Chappell Hill’s Scarecrow Festival is a long-running local fall tradition, according to Tumbleweed Smith’s Oct. 6 report in the Lamesa Press-Reporter. Smith described residents building scarecrows and placing them in front yards for visitors to see, with the festival serving as a fundraiser for the Historical Society. The event returned Oct. 10–11 under a new name and organizer. At the weekend’s contest, KWHI reported, Curtis Ford placed first, Dixie Ford second and Denise Kmiec third.
The official contest invited individuals, families, groups and neighborhoods of all ages to take part. There was no entry fee and no experience requirement, and Chappell Hill businesses were not eligible. Smith’s preview said general festival admission was free, with a VIP backstage pass as the exception. The rules asked entrants to put displays on private property such as a front yard, porch or driveway, and to keep them family-friendly and suitable for all ages. That gave residents several ways to join the fall weekend, whether entering alone or with others.
The event’s return followed a difficult period for its longtime organizers. In Smith’s Oct. 6 report, festival director Josh Davis recalled seeing scarecrows around town as a child. Smith wrote that interest later waned and the Chappell Hill Historical Society was losing money, leading members to decide to end the festival. The report also described residents building displays for visitors while vendors and other activities gathered on Main Street.
Some area residents objected to losing the event. BirdDog Events then asked the Historical Society for permission to take over organizing it, Smith reported, and the society agreed. Davis was named festival director. KWHI reported that the 2026 edition used the Scarecrow Music Festival name and had a packed music lineup, including Roger Creager and Bri Bagwell, alongside vendors and other acts. Its post-event recap confirmed that the scarecrow contest remained part of the program.
The contest was designed for different kinds of entries. The official page says households could submit more than one scarecrow and enter individually, as a family, in a group or as a neighborhood. Each display had to stand at least three feet tall and be weather-resistant. Organizers required entries to remain on private property and clear of walkways and traffic.
Judges considered originality, creativity, craftsmanship, festive spirit and how well each entry followed the theme. Festival visitors were also invited to vote for their favorites. The organizer’s schedule listed community voting from Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 and official judging during the week of Sept. 28. It set Sunday evening, Oct. 11, for the winners’ stage announcement; KWHI later confirmed that the results were announced Sunday.
KWHI’s Oct. 12 recap named Ford, Ford and Kmiec as the first-, second- and third-place finishers. The official prize schedule listed $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third. Citizens State Bank, Bluebonnet House and Mark Troth were listed as the respective sponsors. The sources confirm the placements and posted amounts, but do not say whether or when the awards were distributed.
The community’s preparation began before festival weekend. In his advance interview with Smith, Davis estimated that about 120 volunteers were helping and said scarecrow makers spend months creating their entries. Those were pre-event estimates and descriptions, not a final count of people who worked the weekend. KWHI’s recap thanked the musicians, vendors and volunteers for their flexibility, but did not give a final volunteer total.
Organizers listed three intended beneficiaries: the Chappell Hill Historical Society, Chamber of Commerce and Volunteer Fire Department. The festival website identified those groups, and KWHI repeated them in its recap. On Oct. 12, KWHI said attendance and fundraising totals were still being calculated. The report did not provide a final crowd size or dollar amount, so the result of the fundraiser was not yet available in the published recap.
Illustration note: The accompanying photo shows a scarecrow display at the 2025 Baildon Scarecrow Festival in West Yorkshire, England; it is not a photograph of Chappell Hill, the 2026 contest, or its entries.
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