(From left) Ella and Mac Veatch smile with their scarecrow creation, “Be Our Muse.” Photo courtesy of Jody Veatch
Families looking to get their autumnal fix can stop by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to take in fall foliage and decor, but one Eden Prairie family gets theirs by contributing to the ambience – making scarecrows.
Jody Veatch and her children, Ella and Mac, work together each fall to create a scarecrow for the Arboretum’s Scarecrows in the Garden exhibit. Arboretum staff and community members alike build scarecrows with basic household items to be displayed throughout the grounds.
A friendly competition is part of the fun, Jody said, as visitors can vote for their favorite scarecrow online or by scanning a QR code at the Arboretum.
This year, Jody said their scarecrow is called “Be Our Muse” and is made out of plant pots, PVC pipes and pool noodles. It depicts an artist sitting beside a painting, with a hole cut out for visitors to put their face through to become the artist’s muse.
“Be Our Muse” is the third scarecrow the family has made, Jody said. Each year, the kids take turns coming up with a theme for their creation.
Ella, who is in fifth grade, said she chose their first theme two years ago, “Harry Pot-ter”, when she started reading the book series. They made the scarecrow out of plant pots and decked it out with a scarf and wand to resemble the beloved book character.
They took home first place for that design, Jody said. The prize included a certificate and bragging rights.
The next year the family participated, Jody said, her son, third-grader Mac, was inspired by his dream of owning a gourd farm when he grows up. This inspired their next scarecrow, called “Mac’s Gourd Farm,” which was dressed in flannel and jeans and surrounded by pumpkins and hay bales.
“Mac’s Gourd Farm” was also made of pots, PVC pipes and pool noodles, Jody said. They have been able to reuse supplies from previous projects each year, and the basic design of “Mac’s Gourd Farm” was used for this year’s project.
“We used pieces from our scarecrow last year, which was very handy,” Jody said. “It was kind of already made. But we used pieces from our scarecrow last year and then put a different face on this one.”
Jody said the whole process is a “family affair” between the kids choosing designs and everyone helping to design and put together the scarecrow.
Each year the Veatch family participated in the competition, Jody said, more community members seemed to get involved. They first learned about the contest from an email sent out by the Arboretum.
Jody said the best part of partaking in the competition is seeing what other participants create.
“Getting to see it all set up when we go, I think that’s probably my favorite,” Jody said. “And then when people send us pictures of people just getting out there and enjoying it is part of my favorite too.”
The scarecrows are out for viewing at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska through Oct. 31.
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