Anyone who needs a lesson in how to cram as many activities as possible into a six-hour event should consult with the planners of the 14th annual Preston Scarecrow Festival, an event that continues to expand with more activities for children and adults alike.

The Scarecrow Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Preston City Congregation Church, 321 Route 164, Preston.

Parking is mainly at the nearby Preston Veterans’ Memorial School with free shuttle bus rides provided throughout the day. Handicapped and other limited parking is available at the Krug Road lot adjacent to the church property.

As of last week, the festival committee was approaching the 75 limit for vendors and crafters for a declared space sellout, committee member Linda Kent-Farinha said. And more than three dozen people had registered to enter scarecrows into the festival contests, which include categories for vendors, “Main Street” businesses and nonprofit organizations, individual and children’s entries. Cash prizes will be awarded in the various categories.

In keeping with the festival’s fall theme, the committee added a Farm Days exhibit this year, with eight local farmers and farm businesses selling their products and holding demonstrations and information sessions on their specialties. Pine Hill Alpaca farm will demonstrate alpaca yarn making. Broad Brook Farm will demonstrate maple syrup production and Windswept Apiary will bring its bees.

If you’re ready to get your hands dirty, Hart’s Greenhouse will hold a fall planter workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Scarecrow Festival. For $35, participants will create a fall patio planter with fall greens, flowers and a decorative scarecrow. To register for the workshop, call Hart’s at (860) 887-8482 or send email to prestonscarecrows@gmail.com.

To encourage children to learn more about the farms in the area, the festival will offer farm passports to children to stop at each station to collect farm facts and receive themed stickers — a pig sticker from the pig farmer, for example.

Mainstay events include the Kids’ Zone, with a petting zoo, games, harvest activities, a bounce house, dunk tank, crafts and contests. Farinha said the old-fashioned low-tech contests have been the favorites, including a sack race and a doughnut eating contest, with the doughnut hung from a string.

Inside the church, more than 50 items worth more than $2,000 collectively have been donated to the festival’s silent auction.

Food will be for sale throughout the festival and into the evening, starting with the traditional Chili & Chowder Shack, bake sale and Crow’s Nest for hot dogs, chili dogs and burgers and ending with the popular chicken barbecue from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., a perennial sellout at $11 for adults and $6 for children under 12.

The festival has evolved into much more than a scarecrow contest, becoming a major town festival with participation by numerous civic groups and volunteers contributing to ensure its success.

Entertainment has expanded, with music and dance performances throughout the day, including Rabbi Jack the Piano Man and Hula Hoopin’ with Judi Jones. The Norwich Free Academy Dance and Unified Dance teams will perform.

Boy Scouts camp overnight Friday to protect scarecrow and vendor displays and stay throughout the event Saturday, handling trash removal, errands and food runs for vendors and whatever else festival planners need. The Preston City Fire Department helps with parking, traffic control and pedestrian crossing.

Set-up for scarecrows entered into the contest will run from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday evening and Saturday morning prior to 9:30 a.m.

c.bessette@theday.com