Visit each of our Santa Ynez Valley towns to find all of these "frightful," fall friends: October 1-31, 2024 and Susan Williams of Solvang Third Wednesday put their heads together to think of a great way to celebrate the Harvest and Autumn Season in Solvang. Naturally scarecrows seemed the logical step, and thus, Solvang Third Wednesday’s First Annual Scarecrow Fest began! Sixty businesses joined
in the fun and by October 2010, zany, quirky, sweet, traditional, Danish, spooky, crazy, and downright funny scarecrows were gracing window displays, sidewalks, and park benches as the Village of Solvang had a little celebration much to the delight of the locals and tourists who were there for those fall months. The hearty competitive atmosphere between the businesses and the impression of those cooky scarecrows must have made a good one, because when the 2nd Annual Scarecrow Fest came around for 2011, over 80 businesses jumped on board and over 600 voter ballots were turned in by the population that had traveled to Solvang to have fun with our warm Harvest Season. Home ConnectionBy 2012, the Solvang Third Wednesday Scarecrow Fest had grown to such proportions that over 100 businesses participated, over 1200 ballots were turned in, and Solvang Third Wednesday had to expand their scarecrow categories and introduced a panel of judges because there were just too many incredible scarecrows to go around! Well, it’s 2013, and what started out as Solvang Third Wednesday’s Scarecrow Fest has now become the Santa Ynez Valley ScarecrowFest, expanding through five towns so that the humorous and good-natured feeling of the scarecrows can be seen not only in Solvang, but also in Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, and Buellton!
