Sea Isle City to Celebrate Fall With Harvest Classic

Fall's arrival in New Jersey brings with it the beginning of seasonal events, and Sea Isle City's Harvest Classic is no exception. The annual event will be held this year on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visitors to the festival will find plenty of shopping, food, entertainment, and more. Food trucks, a pie-baking contest, beach hayrides, and live performances by the Hickstown Road band are some of the elements that make up the festival.

One distinctive aspect of the event, however, that continues to elicit friendly competition is the annual scarecrow competition. Sea Isle City businesses design scarecrows and place them in front of their storefronts. A week before the festival weekend, the public votes on which scarecrow they like the best in a poll conducted by the Sea Isle Chamber of Commerce. Last year, the competition received 25 scarecrow entries.

The winner of the competition wins a gift card for Heritage Surf and Sport and bragging rights for a year.

The festival's organizing committee president, Brian Heritage, told the Cape May County Herald that the popularity of the scarecrow competition has created a "cult following" among residents and out-of-towners. 

“We're noticing that people will come down the night before and go along and take pictures of all the different scarecrows,” Heritage said, “kinda like taking a haunted hayride, but a treasure hunt for looking at the coolest scarecrow setups.”

Those who are unable to view the scarecrows in person can view the entries online through the chamber of commerce's website and Facebook page. Voting will take place through the chamber's website.