The City of Opp, Frank Jackson State Park officials and numerous members of the Trail Masters Association welcomed guests to the official ribbon cutting and opening of the “Scarecrows in the Park” event Friday morning.

Trail Master Juanita Blocker opened the event with a congratulatory speech to all the hands that helped to build the scenic display.

“When you walk these three trails you will see several interesting and beautiful crafted scarecrows,” she said. “You will see beautiful displays, but there is one thing you will not see. You will not the see numerous hours of hard work and sweat devoted to clearing these trails for public use.

“We are proud of what the Trail Masters have accomplished,” she added. “It would not have been possible without the assistance of the City of Opp, mayor [H.D.] Edgar and District 1 County Commissioner [Kent Colquett] for the use of heavy equipment. They all helped us to complete work that we most likely could not have done otherwise.”

A final count revealed approximately 150 scarecrows and 64 displays placed along the 5 miles of the park’s Red, Green and Blue trails.

“Many talented individuals have worked hard to create some very interesting scarecrows for this event,” Blocker said. “We are excited to finally see ‘Scarecrows in the Park’ open to the public and we feel very certain that everyone will enjoy the experience.”

“Scarecrows in the Park” will remain open through November and several more scarecrows are being crafted for future placement along one of the three trails.

Admission to the trails is free to the public, but a small fee will be required to enter the state park. Children ages 6 to 11 and senior citizens, 62 and older, will pay $0.50 for entry and adults will pay $1 to enter.

Any group who wishes to schedule a tour of the trails may contact Charles Willis at 493-2621 or Jim and Juanita Blocker at 493-0129.