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The Art of Hay Sculpture
In the fall, a blogger's heart turns to thoughts of autumn decorations. Some folks go a little further than others in that department. Farmers and those with access to plenty of room and lots of hay have fun building large sculptures for the amusement of others. Here are just a few of those artful bales.
Snugburys Ice Cream
Every summer, Snugburys Ice Cream Farm in Hurleston, England, builds a giant hay sculpture and dedicates it to a different charity. In 2013, that sculpture was a Dalek from the Doctor Who series, to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary. It's 35 feet tall, and contains six tons of straw and five tons of steel. The sculpture ties in with the sale of the "Da-LICK" cone, with a percentage of sales going to Cancer Research UK.
Bauman Chiropractic Hay Bale Art Challenge
Photograph from Hay Bales for Charity Facebook page.
Bauman Chiropractic in Panama City, Florida, has a tradition of using hay bales in their fall decorations, which became more elaborate and fanciful over time. This tradition developed into a competition at the Bay County Fair called the Bauman Chiropractic Hay Bale Art Challenge. Charity groups are encouraged to enter a piece of art made of hay bales. All entering charities will receive $50, another $25 if they clean up after themselves, and more money if the public judges their artwork among the winners. The contest is this Saturday. The space travelers shown here are hay bales from 2011.
Killington Hay Festival
Photograph by Flickr user Sherburne Memorial Library.
The annual Killington Hay Festival in Killington, Vermont, features giant hay sculptures, up to 30 feet tall! The festival runs from Labor Day to Columbus Day, in order to attract the many tourists who come to Vermont to see the fall colors.
What The Hay
Photographs are from the Montana Bale Trail.
The premier event of the Montana Bale Trail is the What The Hay contest. Serious farmers show off their hay and their imaginations in creating the clever hay sculptures, most using a pun involving hay. You can see those sculptures along the 22 mile route from Hobson to Utica to Windham in Montana. This year's First Place winner was "The Wizard of Straws" by Clint Carr.
"Despicabale Me 2" by Judy Mikkelsen won Fourth Place and the online voting award.
Third Place went to "Hay-Bomina-Bale Snowman" by Nate Carr. See more of this year's entries and winners from previous years as well.
Makin' Hay
Photograph by Flickr user mlhradio.
Artist Tom Otterness exhibited giant hay sculptures in 2009 near Mission San Juan, Texas. The entire work was titled "Makin' Hay," and featured several giant hay people making more hay bales.
See even more hay bale art here.