Submitted by Wanda Price

September 19, 2012 - Orange Beach, AL. – Oct. 5 is the date for the Fourth Annual Scarecrow Fest at the Coastal Art Center of Orange Beach.

This community event is full of fun and excitement. Popular with families, friends and business teams, the main attraction is building your own scarecrow. The Arts Center provides the frame and hay, you must bring the style.

Everyone is competing for the coveted prizes like "A Crow's Best Friend" which is awarded to the prettiest scarecrow. This year's winners will receive a beautiful hand-blown pumpkin from the Hot Shop, the Arts Center's glass blowing studio.

Last year 100 scarecrows were created kicking off the fall season. Scarecrows can stay on the Arts Center's campus or go hang at your house, if you promise to return the frame to the Arts Center.

Other activities at the Scarecrow Fest are; live music; pumpkin painting and carving; make your own caramel apple; marshmallow roasting and hot dog dinner; trebuchet water-balloon launch; and The Great Cake Walk.

There will be glass blowing demonstrations, a glass pumpkin patch set for you to take photos and the prizes. For the Fest's schedule of activities, list of prizes and scarecrow building tips you can visit the Arts Center's Web page at orangebeachartcenter.com.

The night of the Scarecrow Fest also introduces The Clay Studio, the Arts Center's newest, media specific studio. Like the glass studio, The Clay Studio will be a place where you can watch the art of ceramics or get your hands in clay and make art yourself.

At the Scarecrow Fest children and adults can make a clay project and meet the new resident ceramic artist, Abby Leach.

Making a scarecrow is free to groups and families, but you must RSVP. You can reserve your frame and hay at the Arts Center's web page orangebeachartcenter.com or call 251-981-2787.

Many businesses are sponsoring the Scarecrow fest for $20 which also allows them to make a scarecrow and compete for the “Prestigious Purple Pumpkin Prize.” The prize, of course, will be a hand-blown purple pumpkin. So y'all come and have fun.