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EVENT: Halloween in Sleepy Hollow Country

October 7, 2015

Featuring a record-breaking number of nights, Historic Hudson Valley’s Halloween season events, which are the largest in the tri-state area and are expected to draw more than 150,000 visitors to Sleepy Hollow Country this fall, kick off on Friday, Oct. 2.

 


Continuing for a record 30 selected evenings through Nov. 15, The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze® is the Hudson Valley’s biggest all-ages Halloween extravaganza. A small team of artists comes together to carve more than 7,000 jacks, many fused together in elaborate constructions such as life-size dinosaurs and eight-foot-tall working jack-o’lanterns-in-the-box, all lit up throughout the wooded walkways, orchards, and gardens of historic Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.


Washington Irving’s macabre tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow inspires Horseman’s Hollow, a 15-night interactive haunted attraction at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., recommended for ages 10 and up. Stocked with professional actors and state-of-the-art special effects, Horseman’s Hollow has a high fear factor.


Irving’s ‘Legend,’ recommended for ages 10 and up, brings the master storyteller Jonathan Kruk into the historic, candlelit interior of Sleepy Hollow’s circa-1685 Old Dutch Church, where for 15 evenings he offers a dramatic re-telling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow accompanied by live organ music.


The Legend Behind the ‘Legend’ is a daytime experience at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside homestead in Tarrytown, N.Y., that highlights the author of the famous story.


Blaze Founding Sponsor is Entergy. Blaze Participating Sponsor is Green Mountain Energy. Media Sponsors are 100.7 WHUD/The Peak 107.1 and The Journal News Media Group. 


All events are held rain or shine. Proceeds support Historic Hudson Valley, the Tarrytown-based private, non-profit educational organization that owns and operates the historic sites that host these events.


Ticket and date information
These events have limited capacity and sell out. All admissions are by advance purchase timed ticket.


Blaze dates are Oct. 2-4, 9-12, 15-18, 21-31, Nov. 1, 5-8, 13-15. Online tickets are $20 for adults ($25 on Saturdays), $16 for children 3-17 ($20 on Saturdays), and free for children under 3 and Historic Hudson Valley members.

 

Horseman’s Hollow dates are Oct. 2-3, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, 29-31 and Nov. 1. Online tickets are $20 ($25 on Saturdays). New this year, Fast Track lets visitors skip the line in their time slot and is a $15 per ticket upgrade. Historic Hudson Valley members receive a $5 per ticket discount.

 

Irving’s ‘Legend’ dates are Oct. 2-3, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, 30-31 and Nov. 1. Seating is very limited and there are three performances each evening. Online tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for children under 18. Historic Hudson Valley members receive a $5 per ticket discount.

 

Legend Behind the ‘Legend’ dates are Oct. 3-4, 10-12, 17-18, 24-25, 31, Nov. 1. Online tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, $8 for children 3-17, and free for those under 3 and Historic Hudson Valley members.

 

Buy tickets online at www.hudsonvalley.org or by calling 914-366-6900 ($2 per ticket surcharge for phone orders and for tickets purchased onsite, if available).

 

The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze
The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze, which drew more than 115,000 visitors last year, features more than 7,000 illuminated, individually hand-carved jack o’ lanterns. Elaborate single-pumpkin carvings and huge multi-jack o’lantern constructions are professionally lit throughout the landscape of Van Cortlandt Manor in various themed areas.

 

Favorite installations such as the Undersea Aquarium and Jurassic Park are joined this year by new creations including an immersive Pumpkin Planetarium and Circus Ghost Train, featuring clowns, animals, and other colorful circus characters…all made of jack o’lanterns.

 

Creative Director Michael Natiello leads a small team of Historic Hudson Valley staff and local artists who carve. In addition, more than 1,000 volunteers help scoop and light the pumpkins. Blaze artists will be carving on site during the event. The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze Shop offers a full bounty of Blaze-specific merchandise including hats, notepads, games, T-shirts, magnets, caps, mugs, and jewelry. Café Blazé, by Geordane’s of Irvington, will offer culinary treats including soup, veggie chili, muffins, pumpkin cookies, and cider.

 

New music this year created by professional musician, radio personality, and Halloween fanatic Richard Christy will augment the visitor experience. The new tracks as well as music from Mr. Christy’s Blaze: The Soundtrack Volume I & II play throughout the event. Both soundtrack volumes are available as a CD at the event and also as digital downloads and streams from iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

 

Van Cortlandt Manor is at 525 South Riverside Avenue, just off Route 9 in Croton-on-Hudson.

 

Horseman’s Hollow
Celebrating its sixth year, Horseman’s Hollow, which welcomed more than 27,000 visitors last year, is a haunted experience in the heart of Sleepy Hollow that takes the tale of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to its darkest extremes. Historic Philipsburg Manor transforms into a terrifying landscape ruled by the undead, the evil, and the insane, all serving the Headless Horseman himself.

 

Haunted house professional Lance Hallowell leads a crew of award-winning makeup and costume designers and a 40-member-strong cast of experienced actors to create an immersive, interactive, pleasantly terrifying experience, with state-of-the-spooky-art special effects.

 

Custom built set pieces and period-correct costumes help orient the experience in Philipsburg Manor’s traditional time period of the mid-1700s.

 

Philipsburg Manor is at 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow.

 

Irving’s ‘Legend’
Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk offers a dramatic re-telling of Washington Irving’s classic tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, featuring the Headless Horseman, Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, and Katrina Van Tassel. Flavored with live spooky organ music by Jim Keyes, Kruk’s storytelling takes place in the historic, candlelit setting of the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow. The circa-1685 stone church is across the street from Philipsburg Manor, where visitors will park. Performances last about 45 minutes.

 

Legend Behind the ‘Legend’
Sunnyside celebrates its connection to Washington Irving’s classic tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, at this family friendly daytime event. The Legend Behind the ‘Legend includes tours of Irving’s home – a colorful blend of architectural styles – which showcase numerous objects from HHV’s collection related to Irving’s famous story. Visitors can also enjoy a shadow puppet performance of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and experience one of Irving's spooky tales on a walk through the woods. Sunnyside is on West Sunnyside Lane, off Route 9 in Tarrytown