HAWLEY, Pa. — We have just crossed over into autumn, and signs of the season are already popping up around downtown Hawley. Among the leaves, pumpkins, and cornstalks, you'll probably see a few scarecrows popping up in front of and in windows of businesses and homes. This is part of a friendly contest created by the Downtown Hawley Partnership.
"We ask anybody in the area to participate. We want to try to draw in as many customers to any type of businesses in the area, and that was the idea is that we can show our scarecrows and their creativity; everybody will check out the scarecrows and then visit their business," explained Tiffany Hoffmann with the Downtown Hawley Partnership.
RELATED: 2021 Fall-o-ween event listings
Participants were encouraged to have some fun with it, and judging by the few scarecrows we found, there was no straw in the brains of some of these creators. The winning scarecrow will be chosen this weekend, and people at home can get involved.
"We have a select few people that are going to vote on them. We're also going to have them on Facebook, and we hope that everybody will vote for their favorite."
The scarecrows are just the beginning of the fall festivities in the Hawley area. This Friday, there's a pub crawl to kick off the events, followed by the Hawley Harvest Hoedown on October 2.
"There will be hayrides, a petting zoo, face painting, kids activities, a square dance, as well as our scarecrow costume contest," Hoffmann said.
There will also be nearly 40 vendors, music, and food at the Hawley Harvest Hoedown that will be held on Church Street. There will be plenty of time to see the scarecrows as they'll be on display until October 4.