My Halloween scarecrow and pumpkinhead creation this year will be constructed from Hurricane Ian debris, and we have a lot of it. Spanish moss is plenty spooky and it was blown down everywhere by the hurricane.
The creation pictured here I made in 2017 in the wake of another "I" hurricane, Hurricane Irma.
So how do you make it? Build a frame out of 4x4s or whatever other wood you have lying around, and then just get creative. I sink the frame into the ground first using a post-hole-digger. Make sure its relatively secure then start decorating.
The black fabric provides a background. The arms are made of queen palm fronds. The body is all Spanish moss fortified with some chicken wire (underneath). I gave it a giant skeleton head but a pumpkin would have done just fine. Then do some adorning with plastic jack 'o lanterns, light it up at night, and you've got yourself an eye catching Halloween Scarecrow that cost virtually nothing to construct. Because of all the hurricane debris everywhere it seemed fitting to create a kind of undead swamp monster and pumpkin head scarecrow.
In front of the bigger scarecrow I constructed a smaller one with a pumpkin for a head. Here I have not yet painted a face on the smaller scarecrow. I'll be adding to as the season progresses. In Florida it is still quite warm and I have to wait until a couple weeks before Halloween to really start decorating with real pumpkins, otherwise they won't last until the 31st.
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The big guy is 12-feet tall with an 8-foot arm span. He looks out on the main road.
The smaller pumpkin head is on his 3rd pumpkin head. The first 2 rotted from the heat and/or were eaten by bugs. The concept was a couple of trick-or-treaters in the swamp were attacked by a giant spider and the spider is in the process of eating them.
The moss is in the process of transporting itself the the adjacent Rain Tree, which surprisingly bloomed a second time. The first blooms were destroyed by the hurricane. The arms arms are Queen Palm fronds.
More Scarecrows
My favorite annual scarecrow show is in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. This year my favorite entry was this "Princess Reuse-Recycle-Repurpose" witch created by the Assistance League of Atlanta. She is artsy, spooky, scary, and the artists paid great attention to every small detail.
The Assistance League is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization helping people rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient. They assist a network of 250 community partners to provide clothing household goods, hygiene kits, comfort items and educational aid to those affected by homelessness, abuse and poverty.
From the beautifully expressive face to the sequined bodice to the flowing taffeta gown, stripped stockings and red heels, this witch is perfect. I want her in my garden next Halloween. She was about 40% larger than life-sized . . .or about 9-feet tall (3 m).
Check out the detail on the stockings and shoes, and the artist was overheard saying it was the gardeners who removed the broom and replaced it with this rake.
I even like her little handbag, and stockings and t-shirt. Everything done to perfection and holding up quite well despite some rain and wind.
Alas, she came in 3rd. For the rest of the winners and other entrants check back tomorrow for a new post with more photos.
More Halloween:
The Krewe of Boo Halloween Parade in New Orleans
With all the attention Thanksgiving and Christmas get from travelers, it’s easy to overlook Halloween as a destination holiday. While a few cities provide a spooky vibe year-round, annual festivals, theme park pop-up events and other haunted happenings elsewhere have helped make the holiday a travel mini-season all its own. Orlando, Savannah, Key West and New Orleans are 4 nearby favorites.
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando
Key West’s fabled 10-day festival of debauchery climaxed with a parade on October 28, 2017. Fantasy Fest 2017 provided a chance for locals to show the world that nothing could tamp down their quirky, uniquely Keys way of life — hurricanes included. These are images of that celebration's final day parade from The Miami Herald's Matias Ocner.
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