Get ready for a scare at Muston festival

The festival, which will take place between tomorrow and Sunday August 6, attracts thousands of people from throughout the UK and overseas.

This year, organisers are hoping villagers will be inspired by the influences of the ‘Minions Despicable Me 3’ and ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ movies, Brexit and the continuing success of the Tour de Yorkshire.

Scarecrows are placed all around the village on pavements and roofs, in gardens and hedges and on open spaces such as the village green and grass verges.

At last year’s festival, visitors came face to face with a whole cast of scarecrow characters, including Mrs Brown’s Boys, stars from the BBC drama The Musketeers and Her Majesty The Queen enjoying a birthday tea party on the village green with other members of the Royal family.

The scarecrows can be viewed each day of the festival from 9am until 9pm apart from the last day on Sunday August 6 when it will close at 5pm.

Cllr Godfrey Allanson, one of the organisers of the festival and Chairman of the Muston Millennium Committee said: “We always know when the scarecrow festival is just around the corner when we see exceptional levels of activity in the village as the community works hard to prepare to welcome thousands of visitors. The villagers are also busy behind closed doors working on their show-stopping scarecrows, keeping their plans secret right up until the last minute.

“We are looking forward to welcoming scarecrow fans old and new to Muston and hope their contributions will help us raise funds for the refurbishment of the village hall kitchen.”

Judging of Muston’s temporary inhabitants will take place on Sunday July 30. The owner of the winning scarecrow will receive £150.

Visitors to the festival can enter a competition to guess the first, second and third placed scarecrows, with the nearest correct answer to the judges’ decision also winning a cash prize.

The Ann Stevenson Shield, donated by Brian and Margaret Stevenson in memory of their daughter, will also be awarded.

Throughout the festival, there will also be displays in the village’s parish church based on a ‘Life is a jigsaw’ theme. These can be viewed each day between 10.30am and 6pm.

Running alongside the festival, the Muston in Bloom group is organising a Duck Derby. Races will be held on the festival’s opening day tomorrow. The winner of each heat will win £50.

Money raised from the festival goes into a number of organisations and projects in Muston with this year’s main cause being to financially support the complete refurbishment of the village hall’s kitchen facilities. Funds will also go towards the village’s new playgroup.