Squarecrows: Danville Celebrates Their 10th Annual Scarecrow Festival on the Courthouse Square

Just 20 miles west of downtown Indianapolis, the small town of Danville, Indiana puts on a festive fall display of scarecrows each year from October 1-31. This year is their 10th annual display of creative scarecrows designed by local businesses and civic groups.  My mom and I strolled around the square on a lovely warm Friday evening just before sunset.  We’d stopped there on our way home from the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival.  I’ll be blogging about our trip to the Covered Bridge Festival this week.

Thirty-one scarecrows are displayed on all four sides of the lawn surrounding the Hendricks County Courthouse, which makes for a pretty backdrop.  I recommend you check out the free display before the end of October if you are in the area.  Here is a sampling of the scarecrows you’ll see.

Hendricks County Garden Club aptly named their green-thumbed scarecrow Ava Gardener:

This scarecrow looks like a large-scale corn husk doll:

Grins and Giggles is a local business that specializes in photo booth rentals for events, and their scarecrow display was very on brand.  The photo doesn’t show it, but there was a witch scarecrow standing at the side of the photo booth, which was covered in photo strips.

My favorite feature of this scarecrow display by Smokey Fireside Creations is the golden harvest sun in the middle made from a wagon wheel.  I’m also a fan of the traditional scarecrows sitting on hay bales, and sparkly tulle on the corn stalks.  Smokey Fireside Creations is a shop on the courthouse square featuring handmade crafts, home decor and small town finds.

I think this scarecrow is adorable.  He obviously has much to learn from the book he’s reading, Crow Scaring for Dummies, because the little reading buddy on his shoulder doesn’t seem the least bit frightened to me.

Here is the first of three Minions themed scarecrow displays.  This one is by Gallery on the Square, which sells work by local artists.  Hay bales and denim overalls are perfect for creating minion-crows!

Beasley’s Orchard also created a Despicable Me display since their corn maze design this year features the Minions.  Scarecrow Gru drives a tractor pulling a wagon full of painted pumpkin minions taking a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch.  Their wagon has a picture of Beasley’s corn maze on the side and a sign that says Don’t Miss your One in a Minion Chance to Get Lost.

The last Minions display is by  Hackleman Auto Collision Repair, and they did a bang up job of creatively using items from their shop.  The Minions are made from 50 gallon drums, with goggles made from brake rotors and seatbelts, and arms made of exhaust pipes.

These scarecrows were made by Danville Florist, and the display is still colorful despite the flowers withering since the display was put up three weeks ago.  (The plant “hair” was originally shoulder-length in a photo I saw online from set up day September 30.)

This scarecrow display is by the Wal-Mart in Danville:

From Forget-Me-Nots:

Mom and her straw friends:

The neoclassical style Hendricks County Courthouse was built in 1914:

The Hendricks County bison from the 2016 Indiana bicentenntial art project was also hanging out with the scarecrows.

Which scarecrow is your favorite?  I’m having trouble picking just one.  I think I like all of the minion displays the best.  Even though the idea wasn’t unique to one display, I like how each creator used a different material to make the minions, and the scenes all turned out completely different.