“I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more,” Dorothy famously says to her dog Toto in the movie Wizard of Oz.

It doesn’t take long walking down the scarecrow-lined streets of Hoschton, Ga., to realize Hoschton, also known as the Scarecrow Capital of the World, is definitely not Kansas.

This weekend, Hoschton will once again host their annual fall festival, known this year as Scarecrow Fest.

At last year’s festival, Hoschton ended up with thousands of scarecrows placed throughout the town, including scarecrows dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz and Bonanza and a football field complete with a scarecrow football team and scarecrow fans.

The festival celebrates the fall season with activities, food and, of course, scarecrows.

“[The festival] used to be called Hoschton Harvest Days.” said Robbie Bettis, co-chairperson of Scarecrow Fest. “Scarecrows fell right in with the concept.”

During last year’s festival, Hoschton tried for a Guinness World Record for the most number of scarecrows in one place and ended up with 5,441 scarecrows in the small town. The number of scarecrows in Hoschton was almost triple the number of residents in Hoschton.

Hoschton surpassed the old record for the most number of scarecrows in one place by more than 2,000 scarecrows but ended up losing the Guinness World Record on a technicality.

However, the town was recognized by the World Records Academy in Florida and was proclaimed the Scarecrow Capital of the World.

Mayor Bill Copenhaver said he enjoys being the mayor of such a unique small town.

“It gives people something positive to talk about and has been a way to get word of our great little city out,” Copenhaver said. “Because of the scarecrows, the city of Hoschton is known worldwide.”

This year, the town won’t attempt the world record.

“We debated,” Bettis said. “A lot of people were tired. It takes a lot of effort to make a scarecrow.”

Though there are only 200 to 300 scarecrows lining the streets of Hoschton this year, old favorites have returned, including the Wizard of Oz characters.

“Last year people came and took a lot of pictures because there were scarecrows everywhere,” Bettis said. “[This year] the community wanted to go for quality rather than quantity.”

The festival kicks off Thursday night with a new event, the Miss Hoschton Scarecrow Pageant.

To enter the pageant, contestants had to make a scarecrow and write a biography of the scarecrow’s life. During the pageant, each contestant will walk down the runway with his or her scarecrow and answer questions for the scarecrow. A sample question might be: “How would you feel if a crow became President?”

“We’re just trying to get as much fun as we can out of the term scarecrow,” Bettis said.

The residents of Hoschton enjoy the recognition, revenue and small-town atmosphere the festival brings each year.

“The cool part is to see people bringing their kids and seeing the look on kids faces,” said Stanley Patrick, a resident of Hoschton. “It’s like living in Mayberry.”

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