Have you ever gone on a trip and seen an ad for some tourist attraction that just seemed super silly? I have. It was Joe’s scarecrow village on Cape Breton. My parents were probably thinking, “Why does she want to stop there?” I don’t blame them, but I couldn’t resist and I’m glad we did. Here’s the back story. Joe had a plot of land a couple miles from his house and wanted to grow some vegetables on it. Neighbors told him the crows (not us) would get to it all so he put up a whole bunch of scarecrows. One day he went up to the garden and saw a bus full of tourists. They must have stopped to look thinking it was something interesting. And so it began.

Joe ended up ditching the garden and now puts out about 100 scarecrows dressed in various types of clothing and masks and asks for donations to keep them dressed each year. One year they had a scarecrow massacre. All the scarecrows but one died a violent death at the hands of some hoodlums. Only Rory survived.

Next to the “village” there’s also Ethel’s take out but that was closed. It was all definitely good for laughs and you can see the talent and creativity that went into it. Or the craziness. Kind of one in the same. The guy on the tractor (Joe maybe?) in one of the photos is NOT a scarecrow. I say that because it’s not all that clear.

Next time you’re on the Cabot Trail just south of Cheticamp, stop by Joe’s and check it out. If you happen to be someone who doesn’t like clowns or creepy things like fake people made up of stuffing with masks and clothes on, then you may want to skip it. It’s quite possible Joe is hiding his dead Aunt in there somewhere.

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