If you drive west on Richmond Street towards Bloomfield Road, you may find yourself doing a double take at the scarecrows in the drivers’ seat of tractors of all sizes at C.L. Benninger’s dealership.
The Chatham Focal Point committee for the International Plowing Match (IPM) coming to Chatham-Kent Sept. 18-22 just outside of Pain Court has been hard at work designing and putting up a display of colourful marigolds and scarecrows with produce heads.
Committee member Edwina Rawlings said the group, mostly made of former Communities in Bloom volunteers, got together for the IPM and started planning their display in January.
“We travelled to Petrolia to get some tips from them and they were very helpful,” Rawlings said.
One of the tips was to help make the scarecrows more outdoor friendly – and make them last longer in inclement weather – by stuffing the insides with plastic instead of regular stuffing materials.
“We had different businesses saving all their plastic for us and we had a basement full of it,” she added.
To clothe the scarecrows, the committee waited for the 50-cent sale at Bibles for Missions and purchased all the attire for the several scarecrows they made from the frame out. With heads made to look like different produce, one of the main scarecrows is even sporting an authentic T-shirt from the 1979 IPM; the last one that took place in Chatham-Kent.
Not part of the commercial and residential IPM decoration contests, the focal point committees in each community of Chatham-Kent are coming up with their own displays to show a united theme across the municipality.
“It’s not judged. It’s more to build up community spirit for the IPM,” Rawlings said. “Hopefully people will get enthralled with the idea of the plowing match and want to attend.”
Committee members said there are still some people in the community who are asking when and what the IPM is, and they hope to increase interest in the event.
Rawlings said they have added bows to the display with the municipal colours of blue and green, that also make up the IPM logo for Chatham-Kent.
