Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 57 SCARECROW FESTIVALS About 250 miles away, south of Missoula, lies the town of Stevensville. Nestled in the Bitterroot Mountains and next to the Bitteroot River, Stevensville is, like Stanford, a rural agricultural town, and like Stanford is crazy about scarecrows. Now in its 14th year, the Stevensville Scarecrow festival was started by Gary Knapp, the president of the Stevens- ville Art and Sculpture Society. Stevensville is a community with higher than average concentration of artists. ey are drawn and "inspired", according to Lorraine Roach, the Executive Director of the town's Main Street Association, by "awesome mountain views and wildlife." e scarecrow festival provides a surprising but fitting creative outlet for many of those artists. After Knapp's death in 2012 the festival continued in his honor. e festival has become such an integral part of life in Stevensville that businesses and groups begin coming up with ideas nearly as soon as one festival ends. "e Scarecrow festival is quite competitive," Roach says. "Employees and members are sworn to secrecy about their entry. It's all in good fun, but they're in it to win it!" Even though the event takes place in October, the Stevensville Festival tries to avoid "gloom and gore", though apparently many viewers were at least a little discomfited by "Scary Barry's Root Canal," the scarecrow display cooked up by the Barry Yaskus Family Dental Clinic. More often, according to Roach, "the focus is on creative and whimsical dioramas." Last year's attendance rose to 3,000 people on Friday night, and another 2,500 or so on Saturday and Sunday. But since groups of schools and senior living communi- ties from all over the state come to see the displays, which remain in place for two weeks (this year you can see them until October 12) the Main Street Association estimates that 2019's display will garner somewhere around 10,000 visitors. Every year folks who view the scarecrows will vote for their favorites in categories like children's displays, a combination nonprofit, family or individual category and one for businesses that have prepared their own creations. Between each of the categories, the Main Street Association expects about 50 – 60 entries, the most the contest has ever New this year will be Scarecrow Brewfest, where visitors can appreciate the tableaus while enjoying "20 craft brews, premium wines, local hard cider, food, and music". Once you've checked out Montana's scarecrow festivals, you might consider visiting their kissing cousin, the HOBSON HAY BALE TRAIL. Held every Autumn (this year it started on September 8th), the Hobson Hay Bale Trail features miles of artfully and creatively imagined hay bales arranged on a 22-mile route from Hobson to Utica to Windham. Those who travel the whole Hay Bale Trail will see more than 50 displays, from the cute to the scary to the surreal. And then they can pick up a ballot at either Hobson or Windham, grab a burger and a beer, and vote on their favorite displays. You may not have considered hay an artistic medium before, but you won't be able to help it after you've taken in the Hobson Hay Bale Trail. It's not to be missed. Lady Ravalli Tin Lady by Tess Brady Sunrise with scarecrows CONTINUED

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