Straws of Ingenuity

Scarecrow Trail at the Ruth Bowling Nichols Arboretum

This First Annual Scarecrow Trail is sponsored by the Cherokee County Master Gardeners Association.

"The degree of creativity shown by area residents with these scarecrows is inspiring! With names like Ol’ Money Bags, and Cirque du Scarecrow, these are not your run of the mill scarecrows," Co-Chair Kathy Moak said.

I do believe this is an event that not only demonstrated the creativity in the participants, but inspired the viewers as well. My mother and I visited the Scarecrow Trail this afternoon and we had a great time There were small booths located at the front of the trail that sold pumpkins and candy. I wish I would have brought some cash because these items were priced right - a dollar for each item. They also had face painting. So if you do check out this local gem, bring a couple of dollars.

　
The scarecrows were most definitely unique! Not only were there different motifs, but every scarecrow received its own original award... one award read, "Brightest gloves", while another received "Best use of bamboo".

Inside the woods, there was a small garden. I noticed jalapenos and cacti, just to name a couple of the many variety of plants.It reminded me of a secret garden, which brought up great childhood memories of mine.

　

　
　
Overall, the people were friendly and the day was bright and cheery. Not only were the scarecrows fun to look at, the trail itself was very nice. I will definitely return to the Scarecrow Trail next year.

The Arboretum is located at the Texas Forest Service, 1015 SE Loop 456 in Jacksonville.
Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday – Friday.