‘Stranger Things’ scarecrow stolen from courthouse square lawn in Jackson

By Sharon Dowdy Cruse Staff Correspondent

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    JACKSON, Georgia (Gwinnett Daily Post) — Hannah Thompson and her husband Cameron put their heart, soul and money into creating a “Stranger Things”-themed scarecrow for the Butts County Chamber of Commerce’s Scare on the Square contest. Less than 12 hours after they placed “Eddie Munson” on the courthouse lawn across from their store, Gold Lion Farm, the scarecrow was stolen.

“We put it out in the morning, the Chamber came by and took pictures, and by 11 p.m. that night it was gone,” Thompson said.

The city of Jackson Police Department is studying video footage from a neighboring store in an effort to find the thief.

“We contacted the Chamber and Sylvia (Redic, Jackson’s city manager,) and she didn’t roll her eyes and say, ‘It was just a scarecrow,’ ” she said. “The mayor even called to apologize for this happening in Jackson.”

The Thompsons decided to create the “Stranger Things”-themed scarecrow because they meet an “unbelieveable amount” of tourists who are fans of the Netflix series.

“We had three au pairs from Paris this week, and the week before we had visitors from Italy,” she said. “We’ve also had visitors from Florida, Kentucky and California. We were thrilled about it. I’m always in the threnches with fans talking about the show.”

For those who don’t watch the series, Thompson gives some back story.

“Eddie Munson is a very pivotal character. He does a self-sacrifice to save everyone and may end up being the hero,” Thompson said. “That particular character gets a lot of conversation. And now, everyone wants to know is he coming back or is he dead.”

The Thompsons spent several months on the crafters website Etsy hunting for the things they would need to create their Eddie Munson scarecrow.

“I would describe him as a ‘metal head’ with patches and buttons on his jacket,” she said.

Thompson purchased the denim jacket at the Salvation Army in Jackson. The Motorhead patch cost $20 and the character’s Hell Fire T-shirt had to be custom printed at a cost of $35. The scarecrow’s base was a tall plastic skeleton the Thompsons have had for years. The couple estimates they spent about $350 on the scarecrow.

“In the show, Eddie gets attacked by bats so we added a few bats flying around the scarecrow’s head,” she said. “And we cut out the Metalica tribute guitar in our woodshop. I had a hard time finding the red crackle paint.”

Thompson, who moved to Jackson a few years ago, was accustomed to this kind of behavior in Atlanta, but she was suprised when it happened here.

“It ruined our day and broke our hearts,” she said. “Jackson is an awesome place to live. I don’t want our town to change.”

The Thompsons say when the thief is caught they plan to prosecute. And, they are also offering a cash reward for information and/or Eddie’s safe return.

“The bottom line is we hope we have this person on camera,” she said. “In my heart I feel that it was a young person who has a mindset that it’s OK to steal.”

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