After 40 years, the Ottawa Scarecrow Festival committee announced it will not return this fall.

In a social media post, the committee said the Ottawa Fall Fest & Parade will be the lone fall festival.

“We here at Scarecrow Fest think that Fall Fest has created something special for the beginning of the season and that they will be able to provide you with plenty of memories to kick start fall,” read the post.

Ottawa Fall Fest & Parade started five years ago.

A hallmark of the festival, the scarecrow competition, will live on. In past years, downtown businesses created a scarecrow based on a theme and the public voted on its favorite.

A nonprofit, Ottawa-based Humankind Initiative, will take over the competition and expand it throughout La Salle County.

The Times / NewsTribune / Bureau County Republican is committed to keeping readers up to date with business happenings in the area. Much of our reporting relies on what we see and hear, but we’re also reaching out to readers for tips on business items. If you have a tip to share for Eyes on Enterprise, email newsroom@mywebtimes.com.