Quinta Pedagógica dos Prazeres promotes the XI Mostra dos Scarecrows, in partnership with the Calheta School Delegation and with the support of the City Council and Rádio Calheta, on March 17th.
This exhibition consists of the construction of scarecrows for display at Quinta Pedagógica dos Prazeres and the rest of the parish.
Scarecrows seek to simulate the human figure and are made from old clothes and hats, which may or may not be made with rags, straw, cloth or other materials, being placed in the middle of cultivated land or in vegetable gardens during sowing time with the aim to scare away the birds.
This is already a very old tradition, which aims to unite generations and traditions with popular wisdom; promote the development of multidisciplinary projects (value of collaborative work) for the design and construction of a scarecrow; raise awareness in the school and local community about the tradition of executing scarecrows and its importance in other times; raise awareness of the importance of agricultural production; recover and boost a tradition that has lost expression in Madeira; stimulate the aesthetic sense, the taste for beautifying the environment and creativity in mastering the various forms of plastic expression; express and encourage the ability to improvise and use waste materials; raise awareness of environmental issues and the need to protect the environment; create a tourist attraction in the municipality of Calheta.
The activity is proposed to the general public and, in particular, to schools, civic and social centers and other public/private institutions in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
Registration will take place until March 8th. Participants must send an email to the email address: pedagogicaprazeres@gmail.com or call 968788408 and mention the following data: name; household; telephone contact; number of scarecrows they intend to participate with.
Each participant can build as many scarecrows as they want. The scarecrows must be delivered by 6pm on March 13th, at Quinta Pedagógica dos Prazeres.
The height of the scarecrows must be between 1.50m and 2.00m, arms open (note) horizontally between 1.00m and 1.50 and have a base that allows them to be fixed/stuck into the ground (minimum of 30cm). Each scarecrow sent must be accompanied by a technical sheet with the following written elements: name of the scarecrow and name of the author/institution.
The technical sheet must be laminated, as it will be placed outside. (Respective forms can be requested at Quinta Pedagógica or by email)
The opening of the Scarecrow Exhibition will take place at 11 am, at Quinta Pedagógica, after Sunday mass at Paróquia dos Prazeres.