Central Avenue BID announces 2015 Scarecrows on the Avenue winners--yes, winners, plural

Teamwork. Creativity. And a whole lot of straw. That's what went into this year's Scarecrows on the Avenue Contest, and voters have spoken. 

This year, our 13 scarecrows received nearly 5,000 votes, and we are proud to announce four winners:

• 1st Place: St. Anne Institute, won grand prize of $300
• 2nd Place: Lisha Kill Middle School, won Pizza Party
• 3rd Place: Bites and Kisses/Tabitha Heisch, won gift certificate for $35 to Capital Thai
• 4th Place: Boy Scouts of America-Twin Rivers Council, won Stewart's single scoop gift certificate for each troop member

Dan Pickel from St. Anne Institute accepts check for $300 for grand prize for
Scarecrows on the Avenue. This is the third win in a row for St. Anne Institute. 

What started as a small collective of three businesses decorating the fence, has become an annual tradition, with businesses and organizations building scarecrows to represent their company and decorate the district. The public is able to get in on the fun, too, by voting for their favorite online.

The winners were appreciative of the community support for their entries, and said contests like this help them get their message to the public and support their programs.

“The Scarecrow Contest represents an opportunity for youth and staff members at St. Anne Institute to work together to use their creativity and skills to create something special,” says Dan Pickel, Program Coordinator for St. Anne Institute. The money will be used to help fund programming for the Institute's Evening Reporting Center, says Pickel. This is the third time St. Anne Institute has won the annual scarecrow contest.

Budding artists at local Lisha Kill Middle School got into the contest, too, creating a pair of cute scarecrow students for the contest. “Lisha Kill Middle School approached the Scarecrows on the Avenue contest as a means of allowing our student community to work together to create a scarecrow(s) that we can display in our public community. “Community” is a pillar of the district’s ICare program,” says Christina Norris, Art teacher at Lisha Kill Middle School.

It's not always easy to live off what you love,” says Tabitha Heisch, artist in residence at the Albany Barn. “As an independent artist trying to pave their way through their passions, contests like this make that able to happen."

Ruth LaCross, office manager for Twin Rivers Council-Boy Scouts of America says, “We are a non-profit with a large service area in the Capital District. This contest provides us with two very valuable opportunities. First, our Support Staff enter and work on our entry together providing a team building opportunity. Second, this is the height of our membership drive,” says LaCross. “With the exposure provided by the Central Avenue location, we have the chance to share our message with hundreds of people every day.”