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Bucket Head Bob and Friends Woo Visitors to County
By
Terri McLean
 FLEMINGSBURG,
Ky., (Sept. 27, 2006) – For centuries, scarecrows have been used
to frighten things away, namely birds from farmers’ fields. But
in Fleming County, these raggedy creatures are being erected to
have just the opposite effect.
Beginning Oct. 1, more than 80 scarecrows will be on display for
the Great Scarecrow Roundup, an event designed to draw people
into the northeastern Kentucky county, said Donna Fryman, family
and consumer sciences agent with the University of Kentucky
Cooperative Extension Service.
“Our intent was for tourism, to get folks to come in,” said
Fryman, who initiated the event three years ago to rev up
tourism efforts in Flemingsburg and Fleming County.
The Great Scarecrow Roundup, which lasts through Halloween,
appears to be doing the trick. Every year, carloads of people
with event maps in tow can be seen driving around the county in
search of the carefully constructed scarecrows displayed at
businesses, churches, schools and homes, she said.
The roundup has become so successful, in fact, that Fryman and
the event’s “spokescrow,” Bucket Head Bob, have been visiting
other Kentucky communities interested in promoting tourism in
similar fashion. The pair even traveled to Vermont this summer
to talk about the roundup at the National Extension Tourism
Conference.
“He (Bucket Head Bob) was a hit wherever he went,” Fryman said
of the Vermont conference, which was attended by people from
nearly every state, Canada and several foreign countries.
Bucket Head Bob serves as the model for the roundup, which also
includes a “friendly competition” to determine the most popular
scarecrow, Fryman said. A ballot system is in place to help
residents and visitors cast their votes for the likes of Joe
Jughead, Forest Stump, Gardening Gerty and Sgt. Buckethead Bill,
to name a few of last year’s entries.
“We like it because it’s an upbeat event that makes you smile,”
Fryman said.
While the event is aimed at increasing tourism, it has had
another positive effect: bringing the community together. Fryman
said that each year more local businesses, organizations, school
groups and individuals participate in creating the sometimes
elaborate scarecrow displays.
“It’s brought folks together,” she said.
And Bucket Head Bob, the event spokescrow, has become such a
well-known – and beloved – figure in Fleming County that he is
“more popular than Santa Claus in the Christmas parade,” Fryman
joked.
Bucket Head Bob now has a wife, Mop Bucket Millie, and two
children, Sandpail Sam, and Sandpail Susie, all of whom will be
available for viewing at the Kettle Top Restaurant on Elizaville
Road in Flemingsburg.
The Great Scarecrow Roundup will take place throughout the month
of October. Maps detailing each scarecrow’s location are
available at the Fleming County Extension Office, also located
on Elizaville Road, or at the Fleming County Chamber of Commerce
in downtown Flemingsburg. Ballots are available at these offices
as well and at local newspaper offices and several businesses.
For more information, call the Extension office at 606-845-4641. |
Contact: Donna Fryman, 606-845-4641 |
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of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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