The first idea was to keep it small. Just the merchants, just to see if a scarecrow festival could work on Seminary Street again after more than a decade away. Then, as Candace D'Agnolo tells it, half the room said heck no, let's go big — and 14 businesses signed up off what was essentially a soft launch. That festival now kicks off Friday, Oct. 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Seminary Street Historic District, the same night as a First Fridays that was supposed to happen in early September until a forecast heat index of 103 moved it. D'Agnolo of Dante & Dory's Pet Emporium, Nikki Malley of Malley Farms and Phil Dickinson of Landmark Cafe & Creperie came into the WGIL studio to explain how a postponement turned into something bigger, and what it takes to build a scarecrow that stands outdoors for three weeks without turning.
Nikki Malley, Candace D'Agnolo and Phil Dickinson joined Galesburg's Morning News on Friday, Sept. 4. Listen to the full interview above.
They talked about:
- The lesson from Taste of Galesburg that made this call easier
- How fast the city, the band and the sponsors all pivoted
- Why an October date could bring hundreds of Knox College students downtown
- What happens to the scarecrows for three weeks, and how the voting works
- Theme ideas already floating around, including one involving eyeballs made from jars
- What all that construction on Seminary Street is actually for
Related story: Too hot for tonight: First Fridays moves to Oct. 2, and brings a scarecrow festival with it
🎧 Subscribe to Galesburg's Morning News: Apple podcasts.apple.com | Spotify open.spotify.com