Centennial, Scarecrows & Dayville, Oregon

I'd like to introduce you to a fun little town in the midst of our beautiful John Day Valley in Eastern Oregon, called Dayville.   It is one of four cities or towns which lies along US Route 26 in Grant County and is distinct in its western history and style. It is a town with a lot of heart and colorful locals where humor can abound.  One such display of humor is this sign, which welcomes you to Dayville as you approach from the west or the east side of Highway 26......

A few facts about Dayville:
-  It is the 17,583rd largest city in the United States as of 2012, according to the "Biggest US Cities" website. The locals will find humor in that since it has a population of 147 in the latest consensus statistics.
-  It lies 125 miles east of Bend and 233 miles from Portland, Oregon.  It also is located about 17 miles east of the Shoe Tree  that I wrote about in my post, "Highway 26, a Shoe Tree & Voyage".
-  Located 9 miles from the John Day Fossil Beds, it is the Eastern gate to this area and the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, which is full of ancient dinosaur history.
-  It was first a stage stop on a military road in the late 1800's and many old buildings remain today.

Dayville is currently hosting a Centennial, since the town was incorporated as a city in 1913.  As unique as the town is, they celebrate in exclusive style; one such being "The Scarecrow Contest" that is currently happening and a Kickoff for their Fall Festival.   Throughout the town, you are greeted with an unusual sight of a lineup of individual creations of scarecrows on poles or fences for this Harvest season.  Since the weather was beautiful and while all the scarecrows were still in tact, I grabbed my camera for a photo shoot and headed for Dayville. I was not disappointed at the array of scarecrow personalities stationed on both sides of the street in a whimsical fashion display.

"I'm just as cute"... signed, the cat!

In traditional country style, the Centennial Fall Kickoff also included a contest for homemade baked goods and a decorated pumpkin contest.  Along with a silent auction, potluck dinner and hayrides, they held a dance in their community hall.  These folks know how to do good ol' country fun.   

Another word for scarecrow is strawman.  There were plenty of strawmen (and even a few straw-women) on the street for all to admire. Children, teens, adults and community merchants enthusiastically created these "works of art" for all to enjoy - even to a headless horseman.  Since there was such a variety,  I complied them into a PhotoShow along with some Dayville scenery and buildings.  So, my dear readers, sit back and relax while you watch this fun video along with toe-tapping music by Janelle Donovan, called "Apple Tree". You can click on the icon for large located on the bottom photoshow bar for full screen of the video.  More detail in the photographs show up in the full screen view. 
You can also watch it at this link:  http://www.photoshow.com/watch/EE9dI9zJ

I found out that Dayville is also doing a '100 ACTS OF KINDNESS' in honor of their Centennial as a community effort.  Now what a great idea is that!  This noble endeavor, launched with their Fall Festival Kickoff, will be ongoing throughout July 4th, 2014.  There are many adjectives describing the word kind, but basically an act of kindness means to do good towards others.  This should be an action that we all demonstrate in our daily lives but for a town to celebrate kindness as a centennial banner is exceptional.  

A big  SALUTE  to Dayville!


Come, visit me again two weeks from now at the Turn-Up Patch on November 11...  see you then!