Scarecrows stand up to be counted in Costa Mesa

Sunday is the last straw for this year’s Scarecrow & Pumpkin Festival at Fairview Park’s Goat Hill Junction Railroad in Costa Mesa.

Orange County Model Engineers presented the first day of the weekend festival on Saturday, with scarecrow creators staking their claims to awards in 10 contest categories, including Best in Show, People’s Choice, Spookiest and Most Humorous.

The festival continues from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday. In addition to the scarecrows, the event offers pumpkin picking, train rides, face painting, food and more. Admission and train rides are free; pumpkins are $4.

At 2 p.m., judges will give out the awards in the scarecrow contest, though presumably none of the stuffed field figures will talk, sing and dance like Dorothy’s pal in “The Wizard of Oz.”

For more information, call (949) 436-5460.

— Rob Vardon