The Burlington County Parks System hosted its annual scarecrow contest at historic Smithville Park, the centerpiece of the county parks system and annual site for the contest.
The family friendly event kicks off seasonal celebrations at the Eastampton Township park. During fall, residents and organizations participate by decorating their own scarecrows, which are then displayed on light posts and bales of hay on the park’s walkways.
This year’s contestants included the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, families and individuals who wanted to advertise their organizations. Voting took place through Oct. 31 on Facebook, where residents chose their favorite scarecrow. Winners were determined by the most Facebook likes and ranked third, second or first runner-up, with a prize for each rank. Winners were to be announced on Nov. 1; gifts were in the amounts of $250, $125 and $75.
Heather Scotto, program coordinator of special events for the parks, spoke about what the system looked forward to regarding guests.
“It’s just really a nice thing for families,” she said. “We want people to have fun doing it. It allows families and friends to get together and get creative … It’s very nice for the public to be able to see that this is what we have at our parks,”
The scarecrow contest is just one of the many attractions at Smithville Park, home of the Smithville Mansion, which also features picturesque gazebos and park history lessons. The park will host its Victorian holiday in December, an opportunity to see attractions like a mechanical reindeer, take carriage rides and ice skate.
For more information about upcoming events at Smithville park visit https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/948/Historic-Smithville-Park and the Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/BurlcoParksNJ/
