Marjie Bowker didn’t expect the attention — or the publicity.
But her decision to mix in a likeness of a local travel icon into Edmonds’ annual Halloween scarecrow contest got her both.
The creation — dubbed Rick Franken-Steves — first brought Steves himself unexpectedly to her door, followed by other curious visitors anxious for a peek.
On Monday, the 6-foot-4 creation won first place in the residential category in the Edmonds Historical Museum’s annual Edmonds Scarecrow Festival.
Bowker, a Scriber Lake High School teacher, said this was the fourth year she has entered the contest. “I would like to thank Rick Steves for putting me over the top,” she said.
Bowker said Steves, who runs a travel business in downtown Edmonds, had no idea that she was incorporating his likeness into the Franken-Steves scarecrow.
The idea arose over the summer when she was chatting about the contest with her boyfriend Greg Strzempka, a musician and former member of the ‘90s band Raging Slab.
She said: “You need to come up with a winner scarecrow. He just said ‘Rick Steves.’”
On Monday, an employee from Rick Steves Europe stopped by to deliver two bottles of wine and said “thanks for all the fun.”
The plan is to move Rick Franken-Steves to the business and bring it out every year at Halloween.
Boker said she’s going to miss having it on her porch. “I kind of felt safer with him out there,” she said. But she’s been assured she can visit him any time.
This marked the seventh year for the annual festival. There were 103 entries, about 20 more than last year.
“People and businesses are looking for something fun,” said Katie Kelly, the museum’s director. “It’s a way for them to be creative.”
People could vote online for their favorites. The top overall vote getter went to Wilcox Construction for “To Edmonds and Beyond.”
Other winners are:
Residential Category: Second place, Wendy Clark for “Like Father, Like Son;” third place, James Jacoby for “Pumpkin Reaper.”
Service Category: First place, Lice Spies for “You Can’t Boil Your Kids;” second place a tie between Ten Gun Design for “Sugar Skull Queen” and Edmonds-Westgate Veterinary for “Troll-O-Ween Hospital;” third place, Makota Co. for “Zombie Crow.”
Artists/Galleries/School/Government/Civic Category: First place, Barclay Shelton Dance Centre for “Rhonda Rufflebum;” second place, Holy Rosary School for “The Wizard of Oz;” third place, Edmonds Library for “Scary Poppins.”
Financial/Insurance/Real Estate Category: First place, Windermere Real Estate for “Hidden at Windermere;” second place, Coldwell Banker Bain for “Strange Sightings;” third place, a tie between Coastal Bank for “Miss Willow Branch” and Edmonds Realty for “Morticia, Cousin It and Thing.”
Retail Category: First place, Sound Styles for “The It Girl;” second place, The Curious Nest for “Madame Corbeau;” third place, Rogue for “Scoops Ahoy.”
Food/Beverage Category: First place, Walnut Street Coffee for “Aragog;” second place, A Very Taki Tiki Bar & Grill for “Tiki Party of Four;” third place, Waterfront Coffee Co. for “Scarecrow Slenderman.”
Best First-time Scarecrow Builders: Resi dential Team Sprague for “Freddie;” non-residential Adoption Services of Western Washington for “Protect Our Marsh.”
Best Depiction of Edmonds History: A tie between the Edmonds Historical Museum for “Adelaide Crowette” and the Port of Edmonds for “Gone Fishin’.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
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