ST. CHARLES – Michele Boyle never has attended Scarecrow Fest – the event began after the former Lombard resident moved to England – but she knows about the festival through articles in “Midwest Living” and from her 87-year-old aunt, who lives in St. Charles.

After learning the Autumn Pumpkin Festival about 30 miles from her home in Dorset was “twinned” with other festivals around the world, she set out to twin it with the St. Charles festival she had heard so much about, she said in an email.

“I thought of the idea of twinning the two festivals because I love to connect people,” Boyle said. “It makes me really happy to see a successful connection.”