The Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce (WACC) wants to put Wiscasset in a Halloween frame of mind this year. Inspired by the Wiscasset children who create life-sized scarecrows and line them up next to the town office, the WACC is launching Wiscasset’s first ever Scarecrow Contest for our local businesses and organizations!

WACC dreams of filling Wiscasset’s Main Street (Route 1) with all manner of “scarecrowy” creatures. The contest is open to all area businesses and organizations. If you don’t have a location on Route 1, WACC will find a place for your scarecrow! Several local businesses have offered gathering places for your creations.

A scarecrow can be many things — the standard straw fellow that you’d see in a field, a pumpkin-headed mystery woman, cloaked and ready to pounce, a woodsman, a mechanic, a figure from Wiscasset’s history, a dragon, a robot, or even a cat, to name just a few approaches. Design-wise, the sky’s the limit. (There are many resources available online or at your local library on how to create your scarecrow: You Tube, Wikihow, Pinterest, Diynetwork to name a few.)

The contest will begin with the opening of the display on Oct. 15 and be judged by three prominent local characters, who will announce the results on Oct. 22. Prizes will be awarded in several categories: Most Creative, Scariest, and Most Unusual!

Entering the contest is easy. Any local business or organization can download a simple application from the WACC website at wiscassetchamber.com/scarecrowfestival or request an application by calling 882-9600 or email the chamber at info@wiscassetchamber.com. $15 gets you a sturdy pole, supplied by WACC, to keep your scarecrow upright and visible and, of course, the possibility of winning!