Scarecrow spotting could be the best remedy for people looking to escape the life-disrupting influence of COVID-19.

The straw creatures are leaving the hills to take up residence in the Mary Valley and they want you to come and see them. Social distancing is easy because they are usually solitary additions in their yards and paddocks!

The annual Mary Valley Scarecrow Festival is a popular Sunshine Coast event that can easily go ahead next month.

Locals are invited to a scarecrow workshop on Thursday September 24 at the Imbil Public Hall from 1pm where they can learn the simple steps to making a straw man and then apply their own creativity to dressing it. Making scarecrows doesn’t cost an arm and a leg! Most people have the bones of a scarecrow in the shed – a broomstick, a bale of hay and some old clothes.

They can then enter their ‘crows for judging - and viewing - from October 1-31. Entry forms are available from businesses in the valley or they can be downloaded from the website.

Award presentations and cash prizes will be made at the harvest dinner at 4.30pm at the Imbil RSL Hall, on Saturday October 31.

For day trippers, the festival is a great opportunity to discover the rolling hills behind the Sunshine Coast. Visitors can  find the scarecrows during October. Visit www.maryvalleyartslink.com.au for more details or find the Mary Valley Scarecrow Festival on Facebook.

The festival began in Maleny and has been held during spring almost every year since the late ‘90s.