People can get in on the fun by creating their own scarecrow display that will be outside the Cockayne house from Oct. 15-31.

“Businesses, organizations, and individuals are invited to design and construct their own scarecrow to take part in this fun community event. Scarecrows can be funny or scary, simple or elaborate – your creativity is the only limit,” according to information from the farmstead.

Entry forms to participate are due by Oct. 13 and can be found at the Cockayne house, on its website, www.cockaynefarmstead.com or by calling 304-845-1411.

People will get to vote on their favorite scarecrows by purchasing tickets. Proceeds from the ticket sales benefit the Cockayne Farmstead preservation project, a special project of the Marshall County Historical Society.

“Throughout the year, the Farmstead hosts educational and community building events for children and adults of all ages, in addition to preserving and maintaining one of the most unique historic buildings and collections in the state of West Virginia, right here in Marshall County,” according to Cockayne information.

The scarecrows will include a sign to identify the person or group that made it. During the farmstead’s regular hours of operation people can purchase tickets to vote. The cost is $1 per ticket or six tickets for $5 or 100 tickets for a $50 donation.

There will also be cash prizes for first, second and third place winners at $75, $50 and $25, respectively.

Kara Gordon, site manager for Cockayne Farmstead, said this fundraiser and others are important for the site, but are also fun.

“Fundraising events like this are important because grants and donations are what keep us open,” she said. “Our biggest fundraiser every year is our annual Golf Scramble, but we rely on these smaller events too to be able to offer all of the programming that we do throughout the year.”

As a smaller fundraiser, she noted the Scarecrow Lane is more about having fun and celebrating the season.

“I love seeing what people come up with each year. There are always so many unique ideas. Last year we had Rapunzel, Limu Emu and Doug, and a lot of other creative scarecrows,” Gordon said.

“There is always a mix of scary and funny. Not everyone goes the traditional straw-stuffed route either; I’ve seen them made of all sorts of things.

“I made one a couple years ago; he was a German dancer with lederhosen and beer stein. Making the scarecrows can be a lot harder than it looks actually, but definitely is a lot of fun.”