Winners of the St. Charles Scarecrow Contest announced

ST. CHARLES – The 38th annual St. Charles Scarecrow Weekend took place Oct. 6-8 in the city’s downtown. The event featured entertainment in the Lincoln Park Family Zone, family-friendly activities in the Riverside Activity Zone and much more throughout the weekend.

The main event was the Scarecrow Contest, which showcased more than 100 homemade scarecrows in four categories: Individuals, Businesses, Schools/Nonprofits/Clubs and Mega/Mechanical. Guests voted on their favorite scarecrow in each category.

Winners in the Mega/Mechanical category earned $500 for first place, $350 for second place and $250 for third place. In the other categories, first place received $200, second place received $150 and third place received $100.

The 2023 Scarecrow Contest winners:

Individual category:

First place: Lili Reyes

Second place: Pistilli family

Third place: Klaus Gerischer

Businesses:

First place: J&R Herra Home Services

Second place: 3rd Street Dance

Third place: DePaw Pet Resort

Clubs/Nonprofits/Schools:

First place: Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly

Second place: Daisy Scout Troop 2070

Third place: MidValley Special Ed SAIL Program

Mega/Mechanical:

First place: American Science & Surplus

Second place: Skyline Tree Service

Third place: Starfish Animal Rescue

Visitors look closer at a bride and groom scarecrow as another, sponsored by Amish Firniture store sits in a wooden rocking chair at the Annual Scarecrow Festival in Lincoln Park in St. Charles on Friday, October 6, 2023. The event runs through the weekend with family activities and a chance to vote for your favorite scarecrow. — Visitors look closer at a bride and groom scarecrow as another, sponsored by Amish Firniture store sits in a wooden rocking chair at the Annual Scarecrow Festival in Lincoln Park in St. Charles on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. (John Starks jstarks@dailyherald.com)

St. Charles Business Alliance Executive Director Jenna Sawicki said this year’s event was successful and the St. Charles Business Alliance was very happy with the turnout. She said after a slow start Oct. 6, the event was packed the rest of the weekend and she estimated there were about 60,000 guests in attendance throughout the weekend.

“It’s great to showcase the parks, businesses and downtown amenities of St. Charles,” Sawicki said. “We’re thrilled when we can showcase the St. Charles community. Hopefully it inspired people to want to come back.”

The festival is a collaborative effort between the St. Charles Business Alliance and city of St. Charles. Sawicki said there are a lot of moving pieces at an event such as Scarecrow Weekend and she is proud of her staff and the city for putting together the event.

The presenting sponsor for the 2023 St. Charles Scarecrow Weekend was St. Charles Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Ram. Additional sponsors were McNally’s Heating & Cooling, St. Charles Bank & Trust, AAA, Meijer, McGrath Honda, Comcast, Gerald Subaru, Art of the Heartland, Meijer St. Charles, Theriault Booth LLC Attorneys at Law, Route 64 Dental and Blackhawk Bank.

For the list of Scarecrow Contest winners, visit scarecrowfest.com/scarecrowcontestresults. For more information, call the St. Charles Business Alliance at 630-443-3967.