy Scout troops and neighboring towns.
Bettis and her husband, Fred, helped the effort by holding daily scarecrow-making workshops around town.
On Wednesday, they watched over an assembly line at an old train depot downtown. About 20 people passed wooden frames among tables of dingy clothes, yellow milk jugs, plastic grocery bags, old hats, twine, ribbon and other donated materials.
``You don't know how to make a lady yet, Bob?'' Robbie Bettis yelled across the room to a man struggling to dress a wooden stick with gauchos.
``We thought if we gave people something fun to do then maybe they will forget about the difficult economy,'' said Bettis, who owns three antique shops in the area. ``Winning the world record is just a byproduct.''
The movement has swept the town, and many residents have gone well beyond the traditional stuffed-suit scarecrow.
The cast of ``The Wizard of Oz'' stands on the porch of a law firm. A choir and nativity scene decorate the lawn of Hoschton First Baptist Church.
Two miles east of city limits on the 280-acre Kenerly family farm, nearly 200 scarecrows line the black picket fence. Georgia Bulldog football players bend at the line of scrimmage opposite Georgia Southern players in orange jerseys. A squad of cheerleaders silently root for the home team with their wooden arms stretched to the sky. From the stands, fans cheer. Next week's banners will change for the Bulldogs' next opponents, said Angie Brag, whose grandmother owns the farm.
Errant crows and criminals should heed the warning: Two men caught knocking over scarecrows were sentenced to build 25 scarecrows, lest they face trespassing charges, the mayor said.
Scarecrows are not new guests Hoschton. The city has hosted scarecrow-making contests at its fall festival for at least two years, and Bettis and her friends talked about expanding the contest when someone suggested they try to turn the town's hobby into a new record.
``It blew my mind because I thought the record couldn't be a but a few hundred,'' Bettis said. ``It's not that easy like you can just throw out paper.''
Guinness requires the scarecrows to stand upright and be stuffed, but the town has set additional height requirements. Bettis and Copenhaver have been tagging and photographing the scarecrows as they are set up, and they plan to film a video to ship to London for judging.
What will happen to Hoschton's new friends after the fall festival next month? No one knows for sure.
Kim Horne, designer of the fancier scarecrows, said she will likely auction the cast of the Wizard of Oz and more than 40 other creations and give the proceeds to charity. Others may even sell them to locals for a more old-fashioned goal: To protect their farms.
``Either way this is great,'' Bettis said. ``It is so much more than what I had hoped for.''
....
On the Net. Hoschton Fall Festival: http://www.hoschtonfallfestival.com/
Sunday
June 16th, 2024
1:02AM
