On Saturday Katharine and I went to Haxby and Wigginton, two villages to the north of York which have massively expanded as residential suburbs of York and which now form a continuous built up area. They have an annual scarecrow festival with well over 100 scarecrows on display. There were five trails of varying length so we tackled a moderate one which took us some 3 miles (5 km) around the two settlements, with 57 scarecrows to find.
I was rather surprised by the large numbers of people taking part, but the result was lots of enjoyment, and a large sum of money raised for the charities supported by the event.
This shot is of one of the early scarecrows on our trail and shows Burglar Bill on a roof. Burglar Bill is a 1977 children's picture book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg about a burglar who accidentally steals a baby. Burglar Bill is a thief and all of his possessions are stolen items, including the bed he goes to sleep in. On a typical night of thievery, Burglar Bill comes across a box with holes in, and takes it. Upon arriving home, he discovers that within the box is a baby. The baby and Burglar Bill end up spending a day together, but when Bill is putting the baby to bed, he hears an intruder downstairs. He confronts the burglar, who he discovers is Burglar Betty, and they talk to one another to find they have much in common. Bill mentions his new infant friend that he found the night before. He introduces Betty to the baby, only for them both to discover that the baby belongs to Betty. They both decide to give thievery up and return everything they stole to live happily together as a family.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
Scarecrow trails have become increasingly popular in recent years, and are usually found in places with a strong community spirit. I'm not sure if it is the strong community spirit that encourages such activities, or if it's activities like this which help develop community spirit.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
Scarecrow trails have become increasingly popular in recent years, and are usually found in places with a strong community spirit. I'm not sure if it is the strong community spirit that encourages such activities, or if it's activities like this which help develop community spirit.
Ian
Thank you both - the trail was a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Ian