More than 100 scarecrows will hit the streets of Downtown beginning Oct. 14 for Andover Coalition for Education’s 11th Annual Scarecrow Festival.
This year’s theme is “When I Grow Up, I Want To Be…” Scarecrows will be on display through Oct. 28.
ACE, which has already raised more than $30,000, will have an information booth in front of Old Town Hall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
“Our theme this year draws on our hopes and dreams for our children,” ACE President Jayashree Mohandas said in a news release. “ACE exists to ensure that we can invest in innovative initiatives that allow our children to think big about their futures and have confidence in themselves in school and beyond.”
For the third straight year, ACE is letting families donate $10 to add a pumpkin to the patch outside of Andover’s elementary schools, as well as the Shawsheen Preschool (main photo).
The scarecrows are created by schools, community groups and sponsors and displayed on lightpoles Downtown. The Andover Bookshop will be distributing scavenger hunt forms for the “Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt” during the festival. The store will also offer prizes for participants.
All proceeds fund Andover Public Schools through Teaching Innovation Fund (TIF) grants. This year, ACE is funding a visiting authors series at all three Andover middle schools.
Photo: Dave Copeland/Andover News