In the sleepy suburb neighborhood of Lakewood Village, one block has come alive with the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve in the form of various scarecrows to be viewed, and judged, by you. The horror.
The creepy (and cute and creative) contest was organized by longtime Long Beach resident Tessa Murray, who has lived on Blackthorne Avenue for the last 20 years with Frank, her husband of 32 years. Open to Blackthorne residents between Del Amo Boulevard and Village Road, the contest is a family affair, with Tessa enlisting her kids for help.
“It’s particularly important during the pandemic to bring people together,” Tessa said, adding that the family has hosted socially distanced concerts on the lawn and other miscellaneous events. “There are lots of youngsters in the neighborhood that don’t get to trick-or-treat, so we wanted to provide something for them to look at.”
While the thought of candy-less kids spurred the idea, Tessa said the event is really for people of all ages. Tessa, originally from England, said she got the idea from a friend who lives in a little village in East Sussex, which has had its fair share of scarecrows crop up this year.
In all, there are 20 scarecrows up and down Blackthorne Avenue entered in the contest. Online voting is now open and runs through 7 p.m., with four categories: best overall, scariest, funniest and most creative.
“I think a lot of them are very humorous,” Tessa said. “A lot of people have definitely kept their sense of humor.”
Though the first annual scarecrow decorating contest was only open to Blackthorne residents, Tessa said she hopes to be able to expand next year to additional streets throughout Lakewood Village.
The following is a gallery of all 20 entries, listed by address:
“The Wizard of Oz”
“Ruthie May”
“Philly Special”
“Dr. Witch”
“I’m It”
“Daisy and Dan”
“Flo the scareCROW”
“Eddie Van Howlin'”
“Corpse Bride”
“Jack”
“Hippy Chick”
“Boorista”
“Pumpkin Crack Jack”
“Ichabod”
“Gladys”
“Undying Love”
“JRL Crow Family”
“Lukulele”
“Ninja Warrior”
“Bob”
