Scarecrows have also become a source for wonderfully scary Halloween decorations. In fact, every year you see more and more springing up in
front yards as part of yard haunts.
But instead of scaring birds,
they are meant to frighten trick
or treaters.
Many people, both kids and adults, find clowns to be very scary, but
we’ve always felt that
a scarecrow was a very sinister looking, even menacing figure,
particularly during the Halloween season.
Halloween Scarecrows
You can use a homemade scarecrow, buy one or use a Halloween prop
like the one we bought at a local department store and used in this
example.
Building the Scarecrow Mast
You will two boards, one 2”x2”x8’ and one 2”x2”x4’. When selecting
the lumber for the scarecrow mast we try to choose straight, but
less-than-perfect looking boards as they tend to look older and more
weather beaten.
Stain both boards on all sides with oil
based wood stain, we like a dark walnut stain, but you can use any
color you wish or not paint them at all.
The eight foot board will be the
vertical up-right of the mast, while the four foot board will be the
horizontal. We use a bolt rather than screws or nails to attach the
horizontal cross-member so that the mast can be easily disassembled for storage.
Plus you can change the angle of the horizontal board if you want.
Lay the 2”x4”x4’ board on top of the 2”x4”x8’ board crossways so
that the top of the horizontal board is about eight inches from the
top of the vertical board. The idea here is that the top of the
vertical board will be just below the head of the scarecrow, not
above it.
Drill a hole in the center all the way through both
boards. Push a bolt all the way through from the top to the back. Put a
washer and bolt on and tighten.
With the mast laying on the ground, lay
the scarecrow on top of it with its neck over the upper cross-member
board. Use plastic cable-ties, rope or twine to secure the scarecrow
to the mast at the neck, shoulders, wrists and ankles.
Dig a one foot deep hole large enough in diameter for the base of
the mast to fit into. You can use either a shovel or a post hole
digger like we did to dig the hole. Slide the base of the mast into the hole and
fill with dirt. Tamp the dirt down around the board firmly to make a
secure foundation.
Scarecrow Illumination
As with all Halloween decorations and props illumination is very important.
If you under-light them they will not be very visible and have
little or no impact on your visitors. Conversely, if you over-light
them you can ruin the effect by making them to stark looking.
In the
case of a Halloween scarecrow like the one above, we use a 25watt
or 7watt amber colored light bulb in a metal housing (both available at most
hardware stores) to illuminate our scarecrow. |
