Oceanport Scarecrows: Scary, Silly, Patriotic and Profitable

They may scare birds away, but these scarecrows know how to lure judges too.

Some even made a statement, like the scary skeleton on Techumseh Avenue who ate too much genetically-modified corn.

Three winners were declared Saturday in the culmination of the first ever scarecrow contest sponsored by the PTO.

Families all over town participated, dressing their stakes in three categories: scary, silly or patriotic.

The Harvey family won for their scary executioner. The Whiteman family won patriotic with their upside down commentary on being an American today. Winning funniest was the Macioch family, with their wave of hay ridden by a scarecrow on his jack-o-lantern board.

All told, 60 families got in on the scarecrow contest, raising a total of $300 for Oceanport schools. Michael Italiano made all the stakes for the scarecrows which residents purchased for $8.

The winning families each received a mum and scratch off lottery tickets. (Be sure to tell us if you had any big wins, we're a little short this week).

Scarecrows came in all types. There were spooky hooded figures, a werewolf, a hippie, and a Shore Regional powder puff player, who texted so much she turned into an emoticon. That was my family's scarecrow, which, despite Wolf Hill rumors to the contrary, did not win.

Take a look at these photos of the actual winners and you will see why our Winky Face didn't stand a chance.