WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — The 2024 Scarecrow Festival is set to take place this weekend with many entertainment acts and events planned for the annual extravaganza.
The festival will run from 12-11 p.m. on both Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21, and will run from 12-5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22.
A scarecrow contest will take place over the course of the weekend. A $25 entry fee per scarecrow is required, and the scarecrows will be placed on the courthouse lawn during the festival. The SCF committee will vote and label the top three winners. The scarecrows must be complete and ready to display downtown by Friday, Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. Folks can register and pay at the SCF booth in front of the city admin building.
First place will win $50, second place will win $25 and third place will win a SCF t-shirt.
Some activities for Friday include the opening ceremony performance on the main stage, featuring the Miami Trace Marching Band, which will take place at 12 p.m.
Rides and vendors will be open beginning at 12 p.m. on Friday and throughout the weekend.
Opening entertainment on Friday, Sept. 20 will be DJ Marcus Harris at 4:30 p.m.
At 5:30 p.m. line dancing will take place featuring professional instructor Elijah Perkins.
The Beer Garden/VIP section will be located at East and Main streets and will be open from 6-11 p.m. The cost is $5 to enter.
Integrity Gymnastics will have a performance at 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Court and Main streets.
Local musician Branson Moody will perform on the main stage from 8-9 p.m.
The headliner for Friday will be country rapper David Morris, who is slated to hit the stage at 9 p.m.
The following information is from Morris’ website:
David Morris is a country artist, singer-songwriter and rapper from Charleston, West Virginia. His sound mixes trap style beats with slide guitars, banjos with catchy hooks, and lyrical mastery with relatable lyrics. David’s music has the power to connect with fans from all walks of life and push the country music genre forward. His growth on all platforms has skyrocketed since the release of his 2020 debut album, “Red, White, & American Blues,” which features several standout single such as the feel good anthem “Smalltown Queen,” the supportive “Who Hurt You” and the anthemic “Does He Know About Us.” David has landed himself just shy of 25 million collective streams on Spotify, and 15 million on Apple Music alone.
Moving to Saturday, the United Way Scarecrow 5k/10k will begin at 9 a.m. Registration will open at 8 a.m.
The Fayette County Farmers Market will operate from 8:30-11 a.m.
A Jeep show will take place from 12-4 p.m. at the corner of East and Main streets.
Little Rusty Band will take the main stage at 5 p.m. for a performance.
Cream Camino will return the the Scarecrow Festival as an opening act. The band is set to take the stage at 7 p.m.
The following information is from Cream Camino’s website:
Cream Camino is a dynamic alt-rock band hailing from Ohio’s capital city and recognized as one of the most compelling live music acts in the Midwest. Formed in 2012 by Jeff Manning (vocals/guitar) and Jon Gunder (drums), the pair quickly became infatuated with the idea of making great music. Their album “Dames & Disbelief” was recorded with the intentions of bringing Jeff’s creations to fruition. In 2017 Jarrod Pinkerton (bass) joined the ranks making Cream Camino a three-piece. Jarrod was an integral missing piece that allowed Cream Camino the ability to perform the song creations that better portrayed the recorded versions and allowed them to take this project to a new level.
The headliner for Saturday is Mercury Nashville singer-songwriter Travis Denning, who will perform at 9 p.m.
The following information is from Denning’s website:
Call him hardheaded, but Mercury Nashville singer-songwriter Travis Denning has always followed his own path. Over the years, that would lead some to predict he was headed nowhere fast. But with nearly 750 million global streams and a growing country profile, he’s proved them wrong.
From his 2018 breakout “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs” (a Top 40 debut which has since been certified Gold by the RIAA), to his jet black 2019 hit “After a Few” (a Platinum Number One on the Billboard Country Airplay charts), three explosive EPs and a reputation for totally unhinged live shows, Denning has carved out a thriving – if slightly audacious – place in the modern Music City.
The Beer Garden/VIP section for the entertainment will be once again be located at East and Main streets and will be open from 6-11 p.m. The cost is $5 to enter.
On Sunday, Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Gee Scott Jr., Kamryn Babb and Emeka Egbuka, representing the Ohio State Buckeyes football program, are scheduled to take the stage at the Scarecrow Festival.
The three men will use their time to share their testimonies with those in attendance.
Scott Jr. is currently a graduate student and plays tight end for the Buckeyes. He played in 13 games a season ago.
Babb is an OSU alum and was a two-time captain for the Buckeyes as a wide receiver.
Egbuka is currently a graduate student wide receiver at OSU and is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The event is being put on by Many Congregations One Church. Worship will be led by the Fields of Faith Worship Team.
From 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., worship music will be played and testimonies will be provided by the churches of Fayette County.
A car show will take place at the corner of East and Main streets on Sunday from 12-4 p.m.
At 4:30 p.m., the closing ceremony will begin, featuring a performance from the Washington High School Marching Band.