Boo!

These photos are from The Great Jack-O-Lantern Blaze in the Hudson Valley near Tarrytown and the area of Washington Irving's famous story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The Van Cortlandt Manor is the host of the Blaze, with hot cider and hot chocolate to keep you warm on a chilly autum night. It is also presented as the home of the party at the beginning of the story before Ichabod Crane sets out into the woods- a fitting setting for giving any visitor the creeps.

You can meander through the grounds where there are magnificent displays for Halloween all made out of illuminated pumpkins. Several carvers also compete in a contest that tests their skills. My favorite part was a section close to the water that is roped off. It is a long, darkened dirt road that heads into the woods. If you stand still and listen carefully, you can hear the galloping footsteps of the headless horesman as he rides off into the night.