Brunhilda, the Benicia Herald’s skeleton scarecrow friend. (Photo by Nick Sestanovich)

Benicia Herald Editorial

Ever since the Solano County Board of Supervisors voted to grant a request from the city of Benicia to switch its elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, Benicians might be under the impression that they have nothing to vote for this year. There are no city elections, nor is this a year for midterm or presidential elections. Residents might think they have a year off from voting, right?

Not so fast.

Once again, Benicia Main Street is putting on its annual Scarecrow Contest where businesses throughout First Street display creatively designed scarecrows in front of their establishments. The public can vote in a “People’s Choice” match, where the top three winners will be announced after Oct. 22. Typically, the Herald does not write editorials or endorse candidates in any election, but in this case we have to weigh in.

We have seen the scarecrows that have been put out, and they are all very creative. However, we have a partial preference to our very own Brunhilda and would like to encourage you to give her your vote.

At first glance, she may appear to be just a skeleton, but do not let looks deceive you. Brunhilda is powerful. Even the name invokes the sixth-century Queen of Austrasia, although the difference between her and that ruler is that she has never been pulled apart by horses. Among some of the tidbits about Brunhilda: she has donated her time to high school science classrooms, she has frequently been praised for her work in productions of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and she was an extra in the movie “Jason and the Argonauts.”

OK, some of those may or may not be true, but there is one thing we do know for sure: Brunhilda is a supporter of a free press. We have not received word on how the other scarecrows feel about this issue, but Brunhilda is very passionate about it. She believes in a well-informed population, and wants you to know it. That is why she can be seen standing outside our office or peeking out the blinders from inside, depending on the time of day. She dislikes moonlight, meaning she deviates from the typical folkloric skeleton, giving you all the more reason to cast your vote for her.

Again, we at the Herald have nothing against the other participating scarecrows. There are many creative entries in this contest, and we encourage you to vote for others as well. The beauty of this contest is that you can vote for up to three of your favorites. We are not asking for Brunhilda to be your No. 1 pick, but we hope she is among your top three.
Voting for the contest ends Sunday, Oct. 22. You can cast your vote by stopping by Benicia Main Street at 90 First St. or going online to beniciamainstreet.org/2017-scarecrow-contest-vote/. May the best scarecrow win!

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