A Lemonhead, Beetlejuice, and the Scream next to a property tax bill — from sweet to frightening to downright horrifying, these scarecrows and dozens of others adorned yards around Forest Park for the fourth year in a row.
But a few scarecrows stood out from the rest and won gift bags for their creators.
The annual Halloween decorations are part of a fundraiser for the Historical Society of Forest Park and the Arts Alliance of Forest Park, which sell scarecrow kits every year.
Each scarecrow kit also comes with a yard sign with a QR code on it, so that locals can scan and vote for their favorite scarecrows. They can also vote on www.forestparkhistory.org.
Addresses with the most votes won gift bags with merchandise and gift certificates to local businesses.
Those with runner-up scarecrows got a bottle of prosecco. The four participants from the 900 block of Circle also won prizes for being the most-involved block.
Winners of each category are:
Most Artistic
First Prize: Harry Potter – 825 Beloit – Gabrielle Groener
Runner-up: Little Shop of Horrors – 7612 Harrison – Heather Gould
Most Historic
First Prize: Belle Gunness – 531 Circle – Jessica Voogd
Runner-up: The Ghost of Alice Paul – 7651 Adams – Betsy Homan
People’s Choice
First Prize: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce – 7706 Monroe – Megan Roach
Runner-up: The Ghost of Skipped Leg Day – 7511 Madison – John Hayley
Forest Park Pride
First Prize: Silvia, Ferrara’s Friendliest Face – 905 Circle – Kimberly Adami-Hasegawa
Runner-up: The Ghost of Skipped Leg Day – 7511 Madison – John Hayley
Next Halloween season, the Historical Society of Forest Park and the Arts Alliance of Forest Park will offer 100 new scarecrow kits for purchase.
“The Arts Alliance of Forest Park and the Historical Society of Forest Park hope that this year’s ‘invaders’ will want to be involved again in 2025, along with many new participants,” officials said in a statement.
