Messages In The Hay

By Kendra Bobowick

Folk art and seasonal spirit are the secret ingredients to the “hay man” assemblage looming over the Queen Street and Church Hill Road intersection outside Dr Joshua E. Baum Orthodontics. Patriotism and a desire to chase away the malaise and “black cloud overhead” inspired another stacked straw work of art, a Betsy Ross flag outside The Inn at Newtown, said artist Gregory McEvoy.

A glance at the inn’s front lawn finds a heap of bales stacked in a squat pile roughly five feet high, where red and white stripes and a circle of stars against a blue background greet passersby. Thinking of the nation’s economic troubles, political strife, and a country still at war, Mr McEvoy addressed potentially and sagging spirits.

“I thought the flag was a good way, it’s not [politically] left or right, it’s together. It’s all of us,” said the artist, who hopes the country can “get it in gear, move forward.”

“I feel like we’ve got to get up and pull out of the fog since 9/11,” he added.

The inn commissioned his “folk, unique, autumn” work, he said. He had originally solicited managers there, preferring the prominent, noticeable spot along Main Street, he said.

Inn at Newtown Manager Roger Ramey agrees that the flag is artistic and patriotic, and the use of hay and straw ties in the season. Mr McEvoy, a former Newtown resident, is a practicing artist who has also taught his craft. He is also adept at furniture restoration, frequently handling pieces from the C.H. Booth Library collection.

Hay, Man

Karen Murphy, the marketing secretary for Dr Baum Orthodontics, explained the towering bales of hay outside the orthopedic office: “It’s for the spirit of the season, and we’ll keep it up as long as we can!”

The 15-foot-tall hay man with his flowers, dried corn, and black crows stuffed into his façade has been an eye-catcher for parents and children as they visit the orthodontist’s office as well as for the thousands of passersby who go through the Church Hill Road-Queen Street intersection every day. As mothers and fathers prop their children at the base to take photos, Ms Murphy said, “That’s what it’s all about.”

Newtown landscaper Bill Pendergast is responsible for constructing the figure, which arrived just in time for the Labor Day Parade last month, while office staff did the decorations.

“He is done in fall elements,” said Ms Murphy. He represents fun and the season, she said. He arrives on Dr Baum’s lawn each year, she said, explaining that the doctor is active in the community. “This is one more thing he does.”