The Story of Our Scarecrow
BEHIND THE SHOT
Written by JACKIE KENNEDY
TOP : Cover model Heather Hale was a perfect match for our sweet scarecrow. Photo by Sandy Hiser.
MIDDLE : Gabriella and her sister Ariaana Rutledge peer over the fence to meet their new neighbor. Photo by Sandy Hiser.
BOTTOM LEFT : Proving she'll go to great lengths for the NCM cover, publisher Beth Neely, at left, prepares to saw the scarecrow's lower extremities. Photo by Sonya Studt.
BOTTOM RIGHT : Beth Neely climbs a roof to hold a patio umbrella to block the sun. Photo by Sandy Hiser.
We went around the world trying to figure out how to combine city and country living on the cover of this issue celebrating life in Coweta. Idea after idea, it seemed like something was missing. Then, seemingly out of the sky, media sales specialist Misha Benson said, “Let's make a scarecrow and put it on the cover!”
Wow! Why didn't I think of that?
Our beehive of an office got buzzing and before we knew it, we had a scarecrow skeleton, thanks to publisher and all-around handyperson Beth Neely; a sweet face with straw hair, thanks to resident crafts guru Payton Thompson; and some cool duds for him to wear, namely, Misha's husband Kenny's flannel shirt and my overalls from high school. (Do not ask if they still fit.)
With our featured city gardener Heather Hale posing with the scarecrow, creative directors Sandy Hiser and Sonya Studt joined Payton and Beth on a bright and steamy mid-August morning to shoot the cover at a wooden fence.
One thing we missed in our planning was the fact that our scarecrow was taller than said fence. We amputated him at the knee, or what would have been his knee were it not a two-by-four. With our cover girl sitting on an upturned bucket, the two sized up just right, and Heather even offered her new buddy a bouquet of Payton's pretty newspaper flowers. (To make your own, see page 90.)
We found the best ever model in Heather. All grace and patience, she's the perfect match for our sweet and not-scary-at-all garden defender.
NCM