Scarecrows descend on N.S. town as part of a town tradition

AMHERST, N.S. -

With new greetings standing outside of many Amherst, N.S., shops right now, the downtown core and many surrounding streets look a little different this time of year.

Dozens of scarecrows currently line the streets and inside of some shops.

"We do a new one every year,” said Donna White, owner of Buds to Blossoms Floral Boutique.

“This year the girls actually did this, not myself, I can't take credit. They did Cruella DeVille."

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The newest residents are part of the annual Scarecrow Stroll, which the town says has over 45 participants this year.

"She's jeepers creepers themed with a little twist of course,” said Mary Butcher, the owner of Lil Em’s Eatery.

A scary twist on the Halloween classic Jeepers Creepers currently guards Lil Em's Eatery in Amherst, N.S. (CTV Atlantic/Alana Pickrell)

“We're all females here so we wanted to bring a little bit of spooky with a girly twist to it."

Butcher opened her doors earlier this year and is happy to be apart of the community tradition.

“It's been very receptive since we opened up our doors, so we want to keep that flow of traffic coming downtown and try to bring the heart of downtown back,” she said.

"Amherst is very community oriented so I think that's why everybody participated. We get a lot of volunteers and a lot of participation when it comes to big things like this and it draws a crowd, right? People are coming down and taking selfies and they're going into the businesses as well which is perfect. That's what we want."

A popular Disney character brought to life thanks to Buds to Blooms Floral Boutique in Amherst, N.S. She even has some of her puppies with her. (CTV Atlantic/Alana Pickrell)

In its fifth year, the now annual tradition aims to bring the community together, but the reason behind its origin is a bit more of a mystery.

“It's all about the great Amherst mystery which is the story of Esther Cox,” said Community Living Director, Sharon Bristol.

"Esther Cox was a woman that grew up and lived in Amherst and was believed to be possessed by spirits. So, there has been several pieces of literature written about her called the Great Amherst Mystery and she's kind of like our paranormal claim to fame here in Amherst."

The scarecrows will be on display until Oct. 30 as part of the town’s Esther Fest.

Several activities are expected to take place throughout the month including The Great Amherst Street Party on Saturday, which Bristol says will draw hundreds to the area.

“It's a beautiful time of year. We have a beautiful community and this is just our way of doing some community outreach to allow people to take part in the festival and make it fun,” she said.

This year, the town engaged the local school community and Bristol says over 600 students will do the Scarecrow Call in the coming days.

She adds that is also pulls people in from across Atlantic Canada to check-out what the town has to offer.

"I believe it's great for the town,” said White.

A scarecrow who is dressed to impressed outside of Sharon's Closet in Amherst, N.S., is just one of many along the great Scarecrow Scroll route. (CTV Atlantic/Alana Pickrell)

“It's family oriented. It's good to see people out around. The weathers co-operating really well so I think it's great for the town, it brings people in, it's fun, exciting."

A list of scarecrows is available on the town's website.

Those visiting the temporary guests are encouraged to take a selfie with the scarecrows for a chance to win a prize.

Residents can also vote on their favourite scarecrows online in the coming days.

"We've always wanted to participate in anything that the town puts on. It's just great and we've actually won a few of them,” said White.

“I believe maybe all of them. We've won scariest, most original, that type of thing."

Each scarecrow is unique, one-of-a-kind and new year-to-year.

The town itself has one named Lady Autumn this year that stands proudly outside of town hall.

Scarecrow Lady Autumn standing outside town hall. (CTV Atlantic/Alana Pickrell)

“Our community living team was responsible for this scarecrow and I think they've really outdone themselves here,” said Bristol.

“We just really wanted to be wild and have it be representative of how we feel of the community, how we really want to celebrate."

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