With the impending storm forecasted for this weekend and the governor’s declaration of a state of emergency, Kearny scarecrows will not be in place and judging will now open the evening of Oct. 15 (in lieu of Oct. 12) for Kearny’s first ever Scarecrow Stroll. Once installed, visitors will be able to enjoy 60+ scarecrows of all shapes, sizes and characters that have been created and will be placed along Kearny and Midland avenues as part of the event sponsored by the Kearny Urban Enterprise Zone.
The public may view and vote on these unique creations starting Oct. 15 at night as they “Stroll” Kearny and Midland avenues through Halloween. Cast your ballot for your favorite scarecrow in each of three different categories — Most Creative, Best Kearny Spirit and Spookiest. Each scarecrow will be holding a unique QR code allowing for everyone to easily vote for their favorites. You may only vote once per scarecrow, but you can cast a vote for as many different scarecrows as you’d like. Photos of each scarecrow will also be available on the website (starting Oct. 15) for you to vote at www.kearnyscarecrowstroll.com/scarecrows
Some scarecrows are inspired by famous characters, some are humorous, some are scary — but all of them are handmade by Kearny businesses, residents and organizations.
“We’re thrilled with the great response we’ve had to the Scarecrow Stroll in our inaugural year,” Linda Kraus D’Isa, Kearny Urban Enterprise Zone coordinator, said. “There is a great mix of residents, local businesses and community groups that created these scarecrows. We hope the pubic supports them all and gets out there to enjoy and vote.”
The KUEZ is sponsoring the program as part of an overall initiative to get residents and visitors to stroll the business districts here in Kearny.
“We are hoping as you ‘stroll,’ you might find a new business or two, a restaurant maybe that you haven’t already visited — and stop in to check it out,” D’Isa said.
For scarecrow creators, if you don’t see your scarecrow listed or notice any errors, please send an email to KUEZ.NJ@gmail.com.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.