- April 15, 2024
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When the folks at Hunsader Farms want to scare up some business for their annual Pumpkin Festival, they naturally turn to scarecrows.
Forty of them.
This year will mark the 26th annual Pumpkin Festival, and once again scarecrows will be a highlight. Besides the return of fan favorites such as Bikini Girl and Tall Man, several new scarecrows will make their debut.
Leading the effort is Connie Hunsader, 79, who has been designing, creating and repairing the Hunsader Farms’ scarecrow collection for the past 26 years. Over the years, she has developed her own techniques and tricks.
“My husband (Jim Hunsader) and I used to make them together every year, then he passed away four years ago,” she said.
After Jim died, Connie’s granddaughter, Rachel Hunsader, joined the effort.
Two weeks ago, Rachel, 25, and Connie spent five days in a trailer nailing, stuffing and dressing 40 scarecrows in preparation for the festival.
“Rachel is real good with the hammer,” Connie Hunsader said. “She did a great job this year, but after a while, you are just glad that you are done with them.”
While local residents might not be building 40 scarecrows for their homes, they could be building one or two. Connie offered tips for those who might be building scarecrows for the first time.
Make sure you have the right stuff:
Connie said some essentials — a hammer, nails or screws (if preferred), a half bale of straw per scarecrow, permanent markers, twine, a sewing kit and jute — are gathered before the assembly process begins.
Time to go bargain shopping for clothes:
“We go to thrift stores and get men’s and women’s shirts, jeans, straw hats and handkerchiefs,” Connie said.
She said it’s best to get long-sleeved shirts that button down since they are easiest to stuff and best at holding the straw in place.
“Being creative with the clothes is always fun, as is coming up with something a little different every year,” Connie said. “We try to find cute, fall clothes that match each other, because we name some of our scarecrows based on where we place them and what they’re wearing.”
Build a base of operation:
Connie mostly uses a common base, using two two-by-four wooden planks. One of the planks will be the long, vertical piece that runs the length of the body. Connie said the board can be as long as desired, depending on the height of the scarecrow.
The other board can be cut about a foot long and will be nailed horizontally toward the top of the longer plank. The arms will be secured to this one.
A slightly shorter piece of wood will be nailed where the hips will go.
She said it should look like a cross with an additional horizontal plank lower, where the hips will be.
Hey man, use straw:
One of the crucial parts of construction is the stuffing, and often people use hay. That’s a mistake,
“If we used hay, we would have it all over the place,” Connie said. “It slowly starts falling out of the clothes.”
Straw is the way to go since it is a lot “less slippery” than hay.
Connie buys her straw at Come See Come Sav, 505 301 Blvd. E., in Bradenton.
Everything comes to a head:
Connie said to cut burlap into the size you want the head to be, then sew it together with twine, leaving the bottom portion open for stuffing.
She said to use the permanent markers to draw the face on the burlap.
“If you are good at art, you can make their faces look quite nice,” she said.
Then stuff the head with straw and sew the bottom closed.
Dress for success:
Connie let Rachel take this one. “Lay the shirt open, unbuttoned, and lay the straw down on it,” Rachel said. “Then, put the frame on top of it and button up the shirt.”
Rachel said to do the same thing with the pants and stuff them with straw.
It’s hammer time:
Once the head, shirt and pants are stuffed, nail them to the plank. Connie said, if you wish, tie a festive handkerchief around the neck.
Tie the waist (it can look like a belt), wrists and ankles with jute so the straw doesn’t fall out.
Finally, nail a hat to the plank and stuff some straw in there to look like hair.
