Contest helps Freeport feel festive
FREEPORT — Walk the streets of Freeport in October and you'll be greeted by an unusual cast of characters: Spider-Man peeking over a wall, a scuba-diving pumpkin and a waitress named Betty, or Carol, depending on who you ask.
They are all part of the scarecrow contest sponsored by the Freeport Renaissance Association. The contest asks residents, organizations and businesses to decorate a parking meter with the scarecrow of their choosing, be it fanciful or frightening.
Thirteen scarecrows are on display in the town. Voting is done by donation at Freeport Foods on Fifth Street, and winners will be announced tonight at the borough's Halloween parade.
"It's kind of a money raiser, but the main thing is that it's something interesting for people to look at," said Diana Rehner of Freeport, a past president of the renaissance association. "Actually, by the time we award the prizes, we make maybe 20 bucks. But we get a lot of good comments on it."
For residents like Lisa Myers, the contest renews a sense of nostalgia."I always remember when I was a kid, having that Norman Rockwell feeling in town," Myers said. "This is something that brings back that sense of community."Myers is the manager of Scott's Scuba Service on High Street. Her brother, Scott Camerlo, owns the store along with his wife, Laura."When Scott and I were growing up in Freeport, I remember there was a tree at every meter at Christmas," Myers said.Myers said this was their first entry into the contest, which started last year. She decorated a scuba scarecrow with mask, fins and a lobster clinging to his arm."We both enjoy that small-town, fun, festive community feeling, and we wanted to participate in it. I just did it for the fun of it," Myers said."Since we are a scuba shop, I stuck with the scuba theme," she added. "I wanted to use kelp instead of hay, but I couldn't find anything that resembled kelp."Myers named the quasi-aquatic creature Scary Cousteau the Scuba Crow. A sign plainly announces his identity. But the name of a waitress meter creature by Freeport Foods isn't as easy to determine."Her name is Betty," said creator Carol Stiller, store manager and head waitress at Freeport Foods."It's Carol," countered store owner Tom Klingensmith.No matter what her name, it's hard to deny her welcoming smile and full plate of food — even if the food is fake."Mostly we just enjoy helping out the community," Klingensmith said of his reason for entering the contest."There are a lot of organizations, and we try to help them all out. Many of them work hand-in-hand and all the money goes right back into the community."Stiller created the waitress scarecrow with help from her sister, Joyce Napierkowski, also of Freeport. Napierkowski is the association's president. This is the store's second entry into the contest.
Although Stiller also used a waitress theme last year, she made a few changes this time around."Last year, she had gross food on her plate: spaghetti with eye balls," she laughed.Although this year marks the second contest, the association also sponsors house decorating contests and works toward more tangible, and lasting, community improvement projects. The association is part of a joint venture with the communities of Leechburg and Apollo to acquire community improvement grants.The association was formed in 2005, Rehner said, to help "re-energize" Freeport. It also sponsors programs like free summer concerts, holiday festivals and minor home improvements for needy residents."We've done a lot of work in the last four and a half years," Rehner said, "but we're a very dedicated group of people."She said the group's efforts are paying off."The little stuff goes a long way. I've found that a significant number of people are improving their properties. One inspires the next one."Tonight's parade will begin at 7 p.m. at the fire hall, with a rain date set for Thursday.More information about the Freeport Renaissance Association is available at www.freeportren.com.<br></BR>
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