Meaford's scarecrows are coming to life, with some three hundred bodies and faces now assembled and ready to be dressed in red and white in celebration of Canada's 150th.

Rumour has it that the Scarecrow Invasion and Family Festival volunteers have gone to great lengths, dare we say, depths, gathering anything and everything red and white to repurpose for what is shaping up to be the biggest, most spirited display of Canadian pride ever. The finished scarecrows will invade the town's streets, lampposts, storefronts, and public spaces during the first week of September and linger well into October.

Three dressing workshops are scheduled for next week, beginning with an evening workshop on Wednesday, August 16 at 6:30 p.m., then on Thursday, August 17 at 9 a.m. and Wednesday, August 23 at 9 a.m. All workshops are at the Rotary Harbour Pavilion. New volunteers are always welcome.

Decorating chairs Ruthann Noble and Candy Yeandle set out to dress this year's lineup completely in red and white. "We'll get there," Candy said, "thanks to the generous donations of clothing from everyone. The support has been amazing."

It may well be only the first week of August but Meaford is in scarecrow mode. Behind the scenes, the invasion and festival committees are working to finalize the details of the family festival, parade, and apple pie competition on Friday, Sept. 29. The business competition committee is out and about promoting business scarecrow displays. And the Municipality of Meaford and Meaford Public Library have once again this year added a scarecrow category to their annual Views of Meaford photography competition.

The Sept. 29 parade will start on Sykes Street at 6 p.m. and the family festival will follow at the harbour pavilion at 6:30 p.m. with free activities for the whole family, an apple pie auction, entertainment, and award presentations.

source: media release, Meaford Scarecrow Invasion and Family Festival