Kids' Scarecrow Masquerade is a hit

The scarecrows were out at Wheeler Historic Farm Oct. 14 for the first Saturday of the farm's annual Scarecrow Masquerade.

Children and their parents gathered at the farm for a day of fall activities. The $5 per person admission fee paid for participants to do four activities: pick a pumpkin from the patch and paint it, make a spider, build a scarecrow and take a hay ride. Activities could be done in any order.

The first stop upon entering the farm was the pumpkin patch. Children could go into the patch and choose their own pumpkins, then paint them. Celeste Mayhew of Kearns said the pumpkin patch was one of the highlights of the day for her son, Jaxon, 3.

"It's been really fun. The (most enjoyable) thing was to pick a pumpkin," she said, noting that they planned to take it home and carve it. "We've never been to a pumpkin patch before."

Samantha Diamanti of Sandy said her children Sadie, 5, and Cody, 2, enjoyed picking a "ghost" pumpkin from the patch.

"We call the white pumpkins ghost pumpkins," she said. "(This event) is fun. A lot of kids want to see the animals and do other things. We'll be back next year."

The next stop was the Spider Shop to make a spider out of a Ding Dong, licorice, M&Ms and frosting. On the way over to the scarecrow-making area, families could see a demonstration of old-fashioned blacksmithing or visit the animals. A long line of parents and children waited in line for a hay ride around the farm.

Julie Zych, program coordinator for the Scarecrow Masquerade, said making scarecrows is one of the most popular activities at the event. The farm provides the hay to stuff scarecrows and poles to mount them on, but participants must provide the clothing. Although some people forget, the majority remember, she said.

"It's a good scarecrow year," Zych said. "Scarecrows have grown in popularity. The biggest (activity) is the scarecrow station."

Nichol Herron and daughter Cherish Reed, 14, both of West Valley City, enjoyed making scarecrows. Herron said she had never been to the festival before, but after discovering it on the Internet, she decided to check it out. Reed said it was a bit tricky to make the scarecrow but not so bad if you followed the directions.

"It's fun because you can use it year after year and you know you made it," she said.

Jill Mollman of Salt Lake City said the scarecrows were a draw for her son Davin, 3.