Pin It
ImageEvery year from September through October strange figures appear at Cayuga Landscape on North Triphammer Road. They range from grave robbers to a witch to cowboys, tree shoppers and a man walking his dog. The scarecrows are the brainchildren of the Garden Center staff, especially Cattie Arndt, Les Morrison and Cathy Glasheen.



Image
A field of grave robbers

Dan Thayer had the idea years ago, and the staff has run with it every Halloween. The figures are made of straw stuffed into clothing with an oak stake to hold them up. The heads are made of burlap bags with a layer of wind screen burlap across the top. The straw lasts as long as rodents don't get into them, so while some re-stuffing occurs they are reusable from season to season. The figures are stored in an attic when they are not in use.

ImageImageImage
Scarecrows lasooing, shopping for trees, and mowing a field

It takes nearly two months to set up all of the vignettes, but they'll come down in one day after Halloween. Ms. Arndt explains, "We buy a lot of the materials from thrift stores, and a lot of them are donated from the employees as well. We make a lot of the props ourselves."

ImageThis year there are over 50 figures along the road and placed all over the grounds. The old figures come back year after year, but, says Ms. Arndt, "They're usually doing something different. And we add new ones every year. I think our most detailed one this year is Rapunzel and the Knight."

A lot of the ideas come from Ms. Arndt, though the whole group contributes. Some scenes are planned, others are posed as they are put up. "We always do the field first, because it's a bigger scene," explains Ms. Arndt. "They're grave robbers this year. They're looting the graves. But they're also being chased by a zombie, so they won't get much from the graves. And we have the guy mowing the grass. He's totally oblivious to everything that's going on."

"True landscaping," jokes Barbara Bryant and the whole staff laughs, "Don't tell Matt!"

RapunzelRapunzel
Cattie Arndt poses with her knight in shining armor

One of the staff's favorites is the FBI vignette. "You can see it really well from the road," says Ms. Bryant. "They're showing their badges. It's pretty obvious from the road what they are." These aren't just any FBI agents, though. They are "Men in Black" in the process of arresting an alien from another planet.

Image
Men in Black

Some people come to see the figures every year. They bring their children and visiting friends. They let the staff know how much they like their work. "The first year we put up the witch somebody come in and offered to buy her," says Mr. Morrison. "But she wasn't for sale." Others just stop to say how much they enjoy the figures.

Image
Shoppers

"Every place you look you'll find more," says Ms. Arndt. She's right. As you walk through the grounds there are straw figures shopping for trees and shrubs, a fisherman and his fish in a small pond. Even the creators are fooled. "I keep thinking there's a customer in the back," she says. Mr. Morrison adds, "The neighbor's dog keeps getting scared by them when he takes him for a walk."

Image
Les Morrison, a boy and his dog

"They get more creative every year. They just get more and more detailed as we go along," says Ms. Arndt. "They are a lot of fun." They certainly do make Halloween more fun.

----
v1i14

Pin It