6th Annual Andover Scarecrow Festival Opens Oct. 13

From The Andover Coalition for Education: The Andover Coalition for Education (ACE) is excited to announce that it will host its 6th Annual Scarecrow Festival in downtown Andover from Saturday, October 13 to Saturday, October 27.

ACE is currently offering the public a chance to purchase “Make Your Own Scarecrow Kits,” which contain everything needed to craft your very own scarecrow, while supporting the Andover Public Schools (APS). Individuals may purchase a Scarecrow Starter Kit for $30 (includes wood frame and hay). Scarecrow Kits are available now at locations around Andover. To reserve your scarecrow kit today, you can contact jsrivastava@aceandover.org to arrange a pick-up date and location.

“ACE is excited to be hosting our 6th Annual Scarecrow Festival. This year, more than ever, it will be wonderful to bring the Andover community together downtown to celebrate our schools and bring a festive fall excitement to the Andover business district,” said ACE President Lenore Price. “ACE is proud to sponsor this annual event and help raise funds to support innovative initiatives in our schools. Thanks to our sponsors this year, we have already raised $13,000 for our schools through this event.”

This year, ACE is planning on displaying approximately 75 scarecrows on Main Street's light poles. In addition to APS, civic and non-profit organizations will also be able to create their own personalized scarecrows, each with their own educational theme and creative flair.

Schools throughout Andover are in the process of brainstorming the creation of their scarecrows. The theme for this year’s festival is “Andover Goes International – Explore the World!” inspired by our diverse community and educational focus on global connections through our Andover_Portal. For those that have not experienced the Portal, ACE and APS, in collaboration with Shared Studios, launched the first Portal in a K-12 school district last March. This immersive audio-visual experience enables students to come face-to-face with students around the world, and is a tool for teachers to enhance global curriculum.

With the International theme, participants are encouraged to create a scarecrow that represents a favorite culture, destination or message around being a global citizen.

“We are encouraging the Andover School's to integrate an international theme into their scarecrows this year,” said Jennifer Srivastava, ACE Director. “This could be representing a culture, community or favorite place in the world…the possibilities are endless and we can’t wait to see what our young people create.”

In addition, there will be a “Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt” during the festival to encourage families to visit all of the scarecrows and find hidden items as part of the fun.

All non-profit and civic organizations in town can create a Community Scarecrow to be displayed downtown. The cost to participate is $50, which includes the wood and hay required to make a scarecrow.

ACE will once again be hosting a Poetry Event on Friday, October 26th after school in downtown Andover (exact location is TBD.) Students are encouraged to write an original poem or read a favorite poem of their choice.

ACE is extremely grateful for the significant contribution Andover Youth Services has made to this year’s festival through the assembly of all stakes that will support our scarecrows. The student volunteers and staff that have made this possible have been tremendous.

A very special thanks as well goes to our Gold Sponsors: Andover Classic Wines: Craft Beers & Spirits, Andover Pediatric Dentistry, Doherty Insurance Agency, Gilbert & Renton LLC, Koopman Lumber & Hardware, Mail Data, Inc., Morana Law Offices, Olivia’s Organics, Pentucket Medical, Rotary Club of Andover and Salvatore’s of Andover, Silver Sponsors: Andover Business Community Association, Andover Inn, Andover Orthodontics, Andover School of Montessori, Andover TV, Black Diamond Networks, Blackdog Builders, Bridges by EPOCH at Andover, Carli Fences, Chic Consignment, Dauphin Law, Enterprise Bank, Chan and Chen Orthodontics, Ryan Financial, Sam & Julie Howe, Samel Insurance Agency, Inc., Stone Hill at Andover, The Savings Bank, Touchstone Closing and Escrow and Verizon - IM Wireless.

About ACE

Andover Coalition for Education (ACE) is proud to be celebrating over 10 years of steadfast support for the Andover Public Schools through private funding of major, multi-year, curricula-enhancing initiatives at all grade levels throughout the district. ACE works to impact student’s educational experience from kindergarten through 12th grade, in a thoughtful and meaningful way. To learn more about ACE and our support of the Andover Public Schools, please visit www.aceandover.org.

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