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2nd Annual Somers Scarecrow Festival needs the public's help

doreen guarino, journal inquirer, manchester, conn.
·4 min read

Oct. 19—SOMERS — Kara Wolters, the University of Connecticut women's basketball legend, is once again joining forces with fellow residents Cynthia Mike and Joe Lipton to organize and run the 2nd Annual Somers Scarecrow Festival this Saturday and they need the public's help

What they need ahead of the festival, which is being held as a fundraiser for the town's social services' Adopt a Family Christmas Program and features scarecrow and pumpkin-carving contests, is sponsors, volunteers, monetary donations, and raffle prizes.

The festival is set to run Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Four Town Fairgrounds at 56 Egypt Road. Admission is free. This year the festival has partnered with the local farmers market and craft fair, organized by Marie Letellier of Windsor, and the two events are merging into one. More than 150 crafters are expected to be onsite.

Wolters said that a special feature at this year's festival will be a new game called Genevieve's Sweet Shot named after Genevieve Neiman, 15, a Somers High School student who died in August due to complications related to a relapse of leukemia. Money raised from the game will go toward a scholarship in her name set up by her family.

The game is modeled after a favorite dime pitch game of Genevieve's that was formerly held at the Four Town Fair by the Ellington Music Club where participants tossed dimes and if one landed in the middle of a music note, they won a cake or a pie.

Instead of music notes, local resident Tim Percoski, a carpenter, is building a cupcake board in Genevieve's honor filled with "sprinkles" that participants will try to toss dimes into to win a cake or pie, Wolters said.

The Barnyard has donated a pavilion for the game and the community is needed to donate about 70 cakes and pies as prizes through the local Geissler's supermarket on South Road. People would order the cakes or pies either in person or over the phone from Geissler's, which will deliver them to the festival on Saturday as prizes for the game.

While the festival is free to attend, money is also being raised through raffles and participation in certain activities in the kids zone, where there will be a magician, balloon guy, face painting, a Jurassic Park kids Jeep rides, a costume contest for kids 10 and under, and performers such as Mr. Lobster — a singing kids act — and a reptile show.

"We need sponsors to run the event. We need money and raffle prizes," Wolters said.

Raffle prizes can be anything from gift baskets to gift cards, and volunteers are needed to help run the kids area, hand out ballots for the scarecrow and pumpkin-carving contests, and help with the cleanup, she said.

If anyone would like to help out with the festival's needs, Wolters asks that you message the organizers on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/somersscarecrow or email her via her website at karawolters.com.

Last year the festival raised nearly $4,000 for the town's Adopt a Family Christmas Program, Wolters said.

This year the festival will also feature food trucks, a car show, and a scavenger hunt with Star War characters. The Pawsafe Animal Rescue of Ellington will be there with puppies who need a forever home, and will also be seeking volunteers and people willing to foster an animal, and a dog trainer will provide training tips.

The main event will be the scarecrow contest and — new this year — a pumpkin-carving contest. Scarecrow entries are open to Somers residents only while the pumpkin-carving contest is open to all.

Wolters asks that those who want to participate in both contests message the organizers on the festival's Facebook page, where the contest rules and categories can also be found.

For those participating in the contests, all scarecrows and jack-o'-lanterns must be brought to the fairgrounds between 3 and 7 p.m. on Friday—the day before the festival. Wolters is reminding pumpkin carvers to make sure to include a battery-operated light to go inside the pumpkin.

"This is really just a community event run by four people with a handful of helpers trying to make it the best small town festival possible," Wolters said. "After missing so many events in the last year, it's just what the community needs."