Hoschton scarecrow record effort will require lots of persuasion
Call it wacky. Call it stupid. But at least you’ve probably noticed the little stunt that Hoschton is planning.
Three weeks ago, city officials and fall festival organizers announced plans to seek a Guinness World Record for “Most Scarecrows in One Location.”
To beat the current world-record holder for that designation, Hoschton needs 4,000 scarecrows scattered throughout its zip code by Sept. 1.
Organizers of the event have some ambitious plans to make that happen. The plan would require that every school, organization, church, major business and subdivision in the 30548 zip code participate by making scarecrows outlined by contest regulations.
The 30548 zip goes beyond the Hoschton city limits to include unincorporated areas of Jackson, Barrow, Gwinnett and Hall counties. Organizers hope that most people in the zip code contribute to setting a new world record.
And that will be a key challenge — convincing those outside of the tight-knit community of the Hoschton city limits in Jackson County to support the scarecrow world record effort.
That includes convincing teachers and students at Mill Creek High School in Gwinnett to help in the event.
That includes convincing “active adults” in The Village at Deaton Creek in South Hall to showcase their scarecrow-making skills.
And it includes convincing young families in various subdivisions in the four-county area to place scarecrows at the front of their neighborhoods.
Indeed, this won’t be an easy task for festival organizers.
To meet the goal, organizers are planning to develop support teams, find sponsors, and promote competitions among schools, churches, organizations and subdivisions. It’ll be a lot of work amid the other volunteer efforts for the Hoschton Fall Festival.
Already, Hoschton’s effort to have the most scarecrows in one location has afforded the city plenty of media attention. Most major media organizations in the area have mentioned the city’s plans and a website of “interesting, bizarre and amusing” news stories recently featured the project.
Mayor Bill Copenhaver admitted during a press conference announcing the scarecrow effort that people may laugh at Hoschton’s goal, but perhaps they’ll come to the fall festival — and spend their money.
At the very least, the event that may put Hoschton in the international spotlight could convince a few extra people to visit its fall festival, which continues to grow each year. Just remember — the fall festival in Hoschton is Sept. 26-27.
