The winners of the 2017 Edmonds Scarecrow Festival were recognized and honored Monday evening at a reception in the main exhibit area of the Edmonds Historical Museum. An annual event, the Edmonds Scarecrow Festival combines fun, creativity and community building as residents compete for the top prize in several different categories.

“This year we had 73 scarecrows entered,” said festival coordinator Dave Buelow. “The creativity was absolutely over the top, but best of all was the tremendous community enthusiasm and participation. This year I’m happy to report that we matched last year’s record with more than 4,000 votes cast for the best scarecrows. ”

First-place winners in each category received a certificate, a family or business membership to the museum, and the honor that comes with contributing to the fun of living in Edmonds.

This year’s winners are as follows:

Residential Category

First Place – The Jacoby family for “Lord of the Crows”

Second Place – Lee and Melanie Power for “The Bowler”

Third Place – Joan, Eric and Poppy the Puppy for “Candy Man and Bones”

Service Category

First Place – Ten Gun Design for “Catmonds”

Second Place – Intuitive Safety Solutions for “Crasher”

Third Place – Swedish Hospital 8W for “Swedish Scarecrow”

Art/School/Government/Civic Category

First Place – The Edmonds Senior Center for “Mr. and Mrs. Potter”

Second Place – Holy Rosary School for “Dia le los Muertos”

Third Place – Scriber Lake High School for “Fried-a Kahlo”

Financial/Insurance/Real Estate Category:

First Place – Windermere Real Estate for “Mo-Crow-ana and Mau-scare-ana”

Second Place – Coldwell Banker Bain for “The Addams Family”

Third Place – Insurance Services Group for “Happy Emoji-ween”

Retail Category

First Place – Sound Styles for “Sugar”

Second Place – Cline Jewelers for “Jack the Jeweler”

Third Place – The Savvy Traveler for “The Savvy Minions”

Food/Beverage

First Place – Revelations Yogurt for “Cousin It”

Second Place – Waterfront Coffee for “Bertha the Barista”

Third Place – Claire’s Restaurant for “Stan”

Best First-time Scarecrow Builders

Residential – Jacoby Family for “Lord of Crows”

Non-residential – Crowe Building Specialties for “Crowe Magnon”

Best Depiction of Edmonds History

Rogue for “Rogue’s Blacksmith Gallery”

And finally, this year’s honor for Top Vote-Getter Overall goes to McDonald-McGarry Insurance for “JP Patches.”

These results are posted on the Edmonds Museum website along with photos of all the winners in each category.

And while not an official award category, the Museum, the Scarecrow Festival organizers, and indeed the whole community owe a special debt of gratitude to Edmonds Chamber President Greg Urban who, when he heard of two scarecrows being vandalized, took it upon himself to use his considerable artistic talents to replace and repair both.

Helping draw attention to the scarecrow entries were the big yellow signs place by each one identifying it as part of the Edmonds Scarecrow Festival. “These signs were a big hit,” Buelow said, “and we really want to recycle them to use again next year. So if you still have your sign, please return it to the Museum.

“And don’t forget that we’re always looking for ways to make the Scarecrow Festival even better in the future.” he added. “We welcome and encourage any and all ideas and suggestions from the public to make this fun annual event even more special. And a heartfelt thanks to all the scarecrow builders, and to everyone who voted or just walked past and enjoyed being part of this fun annual autumn event in Edmonds.”

Learn more at the Scarecrow Festival website here.