Today, after a month of scavenging around town searching for some incredibly unique and creative scarecrows, our 2020 hunt has come to a close and the results of this year’s Green Team’s All-Around Town Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt are in.

But first, thanks go to…

The Scarecrow Committee

The Green Team wishes to thank Mayor Bert Steinmann for his support for this project.  We also owe a debt of thanks to numerous individuals and organizations who helped out with the Hunt this year, including the Ewing Arts Commission and Art Has Not Boundaries.  First, we need to thank the members of the planning committee.  These include Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes-Maloney, Melissa Bennett, Mel Antler, Tim Hoh, Lisa Witt-Pinaire, Ruth Ann Gribbon, Mark Wetherbee, Heidi Furman, Scarecrow event Chairwoman Lisa Feldman, and EGT Chair Joanne Mullowney.  They worked long and hard soliciting scarecrow hosts and working on the clues to help direct you to our ‘crows all around town.

The Prize Donors

In years past for our various scarecrow events we used the proceeds from the annual Garden Tour to fund event prizes.  This year, due to the pandemic, that Tour was cancelled, and we had no proceeds to draw from.  Our thanks go to a number of donors who stepped up to fill that void so that the event could go on.  They include:

• One very generous donor who wished to remain Anonymous
• Local Businessman, owner of Money Management Associates and Green Team member Garry Keel
• Former GT Chair, Peter Boughton
• Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes-Maloney
• Councilwoman Sarah Steward
• Green Team member Donna Morgan
• Green Team member Heidi Furman
• Green Team member Caroline Steward
• Green Team member and Scarecrow Event Chair Lisa Feldman and
• Green Team member and Chair, Joanne Mullowney

Due to the generosity of the donors we collected more in prize money than we had initially advertised, and prize amounts were subsequently increased.  Each of the People’s Choice, as well as the GT prize, was upped from $100 to $150.  And the Grand Prize for the drawing was upped from $200 to $250.

The Residential People’s Choice

The winner of the People’s Choice in the residential category was:

Plastic Princess

Plastic Princess was created and hosted by Christine Baran at 381 Ewingville Road.

Clue #29

A long time ago, you could hear cows moo, at this “Cross Keys” farm off this road we pass through.

Drive down the road from the school with the name, of the brother of a man, a composer of fame.

All plastic bottles, different types, and sizes. Only using zip ties, fishing line, wire, and PVC pipe for structure.

Ewingville is not only a road, but a section of town formerly known as Cross Keyes.  And George Antheil was a composer related to William Antheil, a local businessman and school board members for whom the school was named.

The Business/Organization Choice

The winner of the People’s Choice in the business/organizational category was:

A Furever Friend

A Furever Friend was created by Olivia Jupillat for EASEL and was hosted at the pavilion behind the municipal building.

Clue #18

In this picnic pavilion, you’ll hear barks a million.

The heads of the scarecrow were crafted from plastic piping and wire mesh. Once the basic heads were formed, the artist used newspapers for a paper mâché technique to create definition and depth for the dog and cat heads. Once that was done, she painted the heads of the dog and cat. The whiskers of the cat and the eyelashes of the dog were created using zip ties. The tongue of the dog was created by using material from a discarded basketball that she found in a creek during a hike. The collars of the dog and cat were created using discarded PVC piping. The overall body was created from scrap wood, an old ironing board, engine parts, wires mesh, plastic mesh, and plastic piping. The body, head and tail were then wrapped in a blanket. The blanket was spray-painted, and parts of the body were also covered in hay.

The Green Team Prize

The Green Team prize was voted upon by the members of the Green Team and was awarded to the entry that best exemplified the creative use of recycled/upcycled materials.

The winner of the Green Team prize was:

Tread

Tread was created by Karen Dupee and Bill Stewart and was hosted at 130 Palmer Lane.

Clue #21

Be careful where you dare to tread, this snake will fill you full of dread.

Where does this scary creature reign? It’s at a famous golfer’s lane.

Tread was created from all repurposed tires that were found around town.  The creator also dragged/rolled one tire out from the woods by her house.  They used a garden stake for tongue and feathers for teeth.  They used repurposed Christmas lights that came from a pile of free things in Stockton for eyes that lit up at night.  And, finally, a plastic garden pot for tail.

Drawing Prize Winners

The prizes for the drawing were awarded to the following contestant hunters:

• Emily Hopkins – $250 Grand Prize
• Jeff Parsons family – 2^nd prize of $100
• Claudia Aruta & Pat Maske – 3^rd prize of $50

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Our thanks to all who participated.  It is our sincere hope that you had a great time, learned a bit about our town and its history, while enjoying the creativity displayed by your fellow Ewing citizens and businesses owners.  We look forward to hosting this event again next fall and “seeing” you all at that time, if not before then.