The scarecrows of the Agricultural Building

By Andrea Watts The Daily World • August 5, 2025 1:30 am
For the past four years, Dustin Downing has submitted entries to the Scarecrow Display, and this year, his Bigfoot scarecrow received the Award of Merit.
For the past four years, Dustin Downing has submitted entries to the Scarecrow Display, and this year, his Bigfoot scarecrow received the Award of Merit.

Each year during the GH County Fair the Agriculture Building hosts Departments G and S, Gardening & Environmental Sciences and Grange Displays, respectively.

For Amy Gleckler, this is her third year serving as superintendent, with her husband, Gary, serving as assistant superintendent for Gardening & Environmental Sciences.

To this role, Gleckler brings experience as the goat superintendent for the Thurston County Fair and being involved with 4-H. After moving to Grays Harbor County, the couple wanted to become involved with the fair. The Agricultural Building needed a superintendent, and although Gleckler hadn’t overseen agriculture before, she accepted the role.

Being a superintendent “is super fun,” Gleckler explained. “We loved decorating and interacting with the public.”

As superintendent, she oversees decorating the agricultural half of the barn, coordinating entries, and answering questions from the public. Many of the entries for the different divisions, such as vegetables, critter creatures, and pictures from seeds, are from 4H’ers and word of mouth.

One division popular this year with visitors was the Scarecrow Display. With four entries submitted, Gleckler said that is the most she’s seen since becoming superintendent, and she would love to see the number of entries continue to grow each year.

Scarecrows may be submitted by youth, adults or groups, which usually means families; this year two entries were made by families.

“It’s fun to see families working together,” said Gleckler.

For the scarecrow entry that lights up, Gleckler shared that the mom told her that her son did all the electrical work himself.

“We’ve just continued to grow [this division],” Gleckler explained. “The kids just enjoy it. They get better and better each year.”

The Award of Merit was awarded to the Bigfoot scarecrow entered by Dustin Downing. PVC pipe and pool noodles formed the frame beneath the Bigfoot costume. (And in support of Gleckler’s comment of Downing’s scarecrow being popular, a child came up and patted it.)

“I had fun building it,” Downing said.

For four years, he’s entered a scarecrow and credits himself for bringing back the division.

“He just loves to do the themes so it’s fun to see what he comes up with every year,” Gleckler said.