The Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation and Lee County Parks & Recreation have announced the VIP winners of the 12th annual Scarecrows in the Park competition, one of the featured attractions at the Lakes Park Fall Festival. The theme of this year’s competition is “Favorite Book Character.”
The Fall Festival opened Friday, Oct. 15, and runs through Saturday, Oct. 30, in the Children’s Garden at Lakes Regional Park, 7330 Gladiolus Drive, Fort Myers.
The VIP Award winners this year are:
- “Waldo” built by Lehigh Regional Medical Center
- “Medusa” built by the O’Hern Family
- “Wild Thing” sponsored by Doma Title Insurance and built by Harns Marsh Elementary School
Judges for the VIP portion of the competition included Frank Mann, Lee County Commissioner; Jesse Lavender, director of Lee County Parks & Recreation; and Rachel Anderson, ABC7-TV reporter.
The VIP judges said they were impressed with the creativity, execution and humor conveyed in all the entries.
The public now gets to choose the “People’s Choice” winners by depositing a ticket in the bucket in front of a favorite entry. Nearly 4,000 votes were cast the first weekend by visitors. Voting hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 30.
The Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation has organized this event as part of the Lakes Park Fall Festival for 12 years. The festival includes a pumpkin patch, hayrides, inflatables and concessions presented by Wheelfun, and the Halloween Express train ride presented by the Southwest Florida Train Museum. More than 50,000 people attend the Fall Festival each year.
