Dr. Crow in a Lockdown
Dr. Crow volunteers love working on scarecrows, but we can’t have our usual raucous gatherings because of lockdown restrictions. So, several Dr. Crowers opted to work at home. With invaluable assistance from Board Member Lesley Hochschild, they rounded up scarecrows and gathered necessary supplies (all the while wearing masks, gloves, and maintaining prescribed distances) in order to get started.
The first to jump in was Susan Hill. Susan has served as the resident scarecrow face-painting expert for years and is a veteran Dr. Crower. One of her most notable creations was Lucia, the Grape Stomper. Lucia was displayed in front of the Pinedorado grounds for the last several festivals. Well, Lucia’s getting up in years and decided to retire following last year’s festival. “You can only stomp grapes for so long,” she explained. “My bunions are killing me.”
Susan took Lucia and transformed her into the most deliciously seductive Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She was concerned that Elvira might be a little too risqué for Cambria, but we assured her Cambrians will welcome a little spice in their lives.
Three-year Dr. Crow veteran Diane Franciscovich picked up three scarecrows to refurbish and transform. She is the creative genius behind the biker duo, Biker Billy and Darlin’ Dixie. They could be seen holding court for camera-toting tourists in front of the Main Street Grill at last year’s festival.
Billy and Dixie needed some refreshing–clothes, hair, and makeup. Diane repainted their faces and all-of-a-sudden Billy had the most beautiful green eyes. Dixie is totally enchanted.
In the meantime, Diane’s dog, Abby, suffered a bit of a trauma. “Funny story. Well, funny now but not for poor Abby,” Diane tells us. “After I brought Biker Billy and Dixie home, we were returning from her afternoon walk. As we entered the garage Abby went ballistic. Imagine her surprise when she walked into her garage only to be confronted by two non-human, scary looking life-size bikers. I didn’t know until that moment what a ferocious bark she could have in an emergency. I felt so bad. Definitely a lot of loving from me to her and an extra doggy treat moment.”
With the bikers all done, Diane began transforming a retiring scarecrow into a new personality. It’s a process that can be very revealing. First, she stripped her naked. Those were a surprise! Thank goodness Diane was able to cover her quickly. Really, the bikers were right there watching everything.
One of Diane’s specialties is painting beautiful sparkly eyes, and this scarecrow is a testament to that. You can see the stages involved in making a new scarecrow from a retired one. Her finished Princess Leia holding Baby Yoda is awesome!
If anyone is interested in joining the Dr. Crow volunteers, or if any Dr. Crowers want to work on scarecrows at home, email terri@terripilot.com.
Be safe, stay healthy, and please wear a mask.
