The Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation and Lee County Parks & Recreation have announced the VIP and People’s Choice winners of the 14th annual Scarecrows in the Park competition, held in conjunction with the Lakes Park Fall Festival. This year’s competition theme was “The Great Outdoors.”

Judges for the VIP portion of the competition included Rotary Board Member Earl Quenzel, Lee County Visitor and Bureau Tourism Product Development Manager Nancy MacPhee and Lakes Park Enrichment President Barbara Manzo. The competition opened Friday, Oct. 18, in the Children’s Garden at Lakes Regional Park, where VIP judges toured the Scarecrows exhibit and selected the following winners:

• 1st Place – “Hanging Around in Florida” by Harns Marsh Elementary, sponsored by Florida Weekly
• 2nd Place – “Nature Fairy” by The O’Hern Family
• 3rd Place – “Queen Monarcha” by Amavida Resort Retirement Community
• Honorable Mention – “Farmer Frizzle & Her Preschool” by The Learning Tree
• Honorable Mention – “Chomp the Alligator” by St. Francis Xavier School, sponsored by Cornerstone Coastal Properties        

The VIP judges were impressed by all of the entries.

“In spite of Hurricane Milton, Scarecrows in the Park was a great success,” Barbara Manzo said. “Thanks to all participants and visitors for a fantastic family event enjoyed by all.”

People’s Choice voting gathered over 10,000 votes. The top three winners with the most votes are:

• 1st Place – “Queen Monarcha” by Amavida Resort Retirement Community
• 2nd Place – “Monsters, Inc.” by Doc Ford’s Fort Myers Beach
• 3rd Place – “Chomp the Alligator” by St. Francis Xavier School, sponsored by Cornerstone Coastal Properties
  

The Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation has organized this event for the last 14 years as part of the Lakes Park Fall Festival, which also includes a pumpkin patch, hayrides, inflatables and concessions presented by Wheelfun, and the Halloween Express train ride presented by the Southwest Florida Train Museum. Each year, the fall festival draws more than 50,000 visitors.

The Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to assisting the Lee County Parks & Recreation Department through philanthropic and volunteer efforts to enrich Lakes Park and enhance the community’s enjoyment of this natural resource. Visit LakesPark.org for further information.