BERNARDSTON — Organizers of this year’s Scarecrow in the Park festival said despite the weekend’s poor weather, spirits and creativity may have hit an all-time high.

“[The scarecrows] are more creative and detailed than they’ve ever been,” said Joel Cole, vice president of the Bernardston Kiwanis Club, which organizes Scarecrow in the Park.

The 19th annual event, supplemented by food, live music and more than 70 vendors, was highlighted by around 35 custom-made scarecrows, with their creators competing to win awards in five possible categories. It bustled with people who “made the most of the day,” sloshing around a Cushman Park muddied by heavy rain on Friday and Saturday, Cole recapped.

“In the rain and the mud and all of that, it just didn’t stop them from coming,” said Buckland resident Melinda Cross, who attended Scarecrow in the Park both as a scarecrow-maker and as a vendor selling pottery. “It’s just a really positive creative outlet and social outlet.”

Scarecrows were judged and awarded across five categories: scariest, funniest, prettiest, most interesting use of materials and an annually rotating theme, which was “reading” this year. A judge’s choice is also awarded. The winners, which each received a $100 cash prize, are as follows:

■Prettiest: “Aurora” by Karen Stinchfield

■Scariest: “Crows Beware” by Deanna, Serra and dad

■Funniest: “Hot Wheels” by Lincoln

■Most interesting use of materials: Scarecrow No. 22 by Hillary Remillard and the Warwick Community Homeschool Cooperative

■Judge’s choice: Scarecrow No. 13 by Bernardston Elementary School’s kindergarten and third grade classes

■Reading: “The Giving Tree” by Mrs. Clary’s Bernardston Elementary School’s fifth grade class

Kiwanis Club President Mike Swain said he appreciated how apparent it was that “some people put a lot of time and effort” into creating their scarecrows. Cole added that “the family time they put in together” was his favorite element of each creation.

“I think there’s so much creativity. I love that,” Cross said. “It’s whimsical and creative, there’s humor, all of that. … In this world right now, with all the nutso stuff going on, it’s nice to see something so positive, fun and innocent.”

This translated to the festival as a whole, where attendees brought their own sunshine as they wove through the maze of vendor booths.

“People are so friendly,” Cross said of those stopping to browse her wares. “I feel like I’ve just known them all.”

Cole attributed the collective good mood to families simply happy being out and about, even amid damper weather conditions than in previous years.

“The worms were coming out of the ground in the [event] tent and [children] were picking them up,” he cited as an example. “The parents were like, ‘They’re having the best day of their lives.’”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.