Even though it was a rainy day, parents and their kids turned out to make colorful, beautiful scarecrows. The town’s Beautification Committee hosted the event in early October and provided all of the stuffing, wood frames and decorations needed for the kids to create their own unique creations.

Beautification Committee co-chair Darlene Plavchak said this is the first time they have hosted a scarecrow project.

“It’s a family event and we’re doing it because we want to use the scarecrows in the hamlet as part of our fall beautification project,” she said. “We’re going to take all of the scarecrows that are made by the families and their children and attach each one to a lamp post in town. Then we’re going to have the children go down and find their scarecrows.”

Plavchak said they will remain up until Thanksgiving and be followed by holiday decorations when the lights are put up.
“We thought it would be something different and they will be nice decorations,” she said, adding that the cornstalks in the hamlet were donated by Minard Family Farms and Jimmy Anzalone.

Plavchak said the town had a Beautification Committee many years ago and it has been revitalized, with new members consisting of Craig Tunks, Patricia Scott, Patti Monahan and Christine Giangrasso, along with a host of volunteers. The committee is always looking for more volunteers, and if interested, contact the Supervisor’s secretary, Margaret O’Halloran, at 845-691-2144 x100. More information is also available on Facebook at the Town of Lloyd Beautification Committee.

“Now when you go through town, there are the hanging flower baskets, the fountain and the garden looks great, so we’re trying. This year we ordered pole wraps for every lamp post in town and red bows and the Highland Rotary donated new white lights for all of the trees,” Darlene said.

Co-chair Craig Tunks said the committee is hoping to turn this scarecrow project into an annual fun event for families and kids. He urged people to come out and volunteer at one of their events because, “we just need bodies and hands and help.”

Supervisor Dave Plavchak said, “I think the key was for the kids to build them and the Committee to put them up, but they’re not going to tell them where they are at; they have to go find their scarecrow and be proud they are in town and then tell their friends, ‘hey look what I did.’ It is a way to promote community engagement and get some of the kids involved.”

Plavchak called the scarecrow project a, “great success.”

“I think it’s unique, it’s different because the town can go and decorate everything they want but I think this way it’s part of a community ownership project of decorating the town too,” he said.

Plavchak said since the Beautification Committee has been revived, “a lot of the businesses in the hamlet are now decorating their own stuff,” a side effect that is catching on in the hamlet.